Page 22 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

“I know, little flower. I know it hurts. Now, come.” He scooped me up, cradling me to his bare chest.

I couldn’t follow it—his ricochet between hot and cold. One moment he was soulless, the next, soft. My eyelids fluttered and I struggled to keep them open. I couldn’t fight him anymore, so I let myself sink deeper against his chest.

“Marco is bringing the doctor,” he rumbled, the words distant to my muddled mind. “He will see to your wound.”

“I…don’t want to…die.” I managed. Each word clung to my bloodied throat, a weight to wrench free.

“Then fight.” His arms tightened.

“I always…fight,” I managed. Right now, it didn’t matter that he was my enemy. It was a moment of weakness, but I let myself cling to him.

I was vaguely aware of the manor looming before us, then swallowing us up. The warm, dimly lit hallways were suddenly comforting, when they should have felt constraining.

“There will be no more attempts to flee,” Laurent said, his words sounding far away. I tried to focus on them, to keep the darkness at bay. “I have increased the number of patrols around the manor. You had the unfortunate luck of meeting one. They are here for your protection. I cannot risk others discovering your existence, attempting to steal you away from me.”

“No one has ever tried to keep me.” The words came out slurred. My eyelids fluttered again. The fight to remain conscious overpowering me.

He made a noise. “I will not let anyone have you.”

Or that’s what I thought he’d said. Perhaps it was just my imagination. A dream already taking form behind my closed eyes as my body went slack and I sank into oblivion.

7

Iwoke to the low murmur of voices, my brain filled with cotton. I lay there with my eyes closed, listening to a deep, familiar voice that lulled me in and out of consciousness.

“…very fortunate, indeed. Have Zola scout the location. It’s too much to hope Hassan is alive, but we owe it to him to try.”

My body was cocooned in soft, fluffy warmth.

“She’ll be quick about it,” came the answering voice.

“Yes, we may be ready to move against them tonight—tomorrow at the latest.” A few more murmurs were exchanged. My brain began to sharpen, thoughts crystalizing one after another. I recalled who the voices belonged to. Then, why I was hearing them—why I was here. That awful realization made me aware of the ache radiating from my neck.

My eyelids fluttered.

“She’s waking up,” Laurent’s voice said nearby. “Go and speak with Zola.”

“Yes, Sire.”

My eyes flew open, fixing on the coffered ceiling. I swallowed against the sandpaper feeling in my mouth. My tongue seemed to stick to the roof.

“Here.”

A hand slipped gently beneath my shoulders, lifting me. The rim of a glass was pressed against my lips. I opened instinctively. Cool water met my tongue. I took a few swallows and whimpered.

“I know it hurts,” Laurent said, keeping his voice low. He retreated, settling me back into position. I lifted my hand to find a padded bandage.

“You… You saved…my life.” I managed, my voice scratchy. I wasn’t about to thank him, though.

He leaned forward in his chair, studying me. “The doctor informs me you will make a full recovery. Unfortunately, the damage was extensive. I fear that when I ripped Henrietta off you, she took some flesh with her.” I made a sound in the back of my throat. “There will be scarring. But something tells me that is of no consequence to you.”

I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut. I was alive. Given everything that had happened, scarring was the least of my worries.

“You’ll be stuck in bed for a few days, I’m afraid.” He didn’t sound particularly bothered by my confinement.

I let out an angry huff. “Can’t escape if I’m stuck.”

“No, I daresay you cannot. Do you recall our conversation before you fell unconscious?” His piercing silver gaze burrowed into me and I nodded. “Good.”