Chapter Twenty Three: Of Magic And Strength

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Narcisse blinked; the shocking realization of what he had done came crashing down upon him

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Narcisse blinked; the shocking realization of what he had done came crashing down upon him. He had hurt her; he had torn her skin with his fangs, and her shirt with his hands so he could better access the blood that oozed from her wound. He had latched on with a quickness, somehow primitively aware that blood was what he needed to survive. He had craved it— and he still did even after forcing himself to pull away. Her pulse ran slow, and she felt colder than the winter storm that brewed in the night sky far above their heads.

Evette's hands untangled themselves from his hair, releasing the rough strands as her fingers slid down to the side of his face, lingering gently over his skin.

The cloud of dust that had hovered dissolved as everyone fell silent. Narcisse could not believe what he had done, and he stepped back, his eyes raking over the body that clung to the wall, lifeless.

They all rushed to her, but Narcisse was the first to take Evette's head in his hands and shake her gently. He pled for her to wake, but she was unresponsive. Jade grabbed hold of Evette's legs, and with the help of Josia and Jamie, they carefully placed her body down on the floor. Feathers obscured his vision as Narcisse sat beside the others at her side. They were crimson; stained by the same magic that had left visible marks on his arm and back.

"You were only meant to have a drop or two, not drink her dry!" Jade scolded as she pressed her hands to Evette's open wound, sealing the few drops of remaining blood left inside. Eve twitched, but was still unconscious. She could hear their loud, strained voices even after her heart slowed.

"I don't even remember how I escaped from the cell I was locked in!" Narcisse frantically yelled. "I didn't mean to kill her!" He breathed.

"She needs blood." Jade looked down at Evette who was unmoving. It was impossible to hear her heart beat, as it was as quiet as the mouse who scurried blindly along the wall, hiding away in a small hole in the corner of the stuffy room.

"Give her mine. Do whatever it takes." Narcisse said quickly, his hand tightly gripping the girl's arm.

Jade frowned. "I can't give her your blood, or any of ours. We are wolves, and she is a Guardian, which means that if I'm even able to somehow pump blood into her system, it will kill her."

"I heard what you said in the dungeons before— you're half Guardian yourself. How come when you were bitten by a wolf, you still lived? What's a little blood going to hurt?" Narcisse angrily asked, afraid that they may already be too late.

Jade shook her head, words stubbornly caught in her throat. "It's different. I was born half Guardian, and judging by the fact that Evette was chosen by her creator, she was solely created to be a Guardian in the purest form."

"How do you even know that? You said before that it is hard for you to remember things from your past. Is every detail suddenly coming back to you now?"

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