The Taming

Author's Note: So slight changes of plans had me off of Microsoft Word (for some odd reason) so I'm on google docs. I tried to get this one out to you guys fairly quick. I loved the responses on the last chapter. You guys all rock!

Chapter Eleven: His Healer

In the morning when I wake, the sun is shining through the window brightly. After last night, I don't think I can ignore the fact that I could have almost died again, almost trapped within the icy death grip of an immortal. And I can't ignore the fact that Jacob, the prince that I'm supposed to despise, saved me from my ill-fate.

I slide out of bed, yawning loudly before going to my window and opening the glass outwards. The smell of fresh morning air bombards me and I breathe out a sigh of relief. Glimmering in the sun is the silvery scar on my wrist. I cover said scar with my hand and try to push away the memories of that fateful night.

I hear a knock at the door. I start for the door but then I realize that I'm not dressed properly to be answering the door. "Just a minute!" I call out, rushing to my wardrobe for a robe. I grab the wine colored cloth and drape it around my shoulders before twisting the knob of my door.

Emiline pushes her way inside of the room before shutting the door behind me. Her scarred face is masked with worry. "Did you hear? Did you hear about the immortals coming back?" She sits herself down in one of the nice white chairs and lets her long hair flow down the back. "It's all so overwhelming."

I nod my head. I not only heard about the immortals, but I was there when the discovery of the wretched beings came upon us all. "I heard," I agree anyways, unsure if I should tell her that I was with Jacob the night they came to Canavar-last night. "I also heard that it was uncommon to see them 'round here anymore."

Emiline sighs. "Quite uncommon," she agrees. "I don't want this again, Bella. Last time there were so many good men taken from us." She looks down at her feet. The hardships of the last war with the immortals seem to be something of great sadness to these people. Living in the small woodland kingdom of Bravos has made me somewhat clueless to the happenings of the kingdoms. The king of Bravos didn't ever concern himself with the hardships of the shapeshifting tribes.

"You think there will be horrible war again, Emiline?" I ask her, sitting down into the chair next to her. "After last night, that is."

Emiline nods her head. "I was very young when it all happened but I remember that my uncle, the previous prince, was killed. He was my most favorite uncle. He was a better father figure to me than my own father was. Killed, killed, killed. The immortals killed so many, caused so much agony. And then to top it all off, my mother caught sick and died." She sighs and bites her lip, remembering her mother most likely. "Father wanted Jacob to be prepared for something. I didn't realize what it was at the time, but now I know that it was for this. I think father knew that they'd come back."

The terrified look in her eyes is absolutely bone-rattling. "Oh Emiline, you needn't worry. The guards and the men demolished the immortals last night-"

She shakes her head. "I suppose no one told you, did they?"

My face falls instantly and my confidence has been thrown out the window and stomped on. "Told me what?" My voice quivers a little.

Emiline sighs. "Two of the young shifters died last night trying to fight them off. There's a funeral later today for them. And one of the kingsguard, Ateara, was bitten," she says. "Now a bite doesn't do much. It just jogs a shapeshifter's ability to heal a while. But on top of the bite, he broke his leg. And with no healing ability, he's not able to fight away the infection and the bone's not gonna heal."

My eyes widen instantly. Hearing about the death of two young shifters makes me saddened and suddenly the morning no longer seems as nice as it once did. "What will happen to Ateara?" I ask her frantically. "Will he die?"

Emiline shrugs her shoulders. "I do not...I do not know. We have the best healers for him right now, but there's no telling. Even Jacob...he has his own injuries to deal with."

My heart stops. Jacob has injuries? I try not to seem overly worried about him but after last night, when I'd recommended that he go out and rejoin his men, I'm afraid for his well-being. The thought arrives that if he were to go out there at my suggestion, my pushing, and die, I'd never forgive myself.

Where did that come from?

I sigh and shake my head. "Is...is he okay?" I ask quietly.

She nods her head. "Recovering," she whispers. "I visited his chambers this morning. His healing factor is the thing that keeps him going. He was hit pretty hard, square in the chest. Broke almost all of his ribs, but they're all mending. He just has pain."

