Empty Veins | Quil Ateara [4]

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Her fingers drummed against her thigh, tap-tapping a senseless beat to try and keep herself from going crazy.

The coven was starving and no matter how much she ate, how much she worked to soothe the pains, she was continuously aware of the burning at the back of her throat. A burn that was only slowly growing worse the longer that they stayed trapped within the house.

Sam's pack was circling but the fear that they would attack the home lingered despite the constant reassurances that Jacob whispered when they were away from the house -- far enough away that he assured the Cullen's wouldn't hear them and the pack talk that he wanted to keep secret.

The man was trying to smoke them out, force them into the open so that they could pick them off or stage an ambush. Andy wasn't quite sure why he was doing this or where she fits into the whole array, not on his end, but at this side, she was right there in the midst of it all, right there in front for everyone to see, to reach. Exposed.

Because she couldn't fight off the emotions of others when she was trying to fight off her own and she couldn't just leave when it's wasn't safe out there for her.

Andy knew that Quil would never hurt her, not intentionally, and she knew the pack wasn't allowed to lay a finger on her, but that didn't mean they couldn't rip out her heart with what they had planned.

Letting them hurt Bella wasn't an option. Letting them hurt that thing wasn't an option either.

This was her family they were threatening and no matter how badly she wanted to pull her hair out, no matter how badly she aches and hungered, she couldn't let anything happen to them.

They were pack.

Heat flares through her throat, black dots sprinkling across her vision at the intense burning that made her stomach lurch.

Someone was starving more than everyone else here, as though they've never tasted a thing in their lives.

Groaning at the discomfort, Andy drops her head to the couch cushion, Bella's frail, clammy hand coming to press against her forehead immediately.

Her sister was hunger too. The thing wasn't allowing her to keep anything down. She would fade away before she could give birth at this rate and there was nothing she could do aside from easing her discomfort.

Bruises and broken ribs were nothing when having an Alpha meant you could sap their energy whenever you wanted. Jacob wasn't very pleased when she used him to heal herself fully the first time and he had crashed hard for the next three hours.

Andy still couldn't get over his disgruntled expression.

"Is something wrong with the baby?" Bella asks, voice airy and soft, as if she had to breathe the words free to make sure they were spoken.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, Bella, so sorry, b-but I can't t-tell. There are too m-many people."

Her fingers move to her hair working through the tangles. Andy really needed to start taking better care of herself.

"Don't blame yourself, Andy. You're doing more than you should be."

"I'm not doing enough," she mumbles, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. "I wish there was something I could do to help you more."

"You are helping me."

"I'm not helping you enough, Bells. If I was then you would be healthy."

Bella makes a soft sound, not answering right away and Andy listens closely to her sister's deep breathing that rattles in her chest.

She was so unwell, so sick.