“At least you’re well enough to give me a death stare,” I smiled weakly. Was I doing the right thing? I was just glad that he was awake. “Just stay there, and your fever should calm down.” I was not confident at all, but I knew that when I was sick, it had always made me feel better when Nana seemed so sure that I would be well again. I really wished I wasn’t alone in this. I wished I had half the confidence that Kol normally exuded. I bit my lips to hold back tears.
Kol shivered, eyes returning to grey, but fangs still half out.
“Sh.” I took a seat at the bathtub’s edge. “You’ll feel better soon. Then you can return to being the big bad Shadow you are.”
He crossed his arms, wincing as he did so. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said he was pouting.
“Do you know what will get the ash out of your system? How can we cure this?” I watched the dim, yellow light bulb by the mirror over the sink flicker. I studied a darkening patch of popcorn ceiling. I did anything but watch the water turn darker and darker red. Even vampires must run out of blood.
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the tub, breathing hard. “Blood. Fresh blood.”
“I...” Shock hit my system as sure as if I were the one thrown into the ice bath. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that. He was a vampire. Of course blood would fix him.
Before I could change my mind, I rolled my sleeve up and offered him my arm, as he had done for me. I was proud my arm didn’t shake.
He glanced over warily and clenched his jaw, sensing my anxiety. “Are you sure?”
The running water seemed louder than it should have in the silence that I left. But I didn’t retract my arm.
“I feel compelled to tell you I can live in this state. It would take time and it might even be a little ugly, but I wouldn’t die.” He was telling me I would be fine even if I didn’t help him. He was giving me the chance to get up, walk away, and go to sleep. But to me, he was giving me the chance to let him suffer, which wasn’t an option at all.
As terrifying as the idea was, the answer was straightforward. He needed help, and I could provide it.
“It’s not right for you to suffer.” I looked him in the eyes, letting the rest of my sentence go unsaid. Even though he brought me so much pain, I couldn’t let him endure this alone—not when I could ease the pain. I nudged my arm a little closer, hoping he didn’t notice the tremble.
He sighed and splashed pink water on his face, rinsing it of blood and clearing his mind. He locked eyes with me, fingers barely brushing my skin, brought my wrist to his mouth. I shivered. I watched as his grey eyes turned red. As his fangs elongated. As they sank into my wrist.
I winced when he broke skin and couldn’t look anymore; I was afraid uncontrollable nausea would rise if I watched as he drank from me. Every fibre of my body screamed that this was wrong. That this was unnatural. That I was going to die. That I was letting him kill me. But the pain and fear quickly subsided to a dull ache. Letting him feed from me was a strange feeling—I had never felt more vulnerable yet trusting of someone. All my problems had solutions. I could do anything because we were together.
We could do anything together. I was a relatively intelligent woman. He was a very strong vampire. As long as we kept me alive, we could conquer the world. And how hard was it to keep someone alive anyway? I didn’t know why I felt so apprehensive about finding Nana; it seemed so simple. She was out there somewhere, and we were going to find her. There wasn’t a way we wouldn’t succeed.
The bathtub swayed, which was odd. We were in a basic motel, and a moving bathtub seemed much too fancy for where we were staying. Maybe we lucked out. Maybe the bathtub was a special added feature because Chester felt bad for us. Chester? Was he here? I thought he was somewhere else... Where were we again? It didn’t matter. We were together and we could take on the world.
A rush of cold air hit my wrist. The bathtub rushed toward me, and I slammed back into my body.
But instead of the hard ceramic, I fell into Kol’s cold arms. They wrapped around my body, holding me up as I blinked hard to remember what had happened.
I was cold, wet, and confused.
Shaking my head slowly, he lifted me effortlessly back up onto the bathtub’s ledge, hands hovering in case I slipped. One hand on his arm, steadying myself, and the other at my head, I came out of a fog. “What happened?”
