67: The cover up

The cover up

Adela and Egon settled on the ground beside her bed.0

"Take off your shirt, it is in the way," 

"Yes, My Lady," he muttered sarcastically, a hint of a smile adorning his well-formed lips.

Adela busied herself by dipping a clean cloth into warm water with her right hand, the ripples inside the basin mirroring the golden shades of the morning sun. It served as a distraction, allowing Egon a moment to undress.

"All done," he remarked needlessly.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of Egon's bare muscular frame for the second time, the darkened blood stained his wide, long scars. These marks — etched permanently onto his skin — were constant reminders of the tragedy he had endured in the depths of Lanark's Forest.

Just how is he supposed to put the past behind him?

The thought of a shapeshifter's claws tearing through a young boy and his newborn brother flooded her mind. She placed her left hand over her mouth, suppressing the surge of nausea.

"I can attend to it myself if the sight of blood troubles you," Egon's voice held a solemn tone.

She swallowed, mustering her composure. "No, it's alright. I will take care of it,"

Adela began to cleanse Egon's bare torso with deliberate and steady movements, her hands tracing the path where the invisible wound should have been. Egon's eyes remained fixed on her face, openly mesmerized by her presence, they brought trickling heat to the Lady's neck and face.

"You're distracting me," she finally murmured, breaking the silence.

Egon's mischievous smile lingered, but he didn't utter a word in response. Adela couldn't help but return the smile.

She found herself in a more difficult situation after that.

Reaching the lower parts of Egon's scars with her fingers following their trail, she noticed Egon's breath catching in his throat. The unexpected reaction stirred something within her, causing her own heart to quicken its pace. With a sense of heightened awareness, her hand slowed down, pressing a little more deliberately against the rippled muscles of his lower abdomen.

The power her gentle touch had over the predatory creature before her was nothing short of exhilarating. It coursed through her veins only to resonate in the pulse below his skin, intertwining their energies in a moment of pure intimacy.

Lost in the grip of the most primal and forbidden sensations, Adela felt her longing for Egon threatening to consume her. 

Focus! She silently admonished herself, determined to bring her attention back to the pressing matters at hand. Her father's declining health demanded her immediate presence, and the deep-rooted animosity between the de Lanarks and the von Conradies loomed like a black cloud over her head.

If this is the love scorned by the aristocrats of Emoria, then it is but a fragile flower blooming amidst a thorny battlefield...

Egon cleared his throat, "It's clean enough, bandage it,"

Adela reached for the roll of bandages concealed within a box beneath her bed. Her hands worked with practiced dexterity despite the whirlwind of emotions within her. She began to wrap the bandages around Egon's shoulder, meticulously creating the illusion of a securely bound wound. Each turn of the bandage was executed with care, ensuring its authenticity to any observer, Arkin included. 

As the last knot was tied, Adela stood up and stepped back, her eyes tracing the contours of Egon's form.

"You are very skilled with your hands," he complimented, drawing her attention to his eyes.

"...It is a secret that you promised to keep," she reminded him.

His thick brows knitted together, "This and that are different. Not all Healers educate themselves on herbs and the ways of modern medicine,"

"I thought they were rare. You make it sound like they are everywhere."

"... I have encountered one before in Kolhis, and it's what I wanted to discuss with you, actually..."

Adela braced herself, anticipating a heartless offer or another attempt to manipulate her as he had done before with her father's land.

"But first...What do you plan on doing?" He asked with a piercing gaze. 

Adela thought about that for a minute.

Claude had asked her to wait until his people found her, while the white wolf had spoken of her healing abilities being of use when she reunited with the Archduke. She had already made up her mind to travel to Destan where the Crown Prince claimed her father could be found. The only obstacle she faced at the moment — aside from the long journey — was the unpredictable behavior of Arkin who was supposed to accompany her.

"Think out loud," he demanded.

She gave him a sideway glance, "I am contemplating the logistics, the best route to Destan and all," she responded vaguely.

Egon did not look surprised at all.

"Do you honestly believe that your parents have no clue about your essence and abilities?"

It was a low blow on his part.

"...What do you want to hear? That they lied to me? That they tricked me?"

Standing abruptly, Egon towered over her, "Why did they choose to take your father to the capital when someone fully capable of treating him is available right here in Lanark?"

Their face darkened simultaneously. Adela couldn't bring herself to voice the thought that crossed her mind—the possibility that her father wished to end his own life. It was unthinkable! Especially in the presence of a man whose own father had committed suicide.

Egon sighed, muttering something about empathizing with the wrong person, then looked at her with frustrated eyes, "I know that you want to go to your father immediately, but I believe he wanted to keep you out of it for a reason," 

"What reason?" Adela's voice was tinged with desperation.

Egon appeared troubled by the question, his gaze searching her face, "Healers... They hide for a reason... You can play doctor here without arousing suspicion, but curing a man with a heart disease goes beyond what is considered natural."

It felt peculiar to hear her father's enemy offer logical explanations for the Archduke's seemingly irrational actions.

His temper flared all of a sudden, "What about your mother's secrets? Do you have no consideration for her?"

Adela took a calming breath, consideration should have been mutual in that case.

"...I will reach my father and cure him first, then deal with everything else," 

He narrowed his hawk-like eyes, "I bet even if you managed to reach him, he wouldn't want to see you."

She loathed admitting that the arrogant beast was right, but begrudgingly, she acknowledged the truth. Her face sank into her hands, and she shook her head in despair. Never before had she felt so utterly helpless.

"I have a suggestion, but it will require embarking on a different kind of journey," he proposed.

Aware of her limited time to travel to Destan, she decided to entertain his idea.

Adela held her flushed face up, "What kind of journey are you suggesting?"

"One that you will undertake with me,"

pqdm.com