Excerpt 2:
With my good
arm, I pull my leg up to bend the knee. Hiking the hem of my dress up, I reveal
torn muscle and shredded skin. I wince as the fabric moves over it, tugging
flaps of skin in directions they aren’t meant to go.
Elias’ hands set
to work, scooping water up, and pouring it over my thigh. Each drop, gentle as
the administration of them may be, pulls a moan of pain from my lips. Wrapping
fingers tightly around a stone, I do what I can to bear the pain without making
Elias feel worse.
The blood washes
away, revealing the true devastation wrought by the dead wolf’s jaws. My leg
hangs open, dark muscle showing itself to the sky as it was never meant to do.
“Itand have
mercy,” he whispers, calling on the goddess of fortitude.
But she’ll spare
no blessings for the likes of me.
“What do I need
to do?” he asks. His eyes roam over me, and one hand finds its way to my cheek.
Brows knitted together, he clearly longs for something to do, some reassurance
that I’ll be ok.
Does he want me
to be alright for the sake of spending more time together? Or merely for the
sake of having an escort for the rest of the trek?
I hope for his
sake that it’s the latter. But the well of loneliness within me wishes for the
former.
Either way,
there’s nothing he can do.
“My body will
mend itself,” I tell him. “It’ll hurt, but it’ll mend. It’s already started.”
His eyes drop to
my arm, my leg. The bleeding has stopped, and the cuts aren’t as deep as they
were mere seconds ago. Had he seen it when the wounds were first inflicted, he
likely would’ve been sick.
“I wish you
would’ve let me help,” he murmurs, sliding his hand along my jaw until his
thumb finds my earlobe.
Exhaustion pulls
my inhibitions low. Despite myself, despite the guilt churning within me, I
lean into his caress.
Nolan won’t want
me back, anyway.
My heart shrinks
from the thought, and I close my eyes, nuzzling my cheek into Elias’ palm.
“Letting you
help would’ve been a terrible idea. They could never kill me. They had no salt,
no silver. They couldn’t say any incantations.”
I pause,
squeezing my eyes tight against the horrid images which flash before them. I
don’t want to see the ways they could’ve hurt him. I don’t want to watch them
tear him to shreds. I don’t want to see his blood on the ground.
“They could’ve
killed you, though,” I whisper.
Suddenly
desperate to see him alive and healthy, to ease my conscience just a bit, I
open my eyes. Sure enough, he’s there, face inches from mine. The moonlight
glows in his magnificent eyes, but the blood of the Howlers still adorns his
face.
Reaching for his
sodden shirt, I lift a corner of it to his face. Wiping away the dried blood, I
memorize the strength in his jaw, the kindness in his eyes. I trace the small
kink in his nose, a remnant from a previous fight.
From a distance,
it’s almost impossible to notice, but this close…
My eyes drop to
his lips, full and soft. They part, but only to speak.
Confusion
wrinkles his brow. “If they couldn’t kill you, why were they sent after us? To
maim you and kill me?”
“No,” I say,
shaking my head. I stifle a groan as my thigh stitches itself together. “They
sent them to find us. They know where we are, now. They know which way we were
headed. They’ll find us.”
Those words sew
our lips shut, for we both know. This won’t be the last of the vampire and his
pledge. And if this was just the search party, what awaits us down the path?
Elexis Bell is a quiet nerd with too many hobbies, including everything from gaming to shower-singing and even archery, weather permitting. She specializes in sarcasm and writing stories that make people feel. She's made a home for herself with her husband, their dog, and a small army of cats.
She writes dark, gritty stories, sprinkling gut-wrenching emotions over high fantasy romance, thrillers, post-apocalyptic romance, and science fiction.
For further information, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or check out her blog on her website.
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