At that moment, I didn't know what to say. A part of me was excited, thrilled to be able to experience what it would be like to run at such a speed. Another, more sensible, part of me was thinking: How much do I trust Aiden?
It was a silly thought really. Aiden had saved me so many times that I felt inclined to trust him and I shouldn't be worried about such a trivial thing as running that obviously came naturally to his kind. But, it didn't feel like I could truly believe I was safe with him, especially with his unpredictable actions that seemed so animalistic at times.
So, why was I beginning to feel more and more comfortable with him?
''Violet? Ready?'' Aiden was directly in front of me, staring at me with his eyebrows raised in question whilst I had been lost in my thoughts, my eyes staring back blankly without my realising.
I dropped my eyes, nervous all of a sudden, and nodded slowly.
''Hurry up you two, we need to get going if we're going to make it on schedule.'' Josh was all business now, with Rose already cradled in his arms. She looked as anxious as I was beginning to feel, bags weighing her down in Josh's arms, but he didn't seem to notice the extra weight. It was pretty funny to see really, such an intimate position considering their real relationship.
''Sure, sure.'' Aiden muttered.
Before anything else could be said, Aiden slipped one arm behind my knees and lifted me effortlessly off of the ground, the other arm supporting my back to hold me bridal style. Instinctively, I shifted to make myself more comfortable in his hold and rested my bag and his upon my lap the same way I had seen Rose had done. They weren't too heavy, and I was too distracted by my racing heart from being so close to the dangerous vampire, to notice.
All this time, my gaze had been focused on my lap to avoid becoming closer with Aiden's face inches away. I finally plucked up the courage to shift my eyes upwards to look at him, only to find that he wasn't looking at me at all. His jaw seemed clenched, his eyes shaded, which immediately made me wonder if he was thirsty and my closeness had made him uncomfortable.
''Violet, you're going to have to hold on tight. I also recommend that you close your eyes.'' He didn't look at me when he spoke, his voice clipped and demanding. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his cool neck. Fearing that if I disobeyed then he would force me to, which would show how worried I really was, not to mention embarrassing. My fingers brushed his hair by mistake and I paused. When he didn't react, my arms settled.
He looked down at me then for a moment, his deep blue eyes meeting mine as we became closer. I was unable to look away, transfixed by his eyes which were swimming with emotions that I couldn't easily distinguish, his dark hair falling over them, hiding them. I blushed involuntarily as I realised how peculiar this situation really was, and quickly closed my eyes as he had instructed.
''You lead the way, Aiden.'' Josh's voice broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. My previous nervousness, which had eased slightly in the last few moments, came rushing back and caused my body to tense with anticipation.
Aiden adjusted his hold smoothly, my body pressing further into his chest, ''Try to keep up.'' I could hear the smirk in his voice.
Then we were off.
Wind whipped harshly against my cheeks and my closed eyelids, my grip around Aiden tightening as I clung to him for safety. I found myself pressing myself further into his chest, my head rested on him as he moved with feline grace through our surroundings. I could hardly feel his feet hit the ground; it was as if we were flying and I could feel adrenaline begin to course through me.
The undeniable urge to open my eyes overcame me despite my fear. As soon as my eyes snapped open I felt the wind sting at them where they were exposed, the sounds around me were blocked out, and I could only hear the fast rushing of the wind. I had no idea how Aiden could even know what direction we were going in, let alone how he guided us around the obstacles that were flying past us, only a blur.
A smile lit up my face at the feeling of freedom to run at this speed.
Then, it turned to a grimace.
A nauseous feeling washed over me, and the sudden realisation that I may be sick entered my thoughts, causing me to panic. There was no way I would ever allow myself to throw up over the Prince.
My palms became slick with sweat, my hands shaky as I dug my fingers into Aiden's back, desperately searching for a way to tell him that something was wrong. I opened my mouth, attempting to speak, only to make it worse as a rush of cold air filled my lungs and made me choke from the sudden intake of breath. My eyes began to stream, and I could feel my nose begin to run as the feelings became worse.
The colours blurring around us seemed to slow, we were surrounded by greens, a sudden contrast to the previous barren wasteland we had found ourselves in.
We stopped so suddenly that my body jerked uncomfortably, the cramps that had begun in my stomach worsened at the sudden movement. My grip loosened around Aiden, suddenly feeling weak from my conflicting emotions that had assaulted me.
''Violet? Violet? What's wrong?'' Aiden's concerned face was swimming in my vision, my eyelids drooping as I struggled to stay focused and keep my food down.
