Page 70 of Taste of Forever
There was only one way to bring her back.
I brought my own wrist to my fangs just as a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
“Hold on, Laith.” It was Cyan.
“Get off me.” I rolled my shoulder out of his grip. “I have to save her.”
“Her heart’s beating. Take a breath and listen. She’s still here.”
I listened intently, hoping against hope that he was right. My own heartbeat was so loud and erratic, her injuries so awful and gut-churning, that I couldn’t focus on anything else.
My ears strained, but I heard it. Fuck, her poor heart was sluggish, weak, and not moving enough blood.
“Let’s take her to the blood bank,” Cyan said. “She needs a transfusion and they have blood in storage.”
His words were reaching me. They made sense. Heather was alive and she could be saved if I hurried. I was terrified to move her and possibly injure her further, but there was no fucking way I was letting anyone else touch her.
I slid my arms under her legs and back as gently as I could. She weighed practically nothing and felt like a block of ice. Des, my best fucking friend, was ready, covering her with his jacket as soon as I secured her against my chest.
“Come on, Science Barbie.” I tried to walk smoothly so as to not jostle her. “I know it’s gonna piss you off, but I’m not letting you out of my sight again. Forget your boyfriend. I’m done sharing you with him.” My mouth brushed her cool forehead. “If you want to fight me about it, fine. But you’ve got to get better and wake up first. That’s the deal.”
Chapter 19
Laith
Heather ended up needing four pints of blood before she was considered in stable condition. It was touch and go for a while. The blood bank staff weren’t emergency surgeons, so they had to call in a human doctor who’d driven across the territory, because he only served one of the more densely human populated areas of Sanguine.
They kept her all night and promised to monitor her during the following day. I refused to leave, naturally, so I spent the day sleeping fitfully in one of their tiny sun-proofed rooms.
By dusk the following night, Heather was cleared to leave. Thorne arranged for her to be transported in an ambulance, since she was still unconscious and we didn’t have vehicles that could move her safely.
I insisted on riding along, naturally.
Rebecca was giving me discharge instructions while other staff loaded Heather into the van, but I was so exhausted and wrung out, I was only half-listening.
“Heather needs rest and good nutrition, most of all,” she said. “I know it’s difficult, but I don’t recommend feeding from her for about a week. Nor any…strenuous physical activity,” she added with a lifted brow.
“What the fuck?” I stared at her, unblinking. “You’ve known me for how long, and you think I’d make demands of my blood mate while she’s recovering?”
“I just—I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Forget I said anything. I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful.”
“No, Becks. I’m sorry.” I scrubbed my face. “I’m running on fumes and not in a jokey mood. Sorry I snapped.”
Rebecca gave me a sympathetic look. “Here.” She handed me a couple sheets of paper stapled together. “In case you forget anything.”
“Thanks.” I scanned the discharge instructions and nearly went cross-eyed at the second page. It was a list of things, some of which I vaguely recognized as human foods. “Uh, what’s this?” I showed it to Rebecca.
“That’s a chicken noodle soup recipe. It will be excellent for Heather’s recovery.” She smirked. “Show it to Tavia. She’ll help you out.”
“She better.” The amounts next to each item didn’t make any sense to me. A cup of chopped carrots? What kind of cup, like a coffee mug? “Looks like witchcraft to me.”
“The best recipes always are.” Rebecca’s smiled softened. “I know you’ll take good care of her. Call us if you need anything.”
Even though the fist around my heart had loosened since Heather was deemed stable, I knew she wasn’t completely out of the woods yet. I wouldn’t be able to take a full breath until she was awake and talking. Her coloring looked better at least, and her heartbeat sounded much stronger.
I held her hand in the ambulance just so I could feel the delicate pulse in her wrist the whole time.
Once home, I carried her straight to my room, bypassing Amy and Tavia in the kitchen with a couple glasses of wine. The two of them immediately stopped talking and openly stared, mouths agape at Heather in my arms.
