And her body wasweeping.
Pain swept through her like a burning wildfire.
Blood dripped from hundreds of cuts.
Her once beautiful wings, her sole gift from the goddess of the moon, were shredded.
Marius moved, and Vivienne cried out. Flames consumed her from the inside out. Everything hurt.
Roaring filled her ears as the prince gently flipped them over,laying her on her stomach. He crouched beside her, his concerned brown eyes hovering in front of hers. His mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear him.
Vivienne’s last conscious thought was that at least the prince was alive. She’d repaid her debt in full, and whatever happened, he could find the dagger and kill the First.
A smile tugged at her lips even as blackness consumed her.
She had done her job.
We Stay Together
Horror filled Marius as his bodyguard’s lips tilted up in a small smile, and her eyes closed. What did Vivienne have to be happy about?
Blood was pouring from hundreds of cuts on her back, arms, and legs. Her wings were shredded, and her face was paler than snow.
Oh, gods. His head swam as the full extent of her injuries was made clear to him.
“Think, Marius,” he chided himself.
There had to be something he could do to help her.
He glanced behind him, barely noticing the opening in the path where a wall had stood earlier, before returning his gaze to the vampire. He wasn’t entirely sure how much blood children of the night could lose before they died, or if blood loss could even kill them, but he wasn’t willing to find out.
Vivienne had saved him. Again.
He should’ve been smarter and thought about what might happen when he touched the crystal, but he’d acted impulsively. She’d thrownherself over him without a second thought, and even though a few cuts and bruises littered his body, he’d survived the rockfall largely unscathed.
Unlike her.
His stomach twisted at the thought that she might die because of him.
Before Marius could think too deeply about what he was about to do, his dagger was clutched in his right hand. He hastily ripped his left sleeve, pulling the fabric aside to reveal his arm.
With one final prayer to Kydona that he wouldn’t be too late, Marius sliced the blade across his wrist, making an inch-long cut. Wincing at the sting, he dropped the dagger beside him and lowered his wrist to Vivienne’s mouth.
She remained still, even as crimson drops landed on her lips.
“Come on,” he pleaded with her unconscious form, parting her lips with his fingers.
She didn’t react.
“No, no, no.” He shook his head. She couldn’t die here. He wouldn’t allow it.
Blood poured from the cut, staining her lips crimson. Marius’s heart raced in his chest, and his head grew light, but he didn’t take his eyes off her.
“Drink, damn it,” he growled.
Still nothing.
Shouldn’t she have reacted to the blood by now?