Page 104 of Crimson Promises
Aurora's face softened. A small smile played on her lips, an expression of relief and triumph. She opened her eyes, and they shone with a light that mirrored the energy emanating from her hands.
She was doing it; she was healing a wound inflicted by demon poison. No wonder Lucifer wants her powers for himself.
I focused on Aurora. She was magnificent. And it settled deep into my gut how unworthy I was of her.
The rawness and throbbing ebbed away, replaced by a comforting numbness. Beneath my fingers, the once jagged and torn flesh began to feel smooth and whole but remained tender.
Her eyes flitted open to meet my gaze. I should be embarrassed for being caught staring at her, but I’m not. A smile stretched across her face. “I did it,” she whispered.
“You did,” I said. I couldn't help mirroring Aurora's smile. I leaned over to study her handiwork. The flesh was pink, and angry edges were still carved along my abdomen. “I can’t believe you can cure demon poison.”
“I can’t either,” she said incredulously. She turned her hands one way and then the other.
“Thank you for saving my life,” I beamed at her. I meant it. She could have left me here, but she used her gifts to try and save me. A voice urged me to cover my hands with her and pull her in, but I didn’t. We can’t be that. Not now, not ever.
“You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do after you saved mine a bunch of times. We should get you back to your place. You need some rest.” She stood and ran her hands on her thighs, scrubbing off the violet blood she got when attending to my wound.
“I can manage from here.”
Aurora looks at me pointedly. “I’m going to walk you back to your place, and I don’t want to hear about it otherwise.” She held her hands out to me. “Let’s get you up slowly then. Throw your weight onto my palms. Try not to contract your core if you can avoid it.”
I follow her instructions. “Really, I’m good, Aurora.”
“Look, it’s your job to protect me and watch over me blah blah blah, whatever else you say when you tend to go on your rant about my safety. Consider it this way: you are keeping a direct eye on me by letting me take you home. I could be off getting into other mischief, and you couldn’t fly after me while you’re in this condition.”
“Fair enough.” Couldn’t argue with that logic. Plus, stretching out on my carnivorous bed sounded glorious.
She reached for my arm and placed it over her shoulder.
Reluctantly, I leaned my weight into hers. Aurora stumbled a step but then caught herself. We took slow, measured steps reversing the direction we had entered from.
Aurora was the first to break the silence. “So, you have purple blood?”
I snorted at the obvious statement. “I do.”
“Why don’t I?”
“Never given it much thought before, but I think because of your status as adimidium, there is half of you that remains mortal. It’s why I think your blood remains red.”
“If I decide that I no longer want to remain human, do you think my blood would change color?”
My heart galloped at the thought of her embracing her angelic nature and having a longer lifespan, the same as me.
“Everything that comes to you is guesses at this point. I’ll do some research and see if I can get some more answers.” There had to be more information out there. The Sublime Nocturne popped into my mind.
“It sucks feeling like your entire future is ambiguous with too many uncertainties and even fewer answers.”
“You keep pushing me away, but I’m here to help guide and protect you to the best of my ability.”
“Of course, your job,” she said.
I glanced at her through my peripheral vision. She was gnawing on her bottom lip.
“Do you get paid for looking after me?”
I nearly choked on my saliva. Of all the questions I thought Aurora would ask, I never anticipated that one.
“No, it doesn’t work like that. Throughout my time on earth, I’ve invested well in various currencies. Money isn’t something I have to really worry about here.”
