Daughter of Nyx (Book 2)

Chapter Eight

So.

I'm going to do it. 

I'm going to post it all. 

Things MIGHT change as I continue book three, but it's looking like it's not and I'm not sure how I feel about that. There are things I want to say and apologize for but I can't and I won't. This is the story that wanted to be written, the good and the bad. 

Don't hate me.

~~~

The three of them rushed down the hallway and past the door to the garage, there was another door. That was where Kian stopped.

"Are you sure about this?"

Chevonne looked at him until he opened the door. She could hear sounds coming from the room the lay beyond. Horrible groans of pain and she moved, dashing past Kian into the room. Her eyes fell on her best friend. Her brother.

The other's barely registered to her as she smothered a horrified cry. His side was a mess of blood and ash, and as her eyes fled from that awful sight, she could see the traces of his veins and arteries beneath gray skin. He was burning from the inside.

As she stood in terror for him, he convulsed, back arching so high off the table he was on.

Madelyn made a soft sound behind her and her paralysis broke.

She heard people talking to her, but not what they were saying. Her entire being focused on the man who gave up his humanity for her. Pushing Elliot's hands away, she pressed her wrist over Jonathan's mouth. Nothing.

A long tortured sound escaped a tight throat.

"Cut me," she said holding her arm out, not caring who did it.

"Chevonne—"

"Cut me!"

Warm fingers took her icy hand and someone's nail split the thin skin over her wrist. Pulling away, she held her wrist against his tight lips. "Drink," she said softly, but he was beyond listening.

She looked up and met Elliot's expressionless eyes. "Open his mouth. My blood can heal him."

His eyes widened with understanding and she knew he remembered that night. "Keep him as still as you can," he ordered the others and forced Jonathan's head down. The tracing beneath his skin was growing finer as the capillaries burned.

Jonathan was strong, but Elliot was far stronger and it wasn't but a few seconds later that Elliot had his mouth open. Chevonne dripped her blood down his throat and there still wasn't a reaction. She expected fangs. Caleb reached up beside Chevonne and clamped his fingers around Jonathan's throat. "Do it again. I'll make him swallow."

She glanced back at her healing cut and Elliot held out a claw while straining to keep Jonathan's head down. Without thinking about it, Chevonne took his claw and pulled it deep across her skin. Fresh blood welled and this time, she pressed the gash hard against his mouth. Caleb squeezed and released, sliding up and down the taut skin. Nothing happened for so long and Chevonne was about to start screaming when her brother's arm shot out, hand wrapping her arm in a steel grip and his fangs ripped into her skin.

She bit off the scream even as it left her lips and closed her eye to the pain. Someone took her free hand and she squeezed, squeezed so hard as he bit deeper.

"Chevonne?"

Madelyn.

"I'm—" A new bite for better flow. Breathe and answer her. "I'm okay," she lied. Even Kian didn't hurt as bad as this did.