Page 39 of Shattered Vows

“It’s me.”

I still, panting hard. “Kol?”

“What the hell happened to you?” His voice booms through the dark room like a bass drum.

“The lights all went out, and I couldn’t see… I… I didn’t know it was you.”

He lets go of my arm, and with his other hand, he shifts the light on what I now realize is his phone and brings it to my face again. I squint.

“You’re bleeding.”

“What?” I touch my head where I hit the corner of the easel, and it comes away wet. When I bring my hand down in front of me, Kol points the flashlight at my fingertips, where red liquid paints my pale skin. The ground feels as though it swells up underneath me, and I sway, feeling woozy.

“Shit,” Kol says as I fall into his arms.

Kol wraps me in his arms while he stomps through the house. Of course, he knows his way even in the dark. He’s lived here his entire life.

“I’m going to get you all bloody.” I’m still lightheaded, so I don’t lift my head, even though I want to so I don’t get his shirt bloody.

“That’s the least of your concerns.” Kol sounds pissed, so I decide to shut up until we get wherever he’s taking me.

He’s quiet as he walks through the manor. I’ve never seen it this dark before, even at night. It does nothing to quell the unease I had in the conservatory.

Eventually, another bolt of lightning reveals the stained-glass lion as we walk into the north wing. I can’t help but think of the tattooed lion on the arm that’s holding me right now.

Kol bypasses my room in favor of his own, and I secretly thrill at getting to glimpse his room for the first time, even if it’s pitch black. I can’t make much out as he weaves through the room toward the bath, and once we’re inside, he gently sets me on the counter.

“Stay put,” he snaps and pulls his phone from the pocket of his pants, pressing on the flashlight.

As he riffles through the vanity drawers, the flashlight is directed down at the drawers and casts a shadow on his face, highlighting and deepening the angle of his jaw, the strong line of his nose. He appears even more intimidating than normal.

When he finally finds what he’s looking for, he slaps it on the counter beside my hip. “Let me get a better look at this. Close your eyes.”

Light shines brightly behind my eyelids. Then there’s a whooshing sound, and it gets even brighter.

“The lights are back on, but maybe you shouldn’t open your eyes, so you don’t pass out.” Once again, he sounds annoyed by my reaction to the sight of my own blood.

“I think I’m okay now that I know what to expect,” I say in a small voice.

“You sure?”

I nod and slowly open my eyes. They meet Kol’s amber hues immediately. He stands in front of me with his arms open, hands inches from each of my arms in case I sway to the side again. I glance down and find that blood has dripped onto my shirt. I swallow hard, pushing back the nauseated feeling crawling up my throat.

“You good?”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I think so.”

He nods and unpacks the first aid supplies. “Head wounds bleed a lot. It probably looks worse than it is. I won’t know until I clean you up and take a look.”

“Okay.”

Once he arranges everything like a skilled surgeon, he walks over to the linen closet and pulls out a clean washcloth, then he wets it under the faucet.

“I’ll be gentle, but this might hurt.” He brings the washcloth to my face and wipes away blood.

I close my eyes to make it easier for him and wince when he gets closer to the cut at my hairline.

“I take it the sight of blood isn’t your thing?”

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