I squirm in my seat. All of his ribs? I grimace and frown. I want to see him and make sure that he's okay. Since we are friends now, that is. Emiline can see right through me. She notices my reaction and narrows her eyes a little bit, smiling slyly.

She folds her hand and puts her hand over her knee. Leaning forward, she whispers to me. "He was expecting a servant girl to go in there and clean his wounds. I was planning on going and getting one before I stopped to talk with you."

My face turns bright red. "Emiline, I-"

She sits back in her chair. "Don't bother, Bella. I, Princess Emiline of Canavar, has ordered that you go and clean my brother's wounds." My mouth falls open, but she ignores me completely. "In the room all the way down the hall there are supplies. In there you'll find your water bowl, your cloths, and your medical creams."

She nods at me, brushing her hands towards me. I get up from my seat, staring down at her with my mouth agape. She raises her eyebrows, telling me to move my feet and go. I don't even bother protesting because I know that it would be a hopeless case.

0o0o0o0o0o

I raise my fist to the tall wooden door, but stall it. My heart's about to pound of my chest and flop right onto the marble floors. I inhale and exhale a couple of times before bringing my fist down on the wood. My heartbeat speeds up.

Dwelling from behind the door, I can hear his husky bass break the silence. "Enter." His voice is ever-menacing but I know now that it's a facade. I turn the knob and push the door open. It's nerve-wracking knowing that I'm in his room, his personal chambers for the first time.

I look straight forward. His bed is absolutely huge, and it almost dwarfs him with the total surface area. Tall wooden posts and animal fur covers with black cotton sheets. Mounted heads of deer, wolves, bears, and even large wild cats are mounted around his room. A fire is roaring in the great stone fireplace next to the door. He's got a huge room, one of the largest I've ever seen.

He sits up a little in his bed once he notices that it's me. I close the door behind me and show my supplies. "I come bearing gifts," I say with a small smile. He grins back at me, shaking his head at my mild humor.

"So Emiline's sent you?" he questions. Then he adds, "Or have you volunteered?"

I give him a mock-glare. "Volunteer? Never." I carefully make my way up to the large wooden platform on which his bed is elevated upon. There's an empty table sitting next to his bedside so I place my items down there.

I take one look at him. He's sweaty, his hair hanging down against his face. His muscles are bulging as always, but blood stains them. He notices me staring at all of the dried blood and nods his head. "Leaked through," he explains. That's when I see the cuts that are slowly simmering shut all over his arms.

I stare at the cuts before remembering what I truly came to treat. "And what of your ribs?" I ask him. "Emiline told me of the injuries."

He lifts up his his thin, bloodstained tunic and throws it upon the floor next to his bed. His brilliantly sculpted torso looks black and blue in some areas, but I don't see much else that's wrong. I remember her telling me that it was a gruesome sight, too. I point a finger at his chest. "And it hurts, no?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "A dull roar only now," he replies softly. He runs a finger down his chest. "You ought to have visited me earlier, Bella. I had ribs protruding from my skin here and here, and blood covering my skin."

I cringe at the mental picture it gives me. I turn to the bowl of water with the sponge. I seize the yellow sponge and drain it of its water. Looking at him to gain permission, I gently lower the sponge down onto his skin. I dab at the dried blood, softly washing it away. He watches me as I clean his small cuts and wounds, cleansing his skin with the cool water.

I dab a little of alcohol onto a small towelette and press it to one of the cuts. He hisses softly and his arm jumps. "Sorry," I whisper to him. He shakes his head and gives a slight smile.

Right before my eyes, his skin begins to knit back together. "The healing factor?"

"Bai. The healing factor." He agrees.

I point to all of the small cuts on his arms. "If you obtain the gift of healing, why do the others not heal quickly?" I whisper softly.

"Ah," he breathes. "My body has focused on knitting my ribs back together. So the cuts, the minorities, are saved for later. My ribs are fine now; they are no longer crushed into hundreds of tiny bone shards inside of my body."

