Chapter 16
985 Words
Aria
The shadow let go of my arm, the pressure vanishing as quickly as it had come. The glass hit the floor with a loud shatter, water and shards of crystal flying everywhere. My arm throbbed where the shadow had squeezed it, the skin feeling cold and bruised.
The bathroom door flew open and Leo rushed out, looking horrified. His eyes darted from the broken glass on the floor to my face.
"Did you drink it?" he asked, his voice high and panicked. "Aria, did you drink the water?"
I was too busy clutching my arm to answer immediately. I managed a small nod, my throat suddenly feeling tight. "Just a little. Why?"
Before he could answer, the bedroom door was kicked open. Dante and Vesper burst in, both of them looking like they were ready for a war. Dante had his hand on his holster, his eyes scanning the room for a threat.
Vesper saw the broken glass and immediately pointed her finger at me. "What did you do? I knew it! I knew we couldn't trust her!"
"Vesper, shut up," Dante growled, but he kept his eyes on me. He walked toward us, his boots crunching on the glass. "What happened here? Why was there a scream?"
"She’s a spy! She’s trying to harm Leo! Look at the mess she made. She probably tried to force something on him." Vesper shouted, stepping closer to me.
Dante ignored her and looked at me, his golden eyes searching mine. "Aria, tell me what happened. Now."
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. A sudden, sharp pain pierced through my stomach, so violent that it took my breath away. It felt like someone had shoved a hot blade into my gut and was twisting it. I doubled over, my hand flying to my stomach.
"She’s poisoned," Leo said.
His voice cut through Vesper’s shouting like a knife. Dante froze, his gaze snapping to his son.
"What did you say?"
"The water," Leo whispered, pointing at the wet patch on the carpet. "It was for me. But she drank it. The shadows told her, but she already swallowed some."
I looked at Leo with wide eyes. The shadows had tried to stop me? They knew? But I couldn't think about that for long. The pain was spreading, turning my blood into ice. My vision began to blur, the edges of the room turning grey and fuzzy. My legs felt like they were made of water.
"Aria!"
Dante’s voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. I felt myself falling, my knees hitting the floor, but I never felt the impact. Strong arms caught me before I could collapse completely.
Dante picked me up, his grip tight and frantic. I could hear his heart hammering against my ear as he tucked my head against his shoulder. He started moving, barking orders that sounded like thunder.
"Vesper! Get a doctor in my room now!" he yelled, his voice shaking the walls.
He didn't wait for her to move. He ran down the hallway, carrying me as if I weighed nothing. He burst into his suite and laid me down on the bed...the same bed I had woken up in that morning.
I tried to swallow, but my throat felt like it was closing. "Dante..." I managed to wheeze out.
"Don't talk," he hissed. He was hovering over me, his face pale and his eyes full of a raw, terrifying panic. "Stay with me, Aria. The doctor is coming."
"No," I gasped, grabbing the front of his shirt. I forced myself to focus through the pain. "No doctor. I... I am a doctor. I know what this is, I've seen it in a patient before. Your doctors... they won't know how to treat this. It’s a secret toxin."
"Then tell me what to do!"
"Take me... take me to my hospital," I whispered. "The private wing in the city. I can guide my nurses. I can’t... I can’t do it here."
Dante didn't hesitate. He didn't ask questions or argue. He scooped me up again, heading for the door.
Leo was standing in the hallway, looking small and lost. He tried to follow us, his eyes wet with tears. "I want to go! I want to help her!"
Dante stopped for a split second, looking at Vesper who had just caught up. "Stay here with him, Vesper. Do not let him out of your sight. And find out who gave her that water. If they’re still in this house, I want them alive so I can kill them myself."
"Dante, you can't just leave! You have a meeting with..." Vesper started, but he was already gone.
He ran toward the back of the fortress, toward the clearing where the helicopter was parked. He didn't wait for a pilot and put me in the back seat, securing me as he jumped into the pilot's seat, his hands moving over the controls with a frantic speed I’d never seen from him.
The helicopter lifted off, tilting sharply as we soared over the dark ocean.
I slumped against the seat, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The pain was becoming unbearable. I felt a cold hand grab mine, squeezing hard.
"Stay with me, Aria," Dante shouted over the noise of the engine. He reached back, his fingers brushing against my cheek. He looked like a madman, his eyes glowing gold in the dim cockpit. "Look at me. Keep your eyes open. Don't you dare close them, do you hear me?"
I tried to nod, but my head felt too heavy. I watched the dark water below us, thinking about how I had spent years trying to escape my dead past, only for it to finally catch up to me in a glass of water.
"Stay with me, love," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Just stay with me."
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