𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆

~Bloodbath~

But that wasn't the worst part.

The brand on her back, scarred with the saying "Momento Mori"... was re-carved into her back.

Blood -her blood- ran down her back as the words that were carved into her skin were fresh. Endlessly, the blood flowed endlessly as those bloody words were engraved into the skin of her back. Messy, bloody, and painful. A knife had etched those words into her. Again.

She had been branded. Again.

Their guts twisted as tears began to well in Luca's eyes. More tears began to well up in Blade's, Starr's, and Ida's eyes. She was in pain, she was on the ground -in pain.

Luca rushed to her, kneeling down with her as he cupped her face and brought her eyes to meet his own.

Her eyes were darker than usual. The black ink pools were now impossibly empty with darkness. Her dull and lifeless eyes were more emotionless than ever, showing nothing but pain and suffering.

Her face was spotted with blood, unlike the rest of her body which was immersed with the red. Her jaw clenched so tight that everyone thought that she'd break it. Her body shook violently as she coughed and gasped for air.

She was hyperventilating.

Feeling his eyes sting like someone had physically hurt him too, he swallowed the tears while he tried to get her to breathe.

Looking behind her, he told them to get Raine. To get any help they could find. All of them scattered, sprinting and not wasting time. Leaving just the two of them alone, he touched her gently and steadied her shaking body.

"Respira, amore mio. Sei al sicuro ora, piccola. Sono qui, non me ne vado. Respira per me, per favore. Va bene. Tutto bene. Prometto. Respira, inspira ed espira per me, tesoro," he cooed, watching and trying not to wince as tears started falling out of her eyes.

(Breathe, my love. You are safe now, baby. I'm here, I'm not leaving. Breathe for me, please. It's okay. Everything is okay. I promise. Breathe, inhale and exhale for me, sweetheart.)

Knowing that speaking a different language would make her focus on his words, he kept his words in Italian since he knew she could understand. Right now, his job was to make her calm down and breathe. He would focus on her injuries when Dr. Salib was here.

She sobbed as she tried breathing, only making his heart shatter more. It was like someone had stabbed him right in the chest and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew that she was in so much pain and it made him physically hurt knowing that he was helpless.

Holding her face, he made her look into his eyes as he pulled her close. He pressed her head against his chest, making her hear his heartbeat and not the dying voices of the people that surrounded them.

"Abbina il tuo respiro al mio battito cardiaco, Diavola," he consoled, holding her as her body shook and tears fell down her cheeks.

(Match your breath to my heartbeat, Diavola)

Slowly but surely, her breathing began to slow down but her body never stopped shaking. That's all he needed though.

"Hai fatto un ottimo lavoro, piccola. Sono così orgoglioso di te. E 'giusto, tesoro. Continua a respirare così," he encouraged, keeping his voice soft.

(You did a great job, baby. I'm so proud of you. That's right, sweetheart. Keep breathing like that.)

More tears ran down her cheeks as she buried her face deeper in his chest, sobbing and shaking. Kissing the crown of her head, he pinched his eyes shut as his jaw was close to breaking.