CHAPTER 43: The Burning

CHAPTER 43: The Burning
ARIA
My lips part in immediate response to his, and a shudder runs through me, from the base of my spine to the tips of my fingers as I inhale and take his scent in, making my head swim in pleasure and something so sinful that it hurts.
I kiss him back. My mouth opens willingly, and the moment his tongue touches mine, my breath hitches.
I haven't kissed anyone like this, no man has ever kissed me like this.
His fingers dig into the base of my scalp, making me moan as his tongue slides in my mouth and makes me forget my words, forget my anger. It's not sweet or nice. He's devouring my mouth.
And I'm—I can't stop. I'm kissing him back. I can't get enough. 
Until he pulls away from me, slowly breaking away from my lips.
I gasp, breathlessly.
His dark gaze holds mine.
My lips feel bruised and swollen, and my heart beats wildly inside my chest, like it wants to break free.
His thumb brushes my cheek, his hand still on me, as he stares into my eyes.
And just like that, I've forgotten everything that I was going to say.
"I'll take you home," he tells me, and I can feel his words on my mouth. 
I stare up at him, eyes wide and dazed, barely managing to whisper, "You will?" 
"Yes."
I nod, still dazed, my body still in shock at what he had just done to me. His hand slides away from me, and he stands up, and my eyes follow him.
"Come on." He extends his hand to me.
My eyes narrow onto his hand for a few moments, not really understanding what's going on. But I take it anyway, I place my hand in his and rise up from the bed. 
He leads me out of the bedroom, one I haven't been out of just yet. The hallway is wide and quiet with large windows on each side. We pass several closed doors before reaching the staircase.
"Careful," Lucian warns as I step down. 
But suddenly, all of the pain, the ache—it's all gone. It feels like a wave of energy rushes through me, taking over, and suddenly I can breathe again without it hurting. I can move my limbs, and it doesn't feel like torture.
I pause and glance at him.
And he is staring back at me.
Without hesitation, I step down the stairs, following him till we reach the door at the front. He opens it, and the cold night air hits my skin, and I shudder. 
It feels good. 
So good.
"Wait," Lucian says to me before stepping out the door first. "You're certain you want to leave?"
"Yes," I answer, almost breathlessly.
"Alright." 
We get into the car parked right outside his front door, and the engine starts before he begins to take me back. It doesn't take long before I'm home and suddenly away from him.
"Feeling better?" Ally asks as she wraps her arms around me.
"Uh-huh. So, so much better." I answer. I really feel better. It's like everything is back to the way it should be.
Yet, I still can't feel her. 
My wolf. 
"Where's Henry?" 
"Oh, he just fell asleep an hour ago." She tells me as we walk into the house. "I tried waking him up to ask about dinner, and all I heard was him mumbling for me to shut up."
A small smile tugs at my lips. "He is tired. It's alright. I'll see him in the morning." 
We both sit down close to the fireplace. From the look of it, Darius isn't here yet. Perhaps he's still at the pack house or working. 
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ally asks me, a little worry on her face. "About what happened?"
I lick my lips before responding, "What did Darius say happened?"
"Well, he did tell me that you were taken by one of the members of the council and that they hurt you." 
Until now, I hadn't even heard it out loud yet. 
"That's true."
I can see her wince.
"It's fine now," I tell her, wanting to reassure her that I am alright. I'm here and alive. "They tried. But they failed, and—what happened to him? That person who took me?"
Ally shrugs at my question. "Darius just said he's been taken care of."
Taken care of. 
"What does that mean?"
"Probably banished, or something else. I'll ask him if you want me to." She suggests.
"Yeah, if you can." I respond.
We talk for another half hour before I head into my room, and look for my phone that I haven't seen in two days. Once I find it, I get back to Mara, who has called me over a hundred times. 
I don't tell her everything. Just that something happened, and made me fall ill.
Getting her worried two days after she left isn't my goal. If she had any idea, she wouldn't leave, and even if she'd leave, she'd force me to come with her back to the Hounds, where I would be safer. But that's a life I no longer fully belong to. And I can't have that.
I barely finish sending the message when a strange wave of warmth rushes through me and surges straight to my head. I stumble back a little in my room, trying to find the bed before sitting on it. But it doesn't stop there.
Following the wave, a heat, a fire, ignites inside my body and burns me in a way that makes me gasp for breath and makes me want to tear away my clothes. 
My vision blurs. 
It burns and burns to the point that I feel it straight in my throat—the fire. 
I double over the bed, clutching my stomach, before a loud groan leaves my mouth. Before I know it, I cough and something splatters out of my mouth. Something red.
Blood.
Thick, and crimson.
And it's mine.