I take the sponge into my hands again and press it to his stomach, rubbing it in gentle circles to clean off the blood. The blood comes off fairly easy to my pleasure. "And are you sore?" I ask him, pressing the cool sponge lightly to a bruise on his torso. I lean onto his bed slightly with my knees, trying to tend to him easier.

"Sore?" he repeats, contemplating the question. "A little." As I lean over, my hair falls out of my braid and into my eyes. I blow up towards my nose and try to blow the hair out of my eyes, but have no luck. Suddenly, he reaches up his hand and his fingertips skirt up my cheek, brushing the tendrils of chestnut hair out of my eyes and tucking it behind my ear.

It's such a sensual gesture that my heart starts to pound in my chest and my face turns bright red. I didn't know that he could make me feel this way, even though I know that I shouldn't feel this way. I decide to ignore my feelings and ignore the gesture that provoked such emotion from me. I accidentally drop my sponge and it goes rolling over to the other side of Jacob.

In one rash movement, I decide to lean over him and grab it. I end up falling onto his lap like a fool. He sits up instantly, using his strong arms to lift me back up. "Gods, I'm so sorry," I mumble. I scramble off of the bed with the retrieved sponge. My face is redder than a ripe tomato and I'm so embarrassed.

"Bella," he whispers. I don't answer him, tossing the sponge back into the water and grabbing one of the bandage rolls. Yes, one of the healers had told me to wrap his torso to speed the healing process. "Bella. Are you okay?"

I turn around, not daring to look him into the eyes. "Oh, I'm fine. Can you sit up for me?" I ask him. He does what I ask and I wrap one layer of the cloth bandages around his torso.

He watches me as I wind it around his bruised torso, his eyes following my every move. I secure the bandages with a small knot at the end and step back to view my work. He twists his body, testing the bandages.

"They are good?" I ask.

He nods his head and gives me a smile. "Yes, fine. You are a natural healer," he says with a jest in his tone. "My healer." I blush a little.

I go back to my items on his bedside table and examine my things. I grab the last thing that I'd carried with me, the healing cream, and go back to him. He's laid back down on the middle of the bed, trying to get comfortable on the pillows.

I hesitate, trying to figure out a way to reach him easily without leaning over him and falling again like a fool. "Climb on," he tells me. "I won't bite you, I promise."

I chuckle softly at this, amused by his humorous state of mind. Carefully, I climb up onto the bed. I hadn't dare to venture this far before, but something inside of me was telling me that it was okay. I make my way into the middle of his vast bed with the wooden bowl of healing cream, inching forwards towards him hesitantly.

I reach out to touch him and flinch away before my fingers even scrape his skin. "You act like I'm some undesirable beast," he laughs. "Not even willing to touch me in the purest way."

I shake my head, flabbergasted. "Jacob, I-"

"Hush, girl," he murmurs, a smile playing on his lips. "I only jest."

I dip three fingers into the yellowish healing cream and go to work. I start with the cuts on his chest, smoothing the cream softly over the slowly closing wounds. "It must be quite nice to have a healing factor," I comment.

He nods his head. "Convenient," he replies.

I look at his face. His sweaty locks of hair are fanned out onto the pillow behind him and little beads of sweat form above his top lip and on the sides of his face. He swallows, his sunken cheeks constricting. It is much too hot in this room.

I see the cut on his face, centimeters away from the cleft in his chin. I swipe my finger along the side of the bowl and slowly lean forward, gently rubbing the cream onto the small cut. He breathes out, blowing my hair into disarray. He smells of mulled wine and mint leaves. I look up as I move my finger across the cut on his chin.

"Gods gainetik, zure edertasuna egingo luke ilargia aurpegia piztu kanpoan lotsa. Izarrak argia bekaitz litzateke zure begietan inoiz graced baduzu, zure ikusmena." Jacob murmurs softly.

My eyes meet his lustful, blazing ones. He tilts his chin upwards a little, readjusting his head on the pillow whilst moving closer to me. I don't move from where I sit; I feel like I've been rendered motionless by his gaze alone. "What do you say?" I ask him.

