Page 29 of Demonic Affliction

Something hard hits the back of my head, and everything goes black.

9

Willow

My consciousness returns to me in pieces. The scent of furs, layered with something faintly metallic. Three sets of warm hands placed on my body. The taste of blood in my mouth. Hushed whispers, too quiet to make out words.

The air is heavy with magic, pressing against my skin and slipping deep into the marrow of my bones. It’s not the wild kind that makes me uncomfortable. Rather, this feels like the energy that comes directly from my mates. Healing magic.

The memories come flooding in, and something cold and sick settles at the pit of my stomach. Cin, going crazy and biting my neck. Cin, chasing me through the tunnels. Cin, trying his hardest to attack me…

Panic rushes through me, and my eyes spring open. I try to sit up, but a hand on my shoulder holds me to the bed.

“Shh. Just relax, beautiful. We are almost done.”

Dravik’s voice. I close my eyes and ease back, letting out a relieved breath. The healing magic continues to spread through my body, a slow stream of warmth that settles at the side of my neck—right where Cin bit me.

I wait for a while longer like that, until the pain ebbs away and all I’m left with is a dull ache. The hands move away, and I open my eyes, allowing them to help me sit up.

Rhune looks absolutely heartbroken, his wings drooping low and a whine building in the base of his chest. Nyx watches me with that same weight in his expression, his face completely absent of the smirk I’m so used to seeing. Dravik seems the most composed of the three, but the fear shining behind his eyes gives him away.

“How do you feel?” Rhune asks, reaching out, running his hand delicately down the side of my neck. “You lost a lot of blood…”

I lower my eyes, noticing that my arm is streaked with black blood, dried and flaking at the edges. The neck of my suit is saturated with the dark fluid, and it sticks to my skin, tugging awkwardly with every slight movement I make.

“I’m okay. Just a little sore and in need of a bath.” I gaze between them, and none of them seem convinced. “Really. I feel fine.” Still, nothing. “Why do you all keep looking at me like that?”

Nyx sucks in a deep breath. “Willow… your heart stopped.”

That makes me freeze. “What?”

Rhune lets out a heart-shattering whine, his expression crumpling with the weight of his grief. “We thought you died. You did die. We didn’t… We thought you were gone.”

“Oh my God,” I say. “How… What happened? How come I’m alive?”

“We don’t know.” Nyx trembles. “Cin tore straight through your artery. We were trying to repair it when your heart stopped. You lost too much blood, and it just… gave out.”

“We didn’t know what to do. But then, a few minutes later, your body just… began healing on its own,” Dravik adds. “Then your heart started up.”

I reach up, feeling nothing but clean, tender skin. “I don’t understand.”

You’re welcome.

At the intrusion of the serafyn’s voice, I jump nearly a foot in the air, letting out a garbled scream.

“Willow!” All three of my mates lunge for me at once, and it takes several minutes of consoling to get them to give me some space to breathe.

Once everyone has calmed down, I turn my attention back to my roommate. Spoon? Is that you?

No. It’s Jake from State Farm.

I nearly pass out from shock. If I were any less freaked out, I may even have laughed.

How the hell do you know that reference? I ask.

Spoon sighs. You’d be surprised what I don’t know.

I shake my head slowly. Fair, I guess… anyway… What did you mean by ‘you’re welcome’?