Dark Hunger

"You sure you can take care of him?" asked Auril after he had once again prepared medication for him. Elize marveled at his foraging skills. He was an absolute gem and she wondered if he was a better doctor than the ones in the human realm. "I think he will be alright soon." 

"I can," she assured him and closed the door of the room. She went to the motel room's small bathroom and found him sprawled in the cold water bathtub with his glass in his hands. He was gulping it down and she tried to stop him. 

"Give it back!" he growled, his chest vibrating with anger and irritation. She had poured the entire green paste in the tub water and it was stinging. Even though his body would heal on its own, the green herbal potion accelerated the process. 

Elize took a wet cloth and held it over his chest. He was acting like a baby. "You have already had one glass. You don't need more." 

"I am not a child!" 

"You are a big child," she chided him and wrung a wet cloth over him. "And currently the sullenest man I have even seen in my life!" She rubbed the cloth over him to wipe the caked blood over his wounds. Auril had helped her to remove the lodged arrow from his chest. They had to shove it out from the chest instead of the back. He had removed the arrow, and cleaned and closed the wound using some of his magic and bandages and herbal pastes. He had mentioned that it was because of the position of the arrow that he hadn't lost a lot of blood as he had expected. 

Elize noticed that the herbal potion was able to pull out the poison from his body. He grumbled when she dragged more cloth across his torso. She understood why he was so angry. Through her newly connected mental bond, she knew that he was feeling guilty that he should have protected her, he should be the one taking care of her and instead it's her who is doing it for him. She wanted to smack him for his male ego and then hug him for being such a lovable ass. 

She was sitting on the edge of the tub, gently rubbing the cloth over his body. She ran out the dirty water, filled it again with clean water and poured more medicine. She noticed that the poison had a blue tint in the blood and wondered where it could have come from. He groaned when her hand reached his chest over the area where the wound was still gaping. Her heart clenched at the sight, but she tightened her expressions in order to control her emotions and softly circled that area. 

"Are you angry with me?" Caleb asked and then gulped down more whiskey. "I want more of this." 

Elize took away the glass and said, "I am not angry, darling." 

"Even after I failed to protect you?" 

Gods. Elize looked up at the ceiling and stopped herself from crying. His admission had thrown her. This man was so deep inside that it might take her entire life and more to peel his layers. She took a deep shaky breath and when she looked back at him, she placed her hand on his cheek. "You protected me with your life. I think I had been a douchebag to have put you in this situation." What she meant was that she was aroused as hell when she looked at him. "Next time, I won't drive." She dipped the cloth in cold water, made him lean forward and rubbed it gently over his back. She noticed that his skin had already started stitching itself. There were angry marks of the cut and bruises. She knew that within the next few hours he would heal up completely. The bandage on her own arm now seemed like it wasn't necessary. Not that it was astonishing for her because she was used to seeing her quick recoveries after she was injured, but this time her skin mended in less than an hour. 

Caleb was quiet and she continued to tenderly wash him. When she was done, she once again ran more water in the tub and then washed him clean with soap and lather and applied tons of cream on his body to soothe him.

"Why are you taking so much care of me?" he asked as she helped him out of the tub. He was not used to all this tenderness or care. He was only used to giving it to people. Pia was too demanding and he was tuned to her and then when he found Elize, he wanted to give her too but the girl rarely took anything from him. So, when she drank from him, he felt… pleasure. 

"What would you have done if the situation was reversed?" she said as she helped him stand and started drying him with a towel. He was still swaying on his feet and so she quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and helped him to go to the bed. 

Caleb didn't know how to answer that question. Perhaps he would have brought the world down to see her wounded. His heart squeezed. "Don't ask me such questions," he grunted. 

She circled his arm across her shoulder and held him steadily. They walked up to the bed and made him sit carefully. There was a large wound on his buttock too that was healing but the skin was still very thin. She had to be very careful. She took the towel out and then made him lay naked on the bed. She tucked him in soft blankets and said, "You must be hungry. I am going and getting something for you to eat." 

"You must be hungry too," he blurted. 

She raked her fingers through his damp hair and smiled. "I will drink once you are well fed my love." 

When Elize returned with packed hotdog and almond flavored milk she could manage to get with the help of Auril, she found him mumbling something she couldn't understand. The man was delirious. "Fuck!" she placed the food on the bedside table and touched his forehead. He was running a high fever. Did he catch any infection? She had seen it with her father and now seeing it with him. "Caleb?" she called him, as panic seized her mind. This can't be happening. "Caleb?" 

"Elize," he said in a weak voice, his eyes closed, his chest heaving heavily. "Stay with me." 

A tremor rippled through her body. Her heart, no, her soul wrenched inside. "Oh gods!" She placed her hand on his face and he grabbed her hand immediately. "Caleb, let me call Auril," she said, anxiety grasping her in its vise-like grip. She drew in a shallow ragged breath. 

"No, stay with me," he mumbled, holding her all the closer to her. "Don't leave me. Ever." 

"I will never leave you, Caldy," she replied with quivering lips, with tears rolling out. She had to call Auril. 

"Then, I will be fine," he whispered, "and you can drink from me."

"No," she said as her heart cracked even more.