The Dragon Breathers (Re-Vamped)

Chapter Six

"Oh my god!"

"...the hell happened?"

"...Vampires...need to move."

"Cassidy! Breathe!"

"It's been hours."

"She'll be okay...her back...have to wait."

"Cassidy!"

Cassidy's head was pounding. Her body ached and her throat was dry. What the hell happened? She wondered. She tried to move and groaned in pain. "Relax, Cassidy. Stop moving."

Holden. Cassidy's eyes fluttered open; the light made her eyes burn and little shapes danced in front of her eyes. As her vision started to clear, Cassidy slowly took in her surroundings. She was in some room, lying on a bed. Holden was leaning over her, his bright green eyes filled with concern.

"Water," Cassidy croaked. Holden moved to grab a cup and brought it towards her. He helped her sit up, pain shooting up her spine.

"Drink this," he told her while lifting the cup to her lips. "It'll help you gain some strength."

Cassidy looked into the cup. It wasn't filled with water. Inside the cup was a murky substance that seemed more solid than liquid. At Holden's insistence, Cassidy cautiously parted her lips, allowing the drink into her mouth. Cassidy was surprised at its sweet taste. As she drank, a cooling sensation washed over her and she felt some of her pain recede.

Holden pulled the cup away from her and Cassidy noticed his knuckles. They were bruised and bloody. He placed down the cup and knelt down in front of her. Cassidy softly touched his damaged knuckles, "What happened to us?"

"We got attacked by some Vampires. One of them threw you into a tree, and you broke your back along with a few bumps and bruises," Holden explained. He looked at her arms and she looked down. Her shirt was cut up, dark bruises mapping her upper arms until they disappeared behind the remaining tatters. She fingered one and gasped at the sharp sting. "Don't worry. They'll heal."

"We were completely outnumbered," Cassidy remembered with a sense of dread. There was tons of the undead creatures, coming from all directions. Her breath hitched as she recalled being pulled away from Holden and falling to the ground. Being yanked by the strands of her hair. "How'd we get away?"

Holden touched the side of her face at the sight of her panic. Cassidy closed her eyes. "I took care of it. Don't worry about it. You're safe now."

"I should be dead or at least paralyzed." He said she broke her back but she was sitting up just fine. Cassidy opened her eyes and looked at her wounds. She touched a small cut before looking up at him. "Why aren't I in worse shape?"

"I called in a favor."

Cassidy frowned, "What kind of favor?"

"One that fixed you," Holden said calmly. A loud ringing disturbed the weird air between the couple. Cassidy saw her phone lighting up on the table. "Can you hand me that?"

Holden's brow knitted into a frown. He easily reached out for the phone and handed it to her. Cassidy saw Grace had sent her a stream of texts. She tapped on the most recent one. *Are you at least coming to school? You said u were.*

"What's today?" Cassidy asked. "Is it Monday?" At Holden's nod, Cassidy quickly sent a text to her friend telling her she was coming. "Can you give me a ride? I need to get to school."

"What you need is to rest," Holden said firmly.

Cassidy glared at him, "Holden, I need a ride to school." At her forceful tone, Holden's eyes flashed yellow and his jaw clenched in anger. Cassidy almost felt guilty, knowing he was only trying to look after her wellbeing.