“Let’s get her and get out of here,” Catina demanded.
No, that wasn’t right. There werefour girls.Estrella would never forgive me if we left them behind, and I wouldn’t forgive myself. As my body began to finally stitch back together, I regained some of my senses. I stepped out of Catina’s hands, stumbling before catching myself. “He has acolytes in the basement, Cat. Three of them.”
Horror spread across her face. She scanned the room, gazing over the swarm of Bursuc vampires that filled the room. “Fuck, fine. Get your girl and get out of here.”
I didn’t wait to see what she did before I spun and tore to Estrella. Catina wouldn’t leave those girls behind, she would rather die trying to get them out, and right now I had only one concern. I quickly tore her chains apart and scooped her into my arms. The screams and clash of metal around us faded to nothing. The smell of blood and burning skin was erased by the soft smell of lilies. There was only her—her pain, my failures.
“I’m here. You’re safe. I’m so sorry,” I sobbed into her ear, rocking her in my arms. She smelled like him, but I could feel her, as if my body would know her anywhere, no matter how he tried to hurt her. Her beautiful, starlight hair fell through my fingers like silken thread. Her heart still beat in her chest. She was real. I could feel her. I had found her.
My relief was short-lived as her fingers twisted into my shirt, tearing at the fabric. “It burns. Please, stop the burning. Help me!”
Tears blurred my vision. “We’re going to fix this. We’re going right now.”
“No, no, no! KILL ME!”
“It’s okay, doll.” I struggled to speak as I sank into her mind, cradling it gently even as her pain crashed over me like a tidal wave. I had sworn never to use my powers on her again, but I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer. I choked back my sobs, focusing on calming my mind before I took control.
“Shh. It’s okay. Go to sleep. Forgive me, Estrella. Sleep.” My voice emerged in rough, barely coherent whimpers. A ragged sob escaped me as she went limp in my arms.
Isabella’s gentle aura brushed against my side, shielding my exposed back—always having my back.
“I didn’t want to do it, Bells. I didn’t want to take away her choice like that. I just couldn’t stand to watch her suffer…” My words dissolved into incoherent mumbling.
“It’s okay, love. We need to get out of here. Can you do it?”
Right. I tore my gaze from her and looked across the room. A battered Sorin and Razvan were shoulder to shoulder with a handful of our remaining soldiers, holding back a sea of Bursuc rebels. Enso and Catina were nowhere to be found, hopefully having snuck away to find the other girls. Hopefully they hadn’t been caught.We needed to get out of here, now. The idea of letting them go free made me want to scream, but my family’s safety had to come first.
I stood with Estrella cradled in my arms. For the first time in my life, I ran from the bloodshed.
The next day passed in a blur. The panic and adrenaline that had driven me faded into a dull ache of anger and worry, and the symptoms of sleep deprivation began to take their toll. Though vampires don’t require as much sleep as humans, my neglect was starting to show.
It didn’t matter—I couldn’t sleep now. Not while Estrella fought for her life. The nurses had set up a chair for me by her side, on the condition that I stayed out of their way. I obliged; I couldn’t bear to slow them down.
Estrella remained mercifully unconscious due to my manipulation. She wouldn’t want to be awake for this. The nurses rushed in and out, bringing fresh bags of donor blood. They worked tirelessly to pump out the venom and replace what had been lost to save her from the curse of vampirism. Hours passed before one of them finally paused to inform me she would survive.
“You’re fortunate you brought her in when you did. Another few hours, and there would’ve been nothing we could do.”
I nodded, the word “fortunate” stinging. Estrella was fortunate that, despite being tortured for over a week, I had managed to get to herearly enough. I seethed with self-hatred, frustration a bitter taste in my throat. I had been scurrying around the city while this was happening to her. Another nurse tended to the chain of bite marks on her limbs and the wretched black mark on her neck.
Everything in me ached to pull her close and never let go. Shecouldn’t get hurt if she stayed in my arms, though I didn’t deserve her touch. I would understand if she never wanted to see me again, even if I wasn’t sure I could live with that.
At the end of the second day, the lead nurse instructed me to take Estrella home. “It would be best if she woke up somewhere familiar. There’s not much else we can do for her.”
It was early morning when we returned to the castle, and my wings threatened to buckle from exhaustion. I didn’t bother to wake anyone before heading to her room and settling her in bed. At least she would wake up surrounded by her plants and things she loved. I debated whether to change her out of the hospital gown but eventually decided to. She wouldn’t want to wake up in unfamiliar clothes.
I dressed her in a warm nightgown, my hands catching on every injury—the physical manifestation of my failures to the woman who trusted me. My jaw tightened, and my eyes stung, but I refused to cry. I didn’t deserve to cry.
Leaving her side for only a moment, I grabbed her brush and a damp towel. I worked through the knots in her starlight hair. I gently wiped the towel over her face. The hospital had sponged her off, but she was still stained with blood and grime. She didn’t deserve to wake up like that. It also gave me an excuse to touch her—to make sure she was actually here and safe.
The door creaked open behind me, and my body tensed with anxiety. I turned with a snarl, ready to spring at the threat. Razvan stood at the door, his expression flat at my aggression. “Shush, I brought gifts.”
Razvan balanced five different plants in his slender arms. I mighthave chuckled if I wasn’t so exhausted. I took two and helped him find places for them in the already crowded room.
He stopped at Estrella’s bedside, crossing his arms as he looked at her. I took my post beside him, now facing the door in case anyone else entered. “I thought she could use some new greenery for when she wakes up. Do you think five is enough?”
“Any more, and her room will be a jungle.”
He laughed. “True.”
