Page 18 of Love Bites
Disappointment wrapped its tendrils around her broken heart and crushed the pieces together, causing her to clutch her chest and struggle for breath. Lights flashed behind her eyelids then darkness.
She was drowning in the darkness of her tears. Her lungs exploded, cried out for air, but what she breathed was thick and unsatisfactory. Panic set in, causing her to wheeze and choke on her sobs.
There was no comfort. None in her ex-fiancé, in her family, in this country.
There was nothing and no one to make her feel better.
9
Ignacio had spent a few days at Antonio’s house, heaving and sweating the disgusting human food from his system. He was a puddle of sweat, but at Antonio’s request, he left the house for sustenance. He’d founded a willing donor, drank his fill and hidden himself back in the house.
Many times, Antonio had suggested drinking from a woman during sex, considering heated blood during coitus was heightened in nutrients. Antonio claimed it would have had Ignacio back on his feet in minutes. But Ignacio couldn’t. Not now that he knew his Soul Mate. If he slept with another, it would be as if he were betraying her.
And, oh, how he longed for her. It had been too long, and the gap in his heart could only be filled with her presence. It took all he had not to run straight to her hotel when he was back on his feet.
Antonio had convinced him to calm down, lest he freak her out. Tonight, he’d dragged Ignacio out to the bar they usually frequented. With a heavy heart, he followed his young friend down the dark streets.
They slipped around the corner, heading in the direction of the bar. He passed a dark alleyway and felt the pain before he heard it.
Darkness filled his heart then suffocating pressure descended around him. He clutched at his chest, nearly losing his balance.
“You okay?” Antonio went to steady him.
Ignacio pushed him away when he heard it. A gut-wrenching sound that tore at his insides.
Sobbing.
He turned to the alleyway where the sobs came from, and he recognized the person behind them. The sound matched the hurt in his heart.
Ignoring Antonio’s calls, he rushed into the alleyway, gasping and struggling for breath as he did so. Fear tugged at his heart as he realized this familiar feeling, as he felt the emotions and turmoil that weren’t his.
It had only happened once before, and this time was much worse.
He found Katheryn in the alley, huddled on the ground in the darkness. Her sobs filled the air. Her shoulders shook violently. She was so wretched, crying into her knees that she didn’t even notice Ignacio standing in front of her.
His heart clenched. An unrecognizable anger overpowered all other emotions. But above his anger was worry at the sight of her. Who had hurt her like this?
“Katheryn?” he whispered.
She jerked up her head to stare at him with tear-filled eyes. But, the sight of him had her eyes swimming with more tears. She choked out a sob and buried her head against her knees again, shaking violently.
She looked so small. His worry only grew.
He pulled her to her feet. Gripping her upper arms, he shook her slightly, but she refused to look at him, burying her face in her own shoulder. His grip tightened in rage, but he eased it.
“Did somebody hurt you, Katheryn?” he demanded, adding as much gentleness to his voice as he could muster. “Who hurt you? Who was it? Which way did he go?”
He touched his palm to her cheek and pulled her face toward his, to meet her gaze. Her eyes were red and swollen, the makeup she’d added around her eyes now smeared in smudges. “Katheryn, please talk to me. Did someone hurt you?”
She trembled and threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his shirtfront. Ignacio held her and let her shoulders shake against him, rattling his chest and his heart. He felt her pain and sadness all the way to his core.
He waited until her sobs diminished into whimpers, the panic receding into small, shaky breaths. She broke away from him and attempted a smile. When it faltered, she sighed and shook her head.
He cupped her cheek with his palm again, wiping away the stray tears with his thumb.
“Katheryn?” he questioned softly. He was going crazy. He wanted to know what had happened to her, why she was crying, alone, in a dark alleyway.
“I’m fine,” she replied. Then, realizing their proximity, chest against chest, she took a step back from him. “Sorry, sorry.” She took in another shuddering breath. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
