Blue Flames

Chapter 68

Chaos ensued.

I took the steps two at the time up to my room, almost tripping if not for Irene's firm grip on my arm.

I pushed open the bathroom door, it crashed against the wall. Irene held my hair while I emptied my stomach in the toilet. The ground shook beneath me, and the walls trembled from a small earthquake.

The food burned on its way up. Was it the food, or the venom? The cold fingers of fear reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart. Fear that the venom would fulfill the promise of insanity in my blood.

I forced myself to throw up until I heaved blood.

Irene rubbed my back. "Enough, Elle. You're just hurting yourself."

Fear clogged my breath. I had to get rid of the venom. I shook my head, my fingers tightening against the cold toilet.

The bathroom was suddenly too quiet. Irene stood up. The silence before the storm. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. I lifted my gaze to the door. Arthur stood there, the white t-shirt and cargo pants did nothing to hide the roar of his power. His magic twisted, stretched, snapped like a wild animal.

"Leave." His voice was cold, low, calculated. Irene fled the bathroom.

I sat down on the floor, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. "I don't appreciate you scaring my friend," I rasped. I wrinkled my nose at the stench of my breath.

Arthur knelt on the tile before me, his fingers gripped my chin. Darkness swallowed his eyes. "You're fine."

Was he asking or stating a fact? I nodded and pushed to my feet. Arthur hovered, watching me through the mirror as I rinsed my mouth over and over. Arthur's hand closed on mine. For once, his skin was colder than mine.

"Your temperature is elevated," he said. "That's a good sign."

I frowned.

"Your body is burning through the venom," he explained.

"Oh." I felt odd. As if I was in a dream. Leaning on the counter, I stared at my reflection. My eyes looked huge in my pale face, haunted. Strands of hair stuck to my damp forehead and cheeks.

"You closed off the bond," Arthur said.

"Did I?" I looked inward. The bond was still, inert. Nothing went in or out. "Not on purpose."

He nodded and pulled my head to his chest. My heart slowly went back to normal, and I could think past the fog of dread. Taking deep, slow breaths, I focused on the bond and pushed my emotions and thoughts through, the only way I knew how to open it.

Arthur's hand on my neck tightened. He brushed his lips on my head as the bond settled into place.

Darkness swallowed the bond, flowing through until it touched my heart with possessive fingers. Death, pain, darkness. I raised my head and looked at Arthur. He reciprocated my gaze, steadily.

"You didn't close the bond," I said, aware how difficult it was for him to let me see the twisted side of him. His desire to ravage and kill and torture was a fiery desire in his heart.

"I gave you my word." He cocked his head to the side. "You're not unsettled."

I rolled my eyes and pushed off of him. Opening the faucet, I splashed water on my face. "Of course I'm not. What do you take me for?"

His eyes slowly came back, their usual dark brown flecked with gold I could only see up close.

"The venom..." I trailed off.

Arthur handed me a towel. "Noah acted quickly. You might have ingested a small amount of it, but it will not affect you as much."

I wiped my face. I felt much better after I threw up, but I was still a little off. We walked out to the bedroom. It was empty.