“Letting a vampire feed from you often creates a euphoric feeling.” He looked at me sheepishly, arms out and ready should I fall again.
“Is that what you feel when I drink from you?”
“Something like that.” He winced as he lowered his arms, having decided I was okay.
“Oh! You’re still...” I gestured to his back.
“Yeah,” his voice gravely with pain.
I grabbed the towel bar to keep my balance, taking a minute to absorb what had just happened.
“The ash is mostly gone from my bloodstream, but I still have to deal with this. You should probably lie down. You’ve had quite the day, and people usually need some rest after a vampire feeding.”
When I didn’t respond, he grunted and started lifting his shirt. “Or you can stay. The front half of me still looks good,” he grinned. I rolled my eyes to hide my relief; he was definitely feeling better.
“I don’t see how you can get all of those wood bits out from your back unless vampirism gave you incredible flexibility along with eternal life.” I wanted to help, but Kol had been right about needing some recovery time.
Biting my lip to keep the dizzying spells at bay, I left the bathtub to sort through the half-filled emergency kit from under the sink. A tube of cream that looked like it should have been thrown out years ago stayed tucked into the far corner of the kit, but I pulled out a pair of tweezers, a pair of scissors, and a fresh roll of gauze.
All humor gone from his face, he sighed. “Are you sure?”
“You’ve asked me that more than once today. I’m not changing my mind.”
Gingerly, he peeled his shirt off. Leaving his pants on, he motioned for me to move aside and winced as he stepped over the ledge. He walked delicately over to the sink and placed his hands on either side, ignoring the pools collecting at his feet.
I helped him peel the tattered remains of his shirt off, flinching when bits of his skin came off with it. Lighting in our motel bathroom wasn’t the best, but somehow it made his back look much worse; I felt like I was about to start an illegal underground surgery.
“Is this going to heal?” It seemed impossible to me that his back would ever be whole again, despite the constant reminders of his regenerative abilities and immortality.
“Yes. As long as the wood comes out, it’ll heal over.”
“What if it reaches your heart?” I peeled off the last strip of his shirt. His back was scraped up and beaten and bloody, and it amazed me he wasn’t keeled over and blacked out from pain.
“Then it would be excruciatingly painful.”
“As opposed to right now, where it is only mildly painful?” He didn’t have to look in the mirror to see my skepticism.
“Let’s just get on with it, shall we?” He worked his jaw in preparation, fingers tapping against the sink’s sides.
Tightening my hold on the tiny tweezers, I took a deep breath. The explosive arrows had done a number on his back; large pieces stuck in his back at odd angles, with splinters peppering the otherwise smooth skin. Working the tweezers between my fingers, I started on the largest pieces that I could manage before I could change my mind, wincing at the sound of wood leaving his body.
We worked in silence except for his occasional grunts of pain. Sick as I felt, I couldn’t help but marvel at Kol’s healing abilities. I didn’t need the gauze at all. Every time I removed a piece of wood, his skin healed itself, smoothing over without a trace. The dried blood on my shirt cracking with every move I made served as a reminder of how different we were. What must it be like to be immortal—to fear no one and to be
untouched by time?
“I’m sorry,” I grimaced. “This last one is too big. I think I need... pliers.”
He breathed hard and looked up into the mirror to meet my eyes. Swirls of red dyed his grey eyes from the pain, but he nodded.
Digging through the sad emergency kit again, my stomach twisted. There were no pliers.
“I’ll have to try with the scissors,” I put the tweezers down and held the cold plastic of the scissors in my hand, feeling sick at the thought. The scratched metal was dull against the cheap lighting; until this moment, scissors had never struck me as ominous. Not like this.
He looked at it and swallowed hard. “Sure.”
The thought of working on his back with household scissors nearly sent me over the bathtub vomiting, but I turned my thoughts over to his healing powers instead. Once I could remove the wood, he’d heal. It would be fine. I had to do this. I could do this.
I counted him down until I pried the largest piece out, but he still roared with pain as I apologized over and over under my breath.
