I am Twelve - The Witch Assassin's Target

Chapter 23 - Terminal

#musicvibe - Under grey skies, Kamelot

*

Valeria POV

I couldn’t tell my raging emotions apart from one another. Fear and excitement mixed in the strangest way possible until I didn’t really know how I felt about seeing Tyson again.

I was afraid that it was a trap, but after Alex left, I sat down and thought about everything that happened after I woke up in the infirmary.

Maybe I got it all wrong?

I still had the power dampening cuffs on me, and that freaked me out. But when I thought about it, why would Celeste have me taken down from the pyre instead of letting me die? That didn’t make any sense.

And then there was Kayden.

If he somehow got under Celeste’s spell too, wouldn’t he have been that way earlier?

When I realized that Alex was most likely telling the truth and that Tyson was free of the spell, shame made me feel cold.

How could I have been so mistaken? Why did I run away?

Right then and there, I was so freaked out, but now that I had some time to think things through, my panicked train of thought didn’t make sense anymore.

I just didn’t know how to face Tyson after this.

We had been through so much together in the past few months, and I never thought that we would come to this.

I never should have left.

With shaking hands and a pounding heart, I slowly pulled the scarf over my hair to cover my face and made my way outside. After looking thoroughly, I made sure that no one was watching me and I snuck down the street to find a taxi.

On the ride there, I nervously fidgeted while cursing myself for being so nervous.

“Get it together.” I whispered to myself. “It’s still him.”

I just hoped that this wasn’t a ruse to kill me again.

But I really wanted to believe that Alex was telling the truth, and even if what he told me made sense, I was afraid of the consequences if I turned out to be wrong.

Worst case scenario, I could fly out of there.

When the taxi came to a stop, I stepped outside and looked around the parking lot. It was still early, and most people that walked past me were employees of the mall on their way to work.

The parking lot wasn’t crowded yet, and it was easy for me to spot the red car across the lot. I started walking closer to it, and I saw Tyson, Kayden, Garrett, and Alex step out.

My heart raced and I clutched the scarf I was wearing when Tyson approached me. He quickened his pace the closer he got, and I instinctively took a step back.

Tyson froze.

“Valeria…” He whispered.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I just stared at him.

Tyson’s eyes filled with tears. To my absolute shock, he fell to his knees.

“Please come back.” He cried. “You shouldn’t have to be on your own, especially when you are hurt. You don’t have to be around me. I’ll… I’ll stay away from you if that’s what you want. Just please come home.”

Tears fell down my cheeks when I heard the despair in his voice.

He was back.

I came closer to him, but the bandages around my legs kept me from kneeling too.

“Please stand up.” I whispered.

Tyson scrambled to his feet and I slowly stepped closer to him, gently taking his hands in mine. I felt him tremble and I heard him let out a shaky breath. The sparks shot through my hands when our skin touched, but I felt sad when it wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

“Let’s go home.” Tyson whispered.

I nodded and Tyson led me back to the car. Garrett immediately held out his arms and pulled me into a hug.

“We were so worried about you.” He whispered, sounding like he was about to cry. “How are you holding up, Val?”

I shrugged, not sure how to describe the pain I was in. Garrett seemed to understand, because he hugged me again.

“We’ve got you now.” He whispered. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.”

I nodded.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“Mr Sampson.” Kayden replied. “When you left, I called him and hoped that he could help us find you. He followed us here, but got an emergency call last night and headed back to London.”

“Oh.” I said. “I didn’t even know he knew about this place.”

“He never told us how he found you.” Kayden shrugged.

“But it doesn’t matter.” Tyson interjected. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”

He looked like he wanted to hug me, but balled his fist by his side and watched with a sad expression on his face while Garrett and Alex helped me into the car.

*

Tyson POV

Valeria looked so fragile, and even if she did her best to hide it, I could tell that she was in a lot of pain.

When we got to the ferry, we had Valeria lie down on the sofa in a lounge. People gave us side looks, but I didn’t care. I tentatively put Valeria’s head in my lap and watched her fall asleep within minutes.

“The poor thing is exhausted.” Garrett whispered and sat down on the sofa opposite us.

I gently drew my finger across Valeria’s forehead, feeling concerned about the wrinkles on her forehead that still stayed even when she was supposed to be relaxed.

But she didn’t look relaxed at all. She shifted uncomfortably, whimpering in her sleep while my heart clenched with every pained sound she made.

Valeria woke up when the ferry docked, but fell asleep in the car when we drove back to the castle. I watched over her the whole time, my fingers itching to touch her, but I was afraid.

What if she didn’t want me to touch her? After what I did, I didn’t really think I deserved it.

So I watched her every move while we drove the last few miles and when she stumbled while getting out of the car, hissing in pain when her leg hit the car door, I took her hand.

“Can I carry you?” I asked. “That way you don't have to walk.”

Valeria nodded and I lifted her up, relishing in the feeling of having her in my arms again.

I put her down in a hospital bed and a doctor immediately started taking blood tests and lifted the bandages to check on the burns. When he saw Valeria’s hand, he stiffened.

“Luna, how long have you had these?” He asked.

I leaned forward to see what he was looking at and my blood ran cold when I saw black lines on her wrists.

“I noticed them yesterday.” Valeria replied. “I don’t know what they are.”

“It’s from the wolfsbane.” The doctor said and we all looked up when a nurse came in with some papers that she handed to the doctor.

My heart sank when I saw the doctor’s blood drain from his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

He ignored me and asked Valeria if she had any more of those lines anywhere else on her body.

“I have some on my chest too.” Valeria replied and pulled down her shirt to show him. A lump formed in my throat and the doctor sighed.

“You see, Luna.” He said, as if choosing his words carefully. “When the wolfsbane poisoning becomes so severe that it forms these lines, a wolf’s healing can’t counteract it anymore. I take it that you haven’t heard from your wolf in a while.”

Valeria shook her head.

“I can’t feel her anymore.” She whispered and her eyes turned glassy.

“The blood tests confirm it.” The doctor continued. “I’m sorry Luna, but unfortunately your condition is only going to get worse, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

The ground disappeared from underneath my feet when I realized what this meant and I had to brace myself against the wall.

No.

This can’t be happening.

“How long do I have?” Valeria croaked out.

“A few months, if you’re lucky.” The doctor replied.

Before I could stop him, Dax took over my body, letting out a scream of anguish and I had to run out the door to stop him from shifting inside the infirmary and tearing everything apart.