-Carmen Silvers POv-
A wind brushed my skin and ruffled my hair and I groaned.
Surely I couldn't be dead, being dead shouldn't hurt this much.
I groaned again and shifted my weight, trying to bring my arms under me but they trembled, too weak to support my weight. With a grunt I struggled to pull myself up so I was sitting since the snow felt cold on my skin. I didn't feel cold though, it just wasn't comfortable.
After a few minutes of struggling I finally sat up, pain running through my legs as I sat on them. I winced and tried to change position but I was so tired and my hands were shaking.
A soft wind blew, bringing with it a scent that I recognized. My senses suddenly seemed to awaken and I blinked, hearing things from far away easily that I never could have dreamed, smelling things that the breeze brought in from a long distance.
I let myself get lost in all the smells, eyes closing as I breathed, the smell of the forest, of snow, of earth, of vampire.
My eyes flashed open as a memory rushed through my brain. I looked down and a few feet away lay a body, a body I recognized.
I clapped a hand over my mouth to smother my scream and scrambled forward awkwardly on all fours since I didn't trust myself to stand.
"No," I whispered, putting my hand on his chest. I leaned my head down to his bloody chest, knowing it was a useless effort but trying anyways, but I couldn't hear a heart beat. Red blood flowed over the black, staining the ripped white shirt that hung in tatters, unable to cover the gashes in his chest.
"Austin?" I whispered shakily, "Austin please," I touched his cheek, turning his head to me. His skin felt like ice and his face was oddly peaceful, an expression I hadn't seen in over a month.
"You can't go," I said, feeling a sob rise, "You can't leave me, not after all of this, you just can't."
Tears rolled down my cheeks and my body shook as I picked up his limp body, cradling his head as I pulled him into my lap, rocking us back and forth in attempt to calm down even though I felt like I was losing my mind.
"I'm so sorry," I sobbed, looking down at his serene face, "This is all my fault."
"God damn it Austin don't leave!" I shouted.
I felt a shift in my arms and I froze, not daring to believe it for a second. And then again but this time with a mumble type of sound.
My eyes were wide as I stared down at Austin's body in my bloody arms, still unbelieving.
I saw his lips move the slightest bit and his head turned, eyes squeezing shut, peaceful expression shattered.
"Austin?" I asked, by voice barely above a whisper.
He mumbled something else that I couldn't quite catch, and with my werewolf hearing that was a bit of a surprise.
"Austin are you okay?" I asked uncertainly. Was this a trick? An illusion that my mind had come up with to make myself feel better?
"Don't curse," he mumbled.
I gaped at him.
His eyes opened for a second before they slipped shut again. But I caught that familiar flash of silver and relief washed over me like a tidal wave.
"Austin! You're okay!" I cried, holding him tightly against me.
"Of course I'm okay," he said wryly, his eyes opening again. He blinked a few times, eyes narrowing, "But I feel like I have a major hangover."
I snorted with laughter, "Who cares? It's all over! But why don't you have a heartbeat?"
He shook his head, "Later," he mumbled and sat up slowly out of my arms, rubbing his eyes again before he opened his eyes and looked at me sleepily. And then his eyes trailed down and widened.
"What?" I frowned.
He turned around and jumped to his feet, hurrying away.
"Where are you going?" I asked, feeling more than a little panicked.
I saw him stoop down and pick up the jacket Caleb had left on the floor earlier before he came back with his eyes covered by his hand.
"You might want to take this," he said, holding the jacket out to me.
I frowned and looked down. When I realized what was wrong I blushed a deep scarlet, grabbing the jacket from his hands before I slipped it on.
All this time, I had been naked...and I never noticed.
"I'm a little surprised you didn't notice you had no clothes on," Austin remarked as I put it on, buttoning it up.
"I was a little bit concerned about you; I did think you were dead so pardon me for not caring about being nude," I quipped as I did up the last button, "Alright, I'm decent."
He turned around to face me again, hand extended to me since I was still sitting down, "You're horribly indecent," he shook his head at me, grinning.
I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. Almost as soon as I stood my knees buckled but Austin caught me before I hit the ground, "Obviously, party time is over," he chuckled, holding me against his side while the world spun.
I groaned, closing my eyes as I put my trembling hands up to my throbbing head, "No kidding."
I heard Austin inhale deeply, "You really lost a lot of blood. No wonder you look like shit."
"Thanks," I said sarcastically, keeping my eyes closed even though that did little to make me feel better.
