Eternally Yours (19 page)

“He was just helping me, Gabe.” That doesn’t even convince me.

“Well, he can help someone else. You know how I feel about
demon
s dressed up as
angel
s anyways. Gods, how many came dressed that way tonight anyways?” he asks earnestly.

I don’t tell him it’s the same ones he was talking about earlier.

“Where’s his mate at?” He looks at me questioningly and I just shrug my shoulders. It’s not like I know where she is. It’s not like I really care either.

A few minutes later we make it outside the building. We had to dodge a few close encounters along the way but here we are, safely. We crouch and sneak along the outside of the building, making sure not to be seen.

“Okay, look. We’re going to find the electrical closet and hide in there. I helped my dad hook up the generator so I know some places we can hide in there.”

“Closet?” I ask, bewildered. I don’t really like small spaces, and I doubt I can stay holed up in some closet with two guys I love in different ways for very long.

“Well, it’s bigger than
that;
it’s just what it’s called.”

Okay then. “How long until sunrise?” I ask because The Hell Horde usually attack at night and go back to wherever they came from during the day. It’s a rumor that they don’t like light, being born in darkness and all.

He checks his watch. “Just six hours. It’s one am now, the sun rises at seven.”

Just six hours? Oh is that all? This is exasperating. I follow him around the building until he finds the electrical closet. He kicks in the steel door because it was locked.

“Now the lock is broken. What if they try to come in?” I ask, petulantly.

“Well, I don’t think they would worry about a key, I didn’t.”

I cross my arms and roll my eyes. He gives me a mean look and shakes his head. This is a side of him I’ve never seen, and I don’t like it.

“Alexia, this is a side of you I’ve not seen. And I can’t say I like it,” he hisses.

I fight against the smile forming on my face. Luckily, he has turned away and is busy putting his sword through the handle of the door and behind some metal machine that is attached to the wall right next to the doorjamb. We head into the dark maze of electrical things. I follow, with a handful of his fur coat. After right turns and left turns and ducking we are finally able to stop and sit down behind something that hums loudly and throws off some serious heat.

He takes off the fur coat and lays it down. “I don’t think you’ll get cold next to the machines but it’ll be something soft for you to sleep on.”

I kick off my heels, finally. I smile and step onto his costume, amazed at how good the fur feels on my bare feet. “Thanks, Gabe.”

I sit down and he lays Shadow down between us, examining his wounds. He is unconscious, bleeding, and wheezing pretty badly but I try not to show the concern on my face. I know he needs blood to heal but I don’t think I can talk Gabriel into that. I doubt he would want me to do it either.

“I think if he was going as an
angel
he should have got rid of these stupid things,” he says while giving one nipple ring a flick, causing Shadow to flinch. “What a freak,” he says, disgusted.

“I wonder why
angel
s aren’t supposed to get piercings or tattoos; I mean what makes them bad, Gabe? Have you ever asked yourself that question? We all have different traditions all made up by the stupid authorities,” I say.

“I just think it’s a crazy thing to do to pierce and tattoo your body, I mean we’re only here once, we’re supposed to take care of ourselves, not use our body as a pin-cushion and art exhibit.”

I can see that this conversation isn’t going to get me anywhere with Gabriel; he is biased and I’m not going to change his years of ingrained opinion about something like this. With this in mind I just chew on my lip to keep myself from saying anything disrespectful to my husband.

“He has some nasty looking scars
,
that’s for sure. How does that even happen? We aren’t supposed to scar. I have never seen anyone else with scars, only heard about them.”

“Hmm, I don’t know, maybe he’s been through something really bad, Gabe.” My tone of voice suggests that he is being an ass, and this is exactly what I want him to pick up on, because I can’t stand his inaccurate
judgment
of Shadow.

“He’s a
demon
, of course he’s been through something bad, it’s called his whole life.”

I roll my eyes. I’m about to be mad. Really mad, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide it.

