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∞ | Chapter 7 - Pulse | ∞

Rebellion Lands

She was categorising her medicines and medical instruments to take them along with her to Vonsworth when a low groan sounded out. Looking up, Vyctor was moving about in his bed and she rushed towards him.

Unfortunately, he hadn't recovered as quickly as she had predicted due to the high levels of the poison in his system much to Valia's dismay. However, she knew he was slowly getting better

Without fail, Valia had been visiting him daily along with the young girl Adrastea had met on her first day here. She could tell that Valia saw Lya as a younger sister and from the conversation between them, Vyctor had also doted heavily on her.

Vyctor opened his eyes and groaned from the brightness of the tent before shaking his head. Ignoring his movements, she quickly checked on his vitals, mindful of the other patients in the tent that were recovering from various ailments.

Pleased that everything seemed to be fine, she headed out of the tent and as usual, she spotted Jarek standing inconspicuously in the shadows. Honestly, both he and Rhydderch could try to not be that obvious about.

"Get Valia, Vyctor is awake and he's fine," she spoke softly and Jarek's eyes widened before jerking his head and rushing off. Heading back into the tent, Adrastea quickly filled a glass of water from the pitcher she had on her table before offering it to Vyctor who was now staring at her in confusion.

"Drink. Your throat will be dry," she instructed before taking down notes from his behaviour. Every time her antidote was used, Adrastea always made sure to observe the patients to see if they were responding fine.

She never had a patient who was unconscious for more than a week after administering the antidote. Hence, it was important to see if Vyctor would be alright. Then again, the poison had been in his system for more than two weeks and thus, would be able to cause more damage.

"Where's Valia? What happened?" Vyctor croaked out after taking a long sip from the glass.

"She's on the way. You got shot and then poisoned by Bloodberries," she replied while taking note that Vyctor seemed to be fine physiologically and mentally lucid.

He blinked up at her confusion, "How am I alive? The poison is supposed to be fatal."

She pursed her lips, unsure if she could - or would - tell him but thankfully, Valia burst into the tent, her blonde hair was in a disarray and her green eyes were wild as she took in the sight of her brother. "Vyctor!" She breathed out and quickly hugged him tight.

Adrastea stepped back from the reunion and watched with twins with a small smile on her face. It reminded her of her relationship with her brother whom she hadn't talked to since his attempt at causing a coup of sorts.

Edmond was still undeniably upset at her and well, she wasn't going to apologise seeing that she hadn't done anything wrong. Each time she tried to approach him, he would shoot her a glare and stalk off angrily. Clearly, he was still not over being embarrassed and a little humiliated from the dressing down Rhydderch had given in public on that day.

It wasn't till a particular scent - something woodsy and deliciously musky - made her realise that Rhydderch was behind her.

Immediately, she tensed up. She was definitely not over what ever happen back in her medical centre just a few days ago. What the hell was that?

The way his body pressed against hers, his scent filling her nose, the way his hands fit perfectly on her waist and when his lips was on her neck-

Clearly, the man didn't know the meaning of personal space. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she forced all these silly and ridiculous thoughts away from her mind.

"Is he truly better? There are no side effects from the antidote?" he asked and Adrastea spared him a quick glance before looking back at Vyctor who was silent as he listened to whatever Valia was saying.

Nodding, she forced herself to not look at him. It was so unfair that his presence seemed to get all the attention in the room and she would really like being the exception to that. His actions that day in her medical centre threw her off.

She didn't really know what to say or do around him. Hence, that led her to minimising their contact as much as she could. And it wasn't that difficult considering she avoided him like he was the plague and stayed in the medical tent.

"So he is truly okay?" Valia questioned, her eyes shining with happiness and relief. "Yes, he'll be fine. But-" she gave a quick glance over her shoulder at the other two patients in the room. "A reason must be given as to why Vyctor and all the other victims of the poison are alive, if not, people will start piecing together the whole puzzle."

Rhydderch cocked an eyebrow, pleased that Adrastea had brought this point up when he was thinking about it. Of course, he had already come up with a solution for that but nonetheless, he was glad that at least his soul mate was someone with brains.

