The house brings in an instant sense of warmth and I find myself letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Good god," I heard mumbled from behind us. The hunched man circled us, his eyes on Celestial. I pushed her further behind me. "She needs help." Just as he said it, Celestial leans her full weight on me. I'm quick to turn and grab her. "You two best not be bringin' trouble, you hear?" My mouth opens but he's quick to drag a chair from his kitchen that's set up not ten feet away from the living room we entered into. "Set 'er here." I listen, helping Celestial to sit down on the chair.
Celestial falls back into the backed wooden chair, sighing a breath of relief. Her eyes scan the warm room. The old beat up coach, wooden shelves filled with nicknacks but no pictures, the cozy looking reading chair. Her eyes didn't scan the kitchen that felt just as warm to me. Instead, her eyes found mine. "We're out," she whispers with a tone of disbelief.
"We're out." I squeeze her hands together in mine.
"Found the first aid kit. It's a little out of date." The twang in his words almost muffled them but I nodded, reaching out a hand.
He placed the kit in my hand. I scanned Celestial's wounds, caked in dried blood. "Could I get a wet towel?" He nods and goes off towards the kitchen, returning moments later with a damp washcloth. It's warm as he places it in my hand. My hand shakes as I press it to Celestial's arm. The two cuts going down her arm bring little protest but the second I get to her shoulder, she lets out a hiss. She grabs my arm, trying to push the towel away. "We have to clean the wound." She nods, loosening her grip but still holding onto me. The process feels slow and tortuous but by the end, the wound is exposed. Both the cuts and the deep wound look better than they did caked in blood. My eyes dart to her legs. I take a little pair of scissors from the first aid kit and begin to cut at the fabric around the burns. As I initially thought, some of the fabric is burned into her skin. "This might hurt, okay?"
The man gets up, rummaging through a cupboard before he comes back with a bottle of whiskey. I give him a look and he shrugs. "Could help." I shake my head. It would take a lot of human alcohol to get a werewolf drunk.
I start to pull at the fabric bits on her skin. She hunches forward only to be gently pushed back by my other hand. I try to find a pace between quick enough to get it over with but slow enough to not cause too much pain. "Last one," I warn her as I get to the largest bit of fabric. She lets out a muffled sob, her hand going up to cover her lips. "That part's done. Good job." I continue to clean and sanitize the wounds.
"I'm Leroy," sounds to my left. "Mind tellin' me who you two 're now?" I glanced at him.
"Lycer," I say simply. "This is Celeste." I don't give him her full name. Something about her full name feels like a bond between her and I. It's something I don't really want to share.
"And w'at happened to you two? Should I be on the lookout?"
I shrug. "I hope not. We'll be out of your hair in the morning." Celeste looks at me for a long moment as I wipe antiseptic wipes over her wounds, biting her lip as the wipe comes in contact with her skin.
"I have an inflatable mattress. I'll set it up in the liv'in room." He turns and goes down the hallway.
"How are you feeling?" The wounds don't look too bad. As soon as the wolfsbane leaves her system, I'm sure the burns will heal up just fine and the cuts will close, though they'll definitely scar. I frown as I think of the magi weapon used on her.
"Like shit," she huffs. "In a decent amount of pain but my head doesn't feel so muddled."
"That's the wolfsbane leaving your system. How's your stomach?"
"Queasy." I hum. I thought so.
"We should try to eat in the morning. If Leroy is kind enough, it would be wise."
"How far are we from my pack?"
I switch to putting bandages over the burns on her legs and one on her shoulder though I have to put two bandages together to cover the surface of the wound. There's not much more I can do for the thin cuts on her arms but they don't look too bad.
"Two, three days. Two if we can get you to shift though I'm a little worried about reopening your wounds." She nods. "Once the wolfsbane is gone from your system, you should try to link your mate." I can hear her heart skip a beat but I don't comment on it. She gives another nod.
I find a trashcan in the kitchen and dispose of the bloody towels and wipes. I don't think Leroy would want to keep hold of the used fabric wads.
"So 're you two gonna tell me how y' got here?" Leroy asks this as we watch him attach the air mattress to some sort of air pump. It makes a loud noise when he turns it on and Celestial gives a small start, her hand finding my arm. I give her a reassuring look and she gives me a sheepish smile, awkwardly patting my arm before letting go.
"Long story," I answer shortly. He huffs, detaching the small box from the now inflated mattress. He sets a stack of blankets on top and pulls a few pillows from the couch behind us.
"It gets kinda chilly at night in here, sorry 'bout that."
"This is more than enough," Celestial speaks for the first time, softly. "Thank you." She catches his eyes. "Really."
His eyes widen and a small blush spreads over his nose. "Course." He stands up, slapping his hands together as if brushing off dust. "I'm off for the night. Don't leave without a goodbye, I'll make y'all somethin' for the road." I give him a half smile and watch him walk down the hallway.
"What are the chances he kills us in our sleep?" Her voice is a whispered half joke but I can see the real fears lingering in her eyes.
"We can take watch. Me one half of the night, you the rest. That way we both get some peace of mind and some sleep." She nods, unfolding the blankets to lay over the mattress. She struggles to move her injured shoulder, causing the blankets to end up in a messy disorganized array. She huffs and wipes at her eye. "It's okay." I move the blankets so they more fully cover the mattress, pulling back one side and gesturing for her to get under. When she lays down, she sighs, her eyes immediately closing. "Goodnight, Celestial."
I can't help but scan the room, my eyes flicking to the hallway several times as if Leroy will at any moment come running down with an axe. Then my eyes fall back to Celeste. She readjusts herself until she's comfortable, her eyes moving to find mine. "Goodnight, Lycer."