“Yeah well, maybe he doesn’t heal like we do because these stab wounds aren’t healing either. They should have at least stopped bleeding by now. I mean for heaven’s sake, if it was me they would have already been closed up by now.”

Just then Shadow moans and the sound breaks my heart. My eyes go all watery and I widen them to keep from crying. Gabe helps him sit up and Shadow scoots back to lean against the wall. He’s sweating and
trembling and
looks sickly and pale. He’s obviously in some serious pain and still losing some blood from the five stab wounds in his chest. Blood runs in little rivers down his side and stomach, despite him doubling over and using each hand to staunch one wound’s blood flow.

“Look ah...dude, I don’t know why you aren’t healing but if you lose anymore blood you’re history,” Gabe says flippantly.

Shadow just keeps his red focus on the cold concrete floor and grunts,
and then
continues his controlled breathing.

“Whatever, it’s your funeral. If you won’t tell us, we can’t help you. And for some reason I can’t get my mind to grasp, my wife doesn’t want you to die. She’s bent on saving you and bringing you with us.” He throws his hand
s up in a questioningly manner.

Shadows gaze flicks up to me for a second and the side of his mouth tilts up just barely in a sweet expression. “She has a big heart,” he says, his voice full of gravel.

“Obviously,” Gabe retorts smugly.

Shadow moans again. “Normally I would have healed by now too.” He looks down at his blood smeared chest and lifts one hand up off of his side wound to see it and blood gushes out. He shuts his eyes and tilts his head back against the wall,
inhaling
. “But I haven’t been able to feed since the Vow Ceremony...” He peeks out of one eye, looking at me for some reason, like he’s trying to tell me something. The day of the Vow Ceremony was the day he fed from me. Wow, he hasn’t fed from Lillith, his own mate yet! A warm feeling immediately spreads through my limbs and I come alive like a spark. He must see the minute realization dawns on my face because the red eye closes again and he continues struggling through his pain.

“Okay, is th
at normal?” Gabe asks, clueless
.

“No!”

“No.”

We both reply at the same time. My reply may have been a little irritable, I admit. Oopsie. My temper is starting to show. Gabe gives me a strange look, like I slapped him or something, jeez.

“I can’t go anywhere like this, but I’m not going to die. I’ve been without blood for two weeks before,” Shadow says grimly.

I gasp. I’m not leaving him here, but I don’t think any of us are going anywhere so I tell him the plan. This big plan that is to stay here until morning and hope the Hell Horde has left. He agrees that it’s really our only option, but as the time passes on I grow more concerned that he will live. He keeps pouring out blood and the wounds aren’t closing at all. He sees the concern on my face because he winks at me and shakes his head when Gabe isn’t looking. He’s telling me not to worry, but fat chance of that!

A few hours pass and we have all stopped talking to each other. Three more hours until the first light of morning. Three long hours that Shadow has to hang in there. Three long hours that I have to worry myself sick about Shadow pulling through. If I needed any proof that I cared for him, here it is. It had to basically slap me in the face. Gabriel has fallen asleep on his stomach, head turned away from us.
I’m sitting here on the other side of Shadow with my back up against the wall too. I scoot down to lie on the fur coat. I am
deliriously
tired but I refuse to let myself fall asleep. I’m too afraid that I will wake up and Shadow’s cold body will be next to me, lifeless. At least this way I can rest my aching body. Shadow doesn’t stir during the whole transition and I worry about that. I have been trying to keep him awake too, but he’s been struggling to stay awake the past hour or so. Nodding off every few minutes and then jolting awake. I reach under his blood stained, once stark white pants to grab his ankle and squeeze. “Shadow,” I hiss in a whisper, careful not to wake Gabriel up. His red eyes peek open
barely
and slowly at that. He’s really weak and he can’t even hide it anymore. “Lie down,” I say. I rub the soft fur where I want him to lie, right in the middle of me and Gabriel. It takes all the energy he has left to slide his back down the wall until it’s on the coat. Blood has pooled around where he was sitting and now it stains the coat and clumps the fur together. And it’s not the coat I care about. He’s on his left side, curled into himself and I am on my right side, facing him.

