A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you are all well. This chapter is one of two chapters being posted on the same day, so you get double the reading material! Hope you enjoy them!
The following two months proved to offer increased difficulty in hiding the truth. As Mina continued to train, NIkomi and Caleb increased the intensity of her training. Cowen had made it clear that he intended for her to be in the field as soon as possible, so they needed to get her ready fast. With the increased training came many injuries. Every day she spent fighting them left her with bruises, cuts, and sore muscles. Mina was thankful that her husband was otherwise preoccupied with his own affairs to be too romantically inclined. She was also glad that it was winter, allowing her to wear long sleeves and pants all the time to cover her injuries. She made special effort not to wince when she moved or bumped a sore spot. Every time she went into the infirmary with a new injury, Corric would shake his head and give her an annoyed look.
"You know you can't hide this from him forever. Eventually he will notice," he said as he stitched up her latest cut from the dueling knifes they had used during training that day.
Mina sighed, wincing as Corric poked her with the needle. She knew he was right. He hated keeping her secret as much as she did. When he finished, Mina pulled her sleeve down to cover her bandaged forearm.
"I will tell him soon," she assured Corric, "when the time is right."
Corric shook his head and walked away to put his tools away. "It's been 3 months Mina. I think you've waited long enough."
Mina rolled her eyes in exasperation. Corric had been on her case to tell her husband the truth since the beginning. "I'm sure you and Dahlia tell each other everything right?" she said in an annoyed tone.
Corric paused in his work, not turning around when he spoke. "That's different. Dahlia and I are not married. Besides, there is nothing for us to keep from each other."
Mina silently wondered to herself if he knew the truth about Dahlia's failed pregnancy. If he didn't, there wasn't much truth behind his statement. "You would be surprised what people keep from the ones they care about," she said as she jumped down from the exam table.
Corric turned around to face her with a confused expression. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Mina shook her head dismissively as she walked towards the door to the infirmary. "Nothing. Thanks Corric." She gave him a small wave before exiting the infirmary, heading in the direction of the exit to the surface.
When she reached her home, Mina was relieved that she was alone. Heading to the bedroom, she pulled off her training gear to change into her sleeping clothes. As she pulled her shirt over her head, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror standing in the corner. Her midsection had definitely slimmed down from her vigorous training. As she rotated, Mina noticed that her back was dotted with bruises. A fairly large one covered the left side of her lower back above her waistband. Constantly being knocked to the ground and hit with the fighting staffs was taking a toll on her body.
The sound of the front door opening and closing startled Mina out of her self-observation. She scrambled to grab her top and pull it over her head, covering the bruises back up. Her heart sank when she turned around to see her husband standing in the doorway staring at her. His eyes were wide in concern.
"Where did you get those bruises from?" he asked, closing the distance between them. He lifted the hem of her shirt to expose her lower back to his view. One of his hands gently grazed over the large bruise.
Mina racked her brain to find an explanation for her injuries that didn't out her secret activities. Her husband's eyes moved from her back to her face, awaiting an explanation. She said the first thing that came to mind.
"There was a man in the infirmary today that broke his leg. He wasn't handling the pain too well and swung his arm out. He knocked me over and I fell into a cart. Not a big deal, just a bruise. Corric said it will heal and I will be good as new."
Kolya raised his eyebrows in concern. "That bruise looks bad. Does it hurt?"
Mina placed her hand on his left arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Not as much as a gunshot wound. I will be fine Acastus," she said, hoping to reassure him that she would be fine.
He pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms. Mina returned the embrace, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad you are alright," he murmured into her hair. "When I walked in and saw the bruises, I feared that you had been in an explosion or something."
Mina pulled away slightly from the embrace and looked up at him. "I think you would have heard if there had been an explosion. Especially if I had been injured. Corric would have been sure to tell you."
Kolya raised one of his hands to cup her face. "Not if something happened to him too. Also, I was off-world today, so I would have been a little out of the loop. I worry about you when I'm away."
Mina let out a small laugh. "You worry about me? You are the one out in the field." She gestured to his shoulder again. "You are the one that gets shot at and left in holes in the ground to die. I don't think I'm the one that needs to be worried about."
Kolya gave her a small smile. "Nevertheless, I feel anxious until I see you again." He bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her from the embrace.