"The other patients wouldn't hear us would they?" He questioned and Adrastea shook her head, "No. They're out. Both of them have heavy sleeping agents in their systems now."

"Good," he said before turning to the rest. "We'll say that it is a similar type of poison, but it would not be fatal. We could even go further and say that for the source of this new poison, it is like a cousin of the Bloodberries," he said as he regarded the Tchovosky twins along with Jarek.

He continued, "That should quell the questions about why our patients aren't dying." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "I would also like to remind everyone that the existence of a cure is not to be circulated," he said silkily but his tone held a dangerous warning and it caused a shiver to go up her spine.

Murmurs of agreement and acknowledgement sounded out and Adrastea could see the satisfied expression on Rhydderch's face. Turning to her, blue clashed with grey and she allowed a blasé expression to form her on face. Being so close to him made all the memories and sensations of that day in Vonsworth fresh in her mind. Resisting the urge to move away, she held her ground and waited for him to speak.

"Remember to pack up everything you may need. We'll be heading to Vonsworth tomorrow," his baritone voice reminded and she gave a curt nod.

"Yes, I was packing before Vyctor woke up."

Rhydderch gave her an impassive stare before walking out without a word.

She could literally feel herself relax the moment he was gone and her soulmate marked itched beneath her clothing. It was due to the silence that made Adrastea fully aware that her patient was gone along with his sister, leaving only her and Jarek in the tent.

"Where's Vyctor?"

"He wanted some fresh air and Valia brought him out," he answered from his corner in the room.

"Oh," she said and turned back to her desk to continue packing her things. "You don't have to stand there all day, I'm sure you have better things to do."

Jarek shook his head but moved closer to the centre of the room. "Rhydderch has instructed me to watch after you." Seeing her stiffen a little and the very interaction between the pair earlier, Jarek couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in mild surprise.

The interaction between the leader and the healer was odd. Adrastea was mostly uncomfortable while Rhydderch seemed to be trying to figure her out. It was amusing and highly refreshing to know that the man couldn't have everything at his fingertips at once.

"He isn't that bad once you get to know him," Jarek spoke up and Adrastea had no doubt as to who him was. She offered him a quick and slightly strained smile before giving her attention back to organising her files. "I know. But I have no intention of pursuing anything with him and I know he feels the same way. I'm just here to help and to be near my brother."

Jarek could sense that there was more to the story but wisely, he changed the subject. "Have you spoken to your brother ever since that day?"

She stopped and sighed, pushing a dark brown wayward curl that escaped from her braid. "No," she stopped. "He doesn't want to speak to me."

"Edmond can be incredibly stubborn," he commented and she grinned. "Yes, I'm afraid that runs in the family." She paused and turned to him curiously. "Jarek, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come to be part of the rebellion?"

"I was to be sentenced to death but Rhydderch broke me out of prison," he answered evasively and Adrastea understood his need for privacy.

"I see," she chewed on her lower lip and began shoving her files into a box. "Then do you know how Rhydderch made the rebellion happen?"

Jarek shifted his weight to his another foot and allowed a small grin to appear on his face. "That is something only Rhydderch can tell you. And I'm sure he would. You're his soul mate."

She scowled at him and turned away, her back facing him. "You know perfectly well that Rhydderch and I are just acquaintances, soulmate bond or no soulmate bond," she said firmly, shooting him a flat stare before sighing heavily as she debated on whether or not to speak her thoughts.

"He confuses me," she finally said and Jarek raised an eyebrow. "How?" he prompted.

She hesitated on answering him. Both he and Rhydderch were somewhat close and she certainly didn't want Rhydderch to know whatever she was saying about him. Or how she thought and felt about him.

Not that she had feelings for the man. She just admired him but sometimes, she had the sense that he had a darker nature that he hid from others. Not that she could say anything - she would be a hypocrite if she did - but that quality of his made her extremely wary.

It didn't help when he could be so unpredictable. Adrastea always prided on herself being able to figure out people within a short time after meeting them. For the rebellion leader? He threw her off balance and she didn't feel comfortable to be around someone she didn't really understand.