“It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay,” I repeated, whispering both to him and to myself, blinking back the tears.
Finally, I dropped the last large piece into the sink. His entire body sagged, propped up only by his hands gripping the sides of the sink. Even from behind, I could see the hairline fractures he’d left on the white ceramic. How was it that someone so powerful was bound to someone like me? The next ten minutes passed by quickly. After wrenching into his back with scissors, it became a lot easier to remove tiny splinters.
Once every piece of wood was gone, I stepped back to admire his regenerative abilities. Smooth, muscular, and unmarked by imperfection. It was like nothing had happened.
“Admiring me?”
“Admiring me,” I corrected. “My handiwork.”
When he turned around, his bare torso visually assaulted me. Determined to look anywhere else, I met his eyes, still red-tinged and unfocused.
“I thought you were going to be all better after this,” I frowned.
“Yes. But there’s still ash in my system. It’s mostly gone, but still there.” He caught my look and quickly continued. “I won’t need more blood, don’t worry. It’ll pass. I just... need time. A lot less time, though. Thanks to you.”
“I’ll just wash my hands and go wait in the room. You can wash up.” I gently guided him so I could access the sink. Most of the wooden shards made it into the garbage bin, but I didn’t care to pick up the ones that didn’t. He leaned heavily against the wall and panted slightly as I scrubbed my hands.
Moments of tense silence passed. I felt his eyes on me, but I ignored him. My heart thundered, and I hoped he couldn’t hear it, because I wasn’t even sure why I felt embarrassed. Maybe it was because I shouldn’t have been appreciating how lean his back was, or how sculpted his muscles seemed. This wasn’t the time for anything other than healing. Hoping he would turn his gaze from me, I scrubbed until my hands were raw.
Eventually, I gave up and dried my hands, unsurprised that the towel came away clean and without traces of crimson.
Kol reached for me as I turned to leave, his fingers just missing my wrist before he pulled back.
“Thank you.”
My breath caught in my throat. Before I could say anything, he turned around.
“You’re welcome.” I closed the door behind me.
ONCE THE SHOWER STARTED, I plugged my phone to charge but left it turned off on the nightstand. I needed a moment of quiet to process everything that had happened.
Had it really been just yesterday that we met? I used to think action movies were ridiculous for packing so much into so little time, and yet...
The sun had barely set, but neither of us were in any condition to travel, so we might as well stay here to recuperate. Besides, we didn’t have a car anymore. Nor did I have any of my belongings.
Now that I was alone, my mind wandered back to the brutal scene that led us here.
A sharp ache filled the spots in my heart that hadn’t yet broken at the thought of Alice and her coven. I didn’t get to meet any of them, but they were all real people with real lives. How many had survived? How many had rejoined nature?
Despite myself, I was glad that Kol had agreed to travel with me. If he hadn’t been there today, I might not have survived. No. I know I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for him. He was a monster. He was ruthless.
But this ruthless monster was on my side—for now.
I knew nothing else about him, and he knew little about me. Yet we were two very different people of two different races tethered together, keeping the other alive.
If we were going to stay alive, I needed more information about the attack. Who were those assailants? Was I right about thinking there were two groups of attackers? It seemed like the group of hooded archers attacked the witches, while the other group of hooded people were vampires attacking those archers.
The water stopped, pulling me out of my thoughts. Finally turning on my phone, I noticed several messages from Rose and Bella. They were having a tough time deciding on their summer courses because the weather was going to be nice, and they weren’t sure if they wanted to be in school for it. I felt a bittersweet smile spread on my face. I was to be an active participant in this debate because we were all in the same program. But now, I wasn’t sure when—or if—I would be back. Wishing them the best of luck, I closed the chat, ignoring the hollow feeling in my heart that magnified every time I thought about the life I could have led.
Would I ever go back? Maybe.
Would it ever be the same? Never.
