The Venantium Auallonia Trilogy: Midsummer Sky

Chapter 12: Ave Maria

"Is it like this in death's other kingdom
Waking alone at the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss form prayers to broken stone.
The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only of empty men."

– T.S. Elliot, the Hollow Men

I didn't realize how hard it would be to wake up this time. I wasn't as cold as I was when Emery's teeth pierced my fragile skin, but the loss of my own warmth took a mighty toll. What finally woke me was the quake of my body as a cough wrung through me and someone answering with, "Shit! Aiden, man, we have to do something. She's coughing up blood again!"

The voice had been so frantic and afraid with a concern that would have made me teary eyed had I been awake fully, but I recognized it without a second thought. My Gabriel. Oh I wanted to see him so badly; my eyes just didn't seem to want to open this time. So I let my ears take over along with the light sensation of caring, tentative hands that dabbed what felt like a damp wash cloth across the bottom of my lip, wiping off the blood I supposedly coughed up.

Damn, this insane venture was sure taking its toll on my body. I've managed to get arrested on accusations of murder, locked in a psych ward for over a month, tortured by cult enthusiasts, fall down a stone hole in some ancient tunnels that no one had been down in almost a thousand years, and not I get fed on and probably infected by my ex who was now the most incredibly lethal and dangerous vampire in the world. Could things get worse? Sure, I don't see why not. Though if I dwell on how much worse, I would be offering up my ass for karma to bite it. Yup, my life did really suck sometimes, albeit, the occasional reminder that if wouldn't always be so awful. Like Emery being a death wish to my fantasizing that he actually stayed the non-sadistic type vampire, and Gabriel turning out to be my personal savior with his gentleness and witty humor. Even if I tended to keep him away when things get rough, there was just something so magnificent about a guy who actually loved you for you; caring in the weakness of moments. I couldn't do much for myself at this point, so I was grateful for him now.

With a freakish amount of determination, I was about to pry open my eyes. Everyone was there, watching me with saddened anticipation. I looked through the group of people, noticing that one was missing: Ella Rowan. Little coward, she must have run off to tend to her 'Lord'.

Rhiannon saw I was awake and gasped. Gabriel and Aiden had been conversing about something dire that I completely drowned out so I could focus on waking up. Ezra, looking distraught and betrayed over his sister, stood by the fireplace with Maverick; both lost in thought within the flickering flames. They all stopped once they realized what Rhiannon was gasping about, and Gabriel's face grew pained, "Dawny.... Babe, how are you feeling?"

He was sitting on the edge of the bed we had shared just the other night. His hand brushed my cheek, pushing aside hair that had stuck to my face. Aiden approached the bed with a face of concern but there was an underlining of compassion that comforted me a little, "As always we leave you alone for five minutes and you end up on the point of death over Emery. He was gone by the time we go to you. What happened?"

"Geez, Aiden, give her a minute. That asshole practically drained the life out of her, "Gabriel spat at him and turned to me, "You...well the verdict was that you lost a lot of blood. It took a suspicious medic and a transfusion to get your blood pressure and heart rate back to normal, but they said there's not much else they can do. Aiden told them you can't leave here even though there's an infection running ramped in your body right now. They said it's literally eating away all your blood cells; you've managed to cough up whatever blood they gave you. Honestly, I don't know what's going on here and it's seriously freaking me out."