Tethered Pain by Autumn Winchester

Author:Autumn Winchester [Winchester, Autumn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Judah

T he water had just shut off from the shower on the second floor as I looked around the kitchen and found nothing else to wipe down for the umpteenth time. Allowing my head to drop to my chest, I let out a conflicted sigh.

I knew I needed to start thinking about calling someone for a ride back home, but I was torn. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Zeek in his current mental state. Granted, he was much better than when Mistress Destri and I first arrived. Still, I worried that he’d return to whoever had caused the damage to his back in the first place. Part of me didn’t want to believe he’d go back right away, but the other part of me wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Not after what he’d said earlier.

Zeek’s footsteps padding down the stairs soon chased away my thoughts. When his eyes met mine, I could see that some of the darkness that plagued him earlier had disappeared.

“You’re still here,” he muttered, running a hand through his slightly dripping hair.

“Is that okay?” Had he wanted me to leave? I thought in sadness.

“Yeah….” The word hung in the air between us. He looked as though he had something more to say, but he turned and walked toward the living room instead. “Come on, Kid,” he called over his shoulder, taking a heavy seat on the couch.

“I’m not a kid,” I grumbled, following close behind him. Taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch, I nervously wrung my hands together, unsure what to do or how to act now that he was feeling more himself.

“Hmmm.”

“I don’t want to push, but––” I stopped, unsure how to say what I wanted to say.

“You can ask whatever you want,” Zeek yawned. “I won’t be upset. Just don’t take offense if I don’t answer.”

“Do you still see me as a kid?” I blurted. Why I chose that particular question out of the million others that were running through my mind, I had no clue.

Zeek grimaced slightly as he slouched against the back of the couch in an attempt to make himself more comfortable. Dropping his head against the back cushion, he turned just his head to face me, studying me silently. Silence reigned for several minutes and I began to wonder if he was going to answer at all.

“In a way,” he finally murmured. Pausing, he stuck his tongue between his teeth before continuing. I couldn’t explain it, but that small action stirred something in me that I’d been fighting against for years. “You are a few years younger than me, yes. But I know you aren’t a kid. That’s just what I decided to call you before I knew your name.” He shrugged. “It sort of…stuck.”

I dropped my eyes from him in embarrassment. Oh––I guess that makes sense.

“You don’t like me calling you that, do you?”

“Makes me feel…I don’t know. After everything, you know….” I didn’t know how the hell was I meant to explain something to him that I didn’t even understand myself.

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