How does someone return to their old life after discovering she came from a family of witches who once ruled the Shadow world? How does she sit in class and do her homework knowing anyone could be a Shadow? How would she take her final exams knowing there was so much more to learn about her family and her history?
Kol entered the room with just a towel, and I immediately averted my gaze. But not before I glimpsed his healed—and incredibly fit—body, free of marring from any wounds. Moisture clung onto his broad shoulders, leaving a mystical glow that only emphasized how good he looked. I could have probably washed my clothes on those abs—
“Why aren’t you wearing anything? This is a shared space,” I interrupted my own thoughts and glued my eyes to my phone, focusing on scrolling social media without really seeing what was on my screen.
“In case you haven’t noticed,” he raised an eyebrow. “Neither of us have any clothes. I was about to go down and get us some, unless you wanted to parade in a towel, too.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I huffed, adamant about not looking at him, but pleased he was feeling better.
He wasn’t gone for long, but he returned with two bulging shopping bags. Catching my skeptical gaze, he smirked.
“Relax, I gave the guy some money.” He handed one to me.
Just like yesterday, the clothes were from a store that I normally wouldn’t shop at, but the items were basic and neutral. A small part of me wondered where he even found this store in a small town like this. I pulled out two t-shirts, a light jacket, two pairs of jeans, and even a pair of sneakers. Opening the smaller bag within, I found basic underwear.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to not take the clothes this time, so I believed him about having paid for them. Still, I felt obligated to question him.
“How? You went down in nothing but a towel and those slippers.” I kept my eyes glued firmly to his face.
“Do you want me to answer and stay standing here half naked, or shall I go change instead? I understand why you’d want to keep me in this state, though. You can take a photo if you’d like.” He flashed a crooked smile.
I threw my pillow at him, and he left the room laughing.
Kol emerged with a crew neck that had buttons ending mid-chest, black pants, and black shoes.
“You sure about that photo?” He smirked, spreading his hands when he cau
ght my gaze. “How do I look?”
“I was wondering how that ash was making its way through your system,” I glared. Despite his humor, his eyes were still red rimmed, and he was paler than usual.
“I’ll be fine.” He shrugged and stretched out on the other bed, rolling over to plug his phone charger in. “I expect you to come out in a towel too. It’s only fair.”
Scowling, I grabbed a bag of clothes and left the room. The bathroom was steamy from his shower, but otherwise clean. Kol had picked up the mess of wooden shards that I hadn’t had the stomach to touch again. The sink, floors, and bathtub were also devoid of blood.
It was like nothing had happened here.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to uncoil some tension that had built up from having nearly died two days in a row. Rinsing away the fear of dying revealed an unsettling truth that I’d been trying to bury.
The beginnings of a twisted attraction to the cruel vampire who lay in the bed ten feet from my own. Maybe it was the feeling of being rescued. Or perhaps it was the danger that I liked. A good therapist might say that I was seeking a connection in this new world in which I felt so alone.
Either way, I squashed those feelings, tucked them into the corner of a small box which I locked and then hid under boxes of other emotional luggage that I carried.
I wasn’t feeling quite like a new person by the time I turned off the shower, but it felt good to cleanse my body, not just the day’s blood, but of the day’s events, as well. Things always seemed a little less morose and bleak after a good wash.
Kol was asleep with his back to me, and for that, I was glad. I wasn’t sure I could handle anymore flirtatious remarks. I was going to either kiss him or kill him, and both options scared me.
I BLINKED AGAINST THE darkness. Slowly pushing myself up onto my elbows, I noticed a patch of carpet was lit by a sliver of moonlight. It must have been the middle of the night. I was ready to settle back into bed when a groan shocked the sleep from my mind.
I relaxed when I realized it was Kol who had groaned; he turned in his bed and took in a sharp breath. Either he was having a nightmare, or the poison passing through his system was a more brutal process than he let on.
Life Bound: The Shadow World Book 1 Page 8
