Chapter Fifteen
Soren
The truck doesn’t even fully stop, and I am stumbling out, trying to get inside.
I know she’s here. I can feel how weak she is, and the bond is shredding more and more as the seconds tick by.
I don’t let myself think about how fucking cruel I was; I can only hope that the vile words and actions I forced onto her aren’t what she is thinking of as her life fades away.
The door is wide open, but the intense scent of blood is wafting out of the house when we get closer.
Stepping inside, I can feel the walls I have built to keep her out come crumbling down.
“Talia!” I scream as I rush to her side.
“No, no, no. Come on, Bunny. You have to wake up.” I sit amongst her blood on the floor as I pull her into my lap.
Her body is limp, and she’s hardly breathing.
She’s dying, and I wasn’t here. Her thighs are covered in blood, and her face is almost unrecognizable.
“Feed her. Now,” Micah says, handing me a knife.
Hot, acidic tears roll down my cheeks as I slice into my palm as deeply as I can.
I tighten my fist and drip my blood into her mouth, trying to give her enough energy to open her eyes.
The wound heals, so I do it again. And again.
And again. But she won’t wake up. She won’t open her eyes.
“Soren,” Micah says gently, laying his hand on my shoulder.
“No!” I scream at him. “She can’t die. I won’t fucking let her die.”
“She’s too weak, Soren,” Vaughn says, sniffing back his own tears as he kneels in front of us.
“She can’t die,” I say, hugging her to my chest. “You’ve got to help me. Please.”
“What if we all give her blood?” Micah suggests.
“Do it,” I say as I lay her back in my lap. The instinctive side of me wants to reject this, but it’s her only chance. “Now. Fucking do it.”
I slice into my palm again as Micah opens her mouth further. I hand the knife off and drip my blood into her mouth again. When it gets to Caine, he stops for a moment, but then grabs my hand and slices deep into my wrist. As the others drip their blood into her mouth, mine fills her mouth more.
When her eyes slowly open, I can finally breathe again.
“Here,” Micah says, cutting a gash into my neck as I sit her up in my lap.
The others help me position her so I can sit back against the couch with her straddling my lap.
She groans from deep in her chest when her mouth covers the cut, and she starts feeding from me.
My blood will heal her, but it will take a lot.
She sustained so much damage that her body will need time to recover.
Fucking her at the same time would speed this up, but I want to go at her pace. If it takes all night, so be it.
She whimpers and cries as she sucks harder. I know she hates this, especially when she bites down and clings to me as she feeds.
“Shhh. I’ve got you,” I whisper as I rub her back. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I was so scared…”
I continue to soothe her the best I can.
When she has enough strength, and I can tell she isn’t in as much pain, I stand with her in my arms, and we move upstairs.
The guys help me undress her and myself so I can sit on the bench in the shower with Talia in my lap, so she can continue feeding.
The warmth of the water raining down on us relaxes her more.
When she eventually pulls away, she is healed, but exhausted.
I wash her hair and her body, letting her relax as I clean off the evidence of her attack.
“Let’s go to bed,” I tell her, and she nods. Standing her up, I shut the water off and dry us both before I take time to brush through the tangles in her hair. When that is done, I move her into the room and dress her in one of my shirts before we get into bed.
“Can we talk?” Talia asks. “About us?”
“We can, but I think you should rest first,” I say, kissing her head. “You’ve had a horrific day, and I don’t want you to have to stress about things right now.”
“Okay,” she says, snuggling into my chest. For the first time since before her pain hit me, I can relax.
Not because she is healed or because I can finally see how much she means to me, but because she is comfortable.
She is safe. She is snuggled against me, knowing that I will protect her from all the evil outside these walls.
“Good night, my sweet mate,” I say, hugging her to my chest.
“Good night, Soren,” she murmurs before gently kissing my chest.