"Nothing," she finally said and Jarek nodded, knowing not to push.

Just then, the entrance burst open and Darius entered, followed by Ava and the other woman who Adrastea recognised as Sera. She had never spoken to both women before and ever since she found out that Ava was Edmond's soul mate, she had always wondered why they weren't together.

"Jarek! Where's Vyctor? I heard he's awake!" Darius called, ignoring her as he brushed past her.Adrastea wasn't the type of person who was determined to make everyone like her. Hence, she didn't spare him a glance before going back to her desk to finish the last of her packing but not before giving small smiles to the two women.

"He wanted fresh air and Valia took him out, you should thank Adrastea for healing him," Jarek replied pointedly and she couldn't help but let a smile form on her face at that.

"It's alright Jarek, some people just don't have manners," she said nonchalantly.

"What do you know of manners Bones?" Darius snarled as he turned to her, eyes flashing as his hands curled into fists. Though he may be taller than Rhydderch, he still didn't intimidate her as compared to her soulmate.

Adrastea didn't bother giving him a reply, nor did she even spare him a glance. "You and your wretched brother are exactly the same!"

Her head looked up sharply at that, her mouth poised to defend herself when Ava cut in. "Darius, that's enough."

To her immense surprise, Darius did shut his mouth and shot a murderous glare in her direction before stalking out of the tent with Jarek following after him. But she had no doubt that he wouldn't be far from her, he had to follow Rhydderch's orders after all.

An awkward silence began and she shifted on her feet preparing herself to speak when Ava beat her to it. "You must be Adrastea, Edmond's sister."

She couldn't help but note that Ava's voice hitched a little as she spoke Edmond's name. "You must be Ava, it's nice to meet you, Edmond spoke about you," she said and offered a smile.

Ava's eyes saddened but she could tell that the smile on her face was forced. "Yes, we're just friends," she said softly and Adrastea couldn't help but want to apologise to her on Edmond's behalf. She had remembered the awful manner that her brother had behaved that day.

"I see."

Ava shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, this is Sera." She gestured to the other woman beside her who simply gave a short nod and Adrastea offered a smile. "It's nice to meet you," she offered and Sera nodded once more, her face an expressionless mask before she turned to leave.

"I apologise for Sera. She doesn't speak much. I would also like to apologise on Darius' behalf. He was incredibly rude and you don't deserve that," Ava said before chewing on her lower lip."Darius and Edmond have a...history."

Adrastea nodded and wrung her hands together. "It's fine. From what I've seen, Edmond can be rather..." she paused as she searched for the right word to describe her temperamental brother. "-difficult," she finally said.

Ava laughed, her brown eyes lighting up with amusement and her dark brown hair that was swept into a ponytail bounced down her back and Adrastea realised that Edmond was lucky to have Ava as his soulmate.

And what an idiot he was not to accept her.

Based on what both he and Ava had said, it was implied that Edmond was the one who wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with Ava.

"Well, I can strongly say that Darius is more difficult than Edmond." Ava shrugged and grinned. "Also, ignore Darius, he doesn't get along with Edmond and because the both of you are related, he has decided to extend his dislike to you as well."

Adrastea raised an eyebrow at that. She didn't really have an appropriate response. Seeing her companions' expression, Ava shook her head and quickly changed the subject. "Enough about them, it was very nice meeting you but I have to excuse myself and continue packing. Or well, I haven't even started," she added with a sheepish laugh.

A grin bloomed on her face and Adrastea found herself laughing along with the other woman. She liked Ava. Ava had the kind of personality that made her extremely likeable. It could be due to her somewhat carefree character but Adrastea could actually see herself becoming fast friends with her.

Goodbyes were made and it wasn't long before Vyctor was back in his bed resting while Valia sat by his side as they began speaking softly amongst each other. Already, Adrastea could see that Valia was a lot more relaxed, the stiffness to her shoulders were gone and her green eyes seemed brighter.

