Chapter 22

PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

Grayson returns long after noon, silently ignoring me, starting a fire and placing his caught prey of bass attached to a stick over it, leaving the poor creatures to cook. Marie moves about, inching closer and closer to a sleeping wolf, curosity in play than fear. I want to sit up but don't know how I'd manage to move from my position.

I sigh a final time resigning myself to my ridiculous fate. F**king Herberus, that whip could probably paralyse me for life. How was I going to protect Marie like this? I was practically and invalid. We were out in the open, exposed to the wind, elements and rather the mercy of whatever managed to pass us by.

I move to sit up again, grunting and trembling in pain. Somehow my body's weight suddenly becomes a little lighter and I register thick fingers wrapped around my waist. I glance up finding Grayson, that's more occupied to seeing that I'm doing better than actually utteri