84. She Just Died
Damian's POV
"Sh-she killed them?"
I looked away from her blue eyes that were sparkling for an entirely different reason than happiness.
"I can't say for sure." I replied, shaking my head because I didn't want to lie to her. But I actually didn't know if Onyx had killed her parents, so it wasn't like I was. Everything was a blur at this point. But if I should give into intuition...
Her thick lashes fluttered as she blinked away the tears lining them. As messed up as she is, I do feel sorry for her. I have no clue if she has any other family—anyone for her to go home to. Even though she has a pack, it wouldn't be enough. And to add to that, I didn't want to rub salt in the wound by telling her she had to leave soon. With her being here for a while and Ace having a hard time not coming up here and ripping her from limb to limb, it was something she needed to know. But it can wait a day or two.
I grabbed the cane I'd leaned against the side of her bed and let it hold all my weight as I got up. I bit back the loud curse on the tip of my tongue at the sharp pain that radiated throughout my torso and up my left leg as I stood.
"Why do you keep coming up here if you're in pain?" Her soft voice carried to my ears.
My eyes opened and I let out the breath I'd been holding as I stared down at her, "I know I can't do much right now, but I'm the only one stopping Ace from coming up here and killing you."
She's been on bed rest for a week now, even though she'd been one of the people Karen healed during the attack. I still had no clue what to call it really. But since then, she'd been moved to the wing of the house, farthest away from Ace. No one told him where she was, but he can still pick up her scent and find her if he gave into his urges. And considering what's been going on right now with everyone, he was trying his hardest not to.
Even though Karen healed her, it wasn't enough to give her the energy she needed to get back up on her feet... or the witch just didn't want to give her the strength. I know Karen, along with everyone else who knows what this girl and her family did to Onyx, haven't been very welcoming to her, which is understandable. But they tolerate her presence a lot more seeing as she's far away from everyone else and had given me the information I needed to know where that leech had brought the women.
I'm sure she has at most the next week and she has to be out. And I don't plan on stopping her.
Cassandra's lips pulled up into a small smile, "Yes. That." She placed her arms on the bed and started pushing herself up. I could see her arms shaking slightly but I didn't do anything to help. I could hardly move a limb without feeling like I'm gonna collapse from pain, so it was best for both of us that I didn't. "That I understand." She huffed when she was finally leaning against the headboard, and rested her head back against it, breathing heavily. "I'd be... out of your hair if it wasn't taking forever for my limbs to feel like they're actually a part of my body."
My wolf stirred in disagreement at the thought of me letting her go, but I pushed him down. My mind was set.
"Is there anyone else..." I started hesitantly.
She turned her head to me lazily in such a way that it was almost comical. I couldn't hold back my smile, and her own widened. She turned away again.
"Not really," was her response, before she added a lot lower, "Just her." It was quiet for a beat before she sighed. She lifted her hands briefly and dropped them back on her lap, smoothing out the yellow blanket beneath her fingers, "But I don't plan on staying, or guilt tripping anyone into making me stay." She turned back to me with a smile, "You have nothing to worry about. I've always liked the east. London, Egypt, maybe Asia."
My eyes narrowed playfully, "Are you trying to manipulate me with fancy places?"
She was grinning now. A small laugh left her, and it lit up the dark room. "No," she turned away again, smiling widely, "Been wanting to travel for a long time."
I smiled, "Do it."
Her body relaxed into the headboard, "I plan to." Her eyes started to droop slowly.
"You good for a while?" I asked lowly, not wanting to startle her in her current state. She hummed lowly.
I stood there until her breathing evened out and the sound of her low snores started to fill the room.
Only she would sit upright before going to sleep, I shook my head and let out a chuckle.
I breathed heavily when I turned and started to leave, gritting my teeth as the pain shot through me. It's been a week, and while it's not worse than how I felt four days ago, it was still very painful. Every time I took a step, or even moved a muscle, I could basically feel the outline of the large claw marks across my torso. Ace's never left a scar, but I'm more than sure hers would, cause it definitely feels like it.
It was something we've been talking about and theorizing. She's a lot stronger than Ace, therefore, a lot more damage would be done. Not to mention her magic was involved so I'm happy I'm alive to begin with. Something that reminded me that I plan to take Dante out to Chuck-E-Cheese or something when I can move without wanting to crumble.