Deciding to leave the twins with some privacy, Adrastea meandered through the mess on the ground due to the other medics hazard packing. Adrastea was mostly assigned to this medical tent due to it being slightly more secluded as it was for patients who were victims of poisons and internal injuries. There were other medical tents scattered around the rebellion camp where the other healers were. But occasionally, the other healers would drop by to get medicines and other supplies.

Once she was back at her desk, she continued slotting her files into one of the boxes when she realised that one of them was missing.

Adrastea furrowed her brows as she tried to recall if she had accidentally misplaced it when the sudden image of Rhydderch wandering past her desk earlier came to mind.

Of course.

She scowled before shoving the rest of her files a little messily into the box.

Typical.

Really. Edmond was lucky to have a soulmate like Ava, unlike her whose soulmate resorted to thievery when he wouldn't get what he wanted. Honestly, this was ridiculous and seriously unfair.

"Where are you going?" Valia questioned when she spotted her heading to the exit of the tent.

"To catch a thief," she responded, irritation apparent in her voice as she left, leaving the perplexed blonde staring at her retreating form.

* * *

One wrong move and you'll be next on this table

Rhydderch gave the words on his skin a mere glance before turning back to the young girl opposite him. "What else did she say that day Lya?"

The little brunette swung her legs as they dangled in the air. "Nothing much, Miss Adrastea didn't say a lot."

He should have questioned her a little earlier, it had been a week since Adrastea joined the rebellion - and his life - but he had been too preoccupied.

"Well, Lya, at least tell me what you've said to her and what she had said to you," he coaxed lightly and the seven year-old chewed on her lip, deep in thought.

"She was helping Vyctor!"

"That's good and Vyctor is already fine. You don't have to worry about that," he smiled encouragingly before prompting, "Is there anything else?"

Lya frowned as she swung her head from side to side, "She asked about mummy and daddy."Rhydderch nodded and offered a sad smile. "I see. How did she react?"
"She looked very sad."

Of course it worked. His plans always did. He drummed his fingers on the table and pulled out a bag of candy from a drawer. "Of course, so what did she do today? I'm sure you must have had loads of fun."

Lya nodded eagerly, causing her brunette curls to bounce down her little body. "Uh huh! Miss Adrastea showed me the different kinds of stuff in her bag!"

Rhydderch smiled and passed her the bag of candy. "Thank you Lya, this is just for you until Vyctor is much better." The little girl's eyes widened at the bag of candy before grinning excitedly.

"Remember not to eat it all at once, or you'll get ill," he warned good naturally. "Also, me and you talking is a secret right?"

Lya nodded her head, unable to reply as her mouth was already filled with sweets before jumping out of her chair and skipped out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He shifted his jaw while drumming his fingers against the edge of the table deep in thought. Realising that one of the maps on the desk was skewed to the side, he reached over to shift it back into place but the action made him catch sight of the soul mate mark on his skin.

Scowling, he made a move to push the leather band that had slipped over the mark but he paused. His hand hovered over the band for a moment before he slid it to the left, baring the mark to his eyes.

The mark was the same as before - nothing was different about it. It still had the same seven words and they were still written with the same neat cursive font that he saw on Adrastea's medical notes.

Of course, he had taken a look at them. How could he not? He had been hoping that there would be some hint on the antidote but of course, there wasn't. Adrastea was smart enough to know better than to leave important things about for anyone to find.

He admired and disliked her for that.

He narrowed his eyes at the black script on his arm, a stark contrast to his pale skin and studied them with a calculating glint in his eyes.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Adrastea entered, her grey eyes staring stonily at him. "Where is it?" she demanded.

He arched an eyebrow. "Where is what?" he replied smoothly. He knew what she was talking about, but there was no way he would let a chance to rile his soulmate slip pass him. It was like his new hobby. Maybe this was because she never reacted the way he expected her to.

"My. File," she said flatly, emphasising on the two words, making them into two separate sentences before folding her arms across her chest.

