The Devil's Daughter

Chapter 7 ~ Staying Strong

Chapter 7 ~ Abbegael

I let my eyes fall closed as Zak takes flight, leaning my spinning head against his firm chest and concentrating on the soft thump of his heart to avoid thinking about the searing heat, flaring across my back. It is only moments later that I feel the ground meet Zak's feet as we come to land wherever it is that he decided we should go. I want to tell him to let me down, he shouldn't be holding me like this, we may be working together but we're still enemies, I still don't trust him, and this position is way too intimate, his hands way too gentle and soothing on my skin. Opening my eyes, I'm about to voice my protests at being carried, but nausea rushes through me and I snap my eyes shut. Pressing my face back into his chest, I force the dizziness back.

It feels like my head has been stuffed with cotton wool and it's difficult to concentrate, but I desperately need to stay conscious. Who knows what would happen if I was unconscious, he could take me anywhere; maybe even back to Lucifer despite what he said about despising the Devil. Sure, Chase is here, but I somehow doubt that Chase could take on the powerful Angel who had bested even me, and come out on top. Especially considering I am a much deadlier fighter than Chase could ever be and Zak still managed to subdue me, and without even raising a sweat.

"Why are we in the woods?" Chase's voice breaks through the haze beginning to cloud my mind, and I force my brain to pay attention to his words. "I thought we were going to take her to a hospital or something. Are you trying to kill her? Didn't you see all of the blood she lost? The amount of blood she's still losing?" Well, that explains the dizziness and deathly exhaustion spreading through my limbs; severe blood loss was common during Lucifer's torture. Staying awake and aware of my surroundings was difficult, but practice makes perfect...and I've had a fair bit of practice. Concentration is key. Concentrating on something other than the spreading numbness. Usually it's thoughts of revenge that get me through but for now I focus on the words escaping the two men beside me, trying to maintain their meaning.

"This is as close as I could get us to the doctor. Now let's get a move on before it's too late." His voice almost sounds worried in my confused state, but I shrug it off, maintaining my attempt to concentrate on their words. A slight whimper escapes my lips as Zak begins moving us forward again and I almost growl at myself for the demonstration of weakness, of helplessness. "I'm sorry, Abby," he whispers in my ear, evening out his strides so he doesn't jolt my back again, "You're going to be okay. We're almost there. I promise." I want to throw myself out of his arms and force my weak body to carry itself just to prove I don't need his help, but the thick fog in my brain hinders my thoughts. Taking a deep calming breath I focus on the pain to stop the creeping numbness and push firmly against his chest.

"Why did we have to land so far away?" Chase questions, making no effort to hide the anger clear in his voice and momentarily distracting me from my attempts to get down.

"There's a shield around the house, it prevents anything supernatural from flying in, and alerts the residents when one of our kind crosses it. It's slightly wider than I thought it would be though, maybe she got stronger since the last time Ahriel visited." He murmurs the last part quietly, almost to himself, but as his lips are just above my ear I hear his words easily, wondering for a moment who Ahriel is; the name rings a bell in the back of my mind, but I can't determine the cause of my recognition through the haze. Storing the name away for later I return my attention to the pain in my back and push more firmly against Zak's solid chest.

"Let me down." I say, attempting to make my voice strong and unyielding.

"Abby. You can't walk; you're losing too much blood as it is. I'm trying to stop it bleeding too much by keeping you still; moving will only make it worse. We are almost there. Trust me."