His Cursed Mate

Chapter Five

Ell's POV

I awoke to the distant resonance of what sounded to me like a heart monitor, its slow steady beeping indicative of my heart rate. I held my eyes closed for a few moments, unsure of what, or who they would be greeted by upon their opening.

The room smelled of rain and something sweet. Was it some sort of hospital? If I was in a hospital, who had brought me there? Oh, right. It had to have been him. He was the last thing I could remember seeing before I had passed out. However, I couldn't feel his presence in the room with me. Maybe I had lucked out and they'd left me alone. If that was the case, I might be able to try and get the hell out of here.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to open my eyes. Much to my surprise, the room wasn't illuminated by the typical fluorescent lights found in hospitals. The lighting was warmer, and there was a soft trickle of sunlight pouring in from a window to the right of the bed I was laying in. A small lamp atop the nightstand was providing the remainder of the luminescence in the room. Next to it, there sat an antique glass vase filled with a beautiful array of wildflowers.

I attempted to sit up, grasping at the sheets on either side of me in an effort to gain some form of traction. The sheets were soft to the touch, not at all scratchy like the kind hospitals used. Before I was able to pull myself up very far though, a throbbing pain erupted from my arm, sending flares of red hot pain up to my shoulder.

I grimaced, turning my arm over to study the inside of my wrist. It had been neatly bandaged, traces of an ointment lining the edges of the gauze. I looked to my other arm, and although it appeared to be okay besides a few scrapes and bruises, there was an IV protruding from my inner elbow, delivering what I only assumed could be fluids for rehydration.

My attention was soon drawn to a gnawing sense of discomfort that was radiating from my left leg. I hastily pulled the sheets from the bed, exposing the last thing that I could have possibly wanted to see in that moment. A bulky cast lined my entire lower leg, apparently stabilizing the bone that I had previously broken. Gods, how could I have forgotten about that?

A disgruntled groan escaped my lips as I heaved my legs off the side of the bed, immediate objections radiating from my leg in the form of stabbing pangs. There was no way I would be able to go anywhere in my current condition. I still wasn't even sure where I was exactly, but wherever it was, I knew I couldn't leave - not until my leg was healed, which could take weeks at the minimum.

Just then, the door to the room rattled and was quickly opened by a girl. Wait - I had seen her before. It was the same girl who had been with him back in the town. She was even more prepossessing up close. Her skin carried a faint olive hue to it, the illumination from the lamp causing her to adopt a glowing appearance. Her eyes were hazel, with green tones dancing around her irises. She had lengthy light-chestnut colored hair that cascaded down to her lower back in effortless waves. And there on her right cheek beneath her eye rested a small scar; the only thing I could see that marred her appearance.

Her eyes widened as she stepped into the room, swiftly closing the door behind her and taking a few hesitant steps toward me. A small smile graced her lips as she tilted her head at me, giving me a knowing look. She appeared to be friendly enough, but then again, looks could always be deceiving.

"Hey, you're awake..." she said quietly, sitting in the chair that sat opposite to the bed
near the window.

I recoiled slightly, pushing myself away from her as much as I could with my limited mobility.

"Don't be afraid. I promise I'm not here to hurt you, I just came to check in on you and
see how you're doing. I figured that if you were awake, you might rather see me than my
brother, given that he did chase you down and everything."