“What do you need? Tell me.”
“Hospital. Hurt…”
Stiffening, I shake my head and peer over my shoulder where the streetlights brighten the road, the bats giving the illusion that it flickers. If I take her to the hospital, I will have to leave her side. I won’t be welcome. If Adrial returns, I won’t be able to help. She’ll be vulnerable, possibly medicated.
“I will take you to the museum,” I say.
Her eyes snap open. “No!”
I hesitate. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t take me inside. I-I can’t leave him.” She whimpers, her gaze drawn to the worms. “This is my fault.”
I frown. “It’s not your fault.”
She reeks of Adrial, his sour stench all over her, her presence weak. Calling upon the stillness I know so well, I do not tremble, refusing to show how deeply her condition worries me. Tenderly, I examine her injuries, and despite only finding countless scrapes and bruises, she’s limp, unresponsive to my touch. Nothing is broken. This damage seems concentrated in her mind.
Pressing my hand to her temple, I call upon my light.
She sits up, jerking back. “Don’t.”
“I can help you heal, give you peace. Let me do this.”
She shakes her head and rubs her brow, suddenly alert. “My brands… they’re not right, and your light makes everything worse.”
I lower my hand. Her words sting. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“We need to talk. Reassure me everything will be all right.”
“We will talk once I am certain you are recovered. You are weak, tormented. I will have your body comforted first.”
“I’m fine,” she snaps, her face hardening. She pats her chest and runs her hands down her body. “See?”
My brow furrows, flustered by her sudden shift. “You are not fine,” I warn. “You are anything but fine. If we must talk before you’ll allow me to heal you, we will. What happened?”
“He’s returned. Adrial possessed John, and I… I killed him.” There’s a whimper in her voice, and she never meets my gaze, keeping it fixed on the charred remains. “I killed him because if I didn’t, he was going to hurt me, us. I’m… I’m a murderer.” She shudders.
Drawing her closer, I ignore the rotten scent still thick upon her as I hug her head against my chest, dampening her shaking. “You are not a murderer. Adrial is.”
“I am! It was horrible. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, never wanted this to happen.”
Petting her hair, her back, I would do anything to ease her sorrow. “He is gone now. You prevailed, and he will have learned this lesson. Adrial will not approach you so callously a third time, not after you’ve destroyed his form twice.”
“That’s not enough!” She rams her fists into my chest. “I’ve… I’ve killed two innocent people now. I can’t kill another. Who will he take next? My parents?”
My heart sinks. I hate hearing such pain in her words.
“I don’t want this bond anymore. I don’t want any of this anymore! If he takes my parents…”
My arms tighten around her.
She continues, “I wish none of this had ever happened. How can I live with this? I’m amurderer. This has gone too far.” She leans back, looking up at me with newfound horror. “You’ve made me a murderer!”
Stunned, my wings ripple.
She is right. If I had not been drawn to her, had resisted my desire to know her, she would be safe and the people of this town would still be alive, unburdened. If I wasn’t so selfish, she never would have needed my power to defend herself.
What a fool I was, for seeking love.
