Venom (Book I) ✓

Chapter Twenty-Two

Red was in an incredibly delicate state of frustration. Ulric sat at the foot of his bed and watched as she frantically switched from one book to the next muttering to herself. He had tried recommending a break, but when she had broken down in tears in response he determined that it may be best to let her work in peace. And so he sat and silently watched her.

It was just after midday when she loosed a strange squeaking, gasping sound and froze.

"Ulric?" She murmured, then screeched, "Ulric!"

When she looked up and found him at the foot of the bed she looked faintly surprised.

"Oh, there you are." She said, then gracelessly scrambled from beneath the blankets with the ancient tome she was holding. She crawled to his side and settled in beside him with the book balanced delicately on her knees.

He couldn't help chuckling a little at how young she looked with her long cream nightgown and loose hair, eyes wide and wild as they ran down the page she was on once more. She was stunning.

"I think I found something." She said, looking up at him with glittering eyes.

He smiled, excitement thrumming through him, accompanied by something warmer and more potent. Something he felt only when he looked at her. "What is it?" He asked her gently.

"It says here," she started, tucking her hair behind her ear impatiently when it fell into her face. "That your condition is a sort of possession. And the notes to the side say that only blood shed for you can exorcize the beast from you...it's written like a sort of incantation?"

He nodded, eyes widening, "Yes, I remember that. She said that when she was giving me her blood. But what does it say about getting the venom?"

"Well, this picture shows an exorcism happening and it looks kind of like we may be able to kill the beast. When it doesn't have a host it will be at it's weakest, at least, that's what it says over here, in the text."

Ulric considered this with a furrowed brow, leaning over her shoulder to look at the page. He recognized the shape of the letters but they did not hold any deeper meaning to him. He did not see words or information in them as he once had.

"Here." She indicated a drawing in the margin, a crudely drawn warrior wielding a sword against an insubstantial looking beast. Behind the warrior there was another figure on the ground, blood pooled around it.

"Is that the one who was possessed?" He asked, tapping the corpse.

"Well, no..." She said softly, and the excitement of the discovery turned to frozen lead in his chest.

"Who do you intend to kill to get this beast out of me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, glancing back at him.

"It had better be your knight."

She scowled and pushed the book away, turning to face him. "Of course not. That would defeat the point of me coming into the forest at all."

"Red,"

"I have to do this, don't you see?" She pressed, "I'm dying anyway, and you would be free of your curse!"

"I won't do it."

"That's the thing, you don't have to. You don't have to do anything. It's all me."

"Red, no! Do you really think I could live with myself knowing I'd killed you?"

"You won't be killing me. But even if you were, I do. I wouldn't be the first life you've taken Ulric, and I certainly wouldn't be the most painful. But if you let me do this then I could well be the last."

"No, Red, you don't understand."

"I never understand Ulric, I never have, but this time it's different." She smiled sadly and reached a hand toward his face.

He let her caress his cheek, fighting to keep himself composed. He felt helpless and small gazing into her eyes and realizing that she was going to kill herself and there was nothing he could do to stop her. And all of that was too much. He felt hot tears slip onto his cheeks for the first time in at least a decade and he cringed. "No, Red, it isn't different. You can't understand. If you did you wouldn't be thinking of doing this."

She shook her head and brushed the tears from his cheeks sadly. "I understand everything I need to understand."

"You can't do this to me. You can't die on me. Everyone else I've loved has died because of me. Not you too."

She looked taken aback, and for a moment she didn't seem to know what to do with herself. "Ulric—"

"Please." He sobbed and she found herself being drawn into a tight, desperate embrace. "Please Red, don't leave me."

She felt tears prick in her eyes as well as she returned his embrace, clinging to him like a lifeline. Something hot and bitter was rising in her throat, threatening to choke her, because she knew that not even his tears and begging could save them both. Somehow she was going to die and she knew that no matter what he asked of her her choice would always be to shed her blood to save him from himself before allowing herself to die in peace. Because she did understand. Finally she understood that there was no point in her living a brief, bloody life while he lived his life as a slave and Edward died somewhere miles and miles away. There was no point in living what was left of her life, she thought, as long as she was the only one alive and free.