What hurts more?

Bran let Sienna into her room and stood guard. Sienna took her clothes off and went to the mirror. She put down the compress and stared at the huge red and purple swollen mess, which used to be called her neck before.

She touched it and felt the burning pain going down her spine."Aaauuch, why it has to hurt so much?" she asked herself a bit grumpily."Well, at least I can still walk."She sighed."I will not drink that tiger syrup again." she thought."I wish Sarcos will take me from here, to his gardens in his Sand City, he always knows what to do and his potions are thousand times better!" she sighed and rather went for a quick bath. She washed her hair carefully biting her lips. It hurted a lot!

She got out and put a nightgown on her, then she tried to brush her hair when Ziran barged inside her room in a happy mood."Bran is going to sew up Tyrell, so I came to help you out." he announced a bit cheekily, "Tyrell is so beaten up you can do anything you want now for at least a week." he chuckled.

Sienna stared at him with a hairbrush in her hand."Ziran, I could be naked in here, can you knock on the door next time please?" she asked calmly.

"Well, you don't need to be shy from me, "Ziran smiled brutishly."I saw your beautiful naked body from every angle imaginable already." he licked his lips.

Sienna blushed."He is right." she thought and bit her lips.

Ziran saw her face reddened up and his lips curled up cheekily.

"So do you want to go dancing in this gown?" he stared at Sienna provocatively.

"No, I'm going to bed, I can hardly move." she sighed. "Im exhausted. Do you know how hard it is to even brush your hair when everything is hurting you?" she asked him pitifully.

"What everything?" Ziran asked worriedly. He was sure Tyrell did not mate her, so her statement was confusing to him." Is it just your neck, no?"

"Just a neck? My heart hurts even more." Sienna sighed. "I 'm not even sure what to do anymore!" She did not like to be angry, but she was too upset as she kept thinking about Tyrell and his tiger, that it kept her restless.

"Shh, calm down. Get better first. Let him suffer a little or Marco beat him for nothing." Ziran tried to calm her down.

Sienna sighed and walked around a room a bit frantically."I do love Tyrell, and I know he was betrayed, but he was rude even before that and then his tiger went crazy. I do not want him to treat me like that again. If I can I will just go to Sand City."

"Sienna, you need to stay here to get better and not run around."Ziran stopped her gently." Come, sit down, I will help you to brush your hair."Ziran took a hairbrush from her hand and sat her at her new table. It seemed that Tyrell had the broken furniture replaced extremely fast. He did not want to leave anything in Sienna's room that will remind her of that night.

"So, can you put your head a bit backward?"Ziran asked as he brushed Sienna's long golden hair. He was trying to find out how much she is she hurt.

"Don't make fun of me." she sighed."My neck is all stiff."

Ziran finished brushing her hair and helped Sienna braid them into the two long plaits.

"You look so cute like this, "Ziran smiled."But your bruised neck doesn't look good at all." he shook his head."You should put some Tiger Balm on it."

"I think I have some."Sienna pointed to the big table."Gift from Magnus. He heard me scream and get it ready for me." she chuckled bitterly."Is it not sweet from him?"

"Sure, it is. I think he is overstaying his welcome. Why don't you send him away?"Ziran asked quietly.

"I will, "Sienna whispered."That is why I will do something so nice for him, that Tyrell will have to let him go."

Ziran smiled."That is a good idea. I want to see what it is?"He opened the crystal pot and sniff it. "Yes is good, it should prevent the scars. Let me help you to put it on."

"Who is it? Not what."Sienna smiled and held her long plaits in the air so Ziran can put the balm on her neck.

Ziran started to rub the balm into the swollen bites and bruised Sienna's neck.

"You are too brutish Ziran, please try to be more gentle!"She was gasping in pain!

"It needs to melt into the skin."Ziran tried his best, but he was just too strong.

"I miss gentle Xander."Sienna sighed in her mind. Even Ramse is more gentle than this!" she thought and tried to hold on but it was too much!

