Chapter 4 (Pt 2)
Blood , he realized.
He was vaguely aware of his companion, as the latter crawled up behind him, her hands gently turning him over on his back. The movement caused another sharp stab of pain, and he gasped, nearly choking on the blood that sipped into his mouth from a split lip. She lifted him up then, letting him cough out the blood, and then busied herself with his bandage, while he lay back, utterly exhausted.
�This is my last clean one,� she said finally, after she was finished. �It will have to keep, until we get��
�Where?� his voice was barely above a whisper, his blue eyes, clouded with pain, watched her with renewed suspicion.
She stood up abruptly, moving away from him, as she pretended to busy herself with the contents of her sack. �Remember the lake I showed you?� she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the sack. �I have a friend who lives there. It�s pretty � how do you say � secluded. We�ll be safe there � at least for a while.�
�And what does your friend do? Is he same as you?�
�You mean is he a hired killer as well?� she exclaimed angrily, her eyes meeting his for the first time, furious, defiant, as if daring him to judge her.
He met her furious stare unflinching, his expression unreadable. And only his voice, when he spoke next, betrayed his disappointment. �Is that what you are?�
She blinked and looked away again, her anger dissipated. The tense silence between them seemed to turn the very air around them colder, and Xandrie shivered inwardly. He wouldn't understand. He probably hates me now.
As if in response to her thoughts, Christian�s quiet voice broke the cold silence. �How does a pickpocket graduate to contract killing?� The bitterness, the disappointment were gone � his voice was flat, emotionless, and the question hung heavily in the air, making her cringe inside.
She looked up again, the green eyes gleaming with unshed tears. She blinked them away furiously, refusing to let him see the impact of his words. How dare he? He looks at me like I'm some kind of a monster! If he only knew-
� �What gives YOU the right to judge?� she snapped, going on the offensive. �You think you know me so well? Know all there is to know about me? Why don�t you just mind your own goddamned business!�
He frowned, taken aback by her outburst. Maybe she was right; maybe there was something that he was missing in this picture. There had to be. He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him with a wave of her hand.
�Why don�t you just sleep for a while,� she offered quietly, putting an end to their conversation. �We have to get off in a couple of hours, and you�ll need all of your strength to get to where we�re going. Just rest.�
Christian nodded, realizing that he wasn�t going to get any further with her at this point. She has closed herself off to him, and any attempt to open her up would be a waste of time � he, at least, knew her well enough to know that. Besides, he really was tired, and a couple of hours of sleep sounded like an awfully good idea. He made a mental note to himself to have another talk with her after he woke up, and then he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep almost instantly.
Xandrie waited a few minutes, until she was certain that he was fast asleep. Then she took out a small blanket that she brought with her and cautiously walked over to his corner. She kneeled beside him, placing the blanket over his sleeping form. Her gaze lingered on his face, and she reached out tentatively with her fingertips, brushing off the specs of dirt that covered the side of his face, careful so as not to wake him. �I�m sorry, Christian,� she whispered. �I�m so � so sorry. Je vais t'expliquer tout. Je te le jure. Mais je peux pas. Pas encore. Je suis pas pr�te. Je ne voulais pas t'impliquer dans tout �a. Je ne voulais pas te faire mal. Pardonne-moi� pardonne-moi."
***
[English translation: �I will explain everything to you. I swear. But I can�t. Not yet. I�m not ready. I didn�t want to involve you in all this. I didn�t want to hurt you. Forgive me � forgive me.�]