Fallen (Undergoing editing)

Chapter twenty one:

It felt like I'd been dreaming. I slowly awoke to an uncomfortable darkness. The pain I remembered had been dulled to a distant ache in my body, calmed with some sort of numbing agent I didn't remember taking. I groaned as I shifted just slightly, instantly greeted with a giant mouthful of pain that shot up my spine like a blade.I cracked open my eyes, peeking through my swollen eyelids, blinking through the blurry vision and little light.

I was in a room—a bed with dark sheets, both unrecognizable. Unaccustomed to this unfamiliar territory, instinct kicked in and I became on high alert. I quickly sat up, pushing myself against the pillows, suddenly regretting it as the room spun and my shoulders ached again like I'd rested on a bed of knives.Where was I?What had happened to me?Trying to clear my head, it was hard. Remembering felt like swallowing hard and gritty sand, fragments and pieces all came flooding back to me, but trying to recover it all was too hard and I was too weak.

"You're finally awake."

My body tensed bring the dull ache to life again. I felt my hand fly to my side where I'd hope to clutch a weapon of some sort, but my fingertips brushed the cool empty satin sheets. Beside me, tucked away in the shadows, a hooded figure sat in a chair tipped on its back legs, with his boots propped up against the side table, twiddling a blade around in his hands, the blade caught in the light of the moon that streamed in from the window behind my head. "I thought you'd be dead for sure, but I've got to give it to you." The figure set all four legs down on the floor and leaned forward into the light, smirking at me from underneath his hood, his mousy features outlined with the fairness of his pale skin.

"Your sure are hardier than you look."

The traitor.

"You!"

 I croaked hoarsely. I instantly grabbed my throat, working spit into my dry mouth. The traitor snorted and stood, moving over to a table where he poured something into a glass.

"My name is, Demetrius. I brought you here." He over over to me, handing me the glass.I eyed him, making no motion to take it. "Go on," he said. "You don't drink you will die, I can promise you that. I didn't put anything in it. I have no desire to kill you."

I hesitated for a moment before snatching the glass from his hand and draining it down my throat where my thirst was only taunted more. The water brought the taste of blood so vividly to life in my mouth; I just about gagged trying to swallow.

"Where am I?" I said wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

Demetrius took the glass and set it back down on the side table top. My tongue wiggled hungrily to the corner of my mouth in search of any moisture found there. I'd hoped, watching his hand that he would've poured me some more, but I didn't dare ask.

 "Shadow Falls, you've been asleep for three days." Demetrius tossed back his hood, revealing his dark violet tinged hair that hung straight, flowing down over his shoulders. His dark wings framed his slender but squared structure and dark leather suiting with his demonic sword tucked away in its holster. "After you didn't arrive after our little meet, word came that you'd been convicted of consorting with a traitor and dealing with a demon." He shot a vile smirk to me, "How ever deviant of you."

 "It was your fault that I..." I cut off abruptly as I suddenly forgot to realize the absence of my wings that didn't press into the pillow behind me. I instantly felt over my shoulders, ignoring the searing pain that stung like acid, "My—my wings!"

Demetrius's face was wiped of his cocky sneer as he stared at me with a helpless expression. "You came...injured, Lilith. When I found you, you were lying on the ground and your wings..." he sighed. "There was no replacing the damage that had already been done."