Blood & Lust [Book Two of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

2.16: Earnest

Violet was looking at me with a steely glare, poised yet furious - that much was a certainty. I realised pretty much immediately that I wouldn't want to be her opposition right now - the thundering of boots running into the room after her implied others didn't feel the same.

She moved with speed, her raven-locks hiding the disdain she held coldly on her face for just a second. I forced myself to close my eyes as the woman flew off towards the group of poorly-judged humans. The painful cries and splutters told me all I needed to know even in the darkness. When I opened my eyes I saw the ending of an altercation; Violet's strength all but crushed the skull of a man with little effort, her face staying graceful through it all.

A wet crunch followed as she stepped on someone's chest walking back towards me. Her jasmine coloured eyes stared down at the floor, combing a hand through her hair. I hadn't expected her face to become so kind looking when she'd set her eyes back on me. Her resolve had faltered immediately.

"Viviana," She exhaled, her already soft voice quieting to a mere whisper, barely audible in my current state. Her entire body had slumped over as she lowered herself to stare at the binds on my wrist.

I watch as tears well up in her eyes, and fight the confusion I have over this. I was just glad to see someone I knew in here; especially one that had fought so much to be here in the first place - the blood caked skin on both of her hands telling me that alone.

With the bindings around my mouth becoming loose enough I managed to manoeuvre them away from my mouth.

"Violet," I manage to croak out, my fingers grasping for the fabric of her silk shirt, the only movement I could offer in my delirium. She had focused on the blood drenched wound on my thigh, completely engrossed and wide-eyed, "Please-"

"I'm here," She said suddenly, cupping my face in her hands and offering a warm smile which I returned - even through the pain and fear of death.

She'd pulled something out of her leather jacket, and began to wrap fabric around the wound tightly - so tightly it began to cause me more pain than the original issue did. As she finished, she clasped her hand forcefully over it and gazed at me, gauging my reaction. I wanted to ask what it was made of to feel so cool, but I barely had time to get the words out before my eyes had closed involuntarily.

When my eyes opened again I noticed I was drenched in sweat; not something I wasn't entirely pleased about considering the beauty that was lingering around me. But I was still sitting in the same chair - the only difference was that the bindings had been torn away from my wrists. I was free to lean back, caressing the lingering sensation on the skin, something thumping under there that I wanted to ignore.

I look down at the once-gaping hole in my thigh and realise the readily white fabric was already beginning to stain - not completely but it was definitely happening. Just when I had thought to ease my dire concern of immediate blood loss and death. It was then that my heart had betrayed me - the desperation to hide my emotions for the sake of my sanity had resulted in a shallow hole that it had just climbed out of; bringing those feelings out with it.