Freeing Anvi

Chapter Twenty-Seven

He's sleeping soundly. His dark hair is tousled and there are red bags under his eyes. Has he been crying? He snores as he sleeps and is on his knees beside the bed. He drools slightly on his arm and I see that his hands are stained red. What in the world has Oscar been doing?

As my sight returns to me and Ama stirs, I find myself covered in bandages and tubes. There's one around my head that has two prongs inside my nostrils and one connected to a needle that sinks into my hand. It doesn't hurt or slide when I move, though, probably because it's taped down.

I'm dressed in a coarse hospital gown with faded green and yellow stars on it. My hair is ratty and feels as though I haven't washed it in days, probably because I haven't. My bones feel feeble and my body sinks weakly into the hard bed.

Sleep more, Ama groans as I begin to wake. She's dead tired and lazily rises, but she's already falling back asleep. It's too early.

It's ten, Ama, I say. She's already asleep, though, and I let her be. As much as I want to talk to her - hell it's been two years since I've last seen her - I leave her be. When we're both better, then we can talk.

Luckily, I'm not meant to brood in silence forever. Oscar's head shifts as soon as Ama is quiet and his eyes flutter. They flicker towards me briefly, then close again, before snapping open. Immediately, he's on his feet and grabbing my shoulders, staring into my eyes as if to make sure that I'm not dead.

"Anvi?" He questions, his thumb digging into my shoulder bone. "Are you awake?"

My lip quirks. "Yes. Do I look asleep?" I quip, attempting to bring a smile to Oscar's worry-torn face. It works, and in a flash, he's hugging me. Warm drops trickle down the open back of my nightgown.

"You're awake...you're okay...fucking hell, Anvi," he gasps brokenly as he holds me tightly against him. I return his hug, not as tightly as he does, but tight enough so that he knows I appreciate him being there.

"I'm fine, Oscar," I assure him. "A little tired, and I think maybe some of my bones are broken, but I'm okay." Excitedly, I beam up at him. "Guess what?"

"What?" His eyes dance with amusement.

"I got my wolf back!" I say, trying for exuberance but my throbbing throat prevents me. Oscar understands my eagerness, though, and hugs me again, laughing.

"That's amazing!" He says. He pulls away to study my face quickly. "Ama's back? How is she?"

"Tired," I say. "She's still sleeping."

"Ah, well let her sleep." He pulls a chair from behind him (why was he not sitting in that?) and holds my hand as he sits. The amusement fades from his expression and his lips thin. "Anvi, what happened? How did you get here? How did you get...these?" He gestures to the bandages on my body. "Actually, a better question...how is my father dead?"

I blink. I'm not completely ready for the barrage of questions that he's throwing at me, but I know that they're inevitable. I sigh.

"Jackson and I went to Delia's coven to try and find him," I begin. "Banastre attacked. He..." my eyes sting. "He killed Adonis and took me. He...he told me...he told me..." my heart drowns in a cold pool of sadness, but I refuse myself the liberty of crying because I'm not shedding tears for the man who took everything away from my family. "Oscar...Hailey and I...we're sisters."

Oscar's jaw drops slightly. "What?" His hand loosens in mine. "Mom and you...you guys are sisters?"

I explain to him what Banastre had told me. How he wanted our fortune. How he blackmailed Hailey and killed her first mate. How he tried to prevent Oscar's birth and killed my family to get our money. How I got my revenge and killed him; bloodily and mercilessly, because that's what he deserved.