Bloodcrest

Episode 7

Lucifera's POV

I woke up gasping for air and started coughing up water. I felt a hand gently rubbing my back and looked up to see Rufus. He looked like he'd been panicking for a while and his face was full of concern. He asked gently, "Are you alright, Lucifera?" I nodded my head. For some reason, I couldn't stop shaking. I was so cold. I crossed my arms and rubbed them to warm up, but it wasn't working. Suddenly, I felt two strong arms pull me close and I knew it was Rufus. I leaned back and placed my head against his firm chest. He was so warm and so comforting. I felt like I could just stay like this with him forever. Then, he moved and pulled me to my feet while holding me steady. He said softly, "We need to get you to a doctor. There's a village nearby where you can rest, warm up, and get a change of clothes." I nodded before stumbling over my own two feet. He shook his head before picking me up bridal style. I didn't squeal this time because I was already used to this. It was nice to be in his arms. He sighed with contentment after looking down at me and proceeded through the forest to find a village. After a while, we came upon a nice village. People were moving to and from the many different buildings located there. Rufus stopped for a second to readjust his grip before making his way straight into town. I suddenly remembered his wings and was about to say something when I saw how confidently he looked with them being seen. He looked down before chuckling and saying, "There's nothing to fear here. I know these people. I grew up here." I looked at him with awe as he continued through town. I looked around, but couldn't focus on anything due to still being waterlogged.

Before I knew it, we arrived at a decently sized building. It looked quite nice. Rufus knocked on the door and waited for a bit. And a middle-aged man and woman answered the door. They gasped when they took in my appearance and ushered us inside. With the man leading the way, Rufus carried me to a room before laying me down on the bed. The man started to examine me while the woman rushed to grab us some fresh clothes and warm food. I winced when he touched my head. He looked closer before going and grabbing some bandages as well as a first aid kit. He cleaned the wound on my head before wrapping it in the bandages. After that, he stepped out and the woman came in with a nightgown and sleepwear for Rufus. He politely thanked her and I heard her say, "Anything for you, dear. I'll bring some food back in a little while. Both of you need to get a shower and change into those warm clothes." However, I thought I heard Rufus say," Yes, mom. We'll do that." Then, I heard her footsteps get quieter before looking up to find Rufus standing beside me. He said softly with a blush coating his cheeks, "Come on. Let's go get a bath as my mother ordered." I blushed but I was too sore to refuse the help so I just nodded and opened my arms. He gently picked me up and carried me to the bathroom where there was already a bath drawn for me. He placed me down gently and kept a hold on me until I was steady. Then, he turned around to allow me to undress in private before saying, "Unfortunately, you won't be able to dunk your head in the water because of the bandages, but this should help warm you up and relax you." I softly replied with a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Rufus." I undressed and slowly stepped into the bath before sinking into the warm water. After that, Rufus, with his eyes closed, turned towards me with a blush still coating his cheeks and said, "I'm going to go take a shower. I will be back to help you get out of the tub." I was hesitant about him seeing me naked, but answered, "Alright, enjoy your shower." I heard the door open and close, which signaled that he was gone. I sighed and leaned back after putting my hair up so that I could just relax. I don't know how long I was in there when suddenly I heard a knock on the door. It startled me and I looked toward the door before saying, "You can come in." Rufus slowly opened the door and peeked in before blushing. He immediately closed his eyes after sighing with relief when he saw I was alright. Then, he cleared his throat and said, "I came to help get out of the tub." I chuckled while blushing and said, "Alright. I'm ready." He grabbed a towel as I slowly stood up. When I was fully standing, he took the towel and wrapped it as well as his arms around me before gently lifting me out of the tub. Then, he hooked his legs under my knees while cradling my back and carried me back to the room. Afterward, he called for the woman before stepping out of the room. I put on my undergarments while waiting.

The woman came in after a couple of minutes and helped me with the nightgown, then guided me to the dining room. She was so sweet and encouraging the whole way to the dining room. I couldn't help but shed tears because she reminded me so much of my mother. The woman gently hugged me and rubbed my back until I stopped crying before we continued on our way to the dining room. When we got there, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It smelled amazing and I heard my tummy growl out of hunger that I didn't know I was feeling. Rufus was already in the room, but immediately stood up and pulled out a seat for me. I gingerly sat down with his and the woman's help. Then, Rufus slowly pushed me in, so that I was close enough to the table. Laid out in front of me were chicken, potatoes, vegetables, all kinds of desserts, and snacks. I immediately grabbed one of everything, then said thank you to them for the meal before digging into the food on my plate. It was so delicious. I was stuffing my face when I heard a chuckle. I looked around the table before locking eyes with Rufus, who looked like he was trying so hard to hold back his laughter. I looked at him confused and asked, "What? Did I do something wrong?" He panicked with a blush while shaking his head furiously before saying," No not at all. I just thought you looked really cute when your eyes lit up when you saw the food my mother made." I blushed before going back to enjoying my meal. When we both had eaten our fill, Rufus helped me back to our room before getting me settled into bed. I was so sleepy and could barely keep my eyes open. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard Rufus say, "I love you, Lucifera. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." Then, I was out like a light.