Chapter 8 Elodie
EIGHT
ELODIE
Ifeel like I’ve been hit by a bus, thrown through the air, and landed in a dumpster.
Every single part of me hurts, and not in a good way.
I feel unbearably groggy, but thankfully, my mind isn’t as beaten as my body.
The familiarity of feeling like this washes over me and I’m instantly flooded with memories.
The reminder of the pain spreads through my limbs, but the look of glee in the eyes of those who hurt me is what makes me more alert with every inhale I take.
They didn’t hold back.
Not The Sanctum, and definitely not those they let take aim at me.
It’s weird. It never really felt as though they were testing what I could do, and more like they were interested in how much I could take.
A lot.
Too much.
But like always, the darkness quickly came for me time and time again. I’m not sure if it’s a curse anymore, and somewhat of a blessing instead. It’s almost as though I’m protectively dragged to the shadows before I truly feel the tendrils of death.
I know I’m a scythe, sure, but what that truly entails, I’ve never really had the time to figure out. That has to change. There’s no denying it. But first, I have to open my eyes and see what I’m up against now.
Taking the best deep breath I can muster, I pry my eyes open, surprised at how soft the glow is in the room. Previously, it was obnoxiously bright, like it was going to burn my retinas, but now it’s almost… comforting.
As I focus my gaze, it quickly becomes apparent that I’m no longer in the same room. The sheets beneath me are so soft I think I might melt into them. Everywhere aches, but I can’t stop myself from running my fingers along the fabric.
A foreign sense of calmness and safety washes over me, making my eyes widen further as I try to figure out where the hell I am.
“You’re awake.”
I startle at the sound of Kael’s voice as I whip my stare to my right, choking back a cry at the pain it stirs inside of me.
Refusing to let the ache tear me down, I focus on the man beside me. His blond hair is swept back off his face, his entire chest and abs are on display and his veins bulge down his arms like he’s coiled tight with tension.
“Where am I?” My voice is raspy and weak and I hate it. Running my tongue over my dry lips, I swallow a few times to try to calm my sore, raw throat.
“My room,” he answers, and my eyebrows rise in surprise, causing my head to flash with pain.
I grimace, closing my eyes to half mast. “Why?”
“Because I don’t trust your safety anywhere else right now.” His words linger in the air, stealing my breath as I stare up at him.
“My safety?” I repeat, too worried to trust my wandering thoughts, but before he has the chance to answer, I keep talking. “How did I even get here? The last I remember, I…” I can’t finish the sentence for fear of igniting the excruciating pain inside of me again.
“How do you feel?” he asks, finally daring to look down at me.
“Like death,” I admit, and he nods like that’s enough.
“Thorne is ready to heal you, but he wanted you awake before he did anything,” he states, making me frown.
“I don’t need healing,” I insist, and he cocks a brow at me.
“You don’t?” There’s almost a curl to his lips.
Ass.
“No.” My insistence is weak and we both know it.
“So you’re not aching to the bone?” I don’t say a word and he takes my silence as encouragement to continue.
“You’re not mottled with bruises all over your skin?
You haven’t slept for almost eighteen hours since I picked you up with my bare hands and carried you away from The Sanctum?
” His voice starts to rise along with my heart rate, and I exhale slowly, trying to calm the stress building inside of me.
“All of that may be true, but it doesn’t mean I need someone else’s help,” I mutter, desperately wanting to drag my hand down my face, but it’s not worth the effort.
He scoffs. “So this is a pride thing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I nuzzle into the pillow, despite the desire to get as far away from him as possible. The pain, however, has other ideas.
My eyelashes flutter as my eyelids grow heavy, and I feel the soft brush of his thumb over my cheek.
“Now,” he starts, whispering so gently I can barely hear him, his breath ghosting over my hair as he speaks.
“How about you give me a tiny little nod, agree to be helped, and I’ll tell everyone I had to force you against your will because your ego wouldn’t allow it any other way.
” My nose crinkles, ready to argue, but he pushes on. “Give in just this once, Elodie.”
“That’s all I seem to do around you, and it never goes in my favor,” I breathe in response, and I can almost see the twitch to his mouth.
“Should I get him or not?”
“Not.”
“Not healing means staying under my care for longer.”
I pry my left eye open to find him staring at me in amusement, and I think I hate him more than ever. He knows how to play me better than I know how to get the upper hand on him. When he looks at me like that, it’s almost like my pain melts away, as if I’m too wrapped up in him to notice it at all.
He’s right.
I definitely need some space.
“Fine,” I mutter, letting my eyes close once again.
He doesn’t say a word, but I feel him shuffle off the bed, leaving the air to cool around me as the door creaks open.
Once it clicks shut, I take a deep breath and force myself to try to sit up.
I don’t want to get too comfortable in Kael’s space.
I need to go back to my room and lick my wounds as I dream about making The Sanctum pay for the pain they caused.
It’s a struggle, but I flop back against the headboard with a grunt just before a knock at the door rings out and Thorne peers his head around the wood.
“May I enter?”
“Sure,” I agree, and he sweeps into the room like he’s floating, the door clicking shut softly behind him before he takes a seat beside me on the bed.
