Excerpt 2:
With my good arm, I pull my leg up to bend the knee. Hiking the hem
of my dress up, I reveal torn muscle and shredded skin. I wince as
the fabric moves over it, tugging flaps of skin in directions they
aren’t meant to go.
Elias’ hands set to work, scooping water up, and pouring it over my
thigh. Each drop, gentle as the administration of them may be, pulls
a moan of pain from my lips. Wrapping fingers tightly around a
stone, I do what I can to bear the pain without making Elias feel
worse.
The blood washes away, revealing the true devastation wrought by
the dead wolf’s jaws. My leg hangs open, dark muscle showing itself
to the sky as it was never meant to do.
“Itand have mercy,” he whispers, calling on the goddess of
fortitude.
But she’ll spare no blessings for the likes of me.
“What do I need to do?” he asks. His eyes roam over me, and one
hand finds its way to my cheek. Brows knitted together, he clearly
longs for something to do, some reassurance that I’ll be ok.
Does he want me to be alright for the sake of spending more time
together? Or merely for the sake of having an escort for the rest of
the trek?
I hope for his sake that it’s the latter. But the well of
loneliness within me wishes for the former.
Either way, there’s nothing he can do.
“My body will mend itself,” I tell him. “It’ll hurt, but it’ll
mend. It’s already started.”
His eyes drop to my arm, my leg. The bleeding has stopped, and the
cuts aren’t as deep as they were mere seconds ago. Had he seen it
when the wounds were first inflicted, he likely would’ve been
sick.
“I wish you would’ve let me help,” he murmurs, sliding his hand
along my jaw until his thumb finds my earlobe.
Exhaustion pulls my inhibitions low. Despite myself, despite the
guilt churning within me, I lean into his caress.
Nolan won’t want me back, anyway.
My heart shrinks from the thought, and I close my eyes, nuzzling my
cheek into Elias’ palm.
“Letting you help would’ve been a terrible idea. They could never
kill me. They had no salt, no silver. They couldn’t say any
incantations.”
I pause, squeezing my eyes tight against the horrid images which
flash before them. I don’t want to see the ways they could’ve hurt
him. I don’t want to watch them tear him to shreds. I don’t want to
see his blood on the ground.
“They could’ve killed you, though,” I whisper.
Suddenly desperate to see him alive and healthy, to ease my
conscience just a bit, I open my eyes. Sure enough, he’s there, face
inches from mine. The moonlight glows in his magnificent eyes, but
the blood of the Howlers still adorns his face.
Reaching for his sodden shirt, I lift a corner of it to his face.
Wiping away the dried blood, I memorize the strength in his jaw, the
kindness in his eyes. I trace the small kink in his nose, a remnant
from a previous fight.
From a distance, it’s almost impossible to notice, but this
close…
My eyes drop to his lips, full and soft. They part, but only to
speak.
Confusion wrinkles his brow. “If they couldn’t kill you, why were
they sent after us? To maim you and kill me?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. I stifle a groan as my thigh stitches
itself together. “They sent them to find us. They know where we are,
now. They know which way we were headed. They’ll find us.”
Those words sew our lips shut, for we both know. This won’t be the
last of the vampire and his pledge. And if this was just the search
party, what awaits us down the path?
Elexis Bell is a quiet nerd with too many hobbies, including everything from gaming to shower-singing and even archery, weather permitting. She specializes in sarcasm and writing stories that make people feel. She's made a home for herself with her husband, their dog, and a small army of cats.
She writes dark, gritty stories, sprinkling gut-wrenching emotions over high fantasy romance, thrillers, post-apocalyptic romance, and science fiction.
For further information, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or check out her blog on her website.
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I like the cover and the genre. The blurb sounds good. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a great read.
ReplyDelete