"Sorry," he apologized, "And I'm terribly sorry for what I'm about to do."
"Why what are you about to do?" I asked nervously.
I felt him crouch slightly, his arm hooking around the back of my knees before he scooped me up. The movement was smooth but still too quick and my stomach turned. I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up.
Austin swore and I felt him take off running. I was going to tell him to slow down because that was making me feel worse but I was afraid to open my mouth in case vomit came out instead of words.
I don't know how long he ran for but it didn't feel long at all before I heard a door opening and the familiar creek of my stairs as he bolted up them to my room. I smelled all of it; the different fabrics of my room and wood and my shampoo and everything else in my entire house, it would have been cool had I not wanted to throw up.
"Here," he said, setting me down on my feet.
I swayed, struggling to keep from vomiting as I clutched the counter with my shaking fingers.
"Get dressed," he said and I smelt fabric, the familiar scent of laundry detergent also the deep scent of what I was sure was my blue tank top and short shorts.
I pried my heavy lids open, and once the world stopped spinning again, I saw I was right and that the bathroom door was closed.
I took my time getting dressed, my whole body shaking like an earthquake and my head spinning every time I moved it too quickly. Once I was finally dressed I looked up into the mirror and gaped.
My face was pale with pink spots across my cheeks and my skin looked clammy, eyes bright and wild as if I had a fever. My hair was all over the place and my arms and legs were bleeding down long winding scars from my shoulders to my wrists and from my hips down to my ankles.
I felt the blood slowly seeping through my shirt on my back and I knew my back was split open as well, right across the spine. My wrist, the one Caleb had broken, was only bruised now.
And then my entire body was covered in dirt, small pebbles, Austin's and my red blood as well as Caleb's black blood.
I looked like I just came from war or something.
"Carmen? Are you okay?" Austin asked worriedly from my bedroom.
"Fine," I called back through gritted teeth, still afraid to vomit.
"Are you decent?" he asked.
"Mmmhmmm," I hummed, not even going to attempt to open my mouth.
The door cracked open slowly and he peered in before he pushed it open all the way and hurried inside. He turned me around and sighed, running a wet cloth under the faucet before he pulled my tank top off my back and wiped at the gash in my back.
I yelped and then grit my teeth against the pain, inhaling deeply.
"Sorry," he said softly, moving the wet cloth down my back for a moment before he picked me up and set me on the counter easily.
He took my wrist carefully and started swiping the cloth down my shoulder to the crook of my elbow, wiping away the blood.
I closed my eyes and leaned the back of my head back against the mirror, wishing I could just curl into a ball and sleep.
"Carmen, stay awake," Austin pleaded, his hand holding my wrist tightly.
"But I'm tired," I slurred, trying to pry my heavy eyes open but could only manage it that they were narrowed slits.
"I know you're tired but you can sleep later," he said, wiping my arm quickly. It still stung but I was starting to feel numb and I wondered why vaguely.
The next few minutes, or that's what I thought anyways, were agony. He cleaned up my wounds while I struggled to keep awake. Clearly, I had lost more blood than I thought I did.
He finished my arms which felt kind of weird now and moved down to my left leg, holding it carefully by the ankle as he wiped it down.
I opened my eyes a little more and studied him while he wasn't watching. I drank in every detail of him; his pale, smooth skin, his soft brown hair, the lean muscles of his body, his full lips, his warm silver eyes.
When Caleb was in him everything was different, changed somehow in a way I couldn't place. But now that it was Austin again, he looked himself again, healthy and normal. Well, as normal as one could be while covered in blood with gashes in your chest which I couldn't tell if they were still bleeding because I could barely keep my eyes open and when I did look at the holes in his chest I wanted to throw up so I kept from looking at it.
I noted the tense lines of his jaw and how stiff his shoulders looked instead.
"Are you mad?" I asked hoarsely.
His head snapped up and he blinked at me, "No," he said uncertainly.
"You seem mad," I said tiredly, rubbing my eyes.
"How can I be happy when you look like you're about to drop dead any second? You've lost way too much blood Carmen," he said, shaking his head while his lips pressed into a grim line.
"That's not what I meant," I said slowly, yawning, "Are you mad that I went to see Caleb even after you told me not to?"
"Why would I-No, Carmen. I'm not mad," he shook his head furiously, dropping the cloth onto the counter before he cupped my face with his hands, "I'm not mad at you for that; I knew you would have done it whether I told you to or not. I'm mad at Caleb."
