Austin's P.O.V.
I woke up to a growling sound. My eyes snapped open and I immediately glanced around me, looking for danger. I heard the growling again and I looked down at Carmen. It seemed to be coming from her. I froze when I looked down at her. Carmen's lips seemed to be blue and her skin was so pale. Tears ran down her cheeks. She must be having a bad dream. The growling sounded and I glanced down at Carmen's stomach. I put my ear against it. Sure enough, a moment later, it growled. She must be hungry, I thought. When was the last time she ate. Hmmm. I actually can't remember her eating at all, ever since the day she bought me from that auction house. Things have been so crazy lately that I forgot about it. How could I forget about feeding her?
"Carmen, sweetheart, wake up," I whispered, unwrapping one of my arms from around her so that I could stroke her face. She didn't respond. More tears rolled down her face. "Wake up, love. Come one, we have to get you back home," I said a little louder, kissing her forehead. She still didn't move. Again, tears spilled from her eyes. I started to get worried. I shook her shoulder gently and called her name a few more times, but when she still didn't react I scooped her up and flew towards the house.
I wonder if she's sick. I wouldn't be surprised if she was. She's been lying outside all night, soaking wet, crying her eyes out, sleeping on me, which is pretty much the same as sleeping next to ice. She had dirt stains all over her and her clothes were bloody and torn. She looked like hell. I burst into my house and took her to my bed. She was still unconscious. Running through the halls quickly, I raided the kitchen. It was stocked with human food. Just because we're vampires doesn't mean that we don't have to eat, too. We just didn't have to eat as often as humans. Maybe twice a month. However, we had to drink blood way more often than that.
I quickly heated up some chicken noodle soup and grabbed some crackers. I downed a few bottles of blood quickly and then ran back up the stairs. I sat the bowl down on the bedside table and crawled into the bed beside Carmen. She looked so tortured, even in her sleep. Her face was wet and every now and then I heard her whimper. I wonder what she's dreaming about.
"Carmen," I said softly. She didn't respond. "Carmen!" I called, shaking her shoulder gently. "Sweetheart, wake up." Her head rolled to the side and then her eyes started to slowly flutter open. I sighed in relief. I was starting to think she was never going to get up. I stroked her beautiful face, wiping the tears off of her cheeks, while she looked around her in confusion.
"Austin?" she asked uncertainly, looking at me. I smiled at her and then wrapped her in a warm hug.
"Thank god you're awake," I whispered, still holding her.
"How did you find me?" she asked in a raspy voice. I laid her back down on the pillows and moved to retrieve the still steaming bowl of soup. I helped her sit up against the headboard and then handed her the food. She accepted gladly.
"I traced your scent. It led all the way to that hill you were sleeping on." I noticed her face twist when I mentioned it, but it straightened out quickly. I was hesitant to ask her this next question as I watched her tear into the crackers like a wild animal. She must really be starving. I felt so horrible. "Carmen, there were two graves on the hill." She stiffened. "Do you know who they belong to?"
She looked down and stayed silent. A few more tears spilled down her cheeks. She didn't answer. I reached my hand out and wiper her tears away, then pulled her chin up so that I could look her in the eye.
"It's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I assured her, though I was dying to know. She sniffed and looked down again, then glanced back up to me.
"They belong to my mom and sister," she choked out in a broken voice, the tears falling freely now. It was my turn to freeze. I was so surprised. Why would her mother and sister's graves be all the way out here? It was a very long way from where she lived. Or used to live. And could it really just be a coincidence that they were buried so close to my house?
