Page 1 of Diamond Queen
Chapter 1
Musty smells permeated her senses as the sensation of something liquid trickled down her hand, stirring her awake. Fluttering her eyes open, memories came rushing back. She was trapped – no, she was a prisoner.
Glancing down at her fingers, red streams of her own blood dripped onto the concrete floor. Each drop splattered, leaving traces of her behind. Panning her eyes across the uneven ground, she spotted the bracelet, or what was left of it, at her feet. She must have passed out from the pain. Sounds of whimpering from the bed snapped her back to reality.
“Jason,” she whispered into the empty room.
Flexing her wrist, she winced at the needle-like pain shooting up her forearm. Dimitra didn’t think it was broken, but all the twisting and pulling had shredded the skin of her wrist, leaving it swollen and discolored.
Easing to her feet, she padded her way to the bed to check on Jason. She had no clue how long she’d been unconscious. Reaching the bedside, she pulled the sheet off Jason’s still frame. His breaths were shallow and rapid, reminding her of the importance of getting them out of the dungeon-like room they were being held. Pressing her uninjured hand to his head, she let out a gasp when she felt how hot he was.
She needed to get him cooled down fast. The crappy cell they occupied had a sink with running water and, fortunate for her, the makeshift shower Jason had rigged. Sitting on the edge of the mattress next to him, Dimitra pressed his shoulder, trying to rouse him. Jason didn’t flinch or react – the fever was making him lethargic. She was going to have to move him to the shower on her own. Grabbing what was left of her dress, Dimitra used her teeth for ripping the fabric. Using the lightweight material as a bandage, she wrapped her wrist, giving it as much support as she could.
The only way to get him off the bed would be to use the sheet and drag him. Dimitra untucked the fabric, wrapping him in it like a burrito. Moving to the end of the bed, she gripped the material and pulled. Jason was a big guy and currently dead weight. Pushing through the pain in her arm, she managed to get half of his body off the bed. Dimitra knew he was going to hit the floor hard, she hoped the pillow she’d secured beneath his head would protect him. This had to be done – or he would die.
Dimitra gave the sheet one more tug, putting her legs into it. She fell back on her butt when his body slid entirely to the floor with a thud.
Scrambling to his prone body, Dimitra checked him over as best she could. He didn’t seem to be any more injured than he already was, but the wound on his belly had begun to bleed again.
Scrambling to her knees, Dimitra stood and grabbed the sheet again. She needed to get him under the cold water fast. The short distance from the bed to the shower left her heaving breaths. Finagling his body, she got him in the stall, supporting him against her chest as she leaned against the rocky wall.
It wasn’t a typical shower. Instead, it was an alcove in the cave-like prison with a hose strung over a low hanging rock that jutted out of the wall. Stretching her arms, she managed to turn on the water, Dimitra sucked in a lung full of air. The water was like ice hitting her skin as it sprayed from the hose nozzle. Grabbing the rubber tube, she pulled the hose from the wall. Peeling the sheet from his body, Dimitra pulled the bandage off and exposed the gangly looking cut.
“I’m sorry, Jason. This is going to be cold, but I need to wash you off.” She spoke as though he was coherent and understood. Water spilled over his body, droplets rolling down his sculpted abs. Dimitra ran her hand over the wound, flushing the debris out with the stream of water. She allowed the water to flow over his arms, shoulders, legs, and stomach, praying it would lower his temperature. Saving his head for last, Dimitra shielded his eyes with her hand and ran the water through his short-cropped hair. His sudden gasp startled her, causing her to drop the hose.
Chapter 2
“Where am I?” He mumbled, his body stiffening against her.
“You were stabbed, and you’ve been unconscious for several days. I needed to get your temperature down.”
“You… You dragged me here?” His teeth chattered as he spoke.
“Look. I need to get you back to the bed before you go into shock again. Do you think you can help me get you there?”
“I… I can try.” His body was languid as he sat forward, wincing through the pain.
Dimitra eased out from behind him and stood. Her dress was soaked through, leaving very little to the imagination.
Leaning over, she slipped an arm under Jason’s, “You ready to try and stand?”
Nodding, he used her as a crutch and stood. His head was woozy, causing him to reach out and press his palm flat against the wall.
“You good?” Dimitra waited, holding him up.
“I think so,” Jason swallowed. Shuffling his feet one at a time, he was able to slowly move toward the bed with her help.
Dimitra laid him down on the bare mattress, “I’ll grab another cover.” Turning away from him, she pulled the only other blanket they had off the floor. When she turned around, she realized he’d fallen back asleep.
Covering him up, she was relieved to feel his body temperature was closer to normal. Stepping back from the bed, she kept her eyes on him. She needed to get out of her wet things and then apply a new bandage on him.
Slipping the wet remnants of her dress off, she stood in just her bra and panties. She scoured the room for her clothes, finding that someone had taken them.
“Shit,” she muttered out loud, “Guess I’ll have to hang dry this.” She snatched the torn dress from the floor and draped it over the table after ringing out the excess water. Running her fingers through her wet hair, she squeezed the droplets from her tresses.
Glancing back at Jason, she sighed, relieved he was out still and didn’t see her half-naked. Grabbing the discarded sheet from the floor, she tore at the seam, splitting the material in two. Running the fabric beneath the water, she tried to wash as much dirt from it as possible. Once she was satisfied, she quietly walked back to the bed. Jason’s breathing was more even now that the fever had broken. Tugging the blanket back, she wiped up the blood that seeped into the material and onto the bed. Wrapping the make-shift bandage around his waist, she tied it off near the cut – hoping it would stop the bleeding.
She couldn’t help admiring his body as he laid there. His chest was cut to perfection, the muscles tensing with every breath. A tattoo of an eagle covered both pecs, the wings disappearing over his shoulders.
