Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter XVIII ~ ᛒ (Berkana) Part II - Cursed Be The Truth...

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[ Content Warning: Blood ]

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" You sound distressed... Do you need help? "
It really was David...

A soft breeze pushed the maroon-coloured drapes aside, revealing David's tall frame as well as a small portion of his face as he stood there quiescent yet graceful much like a statue, steely eyes piercing me from a distance.

I wasn't even sure if he could actually see me from his current position yet I made sure that the blanket was in place before I attempted to glide across the sheets towards the gap between the drapes, moving as little as somehow possible.
" It's nothing... Nothing serious. But thank you for the concern... "

" I believe it is. "

" Why would you believe that? You haven't even seen anything yet. "

" I do not need to see. I can smell the blood from here. "

I froze when I sat inches away from the drapes, with my brows furrowed.
" I'm not bleeding, David. "

" Are you sure about that? "

His inquiry sounded like a rhetorical question more than anything which so happened to throw me off.
" ... Yeah? "

" You hesitated ~ "
Ungloved fingers entered the gap between the drapes to slowly push them apart until David & I could see each other more clearly, although he was polite enough to wait until I had fully adjusted my blanket.
He was handsome as always, with the typical mystifying spark in his eyes & unearthly grace in each of his movements, now more than ever since he was not wearing his coat which allowed me to once again see his appealing frame, the flames in the nearby fire bowls doing anything in their power to highlight & flatter whatever their feeble light could reach.
However it wasn't until the drapes were fully out of the way that I noticed his pale ivory skin & all the shadows & contours it defined, unapologetically offering itself to my eyes for a view that had me trapped from the first second as David stood there right in front of the bed, shirtless & smiling down at me in an almost affectionate manner.
" ~ which indicates that you aren't. "

I hated myself for looking at him so intensely.
I hated myself for liking what I was seeing.
But above all, I hated myself for feeling drawn towards what I was seeing...

" Well, I am. " I forced out of me after a way too long moment of mesmerized silence.
" Whatever blood you're smelling, it can't be mine. "

" Lily, I have smelled your blood before. I would recognize its unique scent among millions of others.
Please understand this... I'm not here to pester you. I'm merely asking you to take a closer look at yourself. It's fairly easy to tell that you are in pain, & it worries me. "

" It... worries you? "

" Your surprise surprises me, " David replied after a brief pause which he had used to gaze around the bed, most likely in search for bloodstains,
" for I assumed you long knew how much I care about you. "

His voice dropped by an entire tone, only further softening its already velvety sound. I was so lulled in by it that the pigeon startled the hell out of me when it finally flew off, past the drapes & back towards the fountain.