The Rogue's Human Mate

Chapter 20

BEWARE: This chapter is very sad.

It began to rain.

I gasped watching the sky open and flood with rain, the small body’s clothes dampening quickly. The white dress splotched with a deep red stuck to the little girls’ gaunt skin. The crow fled, but Maria and I stayed, watching with horror as the blood splattered body twitched helplessly. Unknowing what to do, I walked closer.

A girl with raven hair that looked about six was twitching in pain. Her green eyes were wide open, despite the water, and blinked rapidly with realization. I saw it, and when Maria took a sharp intake of breath, she saw it too. I’m going to die, and the plain acceptance shown so purely on her face was wrong. A girl so young should never have such a look in her eyes.

Never.

I knelt, wet patches forming rapidly on my jeans and watched the girl. She had a claw mark across her chest, a stab wound on her arm and blood dribbling out the side of her lips. My hands began to shake and as a sudden spurt of blood coughed from her mouth, I cried out. Tears sprang in my eyes and I covered my face.

“M-M-Mar-,” I hiccupped, before giving up and laying my hands down on the girl. Warmth from the blood spread through my fingers and another loud cry escaped. My eyes met hers and I saw her eyes flutter. My hands clasped over hers and I shook them harder than my body was. The girl was too young to leave the world.

But she kept blinking until she stopped, her eyes open but detached.

I gasped and sobbed. My head turned to see Maria standing stock still. She glared at the floor before meeting my eyes with an emotion so dominant it made me flinch: hatred.

“Rogue’s,” she spoke. My eyes widened and fear spiked through me. Thoughts of Cole ran through my mind, but I pushed it aside, knowing - hoping, maybe - that it wouldn’t be him. It was too far. Surely he couldn’t come here.

I stood and looked to the little girl’s wet face. She looked so emotionless, so… dead. I bit my lip to stop me from letting out a scream from the whirring emotions in me. With tentative movements, I leaned over and closed her eyes. Thunder boomed, loud and clear, making me jump back with shock. I looked up and more rain poured down. My clothes were beginning to sink into every curve of my body and I looked back at Maria, standing back up.

It seemed as if she were in shock because she stared, her eyes almost as blank as the person she was staring at. Then slowly, she looked at me.

Her face was hollow with sadness and water ran down her face. Maria looked pale, her once tan skin running cold. A look I didn’t want to see flashed in her eyes and I shook my head, another sobbing hiccup stuck to the walls of my throat.

“We can’t leave her here,” I started, shaking my head pleadingly. My body shuddered and my hands were still shaking. Maria didn’t seem to take notice and looked me dead in the eye. Control sparked in them, as if she had experienced this situation before.

“Lily, we need to leave. Now.” Her voice was urgent, yet calm, sending my fear into a frenzy. Leave? I would be happy too. But the girl needed to be buried, it was the least the girl could deserved after being slaughtered.