The second I stepped outside the room, I leaned against the wall heavily, my breathing coming out shallow as I held back from shouting in agony.
"She owes me big time," I gritted, leaning away from the wall.
I knew if Karen saw me right now she'd kick my cane away out of spite. Well not really, but she has been badgering me to stay in bed. It takes me a while to get to where I need to be because of my current condition, but I'm stubborn. I always have been. I know she'll keep me frozen to the bed, which is why I wait until I know she's nowhere around me, to get up and do or get whatever I need. There was someone sent to my room days ago to help me around but I've been stealth. Or I just threaten her, whichever happens when she tries to get me to sit or lay down. I hate waiting on people.
Sometimes I feel like Karen's allowing me to inflict pain on myself. After the first couple of times, it's like she's never around me, which is odd. That's how I know she's doing it on purpose, because she goes around and check on everyone who're injured, a couple times a day. She likes doing that. Wouldn't be surprised if she was following me right now.
"How's it going?"
I sighed, but let out an incredulous laugh at the irony of it all. "Do you always follow me when I leave my room?" I retorted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand went up to her hair to push back her dark curls from her forehead, "And they say there's no such thing as a stupid question," I couldn't help my grin, "Of course, I do. Who's gonna catch you when your legs give out?"
My response was an amused chuckle and a shake of my head. A cramp ran up the side of my neck and I grimaced.
"Are you going to let me help you?" She leaned forward, peering at my face through my curtain of brown hair that had grown out in the past weeks.
I shrugged as much as I can, "I can manage." But it came out sounding a lot more painful because I put too much pressure on my bad leg.
"Y'know, you'd feel a lot less pain and move faster in a wheelchair. And it would be much less worrisome on my part." She suggests for what feels like the thousandth time, "Since you don't want me to help you."
"I understand you feel that you need to take care of everyone, Karen, but I'm fine. I know how to get around."
"Okay," she drawled, holding up your hands defensively, "If you say so."
I was about to thank her when I felt her arm looping around mine as she said, "Let me just... burrow this for a second." Most of the pain that was radiating my body, eased away, making it easier for me to walk. It felt like she was holding me up even though her arm was just wrapped around mine. Like I was floating.
"Karen." I sighed.
"Oh come on, what's the problem? You feel better don't you?" I turned to look at her and she met my eyes, "I'll let you get back to wallowing in agony when you get to your room, I promise." She smiled.
I shook my head, letting out a huff, but I wasn't angry. More relieved than anything. Now I can talk without focusing on how uncomfortable I was in my own body at the moment.
"How does it feel?" I asked, getting lost in her eyes.
They were different now since she got all her power back. The only color other than white was the thin dark ring around her irises. It wasn't as creepy as her former look, but it still unsettled me. It was something else that was going to take a while for me to get used to.
Doesn't change the fact that I am happy for her. Everyone knows that she hasn't been very happy for a long time. And now, seeing how much she's changed in the past week, we can all say it's because a part of her was always missing, along with her losing the man she loved.
Her smile grew wider, "Amazing." I smiled when she looked away with a happy sigh. She was like a schoolgirl that fell in love for the first time. It's been mind boggling for all of us. "A bit overwhelming, but... great. I remember when I couldn't manage all this power; that I had to give it up. Marquise didn't know," I gathered that was Christos since that's what she called him a number of times, "He thought that it was just a spell to minimize the amount of magic I use, but it was a lot more than that. It cost me a part of myself that was left empty for a long time—hollow."
"Of course, after I had my boys, it was... better. They did take some of what was left of my power. Everyone else saw this powerful woman who could snap their neck with one look, but..." Her head shook, "I felt useless, with knowing what I was before. I was still powerful, just not to the extent I used to be. And now... you have no idea what I can do with all of it."
"I envision a portal to another dimension, or a blackhole that can suck the earth in?" I added playfully.
Her head turned to me and she shrugged, "Or a thousand."
I shook my head, "I'm not surprised. I always thought you could do that."
She hummed and drawled, "Well, not a thousand of each... at the same time."
I grinned and she laughed, patting my arm gently. This side of her was a lot more approachable, which was a bit ironic. It's usually the opposite when someone has an immense amount of power.
She led us to the elevator, and a comfortable silence fell over us along the way. I was enjoying the dull ache that was left from the pain I was feeling and trying to savor it. That and the quietness and empty halls.
