Chapter 11 #2
“Prince Izule is a high profile member of Ucfeni society, and therefore, is under a lot of scrutiny.” Alaric held his hands up, worried I might keel over.
I must look as bad as I feel. The wet sound of blood spattering on the floor from my cut forehead drilled home how badly I hit my head when I fell to the floor.
“It would be in his best interests to treat Billie very well.”
“You need medical attention.” Billie called out again and stole my focus. “I-I need you to have medical attention.” I stare at her and smile through the blood. I hate making her worry.
“You can talk to her through the Communication Gems you are wearing.” Alaric tries to coax me down the stairs, but I shrug him off.
“…every day?” Billie timidly asks, and I melt.
“Yes.” I sob. My heard hurts almost as much as my breaking heart does.
I’ve never been apart from Billie. How is she taking this so well?
I’m a wreck. It occurs to me that I need her, not the other way around.
Or at least, more than I thought I did. My baby sister.
“You call me whenever you want to. As often as you want to.”
“You need medical attention.” I sniffle and nod at her.
“I do Bumblebee. I do, but are you sure you’re okay with this?
” I dart my straining vision up to look at the prince snake and have to admit he isn’t much of a talker.
His colours are plain. Brown and cream. Block dull colours.
I see what she means about being easy for her to look at.
So far he doesn’t seem to have physically touched her at all.
He’s treating her better than Rerasha has treated me, at least. I don’t like how big and ‘deadly’ he is, but…
I don’t seem to have a choice. Especially as my vision is getting more and more blurred.
“Yes. You need medical attention.”
“I’ll see you soon Billie.” I smile at her as warmly as I can manage, with my head feeling like it’s cracked like an egg, blood coating the left of my face, neck and shirt. Tears did nothing to wash it away. Alaric tries to take my elbow and I defiantly shrug him off.
“You are strong.” The Prince nods to me. “I will respect that strength and give you one last opportunity to go willingly to have medical attention. If you continue to refuse, I will have you carried to the nearest medical professional.”
“No one is fucking carrying me.” I’m in too much pain and I’ve lost too much blood to care that I’m snarling up at a giant Cobra. I give Billie one last look, straining to see her, and nod with a smile. “Call me, daily, or I’m coming to find you. I love you Billie.”
She does what she always does when I tell her that.
She taps her chest three times. I know what that means, and that’s all that matters.
I hold my bloody head high and turn to walk away from my sister.
I feel like I’ve ripped my heart out of my chest, but at the end of the day, Billie says she wants to stay with the scary bastard.
I can’t force her to come back with me. Not with Allico’s CEO insisting I don’t have the legal right to do so, and their Prince insisting that Billie is staying with him.
I was right, what I said back there. A politician hurt me this badly without even trying.
I shudder to think what a large King Cobra could do to me.
I know for sure that if I suspect for a second that he’s done anything to Billie when I talk to her, or she doesn’t answer my calls, I’m finding one of Allico Inc’s hidden gun caches and going Rambo on his scally ass.
#
“That was incredibly brave, and I appreciate this is very difficult for you, but you’ve done the right thing.”
“Fuck off Alaric. Your people stressed my sister before this mess, and your boyfriend just used me like a rag doll and scrambled my brain.”
“Ex.”
“What?” I mutter as we walk past the Ambassador who looking very sorry for himself and answering questions to a mixture of human and Ucfeni first responders.
The humans wore full black Kevlar, and both had tasers on their belts.
If I wasn’t so fuzzy in my head and my limbs going so numb, I would have been curious to see that the emergency response team that had been deployed to my rescue was a mixed team.
Humans and Ucfeni officers working together.
I suppose that would prevent any bias, having both species in the unit. Two humans, two Ucfeni.
One of the Ucfeni officers is staring at me. He’s pitch black with glossy scales and even darker eyes. I can’t even see any pupils, so I can’t tell if they are rounded or elliptical. He doesn’t have a hood like Prince Izule, but he’s just as big otherwise.
And he’s staring at me…I think…I’m really dizzy so I can’t be sure. I stop looking at him and stagger onward in favour of getting that medical attention Billie insisted I get.
“Rerasha is my ex-boyfriend. I don’t want to date someone who would put his hands or tail on a woman like that.
” I had to admit he had some balls. Mr CEO was looking right at the orange serpent as he said that.
I couldn’t help but peer over and see the heartbroken way the Ambassador was looking at Alaric.
Forlorn, guilty and remorseful. My throbbing head made me less than sympathetic for the damn snake.
“I’m sure we’ll come to some sort of professional arrangement for working together, but that’s it.
Now come on. Let’s get you seen by a doctor. ”
My world starts to blur as I step out of the door.
“Hannah?” I don’t pass out right away. My knees buckle and my eyes are still open as I fall backwards.
I expect to hit the deck hard on the unforgiving stone floor, but I’m caught by someone.
At first I wonder if it’s Alaric, but then I realise I’m staring into the abyss of two massive black eyes.
“E-Excuse me Officer? I’ll take her to medical.
” My body is cold and I don’t feel pain anymore.
That’s probably not a good thing. A black tongue flicks out and tastes the blood on my cheek.
“I am faster, and she is fading.” I shut my eyes, beyond caring that yet another snake man has a hold of me as I slip off to sleep.