To Run With The Rising Sun

Chapter 11

Salted Wounds

A/N: Inspiration: Salted Wound by Sia (Fifty Shades of Grey Version)

Once everyone was home, the true silence had set in. Jeremy had insisted that Antonio take a look at Celine's injuries, but she had quietly shaken her head, stating that as Alpha he had to be attended to first. In turn, Antonio had taken Jeremy upstairs to the infirmary in order to get a better look at his arm. The whole time, Celine stood there off to the side, Clay's shirt wrapped around her tiny form.

She watched as the rest of Jeremy's sleeve was rolled up past his elbow, the bloodied and gnarled flesh staring back. She never took her eyes off of him as Antonio pulled the first aid kit forward, pulling out gauze and peroxide. The look on Jeremy's face never changed as the eldest Sorrentino poured the disinfectant over the wound, the substance bubbling and fizzing away as it cleared out the skin. It was actually a wonder that the mutt hadn't done worse, merely leaving behind a flesh wound instead of a broken arm.

The blood didn't seem to bother her as she stared out at the two men, her arms wrapped loosely around herself as she stood there. Her body was tired as she watched, eyes following as Antonio wiped lightly at Jeremy's arm, before dabbing a bit of ointment along the entrance of the wound. Once that was taken care of, he placed down a medical pad and began wrapping his arm. The second it was done with, Celine pushed off the wall and headed back down away from the infirmary. They barely had time to call after her, merely hearing the sound of the bathroom door closing down the hall.

With a sigh, Antonio rubbed the back of his neck, glancing between Jeremy and the direction that Celine had left.

"So much for taking a look at her," he said.

"Perhaps after she's cleaned up," Jeremy offered, carefully pushing himself up and off of the bed that he'd been sitting on.

T

Downstairs, the men sat around the dining table in the kitchen, each talking among themselves. It had been nearly two hours since they had first heard the sound of the shower turning on upstairs. No doubt, the boiler had already gone cold, leaving the water that was spouting out chilled. It took everything that Jeremy had within him not to check on her, convincing himself that she just needed time. After all, he'd never wanted harm to come her way.

Drawing in a breath, Jeremy slowly stood from his chair at the head of the table, the others watching as he slid the chair back into place.

"Jeremy?" Antonio spoke out in question for a moment.

"I believe its time I check on her," Jeremy said, bowing his head slightly, before making his way out of the kitchen.

As he made his way toward the stairs, he paused for a moment, biting down slightly on his lower lip. He shook it off though as he climbed the wooden stairwell, being careful of his arm as he went. It wasn't until he reached the door that he stopped, knocking lightly as he called out to her.

"Celine?" he called softly, standing there.

He heard no response, so he tried again, hand gripping the handle.

"Celine, I'm coming in," he said, before turning the knob and gently pushing it open.

Upon entering, he was met with the sight of her naked in the tub, her body curled into herself as she sat there with the water still pounding upon her now chilled skin. She had a dazed look on her face as she sat there in the tub, not really even acknowledging that Jeremy had come into the room. As he closed the door behind him, he stepped over the clothes that lay abandoned on the floor.

With a sigh, Jeremy knelt down beside her, reaching his head forward and passed the onslaught of water as he turned it off. His hair was wet as he looked down at her, bringing his hand forward and placing it lightly against the side of her face. She blinked ever so slightly as she allowed his thumb to roam the side of her face, his finger tracing the burn mark that now lay there.

"Celine," he murmured, eyes gazing down at the bright red scarred tissue.

Jeremy knew that there was a chance that a few of the nerves had been permanently damaged, a frown setting on his face as he lightly stroked the skin beneath her eye. His eyes trailed further after that, taking in the flared skin of her shoulder. He could tell that one of the mutts had bitten into her flesh, tearing at it. At the same time, they had also burned the skin of the wound to close and stop the bleeding, any and all blood already having gone down the drain.

"Look at me," he whispered, carefully reaching a finger beneath her chin to tilt her head upwards.

Still, she avoided his gaze, his thumb brushing the edge of her lip.

"Celine."

This time, she turned her eyes toward him, a look of sadness having filled them. Among the sadness, he could also see the pain that resided there. She was so torn between what to do and how to respond that she still hadn't said a word. Other than telling Antonio to take care of him, she hadn't made a sound, not since the steel mill. With this in mind, his brows furrowed slightly, lips parting.

Slowly, he pulled her forward, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her wet frame against him. His head was down as he rested his chin atop her dampened scalp, gently pulling her from the tub. Her arms soon found their way around his middle as he lifted her out and onto the toilet seat.

Again, she remained silent, merely watching as he worked. He reached under the skin and pulled out a first aid kit, one of many that resided within the large house. Popping it open, he pulled several things out, before his hands reached out toward her face. Sitting on his knees, Jeremy cupped the side of her face in his large hand, brushing his thumb against the skin. His other reached up, dabbing something against the side of her temple, her eyes twitching slightly at the pain.

"Sorry," he whispered, before reaching his hand back to the burn on her face.

The burn itself was several inches long, the reddened skin traveling from her brow line, down underneath her eye and over the jaw bone. The mutt had been deliberate in his assault, making sure to draw it out as much as humanly possible. He could see her eyes welling up as he traced along it, sympathy filling him. They had obviously tried to break her, but she had held strong, and so he was proud of her.