He grabbed his sleeping clothes from the dresser before disappearing into the bathroom to shower. Mina watched him go, her smile fading as he disappeared. She felt so guilty lying to him. He seemed to genuinely care about her and her well-being. If he knew the truth about what Cowen had planned for her, he would never let her out of his sight again.
Over the course of the next week, Mina actively fought to hold her ground against her brother while they were training. She wanted to avoid acquiring more bruises that would raise her husband's suspicions again. So far she had been succeeding. Every hit that Caleb aimed at her, she was able to block and retaliate against. Her confidence grew with each successful blow.
"You are getting better at this," Caleb said when they paused their sparring for a break.
Mina smiled at her brother with a smug expression. "Someday, I may be better than you."
Caleb laughed at her statement as he took a drink of water. "Don't get too confident little sister. I've had years of training; you've only had months. It's only been so extensive because Cowen ordered it to be. It will cool down before you have a chance to get that good."
He reached out and ruffled Mina's hair, earning himself a glare. She set her water down and returned to the training area. "Let's continue then. I want to get as much practice while I can."
Caleb shrugged and joined her, raising his staff to begin their sparring match again. Mina gained the upper hand fairly quickly but she was overcome with pride from her success. Caleb used it against her and disarmed her, knocking her staff from her hand. Mina raised her arms to defend herself, using only her body to defend herself from his oncoming attacks. One of his blows hit her in the jaw, knocking her to the floor. Mina let out a cry of pain at the blow and clutched her face with her hand. Caleb dropped his staff and ran to her side.
"Mina are you alright? I didn't mean to hit you in the face!"
He helped her to her feet, pulling her hand away from her face so he could look at it. Her lip was bleeding and she could feel her jaw throbbing. Caleb's face fell as he looked at the damage he caused.
"You should go to the infirmary," he said as he ushered her to a place to sit down.
Mina scoffed at his suggestion. "You think? Oh Corric is going to have a field day with this."
As she sat on the exam table, Mina waited patiently for Corric's blow up. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He was dabbing disinfectant on her cut lip while she held ice on her jaw.
"What? Nothing to say?" she asked as he worked.
Corric looked up at her in irritation. "I think it would be safe to say that the secret will be out soon. This will be a little hard to cover up."
Mina pulled the ice away from her face and picked up the small hand mirror on the stand beside her, looking at her face. She winced when she caught sight of the bruise forming on her jawline. "Don't you have anything I can use to cover this?"
Corric narrowed his eyes at her before disappearing into his office. He came back and handed her a small container. "You can use this pigment cream. It should cover the bruise somewhat and make your skin look closer to the color it should be."
Mina tried to give him a grateful smile, but it quickly disappeared when the movement caused intense pain. She hissed at the pain and put the ice back on her face. "Thank you Corric."
He frowned at her as he handed her another container. "Here is some medication for the pain. It should also help with the swelling."
Mina could tell that he was annoyed. "What's the matter? Did I do something to upset you?"
Corric's expression remained serious as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That cream is the last thing I do to help you hide this. I'm done helping you lie to your husband."
Mina slid off the table and slipped the two containers into her pocket. "I don't understand why you are so upset by this."
"You may be willing to lie and hide behind excuses, but I'm not. Your husband is a very intimidating man. He was in here a few days ago to ask me about the patient that 'pushed you' and caused the bruises on your back. He questioned how I run things and insinuated that you weren't safe here. Like it was my fault that you got hurt."
Mina sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She gave Corric and apologetic look. "I'm sorry that he did that Corric. When he asked where the bruises came from, I told him the first thing that came to mind. I didn't think he would come after you."
Corric shook his head and walked away from her in the direction of his office again. "Well I'm done covering for you, so I suggest you tell him the truth soon."
Mina flinched as he slammed his office door behind him, leaving her alone in the infirmary. She gave the closed door a regretful look before leaving. The entire walk home, she felt like something was dragging her down. Her secret was not only affecting her anymore. If she didn't say something soon, her friendship with Corric would suffer more. Not to mention the damage her marriage would suffer. She made up her mind that she would tell Acastus the truth within the next few days, no matter how hard it was.
A/N: A big thank you to my Beta Nika Dixon for reading over my chapters and giving me advice. Also a big thank you to Neal Illustrator for doing such a good job on the artwork that I commissioned. There are two pieces that I had done (details are in my profile description if you would like to go check them out!). Please review and let me know what you think.