His black curls are damp, falling over his forehead as his dark eyes settle on mine. He’s wearing black pants and a matching tee, his biceps accentuated by the material as he curls his fingers around the edge of the mattress.
“It shouldn’t hurt,” he states, and I shrug, instantly wincing at the discomfort it causes.
“You’ve healed me before,” I mutter, feeling as if I’m reassuring him instead of the other way around.
“It’s about all I seem to do when it comes to you,” he states, his words soft, and I huff.
“Well, you drive me insane, too,” I add, mentally flicking through the catalog of times he’s gotten under my skin and pissed me off.
The corner of his mouth twitches, but he doesn’t respond to my jibe as he lifts his hand to my head, heat slowly radiating from his proximity as my body leans into him, seeking his warmth. His hands slowly track down my body, spreading his glow through my limbs.
“Do you remember?” he asks when his hands reach my ankles, and I grimace. Not at the pain that still lingers, but with the understanding of his question.
“A little,” I admit, and he nods, his hands slowly returning to my face as his dark eyes bore into mine.
“Do you want me to erase it all?” he asks, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“You can do that?”
He shrugs, offering no further information, yet not denying it either. There are clearly layers to this man that I can’t even begin to comprehend. Now isn’t the time for that, though. Right now, I need to give him an answer.
Clearing my throat, I smile, relieved when my jaw doesn’t ache from the movement. “No.”
“No?” he repeats, eyebrows gathering in confusion as his hands remain on either side of my face.
“No, thanks,” I reiterate, and he shakes his head.
“I wasn’t looking for your manners, more like an understanding as to why not,” he explains, and I offer a tight smile.
“Because my pain is my driving force. I’m here because I know how to survive, and that means remembering every piece of it.”
Something passes in his eyes before he nods, and his touch at my face radiates with warmth that intensifies, bleeding through me as he leans forward and presses a kiss to the spot on my other cheek.
All too quickly, he’s gone again, standing beside the bed with his hands stuffed in his pockets as he clears his throat three times.
“Thank you,” I muster, taking inventory of my body and realizing every ache and pain is gone.
He nods before turning for the door at the exact same time it opens to reveal Kael leaning against the door frame.
His eyes are searching, raking over me from head to toe to assess my current state, so I stick my middle finger up at him, making him roll his eyes.
At least it does the job of confirming I’m okay.
“I told them you needed rest. They won’t listen.” Kael’s jaw grinds with irritation as Thorne exits the room without a backward glance a moment before Ocean charges in, shoulder barging Kael as she passes him with Rion hot on her heels.
“I’m so sorry I left,” she blurts, hurrying to take a seat on the bed beside me, right where Thorne had been a few moments earlier, and I shake my head.
“It’s not your fault,” I insist as Rion comes to a stop beside her, rocking back on his heels as he smiles at me.
“Petal.”
“Rion.”
He leans forward, planting a kiss on my forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he breathes, and I try to muster a smile, but it falls flat.
“I wouldn’t say I’m okay, but I’m here.”
He grimaces, but it’s the truth. There are wounds that haven’t been healed by the shadow fae, despite his efforts.
“What now?” he asks, tilting his head at me, and I frown.
“What do you mean?”
His gaze narrows. “What do you mean?”
I sit up taller. “There is no what now.”
“What?” The interjection comes from Kael, but I ignore him as I focus on Ocean beside me.
“I just have to settle in and accept this is my new norm,” I admit.
“You were supposed to be doing that already,” Kael bites from across the room, and I roll my eyes.
Yeah, he’s right, I need some distance from him.
Tossing the covers off, I swing my legs over the side of the bed. Ocean stands, giving me space, but I pause as I look down at myself.
“Whose t-shirt is this?” I blurt, peering at the navy tee that falls to my mid-thighs.
“Mine,” Kael mutters, wiping a hand down his face as I nod.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask why I was changed, but the flashes of blood bring it all back to my mind and I opt against it. Instead, I run my fingers over the material.
“It’s soft.”
“You can keep it,” he offers, a glimpse of kindness from the asshole vampire before me, and I don’t refuse; it really is soft.
Nodding, I stand.
“You should rest,” he mutters, and I hum in agreement.
“I will, in my own bed,” I insist, and his jaw ticks with barely contained irritation again.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to sleep alone,” he states, and I spy Rion nodding in agreement to my left, but I keep my gaze fixed on the vampire filling the doorway.
“I’m not alone, I have Ocean.”
“She’s not enough,” he snaps back, the ability to contain his emotions slipping as he folds his arms over his chest.
My spine stiffens, but I manage to keep my tone even. “I say what is and isn’t enough.”
“You’re going to get us both killed,” he warns as I link my arm through Ocean’s, who stands tall beside me in solidarity.
“Then unassign yourself as my guardian. That way, the consequences for my actions only impact me.” It’s as simple as that and we both know it. Yet, he shakes his head in disbelief.
“You shouldn’t be considering consequences, Elodie.”
With my friend in tow, I cut the distance to him, shaking my head with every step I take until I’m standing toe to toe with him.
“No, what I shouldn’t be considering is falling under their command. I may not have much, but my freedom is worth more than anything else in this world, and the real one.”