RIVAL | Levi Ackerman

xiii. BLOOD, SWEAT, & TEARS

      Wake up.

      Freya woke up with a gasp.

      Silver rings burned Levi's wrist, stopping him from retreating his hand from her face. Her other hand gripped the collar of his shirt, surprising him as she tugged him closer. It was sudden, something he didn't anticipate happening for him to pull back in time. He could hear her frantic breathing as she hastily sat up, ignoring the painful ache shooting down her spine. Her cheek rested on his rigid shoulder, body shaking and chest puffing up and down. She pulled him closer and closer, eyes wide snapped open that her blue irises were nothing but distant and gone, searching. Incoherent mumbling teetered past her teeth. Her once silent heart was now thrumming like a hummingbird zooming in the wind, racing in her ears.

      He was stiff as a statue, nose digging in the back of her head as she seemed to hide herself away in the crook of his neck. His skin tickled. Her sweet scent mixed with the woods. Intoxicating but all so familiar. Nothing but blank pages, any logical thought went out his mind. He could feel the warmth sensation radiating from her body to his, emanating heat that he couldn't ignore. The grip she had on his collar was tight. However, her hold on his right hand loosened, falling on her lap while his hand fell to her waist. He couldn't decipher how long the two of them stayed so close. In complete silence with the exception of her painful heaving slowly dying down. Time was of the essence, but he couldn't find it in himself to move. Levi licked his lips, voice low. "What happened?"

      "I..." She stiffened. Freya hated it. Hated the solace she found in his tranquil scent. The ripped pages of books soothed her racing mind. Hated the thought of the man finding her half dead on the floor of the forests. It wasn't enough. Her mind was plagued with weighing sorrow, heart heavy that she didn't know if she could stand and bare the mass of it all. Electricity dotted her skin. She shivered, rasping. "I don't know."

      Moving his head back to stare at her, her blue eyes wouldn't meet his. She heard him sigh. "I need you to calm down."

      "I... I can't–"

      "Tell me. How did–"

      Rapidly shaking her head, she attempted to fore out the sound of bones crushing and blood spurting out from gaping wounds. "It happened too fast."

      "What happened exact–"

      "I don't know!" Her head throbbed that she had suppressed a groan, biting down hard on her tongue. She turned her head away. Her eyebrow twitched. Almost immediately, Freya asked, eyes glancing left and right. "Where... Where is he?"

      "I was hoping for you to tell me that."

      "It just--" Her mouth went dry, welling up tight. There was no shine or gloss coating her eyes that pricked with tears. However, slated empty and hollow. Lost and perplexed for something. "He– I can't–" Gritting her teeth together, her fists balled tightly together at a lost for words.

     "Calm down." His smooth voice murmured in her ear, surprising the two of them at how placid it came out.

      "I am calm." She snapped. Frustration bubbled on the pits of her stomach as she placed both her hands on his shoulder before shoving him away. The surprise on his face subsided into the usual nonchalant and brooding manner. Oddly enough, it relieved her. She looked away from him with a glare before face drained into a pale look. She blinked, hands beginning to tremble once again. A crease formed between his eyebrows as Levi picked notice of the way she had dug her nails deeply into the flesh of her palms, teeth gnawing the inside of her cheek, and blue eyes snapping left and right, truly disturbed by whatever was behind his shoulder.