Lethal Affairs

III - Into Her Embrace

Eyes as red as crimson

the color of hell.

A smile that can make the dead cower

the devil himself.

The one to be feared has awoken

Let all beware.

Beep.

Beep..

Beep...

Ysabel groggily opened her eyes, but quickly pulled them shut. The insistent sounds and hums were beginning to annoy her. She opened her mouth to complain, but no sound was uttered. Her throat was dry and parched, her body hurt all over, but the bed was as soft as a field of feathers.

She did not know where she was, or what she laid on, but she was grateful for the comfort.

Once again, she opened her eyes and kept them still until they adjusted to the light. She tried to pull herself upright, but her body twisted with pain. She stayed still, waiting for the pain to subside.

She looked around and discovered that she was in a hospital room, a very expensive one.

More bills! she cried within her, but at least I survived to pay them.

Tears of joy and pain filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. It had been a very scary ordeal, one she prayed would never happen again.

Perhaps she should move back to Ohio. New York was not for her.

Ysabel turned her head to look around the hospital room and found a figure laying on a chair next to her bed.

Tyr.

Once.

Once more.

She blinked to confirm that she was seeing correctly. Perhaps she had lost her senses during that ordeal, it should be expected. But no matter how much she blinked, or how much she stared at him, the image of Tyr did not disappear.

He was sprawled on the chair in what seemed to be his attempt at finding comfort where it would never be found. 

It warmed her heart to know that he had watched over her while she had slept. At least she hoped he had done so.

Hopefully, she had looked like a princess when she had slept, and not like an ogre as Joey always teased. She wondered how he had found her. This was not how she had planned their second meeting.

This was not how she had envisioned meeting him again.

"Are you done staring Miss Pyralis? I would like to open my eyes." he suddenly spoke. Ysabel flinched a little in shock because she could not afford to move for fear of the pain that would wring her mercilessly.

"I was not staring at you." Ysabel answered defensively.

Tyr opened his eyes and gave a small smile. "Of course you were not staring at me. You were just admiring the wall behind my head."

Ysabel stared at him, awestruck. This was the first time she had seen him smile, and it was a good thing he had not done so when they had first met, or else she would have been a bumbling fool around him.

"You got yourself in quite a situation young lady." Tyr said seriously, "barely in New York for a month but the next time I see you is in an alley knocking at death's door."