Page 81 of Even Vampires Bleed
I feel like this is going to hurt.
40
Léandre
Ibarely have time to finish getting naked when I hear a scream.
I throw all my clothes over the edge of the jet and jump. Without waiting to reach the trees, I shift completely. I’m faster in my bird form than in my angel form, and if Cassiopé is screaming, I need to get to her as fast as I can.
I dodge every branch on my way, until I reach Cassiopé.
She’s not screaming anymore, but I can hear her—almost—silent cry.
I don’t know where it comes from, but I have the sudden urge to protect her.
But I don’t really know how to do that.
The part of the forest she got stuck in is dense, and I’m not sure there was room for a full human in the first place—and that’s probably why she ended up the way she is—so shifting might be a problem.
I fly around her and try to assess the damage.
When I fly to her, I realize why she screamed.
One branch pierced the top of her left wing right under the bone, and she’s now dangling from it.
Well, not completely dangling—the trees are so packed together that she’s standing on a branch of the nearest tree. Still, she can’t manage to get out of the precarious position.
At least the bone didn’t break.
Can I shift to get her out of her position?
I’m not completely sure, but I’ll have to try, anyway.
I can see only two ways for it to go for Cassiopé if I don’t. She’ll either need to break her wing bone, or she’ll face plant onto another branch.
Slowly, I move around and perch on a nearing branch. I can’t land on the one she’s standing on or it might break under our combined weight.
When I’ve found the right one, I stop for a second and look at her. Her face is scrunched up in pain. I’m not surprised, but she’s not crying.
“You’re so strong,” I tell her once I’ve shifted. I’m not going to shift into my angel form, as I don’t want to end up like her.
“Stay with me,” I add when I see that her head is slightly drooping. She must have lost a lot of blood before I arrived. I can see the branches right under us, and they’re covered in blood, but I’m sure there’s more that I can’t see because of how dense the forest is.
I grab her waist with an arm and hurry to break the branch piercing her wing. She sags against me as if she has no strength left. I tuck her against my side, making sure the branch isn’t in the way, and then I break the branch on the side that is sticking out of her.
She barely grunts at each of my moves, but I can see the tears slowly sliding against her cheeks. I don’t think she can control those.
“I’m gonna have to leave it inside for now,” I tell her as I make sure she’s all settled against me in a way that isn’t hurting her more. “Can you shift the other wing in?”
I figure it will be easier if I only have to be careful of one wing.
She only shakes her head, and I realize she’s in so much pain that she can’t even talk.
Okay, we’ll have to manage this way.
Slowly and without making any sudden movements, I start to get down from the trees, one branch at a time.
It’s fastidious to do it with only one arm, but I don’t dare make a move that would hurt Cassiopé more.
