Page 143 of Rescued By the Beast
My throat tightens, my body begs for relief, but I spit out the drink, refusing it. If I take it now... if I give in... I'll become addicted. And I can't afford that luxury.
"You need to..." Ted insists.
Viklaus raises a hand, stopping him from trying again. He just holds me steady when my body threatens to collapse and, with his vampiric hearing, listens to the faint whisper that escapes my broken lips:
"Take us to the old witch..."
Chapter 39
Sandra
Sleep slowly fades away, and a lazy sigh escapes my lips as I stretch. My muscles lengthen, my body awakens, and my hand automatically slides across the mattress in search of warmth. But the other side of the bed is cold.
I frown, still without opening my eyes. I don't remember what I dreamed about. In fact, I barely remember what I did before going to sleep. I only know that I feel rested, strangely invigorated.
"Mark?" I murmur, blinking slowly as I scan the room.
Then I see him.
Sitting in a chair next to the bed, his large body hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, head bowed. His golden eyes are half-closed, almost overcome by fatigue. But at the sound of my voice, he awakens with a start, his body tense as if he had been shocked. In one swift movement, he jumps up and comes to me.
"Kitten..." His voice breaks, a choked whisper. He climbs onto the bed with one knee, leaning towards me, his eyes wild, desperate, and kisses my forehead. The gesture is sweet, butit has a weight I don't understand. As if something bad had happened.
Then, a flash.
The impact hits me all at once. I remember Luther. The attack. The brutal force throwing me through the air. The thud of my head against the floor.
My heart races, and I grab Mark's arms, panic rising inside me.
"Mark, what happened? Are you okay?"
He hisses in pain at my touch and pulls away slightly. Confused, I look down and see. His left arm is completely bandaged, from shoulder to wrist. The shock hits me like a blade.
"Darling..." My voice fails me, a lump forming in my throat. "What did he do to you?"
I sit up abruptly, my head spinning from the sudden movement. I force my sleepy eyes to inspect him, my chest tight, but Mark just shakes his head and mutters:
“I'm fine, Kitten. It's you who worried me. But now you're safe. We're no longer in danger. You can rest easy.”
A knock sounds at the door before it opens.
Ethan enters the room, carrying a tray with bandages and small bottles. He gives me a dimpled smile before speaking:
"Good to see you're awake."
Then he turns to Mark.
"It's time to take care of your burn and change the bandages."
Mark lets out an exhausted sigh, without even arguing.
But I'm not going to let them distract me.
"Can someone explain to me what happened?" I demand, my tone harsher than I intended.
When I look back at Mark, something makes me hesitate.
He looks... different.