"I beg your pardon?" he couldn't help but smirk at her annoyed expression. Rhydderch could tell that Adrastea didn't believe him one bit. He noted with casual indifference that her eyes seemed to darken with annoyance - those grey eyes of hers seem to do that quite often when he was concerned.

Narrowing his eyes at the direction of his thoughts, he abruptly stood up and tossed the file he had taken from her desk earlier. "Here, take it."

Instead of saying anything, Adrastea simply raised an eyebrow while her eyes met his in a manner that he considered as defiance. "Next time, don't touch my things," she said warningly before turning away, file in hand.

"I wouldn't have to if you told me," he said evenly but his tone was dark and his expression darker.

She stopped and turned back to face him, an irritated expression flitted across her face before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. "What would you do if I didn't? Torture me? Kill me?"

"I could."

Of course, he couldn't. Not that he hadn't done both acts or was too much a coward but he recognised that Adrastea Bones was the sort of person who wouldn't break under threats or pain. Furthermore, if the others knew if he had indeed tortured her or even killed her - his own soulmate, he wouldn't be respected by the rest of the rebellion. And not to mention the other reasons that he didn't want to delve into.

She stared at him, the corner of her mouth lilting up. "Liar. I call your bluff."

Deciding that it was too frustrating to maintain his calm and composed countenance, he let his facade fall. A dark scowl replaced his impassive stare and he stalked closer to her. The knowing look on her face didn't fade despite the distance between them diminishing with every step he took.

"You think that I don't dare to kill or to torture?" he questioned dangerously.

"No," she said, grey eyes clashing with blue as her chin tilted a tad bit defiantly. "I know you have, but you won't do either to me."

"What makes you so sure?" he asked, his voice lowered, taking on a silky edge. The atmosphere between them changed. It was no longer filled with smugness or animosity but something else rather.

Rhydderch tilted his face downwards but maintained the fixed stare between their eyes. He was a head taller than her at least but nonetheless, she didn't disappoint and shied away from his intimidating figure.

"I could just reach out right here," his right hand moving upwards to her neck. "To press this point here," his index finger and thumb pinched lightly at a spot on the curve of her neck causing her to shudder a little. "And you would be knocked out," he purred. Her skin seemed incredibly soft and warm beneath his calloused fingers.

"Or," he paused to slide his left hand to the other side of her neck, her eyes shifting away from his to rest on the exposed soulmate mark on his forearm that he hadn't covered with the leather band earlier. Her eyes taking in the familiar script of her handwriting. Adrastea hadn't seen the mark ever since she met him. "I could just squeeze your neck and you'll be dead," he continued.

Both his hands encircled the circumference around her neck and as they tightened just the slightest bit, her grey eyes were locked onto his blue ones once more. She swallowed, not from fear but from the intensity of his eyes as they were interlocked with hers. This interaction between them was definitely very different from the one back in Vonsworth. At that thought, she tightened her grip on her file as it was hugged against her chest.

It was quite strange that they were talking about killing when the atmosphere was charged with something quite the opposite.

Something almost... intimate.

Rhydderch could feel her pulse quicken from the artery on the side of her neck beneath his fingers but he could tell that it wasn't due to fear or anything akin to that. For a brief moment, he wanted his mouth over that pulse like that day back in Vonsworth in her office.

He allowed his hands to be back at his sides but not before trailing a thumb over her plump bottom lip before it went back to the steady pulse on her neck.

He took a leisurely step back and to his irritation, Adrastea merely arched an eyebrow before leaving the tent. Wasn't she supposed to say anything before leaving? He fought back the urge to stalk after her before heading back to his seat as the furious scowl remained on his face.

Forcing himself to reply the letters sent from his spies in the other cities, Rhydderch forced himself to ignore all thoughts of his problematic soulmate. But yet, if he concentrated hard enough, he could almost smell the lingering scent of her hair.

He slammed his fist on the desk.

He refused to let the bloody goddamn woman get under his skin.  

* * *

A/N: A little filler for you lovelies before we start wading into deeper waters in the next few chapters! Please give a vote and a comment to let me know what you think? Thank you so much for reading and have a great day! Chapter dedicated to @Zozo593! :)