CHAPTER 24
My heart rate picks up as he moves. He stands, coming in front of me and drops to his knees. His hands go to my knees, but I shove them off and he runs his hand through his hair. He looks more tired than I have ever seen him.
“What do you want, Silas?” I ask, climbing back in bed and pulling the covers up.
He gets up, sitting on the bed beside me.
“My mates hate me,” he says, placing his head in his hands.
I almost feel bad for him. Almost. He looks defeated, however, he did it to himself and will get no sympathy from me.
Rolling over, I turn my back on him, intending to ignore him. Like what did he expect? For me to feel sorry for him?
“Elora, please don’t turn away from me,” he says, rolling me onto my back.
“Why are you here? If it is to make me feel bad for you, I don’t,” I tell him.
“I want things to go back to how they were.”
“Are you going to give my magic back?” I ask.
“No, you know I can’t.”
“Then get out. You made your decision, which in turn makes mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Silas. I won’t be with you.”
A growl erupts from him and he grabs me.
“You are ours, Elora. This doesn’t change that,” he says, yanking me onto his lap.
I push off his chest, his grip only tightens.
Silas grabs my hair, ripping my head back, a menacing growl escaping him when he sinks his teeth into my neck making me scream.
His bite hurts, blood runs down my neck and over my shoulder as his teeth razor through my flesh.
Pulling back, I am left shaken as I stumble off his lap.
My legs shake as I try to create some distance between us.
My entire body burns from his bite, making me feel sick.
Silas gets up off the bed stalking toward me.
He roughly pulls me forward and swipes my hair off my shoulder which is now drenched in my blood.
“I don’t understand, why didn’t it work?” he snarls.
I can’t feel anything bond wise, only pain radiating through my neck from his bite.
“You actually thought you could remark me?” I scoff.
Silas’s grip tightens as he glares down at me. I find myself slammed against the wall, his hands around my throat in warning, but not tight enough to affect my breathing. He is trying to regain control of himself, trying not to kill me.
“Go on, do it. Do it, Silas. Kill me. At least I will be rid of you,” I spit at him, no longer afraid of death. If it is my only chance at freedom, I will take it. He has proven to me time and time again he doesn’t care for me, he only cares for what I can do for him.
Silas lets go, stepping back. His eyes soften, and I wonder what he is thinking when he drops to the ground, leaning against the side of my bed placing his head in his hands.
“I don’t know what to do,” I hear him whisper and if it wasn’t for my heightened hearing, I wouldn’t have heard him.
“Do you feel nothing for us?” he asks, and I bite down on my tongue, willing myself not to answer. Sweat beads on my neck and nausea builds in my stomach. Silas looks up when I don’t answer.
“You can’t lie?” he says, cocking his head to the side, watching me struggle with not answering when he suddenly gets up moving toward me. He grips my chin forcing me to look up at him.
“Do you feel nothing for me?” he asks again, watching me carefully.
“I feel a lot of things for you, Silas, all of you,” I answer, feeling the urge lift once the words leave my lips. I can finally breathe again.
“Do you love me?” he asks, the urge to answer rolls over me again. Do I? After everything he has done, it seems unreasonable that I would, yet I’m lying to myself thinking I don’t.
“Yes, despite everything you have done, I still fucking love you, but I hate you just as much.”
He kisses me, his lips crashing against mine urgently, and I have to use all my strength to shove him off. Silas steps forward trying to reach for me, and I step away from him.
“No, you don’t get to destroy me then keep me. That’s not what love is, Silas,” I snap at him.
His eyes go to the ceiling, as he runs his hands through his hair, gripping it in what I assume is frustration.
The door opens and Matitus rushes in then freezes. “Silas,” he says, making him look at him. Silas doesn’t say a word, just walks out. Matitus looks over at me, quickly biting into his wrist and offering it to me. I shake my head and Matitus steps forward.
“No, I am fine. Just get out,” I tell him.
“Elora…”
“No, Matitus, just leave, please, I am tired. I don’t want to deal with this shit right now.”
Matitus looks hurt but nods and leaves. Going into the bathroom, I grab a washcloth and wet it, cleaning the blood off my neck.
My hands are shaking, and I flinch, the skin red and tender to the touch.
Once I’m done, I climb in bed. I know I can’t stay here anymore and the first chance I get, I am leaving.
I’d rather be on the run than stuck here, forced to live like this. Forced to endure him.
Falling into a dreamless sleep, I wake early from an overwhelming urge coiling in my stomach.
Ripping the blanket back, I run for the bathroom but barely make it in time as I puke.
Spew goes half in the toilet and the rest on the floor.
I continue throwing up violently. My entire body retches until my stomach is completely empty.
Getting up, I flush the toilet, grabbing a towel and cleaning up the mess on the floor.
Shaking slightly, I strip off my clothes and step under the shower while grabbing my toothbrush so I can rid the taste from my mouth.
The shower helps a little, however, I feel weird today.
Different. My entire body is exhausted. Every muscle aches like I’ve run a marathon.
As I wash my hair, some soapy water trickles into the bite mark from Silas, making it burn badly.
Once clean, I hop out of the shower and wrap a fresh towel around myself only to catch sight of myself in the mirror.
My entire neck has turned black where he bit me.
Black like tar spreading down my neck and across my shoulder, the veins clearly visible under my skin which is oddly pale, almost see through.
Black veins spread from his bite like I have been poisoned from it.
Even turning my neck hurts. Putting clothes on, I go in search of Abbie and Marian, finding them in the kitchen. They take one look at me before rushing over, worried.
“What the hell happened to you? What happened to your neck?” Abigail asks, worried.
“Silas tried to remark me; I think it is making me sick,” I tell her, suddenly lightheaded just from walking the short distance from my room to the kitchen.
“Let me try to heal you,” she says, dragging me into the pantry and closing the door. I can see the concentration on her face as she places her hand against my neck and shoulder.
Abigail pulls her hands back looking at them. “Why isn’t it working?” she asks, looking at Marian.
“Fucking stupid, oversized, fire breathing lizard,” Marian spits angrily.
I sit on the floor unable to stand anymore.
My entire body feels hot like I’m running a fever.
The room is warping and pulsating and even though I am on the ground, I suddenly feel like I am falling.
My head becomes heavy and each time I blink the darkness at the edge of my vision slowly consumes me.
“Abbie, I don’t feel good,” I try to say but I’m unsure if she heard me when I lose all feeling and consciousness.