He snarled, “If this is a game you humans like to play—”
A guttural male yell came from down the hallway. Three blurs streaked past the open door, and I breathed in a shuddering breath as panicked shouting filled the air.
“Help!”
“Something is wrong!”
“Guards!”
A burst of pain shot through my head, and I curled my arms around my stomach.
“Wait here,” the guard said, getting to his feet.
As if I could do anything else. His footsteps sounded like a herd of elephants on the floor, and I moaned.
Julieta wrung her hands together, pushing herself to unsteady feet and hurrying into the bathing room. Water ran, and then she came back with a damp cloth, placing it on my forehead. It did little to soothe the pain of my body being torn apart from within.
“I’m dying,” I exclaimed through gasps for air. With every passing second, the pain worsened. Fire burned through my veins and my moans became screams.
Julieta shook her head, the press of the damp cloth growing more frantic against my face. “I won’t let you die, Miss Luna. You’re practically my sister. I’ll do anything.” She raised her voice. “Help us! Please!”
Another shout came from down the hall. “The prince is hurt!”
Mere seconds later, a pair of guards blurred into the room. Carrying a heavy burden between the two of them, they huffed beneath the weight as they ran past me, placing it on the bed.
A moan came from that direction, and I realized it was Sebastian. His wings were nowhere in sight, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He clutched his stomach, sounding as if he were dying.
“What the hell happened?” the first soldier asked.
“Hell if I know!” the second guard shook his head, and I groaned as a throbbing pain went through me once more. “I was on duty when I heard the prince yell. By the time I got there, he was curled in half, clutching his stomach. In all my years, I’ve never seen him act like this.”
The guards continued to argue, ignoring Julieta and me completely, until a low, strangled cry filled the air. Sebastian flopped onto his back and his left arm dangled over the side of the bed.
“Damn it,” the first guard cursed. “I’m going to get the Captain. Stay here.”
He disappeared in a flash of shadows, just as my stomach twisted painfully. I cried out, and Julieta pulled the cloth away, her eyes filled with concern.
Something within me twinged at the sight of the vampire prince on the bed. Propelled by an unseen force, I pressed my hands into the floor and dragged myself towards the bed. Each movement took far longer than it should have, but neither Julieta nor the remaining guard stopped me as I crawled toward the moaning vampire.
When I was close enough to touch him, I reached up and placed my hand in his.
A flash of light exploded within me.
Instantly, the pain receded. Coiling up like a rope, what had become excruciating agony slowly twisted out of my extremities, crawling toward the core of my center.
Soon, I could feel my fingers and toes. Maintaining my hold on the prince’s hand, I curled up on myself, my lungs capable of drawing enough air once more. Julieta began her ministrations anew. The damp cloth was actually a pleasant distraction now that fire wasn’t destroying my body from the inside out.
Every moment that I held the prince’s hand, I felt… better. More like myself. That was… odd.
Less than a minute later, the hand I held twitched.
A heartbeat after that, Sebastian pulled his hand out of my grasp. He bolted forward with a deafening roar as he launched himself off the bed and came to land on the floor on all fours.
The guard who had been standing at the base of the bed darted back, slamming into the wall. His fingers extended into talons and his black eyes darkened as he snarled. Sebastian growled at the guard before turning and prowling toward me.
“What did you do to me?” the Prince of Darkness snarled as shadows crawled around his legs. His wings snapped back into existence and his fangs were on full display as he loomed over me.
“I-I…” I inched towards Julieta, clasping her hand in mine. “I don’t know.”