A while later, Karen said, "If you're trying to let her go, I wouldn't recommend spending every waking hour at the side of her bed." We'd stopped at the elevator when she decided to speak again. It was one of the things that were fixed first after Ace got the construction team working.
I didn't respond to her statement for a moment. I wasn't really ready for this conversation.
But when I did, the metallic doors of the elevator had parted and we were already on our way down. "I don't plan on not letting her go so it doesn't matter how much time I spend with her."
"Are you sure about that?"
"More than positive."
We got off on the fourth floor, where most of the small population of wolves that were required to come back were. Most of which were doctors, nurses, helpers, chefs, etc. They came back along with some people who still needed immediate treatment. Most of the floor was designed into that of a hospital with only a couple rooms to seclude some people. Karen took me to the master one. Apparently, this is where I'm staying, then.
I groaned when she opened the door and the familiar redhead rushed toward me. The second she wrapped an arm around my back and held my bicep, Karen let me go, and a sharp sound left me as I staggered, getting hit full-on by the pain once again.
"Please just take your medication." Her voice was small and soothing, but it wasn't enough to ease what I was feeling. The fiery-haired woman was pleading with me now. It's not the first time she's had to. She stopped suggesting that Karen healed me after I went off on her two days ago.
My hand squeezed around the top of my cane as I let her lead my over to the couches gathered together across the room close to the window.
"Do you have it?" I gritted. It felt like someone was lighting fire in my wounds.
Her head bobbed quickly, making her heavy curls bounce with the motion. "Of course." She reached into the pocket of her scrubs and took out a small prescription bottle. I sighed heavily. I never thought I'd be so happy to see that bottle.
To try and lighten the mood, I let out an amused breath as I watched her hands move quickly to get rid of the cap, "You just walk around with them?"
Her head snapped up and she stared at we wordlessly for a second, "W-well, yes. I... always hoped you'd change your mind about taking them."
I could understand why she was flustered. Normally I'd be snapping at her to get away from me whenever she rushed to my side even if my finger twitched. I've been an ass to her because I hate feeling helpless—like I have to depend on something or someone. It's how I've always been.
"Today's your lucky day then," I grunted when I lifted my hand for her to drop the pills in my palm.
But she placed her hand on mine and lowered it back to my lap gently. My eyebrows furrowed when she lifted her hand to my mouth.
"Well, you're the only person I'm assigned, so I have to do it right."
My lips parted and she placed both of them in my mouth. Then she jumped up, "Water. I'll get you that." She held her hands up briefly before hurrying across the room. There was a small refrigerator pushed against the wall over there.
I swallowed them before she even got there.
My eyes strayed to the two beds in the room. This was a spacious room that fit two king sized beds. There was only one at first, but Karen had... rearranged everything. She thought it wise to have Calixe and Christos in a room together. The two have been getting along—surprisingly. Not that they could do anything else. Karen was the one who took care of them and she was making the process mighty slow. Her reason was because she wanted them to sort out their differences.
She could heal them with one touch but knew if she did that, there would be a chance that the two would go at each other the second one of them could move. I think they're the only two people who really wanted to be healed who Karen refused. What I like is that she gave everyone a choice. She asked if it would be okay for her to heal the person and if they didn't want it, she lets them get better naturally.
Christos had a couple broken bones here and there and a huge claw wound running down his bare chest that was covered by a huge gauze and wrap. I think that was the only thing giving him an unbearable time. Calixe on the other hand, got his skull cracked, with a couple ribs and a deep cut on his back. He tries his hardest not to show his discomfort, but he can't hide it all. The injuries for both men were enough to keep them in their separate beds and unable to move very far. So, if they wanted to hurt each other anymore, they'd do it with words.
And to be honest, they needed the rest. All of us need some time on bed rest, so I'd say Karen's doing what's best.
The two men weren't best friends per say, but by now they've crafted the art of being civilized, so I'd say they've settled most of their problems. Somewhat.
I watched Karen lean over and give her husband a kiss after checking his injuries, then rolling her eyes when there was a low whistle, and then, "My turn."
Christos started shouting after that, seeming to be in pain somehow.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" He shouted into the ceiling, letting out a painful laugh. He sagged against the bedding a moment later, breathing heavily and muttered, "Damn, no one knows how to joke around here."
The redhead finally came back with a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and lifting it to my lips. I bit back a harsh response to her coddling and just drank it. I ended up downing most of the bottle and thanked her in a low grumble.
