Chapter 132

Tessa’s POV

This time when I slipped back into the darkness, I knew it was a temporary one. I had my best friend lying beside me; she curled up in the bed Dr. Cornelia brought for her and pushed against mine; she got as close to me as possible, and I could feel her warmth and love radiating from beside me.

Whatever Dr. Cornelia gave me, numbed all the pain I once felt and made me feel like I was floating again. It also made my eyelids incredibly heavy. I didn’t want to fall asleep; I wanted my voice back. I wanted to talk to Ruby, but I couldn’t. I just wanted to sleep.

It was a dreamless sleep; I was used to being alone in the dark. I once found it peaceful here, but now I just found it aggravating. I wanted to be with my friends; I wanted to be with Joseph. But instead, I was stuck here.

Dr. Cornelia said that I was mentally, physically, and soulfully exhausted and that was why I couldn’t move or speak. It was like I was here, but I wasn’t here. He told me once I allowed my body proper rest, then I should be able to move and speak again.

I was counting on that.

I just wasn’t sure how much rest I was going to need.

I will be honest though, it felt good to sleep despite how annoyed I was. I realized all those times in the darkness, I wasn’t really sleeping. My body wasn’t actually resting. But this time, it was different. This time I felt more tranquil, and I knew my body was healing from the damage that vampire had done.

Then, I suddenly had a thought.

Ryan was the one who put me in this position. Joseph had to know that about him and take action. He couldn’t allow that monster in his village. I wondered if he already knew this information, or if Ryan was still roaming free and drinking from defenseless humans.

Then another memory surfaced in my head…

Fae.

Oh, God. Fae.

He killed her. Fae was dead because of that monster. I was crying in the darkness; it couldn’t be helped. There was so much more to Fae than just a blood slave and now she was never going to find that out for herself. She was dead and it’s because of that asshole Ryan.

I had blamed Bernard for killing her, but I knew he was only trying to help her per my request. Then I took off and put myself in this position. I knew I shouldn’t have gone anywhere by myself. But I was so angry I wasn’t thinking rationally. I wondered if Joseph knew all of that too.

I suddenly felt nothing but shame.

This was my fault; there was no one to blame but myself.

I was such a monster to Bernard for killing Fae, but I knew he was only trying to help. The one I should have been mad at was Ryan. He did that to Fae, just like he did this to me. He created a new vampire just to be his little follower and keep watch over me while he did God knows what.

I wondered where that new vampire was now.

I wondered where Ryan was.

Soon, the darkness started to fade, and I was becoming aware of my body once again. It didn’t hurt as it did before, but I definitely felt some bruising and cuts occupying my flesh. There was also a slight headache, but nothing too bad. I felt my fingers digging into the bedsheets, grasping what it was I was lying in.

This time when I opened my eyes, I could actually move my head to take a better look at my surroundings. I could see out the window that was sealed tightly that there was only a dim layer of the sun peering through the corners of the curtain so I knew it must have been going down for the day. Soon, it would be dusk, and vampires would be waking for the night.

Soon, I’d be able to see and feel Joseph again. For some reason, I was craving him. I needed to be around him; to be touched by him and to be held in his arms. I was missing his warmth and comforting scent.

I looked over and saw Ruby sleeping sounding from beside me. She had tears that stained her features, and it broke my heart that she was crying. She must have been so worried about me; I was worried about her in return that I didn’t have the time to question why she was even here.

Then, a memory surfaced in my mind.

Dr. Cornelia had mentioned that I needed a fresh blood transfusion, and they needed a willing participant. It made sense that they would choose Ruby. She would do anything for me, and she’s proved that in more ways than I could count.

I reached over and wiped the tears off her face, relieved that I could move my arms. I wiggled my toes and was even more relieved that I could move my feet; maybe I could even walk. But I wasn’t going to attempt to do anything right now.

“Good evening,” Dr. Cornelia said as he walked into the room.

He spoke in a low whisper so as to not disturb Ruby’s sleep. When I looked at him, like really looked at him, I saw how kind he looked. He had an old man/grandfather look to him. His grey eyes poured into me as he examined me, and his long silver hair was tied into a low pony and out of his face.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, glancing at the monitors.

This was it… the moment of truth.

I opened my mouth to speak…

“Like…. Like I was… run over… by a truck,” I said through deep breaths of pained air. It hurt to speak; my lungs were screaming at me to stop.

But I was majorly relieved that I had my voice back and telling from Dr. Cornelia’s pleased face, he was just as relieved.

“What you went through was a lot worse,” he said grimly. “But you pulled through; in my opinion, it was a miracle.”

I swallowed, wanting to speak again, but having no energy to do so.

He gave me a kind smile and I knew he could see the struggle on my face.

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll be back to new soon enough. The medicine I gave you will heal your body quickly. I think you’ll be back on your feet within the day. You just need to rest.”

I sighed, feeling defenseless.

“Where’s… Joseph?” I found myself asking hoarsely.

“Elder Joseph went home to rest. He hasn’t slept since you went missing. I imagine his body was failing him by the time he returned home. Now that you are okay, he can finally rest easy,” Dr. Cornelia said.

My eyes widened.

He hadn’t slept in days?

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest; how could he deprive himself of rest? For me?

Ruby stirred beside me, and both our attentions were directed to her as her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed at me, seemingly confused. When she saw that I was awake, her curly head of hair bounced upward, and a gasp escaped her lips.

“You’re awake!” She breathed. “Oh, thank God.”

Tears filled her eyes again; I didn’t want her crying over me. Not again.

“It’s… okay…Ruby,” I said between deep breaths. Her eyes widened.

“You can speak?!” She gushed. “Oh, Tessa… I’ve missed you so much.”

This time, she burst into tears and wrapped her arms around me; I whimpered in pain and Dr. Cornelia was quick to scold her.

“Easy there. She’s still very injured!”

Ruby released me, her face red, and she struggled to wipe away the rapid flow of tears.

“I’m sorry,” she said through her tears. “I’m just so relieved.”

I gave her a gentle smile to show her that it was okay. I reached over and took her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Ruby…” I whispered; I realized it was a lot easier to speak when I whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“They said you needed blood, so I came here to help you,” she whispered in return. “I was so worried about you that I didn’t want to leave until I knew for sure you were going to be okay.”

I wanted to ask her how much she knew about this place, but I think she could read the questions on my face because she gave me a warm smile.

“We can talk about the whole vampire thing later,” she said. “It was a lot to wrap my mind around, but they don’t seem awful. At least the ones I met don’t… the ones that did this to you…” she broke off as tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Tessa…” she whimpered.

“Hey…” I said softly. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Look at me… I’m alive and I’m going to be okay.”

She nodded, sniffling as she did so.

“By the way…” she said through her tears. “You failed to tell me that all vampires were gorgeous.”

That’s when I realized her strange reaction to Connor earlier.

“Connor?” I asked, raising my brows.

Her face reddened.

When she opened her mouth to speak, the door swung open, and she gasped when Connor came into the room. He must have been listening. Or so I thought; he didn’t look like his usual cocky self. He looked all business.

He went straight to the doctor at his desk.

“I need you to stay here with Tessa and Ruby. Make sure they are both safe. I’m going off with my warriors and the other Elders….” Connor explained to him.

Dr. Cornelia narrowed his eyes at Connor.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

Connor glanced at me before looking back at Dr. Cornelia.

“It will be,” he said, walking toward the doorway, but then he paused. “Ryan returned.”