Blacken by Alandra Rankin (i love reading books txt) 📕

“I just. Cannot. Get. Enough of you,” he spoke between more pecks, moving to lift her up above him, twirling her around as though she weighed nothing. Placing her back down, he finally let her break away from him. “Stay with me again tonight?”

Avie smiled, ready to say yes, but she had other responsibilities.

“I have to be up early in the morning for work,” she answered sadly.

“Right, yes. It would be easier with your things at home,” he sounded nearly as disappointed.

“I can still stay, for a little bit longer at least.”

His feathers bristled in an excited manner, “Wonderful.”

She yearned to stay, the hours falling away far too quickly as she spent passionate time with the orphic truxen. He was the one to comment it was time for her to return, needing a good night’s rest. Rhulle flew her back home, hesitating in her window, leaving her a longing kiss goodbye.

“Goodnight, my love.”

Her hands still caressed his face, reaching up to his height in the sill, “Goodnight, Rhulle.”

They held a smile, before he turned and disappeared into the night. Her hand reaching out, similar to the fashion of the night she reached out after him, not wanting their first real conversation to end.

Avie didn’t want this night to end either.

Her hand glittered in the low light of the streetlamps, her gaze finding the ring once more. She drew it back to inspect, twirling it around as she gazed over its beauty. Avie knew it, the feeling rushing in at full force, she knew that she too, loved him.

Nothing else could cloud her feelings, no worry about what others may think, no worries about the implications of the taboo—just Rhulle. Just his love. It filled her; the overwhelming feeling of needing to tell him. Should it wait? Could she wait until she saw him next to tell him?

No. She needed to tell him now, caught up in the feeling.

Regardless of coming from his place barely minutes ago, she decided to go back. To tell him, to say fuck it to the obligations of early morning rising. The woman needed to be with him tonight.

Her smile was wide still glancing at the ring, still looking it over and thinking of him, rushing, all but throwing open her bedroom door.

Her heart dropped.

The door opened up to reveal Owen on the other side, the barrel of his gun pointed straight at her.

CHAPTER 19

Rhulle found it strange that Avie had not come to visit him after her workday. He waited for hours, trying to occupy his thoughts as he huffed, wondering where the young woman was. The light of the sun eventually disappeared, leaving dusk and nightfall, yet still no Avie.

He could wait no longer, as the darkness came, he slipped out into the night, going out to see her instead. When he arrived at her place, however, he found it surrounded with a yellow ribbon, no lights on, and the window locked tight. It worried him. It wasn’t like her to not be home at this hour at least, and he would have seen her if she was on the way to him.

The thought occurred that she may have been over at the other house—at Owen’s. The stars above knew why she would be there, but he decided to check as well.

Arriving, Rhulle saw the house dark, no warmth, and no sign of anyone.

A sense of panic rang loud inside of his head. Something was wrong. Something happened and he needed to find where Avie was, right now. Rhulle returned to her abode, breaking the window in order to get inside. He felt bad for a split second, but he rationalized if he could just find something of hers that could help lead him to where the woman was, then it could make up for the damage.

Once inside, Rhulle immediately spotted the shawl she wore the evening beforehand, using the scent to find a trail. The scent was strong, it smelled overwhelmingly of her blood, a clear path drawn for him to follow.

Got it.

He followed it, anxious as it mapped the trail that led through town, stopping cold through the doors of a large grey building surrounded by bright lights. Rhulle couldn’t get any closer, he surely would be discovered in an instance if he dared. At least he found where she was last, or possibly was still in.

The hospital.

Damn it. This wasn’t good… What the hell happened?

It felt like she was dreaming, yet somehow had this one before.

Avie lingered in on the brink of consciousness, feeling reality sharpen and smudge around her. Muffled voices shouted around and on top of her, overlapping in hurried speech. Pain washed over her, coming in waves that dug scorching blades into her abdomen. She tried to move, tried to speak, but nothing came—just people trying to get her attention across blurred visions, poking and prodding her, adding onto the pain. Only able to register pain.

The dream turned into a nightmare.

“She’s losing too much blood! We need to get in there ASAP! Clear out the O.R.”

The doctor finished hanging a bag of blood, stating disgruntled that she would bleed the stuff out just as fast as they could get some in her.

He looked into her eyes, she was aware, just barely. It was agony, to be in this much pain but unable to black out to avoid it. A semi-consciousness. Avie thought she could see the recognition of pity written on his face.

“Anything on the blood bank before we move?”

The nurse on the other end of the trauma room nodded on the phone, “They’ve got an ID, no medical conditions, but rare blood. She’s only compatible with Rh-null blood, she’s got one bag donated from herself.”

Another voice joined into the conversation, “We only have a half liter?!”

“Nix the O neg! Get that out of here.” A flash of blonde hair crossed her vision.

“Anything else she can get? Anything on file? She will bleed out at this rate without