Page 1 of Kiss of Ruin (Brutal Empire)

ChapterOne

Scarlett

Darkness.

Darkness sits oppressively on my chest. The weight of it making it hard to breathe. Light begins to seep through my eyelids, and I realize there are unfamiliar sounds around me. I try to think and remember what was going on.

Spotty images fill my mind. Being cold and trapped in the dark. The moonlight overhead as I run through the grass to Nico.

Nico’s eyes as I rushed toward him. Eyes that flared with terror when I collapsed into his arms.

“Nico.” My eyes pop open at the same time I realize there’s no power behind my words. No urgency.

It’s a mere whisper of sound. Bright lights fill my vision. Everything before me blurry. I try to focus on the thing closest to me.

“Scarlett?” There’s movement next to me and something touches my hand. I try to grab it back, but pain shoots up my arm as blinding as a lightning bolt. “Don’t try to move. I’ll get the doctor.”

My mind begins to focus, and I realize it’s Sofia’s voice talking to me. Her voice is different. More strained and scratchy. I hadn’t heard her sound like that since she got into a screaming match with some guy at a bar years ago.

I close my eyes for a moment and try again. This time, the room doesn’t seem as bright and slowly the things closest to me come into focus. My eyes dart around the room. Nico has to be here somewhere. He has to.

I don’t find him in any corner of the small room. There must be some kind of mistake. He might have simply stepped out to get some fresh air. There’s no way that he would leave me.

Sofia’s hand is on mine and she’s holding, what looks like a remote in the other hand.

“Sof…” This time my voice is louder.

“Oh, Scar.” She brings my hand up to her lips. My vision clears a bit more, with it comes an awareness of the pain reverberating throughout out my body. The more I returned to consciousness the worse it becomes.

My throat and lips feel like the Sahara on a relentless summer day. “Hur…” I lick my lips and try again. “Hurts.”

“I know, sweetie. I know. I called for the nurses.”

“Nurses?” Where was I? Where was Nico?

The pain grows. It’s like not a single inch of my body escaped unscathed from whatever happened to me. The memories were there, but I couldn’t bring them to the surface. Each second that passes feels like forever, as the pain becomes excruciating. It stills my breath.

A low beep near my head grows louder. I hadn’t noticed it before. Now that I have, the sound grates my already frazzled nerves. Tears build in my eyes, blurring my vision once more.

“Make it stop.”

Sofia rubs her thumb along the back of my hand. “They’re coming.”

The door opens, as if Sofia’s words brought them here.

“Hello, Mrs. Romero. I’m glad to see you awake.”

My face scrunches as I fight off another wave of pain. “Pain,” I manage to force out through gritted teeth.

“I have another nurse bringing you some pain medication. We kept the dose light while you were unconscious, but we can up the dose for you now.”

A male nurse walks in and takes hold of the bag, that I notice is connected to an IV in my other hand. He inserts the needle into the plastic bottom of the bag. “That should take effect soon.”

He nods at the female nurse standing next to my bed and she says. “Can you let Mrs. Romero’s surgeon know that she’s awake?”

“Yeah.” The male nurse says before he leaves the room.

I can’t think straight. Can’t focus on anything. The nurse and Sofia are talking, the sound is all around me. I do my best to tune them out, which becomes easier as the pain eases.

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