Page 85 of Blood that Burns
I barely register Law rushing past me, moving right to his brother, or my own feet swiftly carrying me to Marina’s side.
Falling to my knees next to her, I check her pulse.
Nothing.
I cry out, a river of tears falling down my cheeks as my hands rove over her, trying to determine what happened.
“No. NO!” I bellow.
Law’s hand lands on my back. “Sunshine, come here.”
“No,” I say, shrugging off his hand. “I’m not leaving her.”
“Sunshine, please,” he begs. “You have to give her space. She’ll be all right.”
My head snaps to him. “She’s dead,” I cry, a sob bursting through my chest.
He grabs me, pulling me in to his chest. “She is, but she isn’t. Give it some time. She’ll wake.”
His words don’t make sense. I can’t even begin to process any of this.
Precious moments of my life with Marina play out in my mind on a loop. Playing in our backyard as kids, swinging high enough we were sure our toes were touching the sky. Nights curled up together in bed, trying to keep each other calm and alive. Trips to the mall and overnights with friends on those rare occasions that we were both mentally sound and unafraid. The day I jumped and the devastation that I saw reflected on her face.
My sister. My constant.
She can’t be gone.
She isn’t, sunshine. Give it time.
Law’s unintentional intrusion in my thoughts brings me back to the present. He sounds so sure. Why?
“Because Julian shared his blood with her.”
The breath puffs through my lips. “That... that saved her?”
He nods, but the crinkles at the corners of his eyes and his downturned lips hold a sadness I can’t explain.
If Julian shared his blood and it saved her, why the doom and gloom?
“How is she?” Julian’s voice captures our attention.
He’s no longer curled on the floor in pain. He looks tired and a bit sick, but nothing like he was when we first arrived in this room. He scoots on his knees toward Marina, practically shoving us out of the way so that he can get to her.
“She’s still out,” Law says. “You probably shouldn’t touch her until she wakes.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck to do,” he growls. “Why isn’t she awake yet? She should be awake.”
His distress does nothing to help quell mine, and the sobs begin again. Law helps me stand, pulling me in to his firm chest. His hands trail down my back soothingly, but it does little to actually quiet my fear.
“Open your godsdamned eyes. I need you. Please wake up.”
Julian is pleading to Marina while I cry into Law’s chest.
“Marina. Open your eyes,” Julian bellows.
“Can you turn down the lights? And while you’re at it, stop screaming.”
Marina.
A choked sob rips from me as Law’s arms tighten around me. Whether it’s to hold me up or hold me back, I’m unsure. But in this moment, I take all the support he’ll lend me, while the remaining tears and fear leave my body wrecked.