Fangs and Roses

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bittersweet

Sapphire Nightborne

The world around me moved in a blur as I continued to stare at the bloody piles of flesh and blood that were strewn all over the arena... those piles were all that remained of someone who I had loved with all my heart for twenty-two years... those piles were all that remained of my sister.

I could not even register the soft press of lips against my cheek, my eyes focused on the sight in front of me... the guards had already forced the Werecats back into wherever they kept them, and were now throwing Cordelia's body parts into baskets as if they were trash.

"You are free now, Sapphire... your tormentor is gone."

Tears slid down my cheek as I felt his breath against my ear, his finger pushing my hair behind my ear... chuckling as I slowly shook my head... I was not free, I was a prisoner in my own body.

"It's okay, Sapphire, it's okay."

My lips trembled as he ran his fingers through my hair, my eyes never wavering from the scene. 

The mops had come out to clean away the floor, removing any trace of her, while the baskets that contained her remains were kicked aside.

"Take her back to the room."

I did not resist as someone picked me up, my neck did not twist and turn in a feeble attempt to get away like I had tried with Damien, the soapy blood smears never leaving my sight. I continued to stare in that direction even though the arena was no longer in view, the image of her being torn into pieces replaying again and again in my mind.

My gaze was fixed on the ceiling as I was laid down onto the bed, the soft rays from the moon slashed through the dark ceiling... just like how they slashed through my sister. I did not even look at the face of the person who brought me back, the ceiling was all that I looked upon as the door softly shut.

My sister was dead... Cordelia Lyra Nightborne was gone... for good, she was not coming back this time.

She had done everything she could to hurt me, to break me, but yet... it felt like my heart was slowly being crushed as I watched her futilely struggle against her chains, trying to get away from the claws and fangs that sunk and tore into her flesh... fear clear in her eyes.

This was a girl who I was raised with... we grew up together, trained together, ate together, laughed together and cried together. We would sneak into each other's rooms as children when our father was called away for his duties, and she would read me stories so that I could sleep.

*"And the Moon Goddess gave each of her children a gift... a promise... a promise that a wolf will never be alone and they will always find someone who will love them for who they are."*

*"So we are supposed to sit and wait till this 'gift' bears fruit?"*

*I laughed as my sister playfully hit me with a pillow.*

*"Don't be so cynical, Sapphire... these stories give some of us hope for the future, we can't all spend our years training and rising through the ranks."*