Page 117 of To Ashes and Dust
“We’re here,” he whispered tenderly. “You’re not alone.”
Her blonde lashes lifted, just barely, just enough for her to tilt her head to see who spoke. “Lord... Damien.” she muttered, what I could only describe as pure relief washing over her face. Then she coughed, grimacing as her body tightened, and a whimper of pain left her throat.
“Yes, it’s me. How many lived here?” he asked, his voice thick.
She drew a deep, uneven breath, and tears welled in her eyes as she spoke, her voice thick. “Four...” She coughed again, and I tensed as blood dripped from her lips. I hurried over, eager to help in any way I could. We needed to get her help, get her somewhere safe.
Damien grabbed me, stopping me before I could touch her. “Don’t. Stay back.”
I jerked my gaze to him. “But—”
“It’s too late for her,” he said, his eyes locked on the woman.
I turned to look at her as she rested her head back against the wall. Her eyes found me, and realization lit them as she took in my face. A faint smile tugged at her bloodied lips.
“It’s true,” she said on a weak breath, her chest expanding with each word. “You... returned... to us.”
“I’m here.”
Her lips parted to speak again, but she tensed, her face scrunching as she clutched her stomach, a broken sound ripping from her lips. Damien pushed me back, but she eased, her head falling back against the wall again.
“What’s your name?” Thalia asked from her other side.
She sat there a moment, her breathing becoming more difficult. “Lee... Dreevas.”
Damien’s eyes wavered.
“Please...” she whimpered, her unsheathed fangs revealed by the parting of her lips.
I frowned. Please? What was she asking for? Barrett’s hesitant footsteps approached from behind until he came to a stop beside us.
She coughed again, a broken sob breaking from her throat as she looked to Damien. “Please...”
Throat bobbing, Damien’s gaze passed over her, over the wounds she’d suffered. His eyes found mine, and the agony in them sank deep into my chest. He looked at Barrett. “Get Cas home.”
I stiffened. “What? Why?”
“Please,” Lee rasped again.
My eyes snapped to her and my heart faltered. Darkness swirled in the whites of her eyes, black veins creeping around them. Her complexion had paled since we’d arrived, turning a sickly gray, and the veins beneath her skin had become visible, impossibly dark and branching down her throat, across her arms. The blood trickling from the cut above her eye was a swirl of red and black. It wasn’t too late for her because of her wounds. She’d been bitten; she was changing.
“Take her, Barrett, now,” Damien muttered once more.
Barrett hesitated. “Damien, you don’t have to do this again. I can take care of her.”
My head snapped in Barrett’s direction. Again?
“Now, Barrett,” Damien ordered before turning his gaze back to Lee. She tensed, that same painful sound breaking free of her before she eased once more against the wall.
Barrett parted his lips but didn’t speak, and his hand clasped my shoulder. “Cas,” he said lowly, but I pulled free from his grasp.
“Damien, no.” What was he going to do? Was he going to kill her?
“I don’t want you to see this.” Damien said, pulling his dagger from its sheath, his gaze remaining fixed on the dying immortal. “Please,mea luna.”
I swallowed, looking back to Lee, the darkness nearly enveloping the whites of her eyes now, the pale orbs threatening to be devoured next by the darkness taking root. She offered me a weak smile, her arm falling slack in her lap, exposing the jagged wound crossing her belly. The blood drained from my face. They’d torn her apart.
“Come on, Cas. There’s not much time,” Barrett warned, and I rose tentatively. He tugged my arm, leading me away from them as Damien shifted into a crouch, lifting his dagger.