“Why haven’t you fed in so long?” I ask quietly. It’s almost been a week since the ceremony.

“Can’t,” he exhales.

I scrunch my face, confused. “Can’t?”

“My...my fangs, they...they disappear as soon as I bite...her,” he struggles to breathe and talk.

My eyes are as big as saucers. “Oh, that’s bad...very bad! What are you going to do? If you can’t feed, you’ll...you’ll...”

“-die?” he finishes for me.

I just shake me head, not willing to say yes.

“Well, you could feed from me four...well, five now, days ago...I want you to try.” I sweep my hair off of my neck and offer it to him.

He shakes his head. Stubborn boy!

“You,” I hiss. “Are not dying on me!” I bared my teeth on ‘not’ to emphasize my point.

“At this point, I think that’s out of your hands no matter if I feed from you or not. I...I’ve lost so...much blood. I am not risking...drinking from...you. Again,” he adds.

Oh, not this speec
h again. Am I having déjà vous
? I slide feel for the sword that Gabe has somewhere in this coat. “You may not be willing to risk it, but I am. It’s not all about,” I find it and grit my teeth. I run my wrist across it, and damn that hurt! “You,” I finish.

His eyes go wide with shock and his nostrils flare. He has a truly horrified expression on his face. He doesn’t trust himself to resist, and good, because that is not what I’m aiming for here. He tries to scoot backward but he knows Gabe is behind him, and he doesn’t want to bump into him and wake him up.

“Forgive me.” It’s not a question that I’m asking, it’s a demand. I cover his mouth with my arm and he still resists. Wow, this is not working. This is actually not working! A starved
demon
is bleeding to death and I am offering him my life’s blood and he can keep his lips tightly sealed with me smearing my bloody wrist on them! Unbelievable. This has to work, I won’t risk him dying, and when he goes unconscious I sure as hell can’t get him to drink. So it’s now or never. I muster up all my courage and think of something, anything that may get him to relax and give in. He’s got no choice but to breathe through his nose right now because if he opens his mouth I’m goin
g
in. That gives me an idea. But it seams so mean. So, before I do it and make myself feel like crap, I want to show him I care, and I’m sorry. So, I do what only a boy like him will believe. No, words won’t work for him. Only actions. I lean up on my good forearm and I kiss his forehead. I kiss his temple. I trail kisses down from there to his blood stained lips, lifting my wrist only enough to plant one sweet kiss there. His eyes are half-lidded now and I’m sure mine are wide with anticipation. Just as he catches onto me and the panicked expression starts to overcome his content one, I kick my leg up over his arm, locking it to his side and I pinch his nose shut. He struggles and I choke on a sob. I feel like I’m drowning him or something. What if I just end up suffocating him because he’s too stubborn to open his mouth and breathe? Or worse, what if he just passes out cold! What a stupid idea this was!

I decide to give up, loosing my leg and returning it to my side, freeing his arm. I let go of his nose and before I can drop my arm from his lips he grabs it tight with his free hand and strikes.

Ah man, I sigh, (after I jump from the startle). I never thought pain could feel so good. My heart hammers in my chest from the adrenaline. I feel like pumping my wrist into the air and yelling “Yes!”

After a couple minutes it gets uncomfortable holding myself up on my right forearm, with my left crossed in front of me pointing my wrist out for him to suck. This being said I position myself on my back and just rest it on my chest while he follows
attached
to my wrist. I’m starting to feel tired and my heart’s really speeding up, I know that’s a sign of blood loss, because my body’s trying to work twice as hard to pump all of my blood to my heart and make more. I am worried that he will take too much, but I’m also worried that he won’t take enough. It’s a war zone in my mind. Worry this, worry that. It’s really getting old.