I Was Her Living Shield

Ive always had a terrifying capacity for survival. It didn't matter how deep the cut or how shattered the bone; my body simply refused to stay broken. I was a biological miracle, a freak of nature, a man who couldn't be scarred.

Until the woman I loved decided to weaponize it.

On the day her adoptive brother turned eighteen, Isabelle didnt give him a car or a watch. She brought a "specialist" back from a remote retreat in the East and forced a ten-year Soul-Binding Rite upon me.

The mechanics were simple and cruel: every ounce of physical pain, every injury, every sickness that should have touched Toby was instantly transferred to me.

"Its an early birthday present for him," Isabelle had said, her voice as cool as a glass of Sancerre. She explained it with the terrifying logic of the ultra-rich: Toby was reckless, he was adventurous, and above all, he was deathly afraid of pain. Since I was the one who could heal from anything, I would be his human shield for the next decade.

She had stroked my cheek then, her touch lingering with a tenderness that felt like a threat. She promised me that once the ten years were up, shed finally give me what I wanteda name, a ring, a permanent place by her side.

So, I became a ghost in my own skin.

When Toby totaled his Porsche over a canyon ledge, my legs snapped into jagged, unrecognizable shapes. When he got into a bar fight with the wrong people and took a dozen stiletto blades to the gut, I felt my own intestines spill out onto the floor of our penthouse. When he went BASE jumping and the chute tangled, my ribs punctured my lungs, and I spent hours drowning in my own blood on a pristine white carpet.

Year after year, my flesh rotted and knit back together. My scars opened and closed until I didn't recognize the man in the mirror.

Then came the day she took me to a private research station on the edge of the Arctic Circle.

She told me, with that mix of exasperation and indulgence she reserved only for him, that Toby wanted to try under-ice diving without a suit. He wanted to feel the "extremes."

I looked out across the jagged ice. Toby stood there in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, shivering with an adrenaline-fueled grin, looking like a boy who had never known a day of consequence in his life.

I was shaking. My body, usually so resilient, was screaming. "Isabelle, I cant do this," I whispered. "This isn't a broken bone. This is total system failure. I won't hold."

She just reached out and ruffled my hair, the way one might soothe a nervous golden retriever.

"Be a good boy, Kit," she said. "The Rite is almost over. This is the last time. I promise, when we get back to the city, well start planning the wedding."

But there was something she didnt know.

This time, I wasnt going to heal.

And more importantly, I had finally earned enough "Endurance Credits." I was finally allowed to leave this world behind.

In the distance, the diving instructor hesitated, his breath hitching in the sub-zero air.

"Mr. Steven, diving under the shelf without gear... its suicide," he stammered.

"What are you worried about? Ive got a literal fall guy," Toby snapped, interrupting him with a sneer. He threw a contemptuous glance my way. "As for his pathetic life? Thats not on your tab."

He tossed his oxygen tank into the snow, gave Isabelle a mischievous wink, and plunged into the black, jagged hole in the ice without a second thought.

Isabelle let out a soft, indulgent laugh, shaking her head. "That little maniac," she murmured, her eyes full of a pride that made my stomach turn.

To them, this was a thrill. To me, it was the end.

My core temperature plummeted instantly. My limbs went numb, then started to burn with a white-hot intensity. My teeth chattered so hard I thought theyd shatter.

"Cold... Isabelle, its too much... make him come up..."

"Just endure it," she said, her eyes fixed on the dark water where Toby had disappeared. Her expression was soft, dreamy. "Its his birthday, Kit. Dont ruin the mood."

"I can't... I really can't..." I collapsed onto the ice, my body seizing in a violent spasm.

She finally looked at me, her brow furrowing in minor irritation. "Kit, honestly. Youve never been this dramatic before."

I closed my eyes. I could barely hear her over the roar of the blood in my ears. As Toby dove deeper into the abyss, the sensation of drowning took hold. My throat closed. My lungs felt like they were being filled with molten lead.

Inside my mind, I screamed: [System, can I exit now?]

The Systems voice sounded uncharacteristically sheepish: [Weve hit a server upgrade...]

[Then at least give me back my healing factor...]

The voice grew even smaller: [All functions are suspended during the upgrade. Itll be five days, minimum. Maybe... try asking Isabelle for help?]

I forced a breath into my failing lungs, the sound rasping and wet. "Isabelle... its different this time. Im serious..."

