Eternally Hers

Part Thirty Two

Arabelle Warren

Tessa was lying under a thick blanket when I entered the room, the extent of her injuries covered under the thick material. Both of her arms were resting on either side of her body on top of the blanket. I tried hard not to stare at the bandages that circled nearly her entire arms, very little skin peeking out from under the gauze.

When she saw me, she smiled. It was small and reassuring, but it didn't ease my inner turmoil at all. The swelling of her eye had gone down, a bandage placed on the side of her face that had been cut deeply. Her bottom lip was still swollen, but the swelling in her face had gone down, and her face was clean.

"Hi, Tess," I murmured, closing the door behind me without looking away from her.

Short blonde hair fanned around her head like a halo, I was grateful to see that I'd gotten nearly all of the dirt and blood out of it when I bathed her earlier. It was still disheveled, a bit knotty, but it was the same pale blonde I was familiar with.

"Come," she lifted her hand and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit."

I did so without question, walking around the bed and gently pulling myself up to sit beside her. I grabbed the hand she'd lifted and held it in my own. It was bruised, a vivid blend of blacks and purples. I tried not to look at the extent of it.

"How are you?" Tessa asked, her voice scratchy.

"How am I?" I nearly growled at her. "How are you? Are you in pain?"

"Of course," she replied, her swollen lips quirking into a grin, "but it's nothing I can't handle, Ari."

"I know you can handle it," I sighed, "but that doesn't mean I want you to have to."

She squeezed my hand. It was much weaker than it would have been yesterday- this morning, even, but the attempt calmed me somewhat.

"I know," she murmured, "but I'll be fine. Willow is bringing me back to Honolulu in the morning."

"I know."

"I'll miss you," breathed Tessa. I looked up from her hand to her face, revelling in the warmth of her eyes. "I'll miss all of you," she added, "but I'll miss you the most."

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering, but she saw the way my eyes glazed. My sight became blurry and I didn't move to wipe the tears that slipped out. "I'll miss you, too," I told her honestly. "It won't be the same without you here."

She gave me a lopsided grin. "I'm sure Dot and Jamie will keep you company."

"Of course they will," I rolled my eyes, another tear slipping, "but it won't be your company."

"I know Hunters aren't allowed to grow attached," said Tessa, her accent thicker than usual, "and I know it's because it distracts us. But it's also because the goodbyes are so hard."

"Goodbyes?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are you on about, Tess? I'll see you at Christmas."

At this, a tear of her own slipped out of the eye that wasn't swollen and discoloured. It slid down the side of her face and disappeared into her hairline. "You'll see me at Christmas?"

I sent her a dubious look. "Obviously. We're going to Hawaii for Christmas. You know I'll come visit you while I'm there."

She squeezed my hand again. "You're too good for this life, Arabelle."