He chuckles softly and shakes his head a little. I know he's not going to tell me.

I remove my finger as I feel his heavy hand skirting up my side and sliding up my arm, dragging his warmth through my veins. He watches me intently, monitoring my reaction as he moves his hand over my shoulder. My mind is screaming no, but my body is screaming yes.

I find myself to be slowly leaning forwards into his touch until my lips linger only mere centimeters away from his. He shifts beneath me, stroking a hand across my shoulder. I know that if I were just some whore, he'd grab me and kiss me and claim me as his. But it's me and he's cautious for me.

I reach up to hold his face, intrigued by his gentleness and sincerity towards me. But as soon as my hand touches his skin, I yank myself away from him.

His skin is hot, just like a fire.

I cry out in pain, shaking my injured hand out and rolling off the bed to submerge it in the bowl of water that I'd brought with me.

He sits up, and a little too quickly at that since I hear his groan of pain. "Did I hurt you? Did I do something wrong?"

I turn around at him and eye him carefully. "Jacob, gods almighty. Your skin is like fire." Then I look around the room, beginning to sweat profusely the longer I'm there. There are candles on his tables, but the main source of the heat is the fireplace.

I do not even think. I take the water in the bowl and rush to the fire, extinguishing the flames immediately. I don't hear him object behind me. I stand there before the hearth, my shoulders heaving up and down with each heavy breath that I take. Then with shaky fingers, I place the bowl back onto the table.

My simmered fingers aren't the problem. The heat wasn't the problem. It's the fact that I almost kissed him...but the fact that I'd wanted him to kiss me is what drives me even crazier. I'd wanted to feel his lips on mine so badly.

I stare into the dying embers of the fire. "What about your woman?" I ask quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" he asks.

"What about your woman?" I repeat a little louder, turning my head to the side.

He leans forth in the bed. "Woman? I have no woman." I growl because I know it's a lie. He has Portia but he just wasn't to say it. "I don't care about anyone right now but you...just Bella, please. Tell me you're okay."

I slowly make my way back to him, my heart pounding in my chest. He grabs my arm when I'm close enough to examine my fingers when something catches his eye. I see him looking at my wrist. I yank my hand out of his immediately and go back to my table.

"It can't be…" he whispers.

I don't know what he's talking about and I'm not particularly interested in finding out. I pull my sleeve down over my wrist so that he won't be able to see my scar, although I'm sure that he's already seen it.

"Well, I believe that we should be done here." I say to him with a firm nod of my head.

"Bella, wait. Where did you get that-"

"Prince Jacob!"

The loud cry echoes through the room and both of our heads whip towards the door. I can hear little shoes clacking against the marble floors. I gulp and turn towards him. "I should take my leave now," I tell him. "Before she gets here."

His face reddens. "No, stay here-don't leave. Speak to me!"

The doorknob turns and I give him one apologetic look before rushing past Portia as she enters the room. She gifts me with a dirty look before rushing over to Jacob's bedside. I rush down the hallway. When I look back I can see her sprawled over top of him in her frilly white and blue dress, her arms locked around his neck. He lays there motionless as he stares with widened eyes back at me. His mouth hangs slightly agape.

I don't know what he thinks he knows or remembers. I shake my head, trying to push the flashbacks away before they came. I shake my head, pushing the timeless immortal out of my brain. The little brown wolf and other wolves, out of my brain.

0o0o0o0o

Basque Dictionary

Gods gainetik, zure edertasuna egingo luke ilargia aurpegia piztu kanpoan lotsa. Izarrak argia bekaitz litzateke zure begietan inoiz graced baduzu, zure ikusmena. (Gods above, your beauty would make the face of the moon turn away in shame. The stars would envy the light in your eyes if ever you graced them with your sight.)

Yell at me all at you want for a short chapter, but I felt like this length was needed. I wanted to end it here, leaving a little suspense in the air. Have I thrown around some questions? Hopefully so. Please review-last time was lovely, reading all of your opinions. Thanks so much for the support, guys. More soon!

Courtney xx