"You are too strong Ziran, it just hurts even more." she felt her tears going down by themselves.

"It needs to go deep in, I'm sorry Sienna."Ziran shook his shoulders.

"It is just making it more sensitive." she moaned.

"You are too soft, that is why you think that." he nodded.

"Aaaach. Be careful with me," the tears kept falling down from her eyes.

"Just wait, it doesn't look good. "he tried to hold her head in place.

"You just made it worse."Sienna moaned. It just burns now. Are you sure it is not poison?" she cried out.

"No, it prevents scars."Ziran nodded.

"But I need something against infection first. Some antibiotics and more painkillers."Sienna cried out.

"Anti what? Let's put this on first and then I will ask for it."Ziran nodded.

Meanwhile, Tyrell was in his bedroom. Bran was sewing his sorry neck together as Marco stared coldly.

"It took me a lot of suppressing not to eat you, brother," the strong Sea Eagle King said as he helped to press the ripped pieces of tiger's flesh back into their places for Bran to sew it up.

"What?" the huge white tiger looked at him curiously.

"I wanted to eat you." Marco said coldly." Rip you into tiny pieces and devour you." he stared at him with his freezing blue eyes and licked his lips." Don't bite Sienna like this again. Ever!"

"Well, you bruised her too..." the huge white tiger growled.

"She said she liked it. I did not force her."Marco said coldly."She is not a tiger. If you try to force her again I will kill you. Slowly."

"But she will hate you for it." the tiger grinned. Even when he was in a lot of pain, he was brutish. He felt tricked by Sienna and thought Marco treated him unfairly. He was fuming and angry inside as he awoke, but was too weak to move and kill the Eagle King.

"Good point. I will do it in secret then or as an accident. Don't tell her or it will make her suffer next to me."Marco noted coldly.

"Sure." the white tiger noted."We can agree on the same, I will also keep it secret if I kill you by planned accident, brother." the tiger growled. He was proud and revengeful. He started to make plans for how to get rid of Marco from the moment he told him to relax under him in the arena. He did not like to be treated as a female!

"You will make sure to send Sienna away from you before every Tiger's Eye Star night in the future if you live long enough," Marco noted and splattered the healing balm on the roughly sewed tiger's neck.

"In your dreams, "the white tiger chuckled." Only if you convince her to mate me often at other times. I want my heir," he growled.

"That is up to her." Marco nodded. "Maybe she will agree to mate with you if you try to treat her nicer."

"What else I can try?" the white tiger chuckled bitterly. "I'm not so impotently cold as your eagle."

"Rather change to a man now. If you are not so injured already I will rip your head off, but Bran just sewed it together and I do not want to waste his work. Make sure I do not see you often. I prefer to deal with your human form."Marco noted coldly.

"Tyrell is still knocked out. I can't change, I will be levelling up." the tiger rasped. He could feel as if the world is turning around his head and became dizzy.

"Then we will send Ziran to stay with you." Bran and Marco stood up and went out of the room.

The two cold eagles stood in the corridor. Bran looked at Marco."You wanted to eat him too?"

"Yes," Marco nodded." What do you mean too?" he stared at Bran.

"I had that urge yesterday as I ripped into his back."Bran bit his lips.

"Stay close to me, you are my trusted man Bran." Marco looked at him curiously. He would take Bran to Sarcos to see what is going on with them when he will return to Sand City.

"Bran go warn our soldiers about the king's tiger and Magnus. They are not to be trusted."Marco ordered.

"Will you still work with him?"Bran asked.

"Sure, we are brothers after all." he sent the eagle off.

Marco just turned to Sienna's room as he heard her cries.

He opened the door abruptly and saw Ziran putting the tiger balm on her neck.

"Be more gentle with my queen," Marco grunted. He was still deranged from Tyrell's tiger and Sienna's crying made him agitated. It felt like his failure to him and he could not stand it!

"I'm doing my best." Ziran sighed." It is all swollen and very sensitive."

"Let me. "Marco took the balm from his hand.