I reached out, my frozen fingers catching the hem of her designer coat. "Please. Somethings wrong. If he doesn't come up... Im going to die."

She looked down at me, and for a fleeting second, I saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. But then she looked back at the water.

"It is different," she agreed, her voice hardening. "Youll just be a little banged up, but this is Tobys last chance to be truly reckless before he has to grow up. Tell you whatwhen we get back, Ill buy you that private island in the Keys you liked. Consider it a wedding gift, okay?"

Gifts. It was always gifts.

Bespoke suits from Savile Row, rare rubies from Sothebys, keys to villas she knew Id never visit alone. She could see the price of my suffering, but she refused to see the suffering itself. She ignored the grey tint of my skin, the tremors in my hands, the way my voice broke.

Healing quickly doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. You still have to live through the agony before the skin knits back together.

And now, the knitting had stopped.

I tried to scream, but when I opened my mouth, a thick, dark slurry of blood erupted. It was heavy, clotted with bits of tissue that shouldn't have been outside my body.

Isabelles face finally went pale.

"Kit!" She barked orders at her staff, making them pump me full of stimulants and nutrients. "Kit, stay with me. You have to hold on. At least until Toby has had his fun."

I curled into a ball on the ice and laughed, a wet, bubbling sound.

She thought I had spent ten years in silence for a promise of marriage. For a title. For her.

She didn't know that my "miracle" was just a tether to a Masochism System. Every trauma I endured for Toby earned me points. I had stayed for the credits, for the chance to buy my way out of this hellscape and back to a reality that made sense.

Now, the meter was full. The mission was over. The only thing left was the timer.

My heart slowed to a crawl. Just before the darkness took me entirely, I saw Tobys head break the surface of the water, laughing and invigorated.

In my head, the mechanical chime rang:

[System Upgrade: 90% Complete.]

I woke up in a private wing of the Steven Medical Center.

"Your healing factor is gone? Why didn't you tell me?" Isabelles voice was low, laced with a rare, jagged edge of exhaustion. "Youve been out for three days. The doctors said it was a miracle you survived. I haven't left your side."

I looked at her. The dark circles under her eyes looked real. The words of resentment died in my throat for a moment.

Seeing my silence, she sighed and cupped my gaunt face. "Are we still sulking?"

Her thumb brushed against my cracked lip. "Toby is spoiled, I know. I made him that way. But can't you just let it go? For me?"

I dug my nails into my palms.

It was always the same. His monstrous behavior was "spoiled." My near-death was "sulking."

"Don't worry," I croaked out. "I'm leaving soon. I won't be in your way much longer."

"Leaving?" Her brows snapped together. "The wedding invitations are at the printers. Where could you possibly go?"

"A wedding?" I let out a dry, hacking laugh. "Do you honestly think your golden boy will allow that?"

She paused, her expression softening into patronizing pity. "Oh, so that's what this is about. You're jealous."

"Toby is being very mature about this," she continued softly. "Hes actually very involved in the planning."

As if on cue, Toby burst into the room, clutching a tablet.

"Isabelle! I was thinkingwhat if the wedding theme is 'Midnight Onyx'? All black. It would be so edgy and chic!"

I frowned. Was he planning a wedding or a funeral?

But Isabelle just smiled at him. "If you think it works, Toby."

"And the cake! Definitely mango mousse. Its the best."

Im deathly allergic to mangoes.

Isabelle nodded without a second thought. "Whatever you want, honey."

"I'm tired," I interrupted. "Go discuss your funeral arrangements elsewhere."

The room went silent.

Toby pouted, his lower lip trembling with practiced precision. "Whats that supposed to mean? You don't like my ideas?"

"Of course he does. Toby has wonderful taste." Isabelles hand moved to Tobys waist, but her eyes were cold as she looked at me. "Apologize to him, Kit. Or you can find somewhere else to recover."

The last flicker of warmth in my chest went out.

I reached up and ripped the IV from the back of my hand, letting the blood well up and drip onto the white sheets. I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

Tobys eyes gleamed. He stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Isabelle, I think hes lying to you. If his healing powers were really gone, why is he acting so tough? Hes just doing this for attention, isn't he?"

Isabelles gaze turned predatory. "Kit, when did you become so manipulative?"

"Disobedience requires discipline. You know the rules of this house."

