Chapter 57 Ch. 34.2
“What—what’s happening?”
“I can’t—” His grip tightened around her wrist, pulling her closer. “Zara, move, I’ll hurt you.”
Her mouth hung open in confusion, but no words came.
Move? Leave him? He was bleeding out, he was dying, and now he was warning her off like she was the danger.
Then another drop slid from her cheek and hit his lips again, and she swore she saw and felt that the wound under her hands was closing.
Her chest felt tight suddenly and a sharp burning sensation shot through her. She squeezed her eyes tight in pain but put herself together as quickly as she could.
“Don’t bleed near me. I can’t control it.” His voice sounded broken as he pushed himself up, holding his stomach like he was still in pain, but she could already see the blood wasn’t pouring the way it was before.
She shook her head, words stumbling out even though she was in pain herself. “I can’t leave you like this—”
“Get out!” he shouted, his chest heaving. His voice was so loud it made her flinch back.
She froze. “No, I…”
“Go!” His hand slammed into the dirt angrily.
“Ethan—”
“You don’t understand, I’ll hurt you!”
“Have you been starving yourself? Of… human blood?” she asked weakly.
His eyes squeezed shut and his head shook hard. “Get away from me before I kill you.”
Her chest constricted again, but she stayed there stubbornly. “What if I could help?”
His eyes opened, wide and horrified, like she’d just said the worst thing possible. “No. No! Don’t you dare—”
Before he could finish, she shoved her sleeve up and held her wrist out to him. Her arm shook in fear, but she kept it there.
It wasn't logical of her to do so, and she herself wasn't sure why she was so desperate to give him her blood knowing he could drain her.
Ethan's body went rigid, his face twisting in shock. His hand shot up, knocking her wrist away. “No! One more taste and I won’t stop. I’ll drain you. Do you want to die here?”
Her heart was hammering, but she lifted her chin. “I don’t care. You need it.”
He shook his head again and again, his teeth gritted. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t make me—”
His voice broke off as he stumbled up to his feet, swaying, clutching his side. He tried to move away, dragging himself across the road. He staggered like a drunk man.
Zara scrambled up and ran after him, grabbing his arm. “Ethan, stop!”
“I’m going to be fine,” he groaned, his breath uneven. “As long as you’re away from me. I can still taste you and it’s driving me crazy.”
Zara’s throat tightened. She swallowed hard. “But it’s healing you.”
His jaw clenched. “It’s not supposed to.”
Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t understand,” he growled. His eyes locked on hers, and she swore they looked almost feral. “Leave. Zara, all I can think about is tearing your throat open. Do you want that?”
Her stomach flipped but she still didn’t move back. “No. But I also don’t want you to die.”
“You’re insane. At the expense of your own life?”
Her lips trembled, but she didn’t look away. She was scared, her hands still shaking, her cheek still bleeding, but she couldn’t leave him.
His eyes shifted back to her cheek. He blinked once, and then again, as if he was trying to fight something inside him before they turned a dark blood-red as he continued staring. She froze, her breath catching, and before she could even move, he lunged forward, grabbed her roughly and sank his teeth into her neck.
The pain tore through her and she screamed, grabbing at his shoulders, trying to push him off. Her skin burned where his mouth touched, every pull of blood making her weaker.
“Ethan,” she cried, her voice cracking, but he didn’t stop.
I should have listened. I should have run when he warned me. She thought to herself, her mind becoming fuzzy as the pain became increasingly unbearable. Is this how it ends for me? Is this really how I die? Her chest was on fire, the heat spreading so fast it was hard to breathe.
The feeling she got from him burning her was more than just excruciating pain. There was something strange, something that felt like it was binding them together. It was like her body wasn’t only losing, it was also being tied to him in a way she couldn’t understand.
The burning pain in her chest flared, and she wanted to scream again but her voice broke. She could only shake, her fingers clutching his arm while her mind begged him to stop.
Then, as sudden as he started, he pulled back. His mouth was smeared with her blood, and he staggered backwards. His breathing was ragged, his hands shaking as he pressed one against his chest.
He lifted his head slowly. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. For a moment he didn’t seem to see her at all. Then his gaze caught hers, and his whole expression changed.
Confusion washed over his face, and behind it was guilt and regret because he hadn’t meant for any of that to happen. His lips parted as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. He just stared at her, his eyes full of apology at his hurt.
But more than anything else, he was confused.
She was human.
Wasn't she?