The Spilling of Blood
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The creature observes her from afar. The shimmering gilded dress is like a beacon calling out in the drenching moonlight. Short tawny hair, sleek and shiny, dances around the nape of her neck. Her pale skin is lightly freckled. Bright chocolate eyes beam as she glances around cautiously, nerves bite at her flesh.
It takes another step closer, its leather boot crunching in the stony dirt below. The sound sweeps through the quiet street.
Mabel halts, eyes darting around, trying to catch sight of anyone. She’s nervous about where the sound travelled from.
“Hello?” She calls out anxiously.
The creature can see panic flaring across her angelic face. It takes another step and Mabel’s head snaps in the figure’s direction.
Her expression changes as she sees it lurking in the shadows, dressed in black, face hidden by darkness.
With a gasp, Mabel fumbles for her skirt, hiking up the material and pulling out the dagger slotted into the sheath wrapped tightly around her thigh.
Grabbing onto the hilt, she feels the blade piercing her side. Instantly, a flurry of pain streams across her skin and floods her blood. Poison eats away at her nerves as Mabel stumbles backwards.
The poison spreads rapidly though her as the creature smirks slyly. It stalks towards her slowly, watching her gasp for air and writhe on the ground, screams getting caught in her throat as Mabel struggles to breathe.
Her dagger slips from her grip as she thrashes on her back. Blood trickles from the gash where the blade remains embedded in her side.
Body going numb, Mabel’s chocolate eyes glass over as the creature looms over her, watching as the girl gasps her final breath.
With a satisfied grunt, the creature removes the blade, scarlet liquid pouring out and pooling around her body into the dusty street. It poises the metal tip, whispering something under its breath while ripping open her shiny gilded gown and cutting deep circles into her flesh.
* ? * ? *
The morning glow lights up her quarters enough for Valarie to make out her furniture pushed up against the walls. She rolls over, her body entangled in her bedsheets.
Thinking back to the last night’s events, she can’t help but grin to herself. Dancing with Lewis. Chatting with her friends. Drinking a lot of champagne. Leaving with Lewis and spending the evening with him.
She feels her cheeks flush with warmth as she thinks about him lying with her, touching her and kissing her all over. Their bodies were bare and lying flush against each other. Skin against skin. Heat against heat.
The familiar scent of parchment and ink lingers in her nose. A soft breath hits her forehead. His gentle hand holds her waist as she lies beside him, naked.
Valarie’s blue eyes fly open.
Sitting up, she covers her body with the sheets and gasps down. Lewis is still lying beside her, his black glasses sitting on the small wooden table alongside her bed. He’s still asleep, his breaths are deep and slow.
“Lewis!” Valarie shouts in a hushed voice. She wakes him by shaking his shoulders hurriedly.
Golden eyes dart around the room, as if he is trying to get his bearings before they land on her. He smiles sleepily for a mere moment before realising what happened. He was supposed to sneak out after she fell asleep, but he must have dozed off beside her.
“You need to leave, now!” Her hushed voice yells again.
Lewis nods, grabbing his glasses off the table. Pushing off the covers, he realises he’s wearing nothing at all. Seizing his clothes off the floor, he pulls on his pants, then throws on his undershirt.
“Hurry!”
“I am, Ari!” His voice is husky and sleepy.
It makes Valarie’s heart melt from hearing him call her that, but the exorbitant amount of adrenaline pumping through her veins outweighs the feeling.
She pulls on a dressing gown to cover herself up. “Nobody can know that you stayed for the night.”
“I’m aware of that,” Lewis grumbles, “however, it was worth it.”
Valarie looks at him, her eyes wide with surprise.
It’s an evening she will never forget, but they hardly spoke during or after the actions took place. They seemed to just melt into each other like two water droplets meshing into one and blissfully drifted off to sleep not long after.
“It was. But this isn’t the time to discuss it Lewis, we need to get you out before my family realises you’re still in here with me.”
Lewis stands, taking his shoes and pecking her on the forehead. She knows it’s his way of saying goodbye to her.
Valarie doesn’t want him to leave, wanting nothing more than to have him to stay and hold her forever in his arms. But she doesn’t want to see the disappointed looks on her parent’s faces if they catch her in her quarters with him. They’re not even betrothed yet .
He peels himself away, walking towards the window when Valarie lunges over, grabbing a hold of him. “You can’t jump from here. There are rose bushes. You will be covered in thorns.” She warns him.
“What, do you expect me to take the stairs, then?” Valarie shrugs, telling him it is the only non-harmful way to leave. “But what if someone sees me leaving?”
“They won’t. The sun is still rising outside, so they won’t wake for a bit. But that means you have to leave right now.” Valarie pulls him towards the door of her quarters.
Taking a deep breath, as if holding air in his lungs will somehow make him magically invisible to everyone else living under this roof, Lewis turns the knob. Opening the door ever so slightly, he peeks through the gap with one eye.
The hallway is silent and empty. The only audible noise is the ticking of the dark-stained grandfather clock sitting on the staircase landing. He breathes again, pushing open the door and slipping out.