"The cane, or an apology to Toby. Choose."

They just wanted blood. Fine.

I picked up the paring knife from the fruit basket on the nightstand. Without a blink, I dragged the blade across my wrist. Deep.

The skin parted like silk, and hot, crimson blood sprayed across the sterile white duvet.

Toby shrieked and scrambled back.

"Are you insane?!" Isabelles face transformed, her eyes wide with genuine shock.

"Is that apology enough?" my voice was a flat, dead calm.

Toby started to whimper. "Isabelle, she just asked for an apology and he does... that? Hes trying to make us look like monsters! Hes terrifying!"

He ducked into her arms. "See? I told you he was faking the pain. He didn't even flinch."

"Its okay, Toby," she soothed him, stroking his hair, but the look she gave me was pure ice. "This grandstanding is pathetic. It seems you need a reminder of who you belong to."

"Bring the rod."

They held me down.

The heavy rattan cane lashed across my back, over and over. Each strike was a thunderclap of agony. I bit my tongue until I tasted copper, but I didn't make a sound.

When the cane finally snapped, Isabelle tossed the remnants aside. "Youve had your penance. This subject is closed."

"Tomorrow is the engagement gala. Clean yourself up. Don't embarrass me again."

She walked out, Toby trailing behind her like a triumphant puppy.

In the heavy scent of iron and sweat, I heard the chime.

[System Upgrade: 95% Complete.]

I lay on the cold floor, a memory surfacing through the haze of pain.

Three years ago, I could have left.

I had earned enough points back then, but Isabelle had been caught in a corporate ambusha literal hit. She was clinging to life in an ICU. I had used half my hard-earned credits to buy her a "miracle" recovery.

The system had called me an idiot.

But back then, I remembered how she had dug me out of a mudslide with her bare hands until her fingernails tore off. I remembered the way shed drive across the city at 3 AM just to get me the specific soup I liked when I was sick. I remembered the Alpine snow falling on our joined hands.

I thought that woman still existed. I was wrong. The snow had melted, and only the dirt remained.

I was shaken awake by Isabelles security team.

"Time for the gala."

I didn't care about the engagement, but I knew I was leaving soon. It didn't matter where I spent my final hours.

At the hotel ballroom, Toby met us at the door, acting strangely affectionate. "I'll take Kit to get changed into his suit," he chirped, grabbing my arm.

I pulled away. "I can manage myself."

His face fell instantly.

Isabelle shot me a warning look. "Hes trying to be nice, Kit. Don't be ungrateful."

At her signal, two guards grabbed my shoulders and forced me into the dressing room with Toby.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the guards didn't reach for a suit. They reached for my clothes, tearing them off with brutal efficiency.

The bandages on my back were ripped away, taking the fresh scabs with them.

I saw spots of black. I was too weak to fight. Someone kicked me in the gutthe same spot where Id taken the pressure of Tobys ice diveand I coughed up a spray of red.

Toby leaned down, whispering in my ear with a jagged little smile. "Tonight, Kit, everyone is going to see exactly what you are. A dog."

When they dragged me into the center of the ballroom, the roar of the crowd died instantly into a vacuum of silence.

I looked at my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I was dressed in a costume that stripped away every ounce of dignity. A "beast-man" outfit. Wolf ears pinned to my hair, a harness of sheer black mesh that showed every bruise, and a plush, humiliating tail pinned to the base of my spine.

My back was a roadmap of raw, bloody stripes.

Toby made a fake gasp, putting a hand to his mouth. "Oh no! I must have grabbed the wrong garment bag! Isabelle is going to be so mad at me!"

Isabelle froze for a second, looking at me. Then, she reached out and patted Tobys hand. "It was an honest mistake, Toby. How could I be mad at you for being stressed?"

"But the guests... they'll think I did it on purpose," he whined.

"They won't." Her voice was firm. She grabbed my wrist and hauled me onto the stage.

I stumbled, my legs barely holding.

Her voice boomed through the microphone, steady and commanding. "Thank you all for coming. As you can see, my fianc has a rather... adventurous personality. He enjoys a certain level of 'theatrics' in his private life, and I choose to respect his kinks. I trust you are all sophisticated enough to understand."

The room erupted in whispers.

"The rich really are different. Imagine marrying a slut like that."

"Look at that waist, though... and the tail... God, he's built for it."