"You just said you weren't mad," I pointed out, chuckling weakly.
A ghost of a smile appeared, "I wasn't mad at you, but I'm still mad at him for all of this and what he was going to do," the smile fell and was replaced by a glare.
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
He sighed and kissed my forehead, "I'll tell you later, when you can actually keep your eyes open," he picked up the cloth and continued cleaning my leg.
"My eyes are open," I protested feebly.
He chuckled, "Barely."
We lapsed into silence again and I went back to looking him over. I missed him. The emptiness inside me that had grown with every day since this started was filled, gone. Even though I felt like a total wreck I didn't care; I was happy wherever I was as long as Austin was with me. The thought made my stomach twist, but in a good way and my heart skipped a beat.
"I love you," I blurted.
His head snapped up again, hand freezing on my leg, "What?" he asked, eyes wide.
I flushed, "I love you," I repeated, biting my lip.
His expression softened and he dropped the bloody cloth into the sink before he cradled my face in his hands, rubbing my cheeks with his thumbs before he leaned forward and kissed me gently.
Something inside me seemed to spark up and I sat up straighter, my arms going to wind around his neck, plunging through his soft hair as we kissed.
Oh God I missed him and I don't think I ever realized just how much until now. His hands slid down to my waist, crushing me to him while I held on to him just as tightly. I didn't want to ever let go of him. I just wanted to freeze this moment and stay here forever.
The shrill ringing of a phone made us both jump in fright but we still held each other.
"I'll get it," Austin sighed, giving me another quick kiss before he disappeared. How did he do that? Oh well, I could ask him later.
I leaned back against the mirror, touching my lips as my heart pounded and I grinned.
Austin suddenly appeared, ringing phone in hand.
"You might want to answer this," he winced, passing me the phone.
I looked at the name and took a breath before I answered.
"Hello?" I asked, making myself sound tired.
"Carmen? Are you okay? Where are you?" Matt demanded, sounding worried and panicked.
"I'm fine Matt, I'm at home," I sighed, frowning as I slid off the counter and tried to peer into my room, searching for Austin. Where the hell did he go?
There was a relieved sigh from Matt's end, "Why didn't you tell us? We've been worried sick."
"Sorry Matt, I just wasn't feeling good at all and just decided to go home since my head was hurting and the music just made it worse," I lied.
"Well, tell us next time. We all got a huge fright when we couldn't find you," he said and I heard the music pounding in the background, "You didn't by chance see Caleb did you?"
"No, why?" I lied again.
"He disappeared and Caroline came up to us flipping out about how you're trying to steal her man and stuff," he said and I could almost hear his eyes rolling, "Anyways, he disappeared about the same time you did."
Austin appeared in front of me, a glass of water and crackers in his hands.
"Oh," I said, chewing my lip.
He put the glass and crackers on the bathroom counter before he picked me up and put me back on the counter. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Okay, that was stupid. I shouldn't have told you, now you won't be able to relax," he said worriedly, "We can come to your place if you're scared or anything. Is your dad home?"
"No, he and Grandma went out to dinner, but I'm fine alone. I'm not as scared of him as I was before," I said softly, touching Austin's cheek.
"Are you sure?" Matt asked.
"I'm sure, now go have fun. And make sure to dance with Lily: you'll make her night," I added.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Matt said innocently.
"Yeah sure, just have lots of fun okay? Don't worry about me; I'll be sleeping but I'll call you tomorrow okay?" I said as I pulled Austin towards me so he stood between my legs.
"Okay, but if you need anything call okay?" he said.
"Okay, bye Matt," I said before I hung up and tossed the phone on the counter. I wrapped my arms around Austin's neck, "Now where were we?"
"I believe I was taking care of your legs," he said, pulling my arms off.
I sighed, "You're so horrible, teasing me like that."
He chuckled and pressed his forehead against mine, "You'll get plenty of that later; right now you need to be fixed up."
"What about you?" I asked as he pulled away. I put a hand on his chest lightly, just hovering over one of the gashes. Guilt washed through me, "I'm so sorry for these, it was an accident I swear."
"Carmen its fine, I know you didn't do it on purpose," he assured me, patting my leg.
"No it's not fine; I almost killed you!" I protested, unable to take my eyes off the four gaping gashes in his chest.
"But you didn't! You saved me Carmen, if you hadn't done that I would be dead because Caleb would have taken over," he said, grabbing my shoulders, eyes boring into mine.
