Page 12 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
Arielle follows the liquid running down the woman’s hands like she wants to lap it off, her restraints preventing her from eating the woman whole.
“Who is she?” I ask Thom, my heart beating faster in my chest as Arielle thrashes harder from side to side. “What is she doing?”
“She’s trying to save her,” he repeats patiently.
“She’s killing her!” I jump out of my seat, but Thom wraps his arms around me like a vice, holding me back. He’s not as strong as a vampire, but the world around me blurs, the haze of the sleeping potion still thick in my veins.
An unbidden scream tears through Arielle’s throat as the links of the chain give with a high-pitchedtink. Her body slumps on the seat like a puppet liberated from its strings, and her chest rises and falls for the first time since I woke up. A chill slams through me at the realization that all that time, she couldn’t breathe.
The witch chokes on a sniffle and rises to her feet, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, her wounded hands held close to her chest. “She needs blood. Now!”
Thom releases me, and I elbow my way past Keenan to reach Arielle. Alec switches places with me, allowing me to stand behind her and offer her my wrist while my other hand holds the headrest of her seat for balance.
Long dark hair cascades down her back as her head wobbles from side to side, her lids drooping like she’s about to pass out. A heart-wrenching mix of soot, blood, and melted skin sticks to the dark waves.
“Shh. You’re okay now.” My heart stumbles as I press my wrist deeper inside her mouth. “Drink.”
I need her to be okay. I need her to be okay. I needhertobeokay.
The tension in my spine eases when Arielle gulps the blood hungrily, and I smooth down her hair with a shaky hand.That was too close.
Alec bends in front of her and kisses her knuckles. My eyes flick to each of the others in turn, still trying to catch up. Keenan blinked out of the plane, his broad frame nowhere to be found in the cramped space.
The witch grazes the swirly tattoo evident in her cleavage before she starts stowing her equipment back inside her bag, the vicious burns on her hands somehow healed.
Thom wraps an arm around his friends’ shoulders and pecks the side of her head. “You saved her, Lana.”
I glance down to Arielle, the princess still drinking from me like I’m the last oasis in the universe, the pain in my wrist numbed by either the adrenaline or the remnants of the sleeping potion. She’s not a predator now. Sheneedsme, and I whisper words of encouragement in her ear, desperate to take her pain away.
I catch Thom staring at us, and his piercing blue gaze softens as it travels between Arielle and me. Nervous of his scrutiny, I angle my back to him to shield Arielle from view and create a bubble to give her privacy as she feeds.
Like I said. It’s complicated.
Chapter7
Abel
ALEC
The broken pieces of the cursed necklace crunch under Arielle’s heels, her lips pursed in disgust as she breathes in and out. A hint of life slowly returns to her cheeks from all the blood she just ingested, and Leo slumps in the seat behind her, his heartbeats slightly uneven.
The burns around her neck are still deep and red, and I slice off the rope holding her legs, my jaw clenched. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to set off that necklace…”
“You didn’t know,” she says patiently, a layer of ashes and cinder flaking off her neck.
I can’t forgive myself for being so sloppy, I just can’t. I need to focus on her safety and nothing else. Besides, I’m not the guy for her. I could never be King“You almost died.”
“I didn’t.”
“Still—” Our gazes cross, and I get the feeling that she’s just read my thoughts, her vulnerable gaze full of tenderness and fear. “Are you reading my mind right now?”
“Kiss me,” she slurs sheepishly, clearly a little groggy from the ritual—or the leftover sleep potion in Leo’s blood. Her hand shoots out to grab my tie, but I quickly jolt away from her grasp.
Holy shit! Did she hear me overthinking the possibility of ever becoming King? Jesus… I don’t want to be King, and we only spent one night together. Does she think that I expect her to commit to me like that because we slept together? Or did she just catch the part about me not being the guy for her?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Despite the urge to wrap myself around her, I keep my distance, suddenly fearing her incredible abilities. I don’t want to second-guess my thoughts around her or feel self-conscious of my inner musings, but how can I not?
