Moon Bound

Chapter 43- Dualling Scents

CODRIN

Codrin took a few deep, steadying breaths and did his best to encourage the Pricolici to recede into the depths of his being, at least for now. Waiting a beat for his pulse to slow and his fangs to retract before he turned the handle, he gently pushed the door open, resisting the urge to barrel into the room like the raging beast inside him demanded. He needed to remain calm, or relatively calm—

at least on the outside.

He was practiced at hiding his feelings. It was something he learned over his long existence to do well. Once he had learned to accept that the Pricolici was part of him and had embraced some of his darker nature, it had quelled the beast enough to allow Codrin to maintain his control. Centuries and centuries of control...

Until her.

As much as he hated to admit it at this particular moment, Grigore was right. She had experienced enough trauma today, and no matter how she reacted to his presence, he had to stay calm for her.

The door swung open, revealing Blanca's small apartment. Willa's scent, which had been faint before, now permeated his nostrils, and he felt his eyes flare when he breathed in the heady mix of her blood and adrenaline mingled with the bitter notes of fear and anger.

And he knew how fucked up it was that it aroused him as much as it enraged him—almost as much as it terrified him.

The beast was depraved, a part of him was depraved.

Immediately, his eyes zeroed in on Willa, where she lay, her head in Blanca's lap. He could see her entire body tense at his arrival, causing Blanca's hand to still as it stroked through her dark hair. She didn't sit up—she didn't turn to him, his heart sank into his gut, he knew at that moment that the anger rolling off of her wasn't directed only at Selene, she blamed him, too.

Fuck.

He could only guess at what she knew or what she suspected. Maybe her anger simply stemmed from the fact that Selene had been, at times, his lover. Something she was already aware of. Codrin could only hope that was all that drove her animosity, but he couldn't focus on that now. The damage had been done, and it had been his doing. The betrayal was all his, and he deserved her wrath.

For now, at least, he needed to ensure she would be alright...physically.

Codrin cautiously crossed the room.

With Blanca's assistance, Willa slowly sat up at his approach. Her shoulders were slumped, and she kept her head bowed, her face hidden behind a curtain of her silky hair.

He went to his knees at her feet. "Dragul Meu, look at me, please." He reached and swept her dark locks behind her ears, then gently caressed down her face with his fingers. Her eyes remained closed, but tears leaked from beneath them, and her entire body trembled with her emotion.  It gutted him to see her like this, shredding his insides into painful ribbons of remorse.

He had done this.

Applying the slightest pressure to her chin, he tilted her face up carefully, trying not to cause her any more pain.

"Willa, open your eyes and look at me," the whispered plea broke over his words.

Her bottom lip trembled, but she did as he asked, opening her eyes to meet his.

Codrin couldn't help his sharp intake of breath.

Goddess.

She glared at him. The green glow of her irises was shocking against the backdrop of red. The whites of her eyes had been completely stained by the blood that had seeped from broken capillaries.