She went to kneel by my feet and try to surround me with cushions. I shook my head at her before she even started, "Get up off the floor, lady."
Slowly, she did, stuttering wordlessly. I cut her off, shaking my head again and nod to the spot next to me, "Sit." That she did without another word.
Karen started talking and I glanced over at them again. She'd turned her attention to Christos's wounds when she retorted, "Do you know what your son did?"
"What?" Both men asked at the same time. Christos was more anxious than Calixe's lazy reply. The vampire gets a lot more jumpy when the topic of Theo comes up. He probably doesn't even know if it's about Theo. He keeps forgetting that Karen has two sons.
It went quiet for a moment but I caught the way both men eyed each other immediately after. Karen continued, however, without a second thought.
"He fed from Anna," she spat, her hands started moving a bit aggressively.
Christos winced away, "Easy."
Calixe sighed, "Love, we've been over this."
Karen shook her head, a scowl plastered on her face, "The second she wakes up, I slit her throat and let her drown in her own blood and he gets to watch his genitals get eaten by a-"
"Karen." Calixe cut his wife's threats short with a disapproving tone.
Christos on the other hand shouted, "What?!"
Ah, this story. She's been complaining to me about it since the second I opened my eyes from my deep sleep a couple days ago. I've tried letting her know it's not such a bad thing but I've gotten some deadly looks which urged me to just listen and keep my thoughts to myself. And it seems, the topic becomes more sensitive every time it's brought up, since her threats get a lot more violent each time around.
"Wait," Christos laughed anxiously, flinching slightly when Karen poked at somewhere around his ribs a little harshly as she's unwrapping the material around his torso, "I'm gonna skip to asking: he's never drank from anyone?" In response, Karen cocked her head to the side unapologetically. Christos laughed again—incredulous this time—and exclaimed, "B-but that's ridiculous! He's half vampire for crying out loud-"
"As he is half witch," She cut him off with a glare, "and we take our liquids in a glass."
"So what?" Christos retorts, making it clear it wasn't an actual question when he kept talking, "He's supposed to take blood in a bag or fancy mug for the rest of his life? That's disgusting, Karen."
I tilted my head slightly to my right, "Quit staring at me." I muttered to the woman. I held back a smile when she audibly stopped breathing then turned her head away quickly.
I'd always catch her staring at me, and while it should be creepy, it wasn't. I knew she was just like that because she wanted to be prepared incase something happened or I need help.
"What's disgusting is being at such a young age and exchanging in something so intimate. Most won't consider it that but I do," she explains, placing a hand over his chest. I watched a fresh supply of large gauze switch the stained one. "Ironic as it may seem, I do want wants best for my children and I teach them to respect their bodies and others; to wait."
"Oh, don't tell me you're feeding them crap like marriage before sex." Christos was staring at her blankly.
From here, I saw Calixe mouthing something into the ceiling and shaking his head.
Karen's pale eyes narrowed on her baby father as she leaned over him slowly. I could feel her anger pulsating through the room and I pressed back into the couch eyeing the two.
"Call me a hypocrite all you want. I could not care less. I don't give a damn what anybody else wants to do with their bodies at whatever sickening age, but my children will not fall down whatever rabbit hole the rest has. Let them hop around as carelessly and cluelessly as they like and tell themselves that they're happy, but let me tell you this," she paused and the temperature in the room dropped. A chill crept into the air, causing me to shiver. When she spoke it was low and promising, "Christos Marquise Slovac, if my son's views and beliefs are skewed or has shifted, and I find out you have anything to do with it... you'll be answering to me."
Christos was quiet for a prolonged moment. When he finally opened his mouth, what came out of it was hardly comprehensible at first with all his stuttering. But I heard him mutter, "Still think you're blowing things out of proportion."
"Yeah," Calixed drawled. When I looked over at him, there was a smile tugging at his lips as he stared at the ceiling, "It's sad I'm used to it."
Karen stood up swiftly a second later, her eyes glowing white. Her lips twitched slightly, "Well all my fun just got snatched away."
There was a sharp stinging feeling in my chest briefly. I knew exactly what it was.
I hardly heard Christos questioning her about her statement before I was standing. I brushed off the young woman's hand that wrapped around my bicep lightly—trying to help me up. I didn't need help right now.
"She just died."