"You've nothing to fear," he assured her, moving forward and pressing his lips to her forehead.

The contact sent a shiver through her, finally realizing the cold against her skin. Seeing this, Jeremy grabbed a towel from the wrack and wrapped it carefully around her shoulders. Again, she shivered, before lowering her head. That's when the tears finally came as everything came crashing back down upon her.

T

She could feel the tears forming as she hunched forward, wrapping her arms around her middle as she let loose a choked sob. Her entire body ached something horrible, the skin on her face and shoulder screaming at her from the blisters that had formed around the burns. She was a gigantic mess and she knew it, yet Jeremy was sitting before her without the slightest shred of doubt in his eyes.

She hadn't seen pity in his eyes when he had walked in. No, instead she had seen sympathy, pain even as he had walked toward her. The sight of her seemed to hurt him in ways that neither seemed to fully understand.

Again, Celine closed her eyes as she bowed her head. The tears fell upon her legs, splattering against the bare skin like glass. The rawness of her wrists tried to stare back at her, the skin painful as she twitched, but she just couldn't seem to sit still. She had been forced to sit still for hours tied to that chair while they tortured her. They had burned her in an attempt to squeeze information from her, but she had sat there and taken it instead of giving in.

"I'm sorry, Celine," Jeremy whispered, gently pulling her from where she sat and onto his lap.

The warmth itself sent a pleasant shiver through her body as his fought against the cold.

"Had I gone after the mutt the day we met, none of this would have happened," he told her, his arms holding her close as she lowered her head to his neck.

Her eyes closed as she sat there, merely inhaling his scent. The musky smell filled her nose, followed by what could only be described as natural earth. It was a scent that was uniquely his as Alpha. The muskiness, it was the smell of centuries old books, the pungent smell of paint and tea, and the crispness that was the sun. It was something that she knew she would never smell on another being as long as she lived, her lips lightly brushing the taut flesh of his neck without truly meaning to.

His response was a surprise to her ears as his breath seemed to catch in his throat, lips parting. His body had gone still as though debating how to function for a second or so.

"Jeremy," she murmured, something coming over her as she pulled back slightly, her eyes staring into his.

She could see the gears turning in his head as they sat there, his hand slowly reaching up to touch her face. His touch was feather light, ghosting across her skin and sending another shiver through her. A small noise pressed itself at the back of her throat then. Her eyes glinted as she watched him, his fingers going to her hair and stroking it gently, running his fingers through it as he avoided bumping anything.

Her breath hitched as his nails grazed the skin of her scalp, lips parting. Slowly, his face drifted closer as his hand came to rest at the back of her neck. He urged her forward ever so slightly, but of her own accord as his hot breath hit her face, eyes misted over with a hint of uncertainty. Then, slowly, his lips brushed hers in a chaste kiss. The faint touch of his lips sparked a fire inside of her as she reached out her hand, eyes closing as it came in contact with the scruff of his jaw. Her fingers splayed against his skin, curling slightly as the thick facial hair scratched at her delicate fingers.

It was like a light had gone on inside of her, the kiss chasing away a part of the darkness. The simple sweet sentiment had eased her mind as she slowly kissed him back, neither in a hurry to truly speed things up. As they parted, Celine's eyes fluttered slightly, gazing up at Jeremy's stark blue eyes. They seemed to capture her as she set there on his lap still, hesitating slightly as she moved toward him again. Her lips met his once more as they ghosted against the flesh of her Alpha, until the realization hit her like a ton of bricks, but the feeling of Jeremy's hand on her back pushed that from her mind.

"Celine," Jeremy breathed out, Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he tried to find the words he wanted to say.

It was like he was stuck, unsure of what to do as his tongue twisted on itself. It was a situation that he'd never been placed in before as he stared back at the young she wolf in front of him. In the back of his mind, he felt the wolf inside him trying to tell him something, but he couldn't seem to make out what it was.

"It's…okay," she whispered, gently brushing her fingers through his damp hair.

She watched as he leaned into her touch slightly, seeming to favor the feeling that it brought his soul. Smiling softly, Celine pulled back, the warmth from his skin disappearing from her as she did so. She almost frowned as it happened, her legs pushing her to stand, and Jeremy following suit.

"Celine," he breathed out, gently taking hold of her hand as she turned toward the door.

Again, he seemed stuck on what to say or do, feeling like a young boy again as he stared after her. The towel was open as it revealed her skin to him, finally seeming to notice for the first time, but it wasn't due to lust. He held a look of admiration in his eyes as he caught sight of the skin of her chest and stomach, the swell of her breast rising with every breath. Then it was gone as she gripped at the towel to keep it from falling, her eyes meeting his. This time, they didn't seem to hold the same amount of pain in them as they once did.

"I should…go get changed," she said quietly, before slowly letting her hand fall from his.

With that, she left the bathroom behind her, Jeremy staring down at his hand for a moment. Slowly, he brought his fingers to his lips in faint confusion, wondering what exactly he had just done.

Alright everyone, that was chapter 11. I hope that you all like it, especially, with a bit of romance thrown in. I enjoyed writing the scene with Jeremy and Celine. Let me know what you'd like to see and what you thought about it? REVIEW AND MESSAGE PLEASE! Let me know what scenes that you'd like to see. Maybe even any particular dialogue that you'd like to see.