Closing the door as gently as he can, Lewis spins around to see Jordan standing in the open doorway of his quarters. His large arms are crossed in front of his chest. A look of controlled rage covering his youthful face.
Without a word, Jordan storms over, pushing Lewis back through the door and into Valarie’s room. Valarie sucks in a breath when she sees Jordan holding Lewis by the arm, his face red with rage. “What on earth is he doing here, Val?” Jordan growls at her.
Valarie lowers her face to the timber floor with embarrassment. She can’t bring herself to look at him. “I am so sorry.” Is all she can get out, biting back sobs.
“You’re sorry?” Jordan questions her. He lets go of Lewis, stepping closer to his little sister. She looks even smaller and vulnerable with the way she is standing. “Valarie, you just ruined yourself, don’t you realise that? ”
A small whimper escapes her lips as tears sting her eyes. She wraps her arms around her midsection as if to comfort herself. She can feel his glare on her without even needing to lift her chin. “I didn’t mean to.”
“You didn’t mean to?” Jordan repeats in a raspy voice. “What? Were you unaware you had a boy in here with you the entire night?”
“I am not a boy ,” Lewis says defensively.
Jordan turns to glare at him, his blue eyes piercing bright with resentment. “Well, you’re certainly not a man. A man would wait until he is wedded. A man wouldn’t ruin a girl’s reputation like this.” His voice rising at Lewis, whose mouth slams shut.
Worried he’ll wake their parents, Valarie reaches out, her hand touching his arm. “Jordan, please just calm down.”
“Calm down.” His voice is bitter at her. One thing he despises most in this world is being told what to do, and she knows that more than anyone. “I can’t calm down, Val. You went to bed with Lewis. A boy ,” he looks back at Lewis, exaggerating the word at him, “that you are not even engaged to yet.”
“I know.” Valarie whispers guiltily.
“You will wed her.” Jordan demands, turning his attention back onto Lewis. “You will announce your engagement before the end of the season and begin making wedding plans. And you better pray to the Angels that nobody else finds out about this.”
“I’d wed her even if you didn’t catch us,” Lewis admits.
That makes Valarie almost choke on her own breath.
“Good. Then I won’t have to force you.” Jordan grits out, rubbing the side of his head as if he’s in pain. “You’re my friend, Lewis. I don’t want to hate you right now, but I also can’t forgive you for this.”
“I understand,” Lewis agrees, taking Valarie’s hand in his. “You might think this was a mistake. Some reckless, thoughtless act. But I love her, and I want to be with her.”
A spark of heat rushes through Valarie, and she looks up at Lewis .
Jordan’s jaw ticks as he considers Lewis’ words. “Oh, you’ll be with her, unless you want me to kill you myself right now,” Jordan proposes.
“No!” Valarie shouts out, then clasps her hand over her mouth, remembering their sleeping parents are at the other end of the hallway, “nobody is killing anyone. We will be engaged within the season, and nobody will suspect anything. But you need to let him leave now, Jordan, before mother and father wake up and realise what is happening.”
Jordan’s eyes seem to soften for a second, before they look at Lewis. “Leave.” His voice is icy.
Lewis does.
As soon as he is gone, Valarie sinks onto the edge of her bed. Overwhelmed with guilt, she sobs loudly. Tears drip down her cheeks, splashing onto the warm fabric of her dressing gown.
Jordan’s heart still races with anger as he watches his sister bawling her eyes out. Lifting his hands behind his head, he exhales loudly, trying to calm himself down. “You did something incredibly stupid, Val.” He grumbles at her.
He wants to comfort her, but he’s still heated with rage.
“I know I did, Jordan,” she sobs out quietly, “but I love him.”
Jordan’s mouth tightens as he looks at her. “I know you do, Val. You two are terrible at masking your feelings for one another. But you could have ruined yourself. Do you know how risky that was?” he shakes his head at her in disappointment. “Just be thankful it was me who caught the two of you and not our parents or Rosa.”
She nods at him, her cheeks stained with dampness. Her eyes reddened from crying. “I know all right. I know it was stupid, and I know it was wrong, but I have wanted to be with Lewis since I first saw him.”
“And you couldn’t wait until you were wedded to spend the night with him?” Jordan questions her.
“It’s not as if we planned it.” She sobs .
Jordan lets out a low sigh. His temper lowers to a more manageable level. Sitting down beside her on the bed, his arm goes around her delicate shoulders, holding her until her crying becomes muffled and quiet.
“Will you ever forgive me for this?” she mumbles.
“Yes,” Jordan says softly, “you’re still my sister, and I will always protect you, even when you do stupid things like this.”
She lets out a snotty snort in between her sobs. “Can you quit calling me stupid?”
“That depends. Will you continue being stupid?”
She pulls herself back and shakes her head. Sapphire eyes blurred with tears. “You know I can’t promise you that.”
The corner of his mouth twitches into a smile. “Yes. That’s what I am afraid of.”