A Stolen Soul

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Cascata Island  

Present Day

I woke to find myself caught in someone's arms. I almost struggled against them but I quickly remembered they were Elijah's. His amazing distinct smell told me that.  

"Shush, Bren, you're with me," he said softly.  

I turned my head to face him. "Was I asleep long?" I asked weakly.  

He gently put a strand of my long dark hair behind my ear. "No, it's only been round ten minutes. But rilassare is unpredictable and it's uncertain when it's effects can take over you again." 

All I could do was nod, I was so confused and frightened I didn't know what to say to him. 

He sat up and carefully pulled me up with him. My bruised weak body ached and I winced. "Sorry, babe," he said kissing my sore shoulder. "Bren, just look at you." He took my red and bruised wrists in his large hands and rubbed them gently. "Look what they've done to you. You're covered in bruises and marks." He brought my wrists up to his lips and kissed each in turn softly.  

I looked down at myself, examining my shoulders my chest, my arms, my wrists, my legs. He was right I was a mess. The most part of my skin was bruised, grazed red and swollen. Yet, it was only inevitable, the men had not exactly been careful with me when they had flung me to the ground or abruptly grabbed my wrists and shoulders. But now I didn't have time to think about the pain. 

"Don't worry about that now, Eli. I'm fine, let's just concentrate on getting out of here." 

He held me gently to him. "I'm so sorry." He carefully leaned forward and kissed my grazed cheek and the skin throbbed. I was sure I had both Lane's and Godric's full fingerprints across them.  

"I know you are, Eli. Don't do this to yourself," I whispered. 

"No, I have to tell you this. Maybe if I'd told you the truth from the start you would have understood why I did what I did. If you knew what I was... if you knew what was going on you would have trusted me, you would have let me hide you from them..." 

I turned in his arms so I could see his face. "But you can't know that, Eli. Would I have really trusted you? Would I have really believed you if you'd told me you were two hundred and fifty years old and I was the doppelganger of a queen on an alternate universe?" I caressed his cheek. "Chances are, Eli, I wouldn't have. I most probably would have thought you were insane. So don't torture yourself. What happened has happened. We can't change it anyway, so don't do this. Let's just concentrate on working out our escape," I said softly.  

He nodded, carefully removing his arms from around me before getting off the bed. He held out his hand for me and I took it as he helped me to stand up. The pain in my body seemed to have doubled since the last time I was on my feet. 

I was only wearing the thin white dress. Without the bed covers and his warm body around me I was freezing and I couldn't hide my shivering. 

He instantly took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Then he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close and supporting all my weight. With his free hand he pulled the mask back over his face.  

"Right, once we are out of this section, guards will be everywhere. This is going to be difficult but we need to get to the queen's chamber. We have to get that antidote. People will question why I have you with me, so, I'll have to try my best to be nonchalant. I'll just say I'm escorting you to Godric. And if we run into Lane or worse Godric himself we are dead. I bet even Aiden would take us straight to him." 

"Okay, let's just do this," I breathed. 

Suddenly, Elijah pulled us back against the wall behind the door, pinning me to him and covering my mouth with his hand. "Shush, babe, I think I just heard someone outside the door," he whispered. 

He was right, mere seconds after the words had left his mouth Penn barged into the room.