Heart of Fury - Stone and Fire # 2 [17+]

Chapter 38

comment ça va? 

ça va comme ci comme ça .

sry im practicing my french 

Aurora's POV

I was frozen.

Time seemed to become a malevolent and slow enemy as I watched Rafail grasp his chest and crumple to the floor with a pained groan. The shockwave of violence seemed to have thrown away the last of my control, that eventually disappeared after seeing the cruel, mile-wide grin on Xavier's face.

You sick motherfucker, I thought, my hands itching to flip Rafail over and assess him. His breathing was labored and messy. Etched with pain, and it was horrible watching. I needed- I wanted to do something.

My fingers trembled at my sides.

"Loyalty," His voice cut through the stillness, each word a twisted dagger, "demands sacrifice." The amusement in his eyes told me he wouldn't blink an eye if I was on the floor instead. It was an unspoken warning that I, too, was at the mercy of his will. The room seemed to have spun out in red and finally revealed that weird suffocating darkness that had rocked through my senses when I'd first came in.

I remained frozen, my eyes locked on Rafail's writhing form. The contrast between the weight of his suffering and the cruel difference in Xavier's demeanor paralyzed me. How could someone work the minds of both a good man and the worst, most vile monster to exist? 

And then I remembered. I was signing up for this.

He was the master puppeteer with strings of cruelty woven into his fingertips, and I was letting him enter me in as a new piece of his puzzle. Soon, he'd finish it- and everything would blow up into pieces.

His next words, delivered with an sinister calmness, further solidified the nightmare. "That's the price of betrayal, princess. A reminder that in my world, loyalty is not negotiable." He stepped forward, crowding over me with that dark evil I'd now seen. 

"I play, you watch."

I let out a sharp breath as he brought a hand up and pushed back a couple strands of hair behind my ear. 

"Or you can join me."

Something like acid bubbled up under my skin when he touched me. No longer was it delicate- it was a rocking pit of guilt I felt as his skin grazed mine, the same skin that had shot the one person in this hellhole who'd given up so much to help me.

A minute later, he was gone. 

A second after that, I was on my knees, flipping Rafail over.

"Oh my god." My eyes widened at the sight of him. His eyes were shut tight, skin so pale he looked porcelain, and sweat trickled down the side of his face as it screwed up with pain. I quickly peeled the shirt off his top-half, body trembling after seeing the gaping hole lodged into his chest. His heart? No. He'd be dead by now.

It's okay. It's okay. 

You're okay.

"It's okay." I whispered, my breath shaky as I haphazardly tore a strip of fabric from my top. I cradled his head and put it in my lap, frantically trying to plaster the clean side against the wound to stop the blood. 

Something shook against me- he was shivering, but he felt so hot.

What do I do?

I peeled down the rest of his shirt.

"Fuck. It hurts." He groaned, fists clenched so hard they looked white.

But I was too busy staring at his body to answer. 

His abdomen was covered- absolutely covered, in scars.

Something in my chest cracked. I couldn't even label what I felt- despair, anger, guilt, everything that led to a sudden blurred vision.

"In all honesty, however, they don't make me do much."

He'd lied about himself. 

Not that I hadn't expected it, but the way he talked, so confident and unaware of the horrors that these people had done to him.. He didn't deserve any of it. His arms were covered in them too. None on his chest, probably to keep him suffering enough- but not kill him. Fucking sick. They were all bullet wounds, creating a somewhat lined pattern on him as if he was a fucking canvas for these bastards to paint on with blood.

"Aurora. Hurry." I blinked, coming back to myself. My hands wavered over him, finding the spot I was working on, and after seeing the way his chest was slowing, I decided to keep the tears in. If this was Mikhail, that's what he'd tell me to do. Calm down. Focus, and work on the task at hand. A panging thrust of pain hit my heart at the thought of him. 

Just a day ago, I was in his arms. Now, I had no idea how far away he was. I shook the thoughts away.

Focus. 

Take a deep breath, then focus.

I took a deep breath. "I know- Its okay. I'm almost done." 

I bandaged him up, looping the cotton around his shoulder to ensure maximum pressure- to stop the bleeding. I didn't know half of what I was doing- or if I was even doing it right. 

One thing I knew for sure: I wouldn't leave this snake pit without cutting off all their heads. If that meant me getting equally hurt in the process, I didn't give a fuck. 

I wanted them- every single one of them, dead. Broken into pieces and thrown away because that's what they deserved for causing the suffering of not just Rafail, but everyone they've harmed over nothing but advantages for this stupid empire.

As his eyes closed and he drifted in and out of consciousness, I knew he'd be able to make it. He was strong- physically and mentally. But even I was smart enough to know he needed medical attention- now. 

I glanced at the double doors. Walked over, and to no surprise, they didn't budge. There were no other doors here either, and no windows. I fell into a heap, leaning my head against the wood. I needed the bathroom. I needed to sleep. I needed to clean myself up. The smell of blood clogged my nostrils, and red stained my hands and filled the edges of my fingernails I'd once screwed hell for if they didn't remain spotless. Now, I could care less. 

Every few seconds I glanced at Rafail, making sure he was breathing. 

Every five seconds I tried to hear for any sounds outside. There were none.

I felt nothing but pain. My head, my abdomen, my legs. My lips were cracked and bleeding. My hair was messy. I felt like ripping everything apart and sobbing until I went dry. 

But I was too tired.

Just close your eyes for a few minutes.

A few minutes.

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so sad right

BYE