Page 67 of Conquered Pet
That was good.
With a hard push, I sat all the way up. My head swirled for several moments until it eventually subsided to a gentler dizziness. I blinked, moaning softly as I brought my hand upto my forehead. I rubbed right in between my eyes, but the pounding of the blood in my skull overwhelmed me. I had to wait several minutes before it subsided. Only then did I brave pushing myself up to my feet.
The consequence of that was much worse. A roaring sense of vertigo almost put me flat on my ass. I reached out, using the wall to help me keep balance as I suffered through the worst of it. A pitiful cry escaped my lips and I rushed to cover my mouth with my free hand.
I didn’t know if the men were still out there. I had to keep quiet, for my sake and for Talyn’s.
I tried not to think about the harrowing sound of his roaring agony, but that’s what spurred me onward because I had to know if he was alright.
When the dizzying pulses finally lessened, I started to walk back into the tunnel. I was vaguely aware that I was in some sort of side room. The entryway had crumbled, and I stepped over much of it. Holding a protective arm over my head, I dunked beneath the remains of the hole in the wall and back onto the train tracks.
I looked out cautiously. There was no sign of him anywhere. I couldn’t hear anyone over the sound of my own breathing. I moved to the side and leaned against a more stable-looking wall, closing my eyes and allowing my racing heart to calm.
I probably had a concussion of some sort, but there was nothing I could do about it now other than force myself to stay awake. I looked around for any sign of Talyn. At first, I saw nothing.
There were spots in my eyes, and I blinked them away. My vision was mostly acclimated to the darkness, and I lurched in thedirection that I’d seen Talyn go. Each step I took was a massive victory. I made it about ten feet before I came upon the mangled remains of what looked like a hand.
It wasn’t human. It was his.
I choked back a sob and kept walking. I came upon an arm next, a piece of a leg, and my eyes watered with horror and sorrow. With each piece of him, I lost more and more hope until I was openly sobbing at the loss of the man that I’d only just realized I loved with all my heart.
I bawled and somewhere in the distance; a horrific moan broke through the silence. I paused, sniffling back my tears. It could be Ryan and his men, but what did it matter now?
I was numb. The idea of going on without him was far too painful and I didn’t want to bear it all alone. So what if they killed me?
At least the pain would pass.
The groan echoed again, and I paused. It sounded vaguely familiar. It was coming toward the right side, up ahead maybe about twenty feet.
Not caring about the risk, I plodded forward as quickly as I could. I put one foot in front of the other because there was suddenly a blinding hope surging within me. Another croaking moan sounded not much farther, and I swung my head around, searching for the source.
A crippled body laid still, hidden deep in the shadows. Not caring that it may be the terrible men, I rushed over to the dark form. I couldn’t discern if it was human or alien in the darkness. As I drew closer though, I took in the burgundy color of its skin and a wretched sob escaped me.
Talyn. Oh, my god. It was him.
His flesh had been burned past recognition in several places. He was missing an arm and a foot, but his chest was still rising and falling. He was still breathing.
My Talyn wasalive.
I couldn’t keep my hands off him, but when he gasped in pain the moment my fingers touched his flesh, I jerked them away. I didn’t want to hurt him. He didn’t deserve any of this.
The men who had done this to us were wicked. Their only concern had been raping me and using me to get to Talyn. I hated them. If I could do it myself, I would kill every last one of them.
Talyn groaned and I found the only place on him that didn’t appear singed or injured in any way. I very lightly pressed my fingers against his neck and his lips rose slightly in a haggard smile.
“I’m here,” I breathed softly, and his one arm moved toward me. His fingers grazed against my thigh, and I scooted closer to him as carefully as I could. I didn’t want to jostle him.
I curled up next to him, just being there with him. There was a cut on his cheek that knitted together right in front of me, and I prayed that his superior healing abilities would be enough to get him through something like this.
I closed my eyes and slept.
* * *
Over the course of the next several hours or maybe even days, I slept on and off while Talyn healed beside me. The more superficial wounds knitted together first, leaving his skin smooth and free of burns and cuts.
There was an open slash across his gut that I had to bandage together as best as I could. I used my pants and a sock to cinch it together, not caring that I was only left with a dirty pair of panties and my shirt on the filthy floor. I tried to be gentle, but it hurt him enough to make me feel awful.
Eventually, he healed enough to whisper a few words.