"He's just a toy. Shell keep him at home and play elsewhere."

Someone yelled from the back, "What happened to his back, Ms. Steven?"

She didn't flinch. She draped her own blazer over my shoulders. "Foreplay. Let's leave it at that."

The media went into a frenzy. The flashes were blinding, a rhythmic stabbing against my retinas. I stood there, stripped bare before the world, a hollowed-out shell.

And then, the cold, mechanical voice returned.

[System Upgrade: 99% Complete.]

[Countdown to Extraction initiated...]

Once the reporters were cleared out, Isabelle shoved me into a private lounge. Her face was dark with fury.

"How long are you going to keep this act up? Are you enjoying the attention?"

"You're making it look like I owe you something. Was this your plan? To humiliate me?"

"There is no 'owing' anymore, Isabelle," I said, my voice a ghost of itself. "We're even. From this moment on, we are strangers."

Isabelles eyes narrowed. She grabbed my wrist. "Even? Strangers? Stop talking nonsense. Once were married, youll have a life people would kill for. You'll be a Steven."

I looked at her, and the absolute lack of emotion in my eyes seemed to finally unnerve her. "No..."

"Enough. Stop being dramatic." She stood up abruptly, a flash of somethingpanic?flickering in her eyes. "I have guests to attend to. Clean yourself up. Stop embarrassing me."

She threw a roll of gauze and a bottle of antiseptic at me and slammed the door.

I didn't touch them. What was the point of healing a body I was about to discard?

I lay down on the sofa, waiting for the clock to hit zero.

But Toby couldn't let it go. He pushed the door open, his face twisted in a sneer.

"Still playing dead? Give it up. Isabelle is always going to choose me."

"You can marry her, but shell always crush you into the dirt the second I ask her to. I own her, Kit."

I didn't even open my eyes.

He lowered his voice, leaning in close. "You want to know a secret? That miscarriage she had two years ago? It wasn't an accident. I was curious about some 'herbal' stimulants I found, and she drank the tea I made. She lost the baby because of me."

My eyes snapped open.

"You cried for weeks," he laughed, his shoulders shaking. "You blamed yourself for not taking care of her. I loved watching that. Isabelle knew, by the way. She just didn't care enough to punish me."

My blood turned to ice. I remembered her teary eyes, but her immediate command that "no one be held responsible."

The child wasn't meant to be, Kit. Let it go. Well have others, I promise.

The flowers she bought me daily after that, the sudden trips, the giftsit wasn't love. It was a distraction. It was a cover-up for the boy who had killed our child.

That child was the only reason I had considered staying. I wanted to leave her a piece of me so she wouldn't be lonely.

"He was innocent," I hissed through gritted teeth.

Toby laughed. "He was a mistake. Just like you."

The rage finally broke through the numbness. I lunged upward and slapped him across the face with every ounce of strength I had left.

He didn't hit me back. Instead, he grabbed the silk curtains and set them alight with a lighter. Then, he grabbed a decorative canister of lighter fluid from the bar and doused the floor.

The flames roared to life. Toby screamed.

The alarm shrilled, and heavy footsteps approached the door.

He looked at me and grinned. "Who do you think she saves first?"

I didn't say a word. I lunged and bit down on his neck, the taste of copper filling my mouth.

"What are you doing?!" Isabelles voice screamed as the door was kicked open.

"Isabelle! Hes crazy! He attacked me, hes trying to burn me alive! Save me!" Toby wailed, collapsing into her arms.

In a heartbeat, a heavy boot slammed into my chest, throwing me backward into the growing inferno.

Isabelle held Toby tight, looking at me with a face full of pure, unadulterated loathing. "You want to die that badly?!"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. It didn't matter.

[System Upgrade Complete. Extraction in progress.]

[Bonus Feature Triggered: 'The Unfiltered Truth'.]

[Target: Isabelle Steven. All deceptions regarding the host are now being uploaded to her consciousness.]

As the fire licked at my skin, Isabelles body suddenly went rigid. Her eyes glazed over for a split second.

"Wait... Kit... I... I'll come back for you. Stay there!"

She began to drag Toby out, her movements frantic, her face a mask of sudden, jarring confusion.

My consciousness began to drift upward. I watched her retreating back through the orange haze and I smiled.

There is no "back," Isabelle. Not for us.