Silver

Chapter Twenty Four: Regret

Waking up was the hard part and it wasn't just because of the physical pain my body was in.

Although every single bone in my body was hurting and I felt that someone took an ax to my head, it paled to comparison of the emotional distress that heaped on me the moment I became conscious again.

All the memories came crashing down and I couldn't believe that I did what I told myself that I'll never do. Not only did I break my promise to myself, but I betrayed Trenton in the worst way possible.

I signed my mate's death warrant.

All I heard was the other voice telling me to go to sleep. To let Trenton die so that we can escape. To be free.

I just wanted to be free and now that my mind was cleared, a strange feeling was building at the pit of my stomach that threatened to tear me up.

Regret.

"Open your eyes, Ariel," a voice murmured into my ear. "I know you're awake."

But I was a coward. I didn't want to open my eyes and see the mess that I created. Was Trenton dead?

And if he was, it'll be all my fault. Not Trenton. Not the Sherman brothers but mine alone.

I let the dark voice in my head win.

A sob tore out of me. Oh Goddess, please have mercy on me.

"Open your eyes," the voice demanded and this time I took the plunge, and woke myself up. Bright light stung my eyes as I blinked trying to get everything into focus again.

A dark figure was leaning over me and it took me a while to decipher who it was. It didn't take long though. His dark, black as midnight eyes and elongated fangs poking out of his lips quickly gave him away.

"Leon?" I muttered and I was mortified when my voice came out watery. Tears started streaming down my eyes and wretched sobs that I couldn't hold in, came out.

"Shh," Leon murmured, using his hands to softly brush the tears away. "It's okay, beautiful. I'm here." His voice, even though was comforting and made to soothe me, just made the guilt rolling in me double.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach and I couldn't stop the tears from falling out.

What did I do? Trenton's dead because of me.

I haven't realized that I was voicing out my thoughts in jumbled words until Leon placed his finger on my lips.

"Stop Ariel," Leon commanded, hauling my body into his lap. "Stop it and just calm down. Trenton's not dead. You hear me. He's not."

That stopped the tears immediately and I wrenched my head away from his hug to look at him. "He's not. Where is he? What happened?"

I had no right asking him that question. No right at all to question about Trenton's well-being when it was me that put his life in danger in the first place.

"Relax," he repeated, as I looked around the basement. It was then that I realized that there was no one else in the basement.

"Wh- Leon?" I murmured, staring in horror at the fresh blood splattered on the walls. "Where is everyone? What's going on? Why is there so much blood? You said that Trenton is safe. Or is that someone else's blood?"

"Ariel, listen to me," Leon said, holding on to my struggling form. "You need to calm down and listen to what I have to say."

"What?" I whispered, bracing myself for the worst. "Where is everyone?"

"They're fighting outside," he answered, watching my eyes the entire time.

"What?" I screamed, scrambling out of his arms. "You can't be serious? Why would the Sherman brothers even let us out of the basement?"