He crouched, my body still in his arms as he lowered me to the ground. The bags fell from my lap and hit the floor as Aiden supported me and I felt myself come into contact with the grass beneath us. His arms remained around me as I shied away from him, tucking my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, trying to hold myself together.
''Woah, why'd we stop?'' Josh jogged up beside us and Rose struggled to free herself from his hold before she rushed towards us.
''Shut up, Josh. Something's wrong with Violet.'' Aiden's voice was harsh.
I felt Rose crouch beside me and begin to rub comforting circles into my back. I wanted to tell them that I was starting to feel slightly better, but I feared opening my mouth would make me feel worse. My head was spinning as I avoided eye contact with the people around me and hid myself away, tucking my head between my legs to calm myself.
''Violet, please tell us what's the matter.'' Rose's tone was pleading and filled with alarm.
I scorned myself for making another fuss, I was so pathetic. If anyone should be feeling like this, it should be Rose. Even before we had set off this morning she had looked worse for wear.
I felt Aiden shift beside me before a strong hand grasped my own and squeezed it, the comforting gesture shocked me and for a moment I was disbelieving that it was Aiden who had done it. Automatically, I raised my head to look at our hands, and sure enough, his large, pale hand had encompassed my own.
''Was I going too fast?'' I looked up into his face, his eyebrows furrowed.
I shook my head, aware that my hand was shaking and he was holding it steady, ''I-I don't know what happened.'' My voice was quiet as my throat flared up after my speech, a reminder of drowning in oxygen when I had previously tried to inform Aiden of my sickness.
''Is there anything we can do?'' Rose's voice was filled with worry.
I stared at her for a moment, wondering how I had gotten myself into this state, unsure how to answer her question.
''I think, for now, you should rest. Josh and I can start to prepare the potion for our disguise and you can recover.'' Aiden's voice had taken its authoritative tone that we were all accustomed to. He rifled through one of the bags that had fallen at my feet and plucked out the vial of liquid.
His hand remained holding mine, his other wrapping around me as he lifted me effortlessly and I leant against him. My feet were still in contact with the ground, but they weren't holding any of my weight as he led me towards a large rock amongst the trees that I hadn't noticed were again surrounding us. He settled me onto the rock, his eyes lingering on me for a moment too long, before he turned and approached Josh who was setting up a small fire to prepare the potion.
I once again wrapped my arms around me in the dull light of the fading afternoon, and rested my head on my knees. It was embarrassing how weak I must seem to the vampires. A measly human who was constantly getting herself into trouble, and relying on her Master to help her out of it.
I looked over to Rose who was balancing several bags in her arms and stumbling towards me. She dumbed them on the ground once again and perched next to me on the little space left of the rock. I shuffled over, allowing her more room.
''I'm guessing that you didn't enjoy the run?'' I could tell that she was trying to lighten the mood, and I was grateful for her joking.
''No, apparently not.'' I laughed half-heartedly, smiling slightly, taking in her still-pale face and tired eyes.
''This is all too much. Isn't it?'' She was serious now, looking down at her own clasped hands in her lap.
I knew that the two vampires could hear us, but she didn't seem to care so neither did I, ''You could say that.'' My voice had turned bitter; the small smile I had mustered moments ago had already vanished without a trace.
''Aiden's right, no matter how much I don't want to say that,'' Rose began again, ''You need rest, I mean let's face it, you've only just recovered from so many other injuries. I think your mind might finally be catching up to your body, or something.''
I nodded along to her words, believing them in the same way she did, ''I just wish that I wasn't so weak, you know? Why aren't you like this, you should be so much more exhausted than me.''
''I am, really. To be honest I'm glad we stopped because I was on the verge of punching Josh in the mouth. I swear he was trying to make that ride as uncomfortable as possible.'' She lowered her voice, a smile gracing her features once again.
I laughed, feeling lucky that Rose had been chosen to come on the trip with us; I didn't want to even think about what it would have been like without her.
Rose bent and searched through my bag, retrieving a water bottle that she had filled for me before we had left. I accepted it gratefully and took a large swig of the cool liquid, feeling it soothe my throat and replenish my sore muscles.
''Thanks.'' My words were spoken to Rose, but I hoped that Aiden understood that they were meant for him too.
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A/N Hey guys, thanks for reading! Remember to vote and comment if you enjoyed! :D <3
~ Edited 10/01/2016 ~