colours of viridian | BOOK ONE | J a d e d ✔️

S e l f i s h

S o n g : O n e L a s t B r e a t h - C r e e d

C h a p t e r XV
V i r i d i a n

Three days. Kenna had been in excruciating indescribable pain for three straight days. And it was all my fault.

I watched her fall into herself. The hazel eyes I had found myself missing during the days of holding her protectively, blurred from the tears that ran down her now reddened cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Kenna." I mumbled pathetically, knowing I would never understand what she had to go through. I knew most humans didn't wake up though -that it was worse than death itself. It was partly why I always put them out of their misery.

And yet, I had let Kenna go through it. I was selfish. I wanted her to live. But I didn't for a second regret not killing her. She made it out. She was alive.

She closed her eyes tightly. "I wanted to die." Her weakened voice confessed. "You made me want to die."

I didn't know what to do. She was right. It was all my fault.

"You'd been compelled before," I found myself saying, "Not by me."

Her eyes opened at that. "What?"

"That's why it hurt you. Somebody compelled you so much that the small compulsion I pulled on you, completely broke the spell. It was too much for you to take. That pain you felt was your body fighting back." I slowly slid off of my bed, walking over to her. "It wasn't supposed to hurt you, Kenna. I've never intentionally hurt you." I crouched down to her height, gazing determinedly into her now dark brown eyes. "I'm sorry."

Her bottom lip trembled as she sad tired eyes peered into mine. "It hurt so much." She whispered inaudibly to the human ear.

"I know-"

She suddenly grabbed onto me again, pressing herself onto me as she once again lost it because of me. "Just hold me, please." She whispered brokenly against my neck, "I don't want to be alone."

My stiff arms automatically wrapped around her small torso, burying my face into her brown hair as I breathed her sweet floral scent into me. "I won't hurt you again." I promised, my jaw clenched as I furrowed my brows. "I'll leave you alone. I'll go away. I won't hurt you again." I squeezed her tightly as my insides churned from my words.

She pulled away slightly, "No, you jerk." Kenna frowned, wiping her tears away. "Just don't hurt me." Her hazel eyes hardened. "Stay -but don't hurt me." She commanded me like a goddamn 5'3 queen.

I scowled instantly from the strict tone in her voice. "Don't give me orders." My words were curt but I still refused to let her go as my hands fell down her soft arms and to her hands.

Her face was just as unhappy as she allowed my fingers to intertwine with hers. "Then don't be stupid." Her eyebrows pulled together, "I just found out my entire life is probably some big lie, and you just want to leave me? This is your fault. If you can't fix it, then you're at least helping me figure it out." She stood up, "You're the only thing I know that's real. You can't leave. You're stuck in this with me whether you like it or not. It's your mess; you clean it up."

I was about to disagree as I stood up; give her the reasons why I should have said no. That a mere human wasn't worth my time -anything that was running through my brain no matter how many conflicting thoughts there were about it. I was even about to flash my fangs at her to make her learn her place. That she was nothing but weak in my eyes.

But then she captured those same eyes in hers. And they were sad and scared and vulnerable. She was begging me to stay without even muttering a single word. It made my chest tighten and every thought but one to disappear.

I exhaled, nodding my head as I looked down into her hazel eyes and tightened my grip on her hands. "Okay. I'll stay."

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I love this chapter. It shows Viri (+ Kenna) perfectly.
I hope you like my characters as much as I do <3