"What do you mean?" I asked, completely confused.
He took a breath and opened his mouth as if he was going to explain but then he closed his eyes and exhaled, rubbing my arms, "I'll tell you tomorrow. Tonight I just want to be with you, okay?" he said softly, opening his eyes to look at me.
I pursed my lips, "Fine," I said slowly, "But I expect payment for being so nice."
He grinned before he leaned forward and kissed me again before he pulled away slightly, "Is that good enough?" he asked.
"I need a little more, taxes and all that, you know," I said, pulling him back to me again. He kissed me hard on the mouth before he pulled away. I growled at him but he simply smirked before he lifted my right leg up. I frowned.
He dipped his head and drew his tongue up the length of my leg, all the way up to my inner thigh. My body burned in response and I leaned my head back against the mirror, letting out one long, slow breath.
"Is that enough?" he asked huskily.
"Close, but not quite," I breathed.
He let out a chuckle and brushed the back of his hand along my bare neck.
Wait a second! Bare neck?
My hand shot to my neck and chest, "Oh my God!" I cried.
"What's wrong?" Austin asked, worry sparking in his eyes.
"My necklace! It's gone!" I said, panicked.
He breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't do that; you scared me."
"Who cares? My necklace is gone!" I said, sliding off the counter.
"Whoa, you're not going anywhere," he said, his arm shooting out around my waist to keep me from walking off, not like I could; my legs were still a little shaky.
"But-"
"No buts," he grinned, "I'll go get it...and the remains of your dress."
I scowled, "Shut up."
"That's not very nice; you should be happy I'm such a gentleman that I let you get decent. I could have just stayed quiet and let you stay naked," he said, kissing my nose.
"So what's that? Two times you've seen me naked? Not very fair," I pouted.
"You want to see me naked?" he cocked an eyebrow.
My cheeks burned, "Well...I...no...I was just saying..."
He laughed, "Well then. I guess you learn something new everyday."
"Oh shut up," I said again, cheeks still burning.
"Fine," he rolled his eyes, "Look I'll go get the necklace and clean up while you shower, okay?"
"Fine," I grumbled, "But hurry back; if you're not back by the time I'm done showering you're not getting anything tonight."
"I wasn't aware I was getting something tonight," his eyebrow arched again.
"You know what I mean," I said, smirking.
"Well, I'll be back soon then," he said, kissing my forehead before he disappeared.
Man, how does he do that? I shook my head slowly before I hobbled from the bathroom to my room. I went to my drawer and pulled out his shirt, a bra and those familiar black panties that somehow always seem to appear whenever Austin was around. I started towards the bathroom but my bed looked so comfortable so I decided just to go rest on it for a few minutes. But as soon as I flopped onto the comfortable mattress I knew I would not be able to get up. It was too comfortable. Like a giant marshmallow, squishy and soft.
"Mmmm," I hummed, eyes closed as I lay flat on my stomach on my bed.
I don't know how long I lay there but after a while I heard my window slide open and a snort of laughter.
"I thought you were supposed to shower," I heard Austin say.
I grunted and made a shrug motion; I was too tired to do much else.
"I got your necklace," he continued.
I grunted again and slowly sat up and saw him standing at the foot of my bed. I crawled to the edge of my bed and took the pendant and the ring he held out.
"I'm afraid the chain snapped when you Changed," he said, "And your dress...well...look at it."
He held up several bits of torn greenish blue fabric and I grimaced.
"Changing is messy business isn't it?" I said, still making a face at my torn dress.
"Just for you werewolves," he said cheerily, tossing the torn bits to the floor while I flopped back onto my back, his ring and my pendant in my hands.
"What do you mean?" I asked, "But wait, let me guess. You'll tell me tomorrow?"
"Yup," he said, sliding onto my bed next to me, "And you should really go shower; get cleaned up, relax, then you can sleep."
"You go shower first," I waved my hand, too tired to move; "I'll wait."
"I've been showering alone for the past month; I'm feeling kind of lonely in there," he teased, trailing his hand up my stomach.
I arched an eyebrow, "Is that an invitation?"
"If you want it to be...and you do want to see me naked so here's your chance," he laughed.
I growled.
"Okay, underclothes stay on," he said, poking my side, "So what do you say?"
"I say...help me get off this bed and maybe you won't feel so lonely anymore," I said, grinning.
