Violet Detours (BOOK 2) : Badly, Madly, Deeply

How You Love Her

Their enemies seemed to have retreated right after Guinevere was shot with an arrow, and all there was left to avoid were the scattering flames around them.

But they could only stand there and gape as Gusion crouched over the unconscious form of Guinevere Baroque, an arrow pierced at the left side of her chest.

"No... No, Guin, no!" Gusion cried helplessly, his tears glistening like fire as the ones surrounding them.

"GUINEVERE!" He yelled, refusing to accept the situation.

He looked shaken, eyes wide and panicking.

Hanabi had been traveling around with Gusion and the Venom Squad. They'd lost battles together, suffered together, but never had she seen their leader trembling like this before.

"Gus, come here." She said as she tried to pull him from her.

"Hanabi, get back!" Miya snapped.

She and Alucard were merely standing at a distance, only staring at Gusion.

She looked at the others and realized they had stopped approaching, Granger in front of them had his arms held out to stop them.

The three of them from the Moniyan Empire were looking at Gusion with wide, cautious but anxious eyes as if they already knew what was about to happen.

"What are you doing?! They both need help!" She snapped.

"Trust me, the last time Guinevere came face to face with death, HE went berserk." Granger ssid to her.

Hanabi looked down at Gusion.

He was still crouching over Guinevere's immobile body, but he wasn't sobbing anymore.

His back rose and fell, a feeling of dread spread all over her that a shiver ran down her spine.

And when Gusion looked up at where the arrow was shot, she saw how his eyes turned electric blue, his jaws set in rage.

He glared at the woman looking down over them fearlessly.

Then he got to his feet, his blades now gripped between his fingers. "YOU—Ugh!"

"Gusion!" She caught him as he suddenly collapsed.

And as she stared at him with a tight feeling in her gut she noticed how his venom armor seemed to be stirring over his skin.

The other Venom members had their eyes wide. They hadn't seen those parasitic creatures react this way before.

It was like they were being floated away by a nonexistent soft wind and they started to fade from Gusion's form like vapor on a hot summer day.

Until it was gone.

His armor and the parasite were gone.

Hanabi stared, the rage in his eyes before he collapsed enough to show her how much he treasured Guinevere.

She was now aware of the extent Gusion could go for her.

She was now aware that with just a word Guinevere could make him leave everything he held dear.

She was now aware that by dying Guinevere could make Gusion approach his own death. He would follow her to the grave and be happy with it.

And yet there she was, holding the man in her arms nevertheless.