petrichor [rosalie hale]

xxxii. sibling bonds

"Kiara," Carlisle's calm voice broke through the tension. "I'm here to help you. You'll be alright."

The shifter didn't even recognise the words as she thrashed on the ground, her entire body feeling like it was being set alight from the inside. Had she even been able to think, she'd made have wondered if this was what the rest of the Cullen's had suffered before becoming what they were - but she was in too much pain to think of anything else except that.

"Carlisle!" Sam warned, his voice gruff with concern and authority as the three stared in disbelief at the scene before them while Leah tried to cradle Kiara towards her. Carlisle instantly fell to his knees on the mudded forest floor, Sam ordering Leah to step back and move out of the way of the man as Sam fell down on Kiara's other side. He was very aware that there was a significant risk of Kiara phasing at any moment, and Carlisle had already informed him that if that happened, there was no way they'd save her.

Sam held Kiara down as Carlisle grabbed at his belt, wrapping it tightly around the untouched skin that lay around the wound. He grimaced a little as he looked at the teeth marks, his mind going back to less than a year prior when it had been Bella Swan in the same position.

"Please just kill me," Kiara cried out, the pain rushing through her body like nothing else she had ever felt before. Leah turned her head at this, trying to hold back the sob that had been resting on her lips from the moment that Paul, Sam and Carlisle had rushed into the clearing. Paul noticed this, moving closer to her and allowing the girl to rest her head against his shoulder to avoid having to look at their friend.

There had never been much love between Paul and Leah. They were two hotheads with little care for others, two sides of the exact same coin. Paul had always said that Leah had never realised how good she had life before she shifted, whereas his life had always been less than desirable in his eyes. Leah had always said that she'd rather have had a dead-beat dad than have a dad ripped away from her with no warning like she had.

In another world, Kiara had once told Sam, she was sure they'd have been joined at the hip. If circumstances had been different and their lives had all been intertwined without all of the pain and trauma that they had all gone through, Kiara would only hope that her two friends would be friends with each other on their own accord.

Carlisle carefully yet quickly examined Kiara's wound, assessing the venom's spread. He knew that time was of the essence, and without hesitation, he leaned in and pressed his cold lips against the infected bite mark. Paul flinched, his agitation growing with each passing moment. His eyes fixed on Carlisle and clenched his fists, his anger mingling with his concern for Kiara.

Sam rushed to his feet as he pushed against Paul as the boy went to instinctively lunge to rip the vampire off the girl. He resisted against his alpha for a moment, before his eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him and he realised that Carlisle wasn't biting her, but rather sucking at the wound on her arm.

"PAUL, BACK DOWN!" Sam roared in his face, the boy instantly stepping back without thought. There hadn't been many times that Sam used his alpha capabilities to command them to do something, but Paul wasn't angry at him for doing so. They just needed Kiara to be alive.

"Paul," Leah whispered, her voice barely audible above the rustle of leaves. "We have to trust him. Kiara's life depends on it."

Paul glanced at Leah, his eyes flickering with indecision and a hint of surprise. Leah was the last person he ever expected to say that they needed to trust a vampire. His protective instincts were at odds with his aversion to vampires, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing Kiara. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly nodded in agreement, conceding to the dire circumstances as they watched as Kiara's body began to react to Carlisle.