Somehow he managed to scoop me up and carried me into the bathroom with the clothes I had picked up before. He turned around and closed his eyes while I put on the underclothes and once I finished I pulled his ripped, bloody shirt off since my claws had torn right through it.
"Somebody's eager," he commented as he slid off his socks and pants.
"You weren't the only one showering alone," I shrugged.
"Well I'd certainly hope so," he said, picking me up again, this time I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.
He carried me into the shower and turned the water on hot. I slid off of him and pushed him under the spray of water.
I felt sick when I saw the blood running off his pale chest and swirl down the drain. And my eyes nearly popped out of my skull when I saw the holes close back up slowly. He wasn't unmarked though; he had four small puckered lines going across his chest; evidence of what I did.
I felt my face crumple as I ran my fingers over the scars.
"Its fine," he assured me.
I went to protest but I knew it'd be useless, "I would ask how it healed so fast but I know you'll only tell me tomorrow."
"You're learning," he smiled before he rested his hands on the small of my back and kissed me. He pressed me against the shower wall and his hand slid down my stomach to my lower abdomen. I squirmed; body burning as I waited impatiently for him to get to the part that I really wanted him to touch.
He smirked before he slid his hand down all the way, resting it between my legs lightly. I growled at him and he pressed harder. I closed my eyes as his lips crashed against mine, his hand working against me fast and hard. I was so close, so close to finishing off but I knew I wouldn't be able to unless he was where I was so I pulled his hand away and put my hand on Clarm instead.
Austin jerked in surprise, hips arching into my hand.
"Hey," he growled at me.
"You said you wanted to spend tonight together, meaning we do things together," I reminded him, cupping my hand around him tightly.
He moaned, hips bucking, "Can't argue with that," he grunted, kissing me roughly again.
By the time we finally got out of the shower I could barely stand because I was so exhausted. I was going to put his shirt on over my underclothes but I found I wasn't cold in the least, in fact, my skin was kind of warmish and it wasn't from the shower.
"You're not putting a top on?" he asked incredulously as I stumbled into bed.
"No," I yawned, "Why?"
"Just curious," he shrugged as he slid in next to me, holding me against his chest.
"Well I'm curious about plenty of things but you won't answer any of my questions," I pouted.
"Tomorrow," he assured me, "Promise."
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" I arched an eyebrow.
He drew an X over his chest, where for some reason his heart was silent, "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Pinky swear?" I prodded, holding out my pinky.
"Pinky swear," he hooked my pinky with his.
"You swear on Van's journal you'll answer absolutely any questions I have tomorrow?" I continued.
"Yes! I swear, I promise!" he said, exasperated, "Now sleep already or else you won't be getting any answers."
I grinned, "Okay fine, and after the questions tomorrow I hope you know I fully intend on taking advantage of you being back..." I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
"Don't worry, I can't wait for that to happen, but until then rest please, you lost a lot of blood," he said, brushing my wet hair off my forehead.
I nodded and threaded my fingers through his wet hair, pulling him down to me. I kissed him gently, relishing the taste of him that I had missed so much before I pulled away, curling against his side while his hand rested on my bare skin.
"Goodnight Austin," I yawned.
"Goodnight Carmen," he said, kissing my head as he reached over me to turn off the light, plunging us in darkness.
"I love you," I whispered, eyes slipping shut as I fought against my exhaustion.
"I love you too, now sleep," he said softly and I heard the smile in his voice.
At first I struggled to stay awake, afraid if I fell asleep that I'd wake up and this would all have been a dream, that when I wake up I'd find out that I had failed, that Caleb had taken over completely.
But then Austinstarted gently massaging my back and I relaxed, letting his soothing touch lull me into a peaceful sleep.
----------
YAY! HE'S BACK! HE'S ALIVE! WOOP WOOP WOOP! BUT I CRIED IN THE BEGINING WHILLEE WRITING :'(
And yes, just like Austin said, all questions shall be answered...but next chapter! :D
So that means there is ONE more chapters left officially now; the final one :D
SQUEE!
I have the title for the third and it will be called The Shadow of the Day :) yes, it's the linkin park song but I'm naming it that because of this one scene I have planned in my head, and that scene goes with the song Shadow of the Day :)
IKNOW I MENT MINS SORRY SOMETHING HAPPENED AND BY THAT I MEAN I WAS LAZY :3 DONT HATE ME :(
SO QUESTION
"The storys about to end how do you feel??" :0
COMMENT
FAN
VOTEE
-Swaggy