Eclipse

6.

Fallen

I woke up sluggishly to Kieran lightly slapping me across my face.

"Ugh, stop!" I mumbled as I pushed his arm away, sitting up with the grace of a zombie clawing its way out of its grave. Kieran was sitting beside me with an expression of concern. "What?" I snapped with a frown." I could easily imagine what horror would await me in the bathroom mirror, but that didn't mean I needed to hear it from him.

"You look like shit," he replied frankly, not bothering to dull the edge of the barb.

"Oh, wow, I wonder why?" I muttered sarcastically, staggering past him for the bathroom. I was right. While the bruises had healed and vanished completely, my eyes matching my nose, with scarlet capillaries veining the whites and puffy bags underneath. I swallowed the painful lump in my throat and vigorously washed my face in the hope that I would wash away all the signs of my breakdown. I knew for a fact that while Lupi healed fast, imprints of emotions disappeared just as fast. By the time I rose from the sink, all that remained were the dark purple bags under my eyes.

"Are you in the mood to go out?" Kieran asked, leaning against the door frame as he watched me.

"Define 'out'," I replied emotionlessly, looking dully at Kieran's reflection.

He looked nervous as he hesitantly said, "A club."

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at him. "Tell me: do I look like I'm in the shape to go clubbing?"

"I need to see someone, and I can't leave you here," Kieran replied calmly. "Believe it or not, but you'll be safer in there than you would be in here alone."

"What? How?" I spluttered, turning to face him. I could imagine a seedy man groping me, or spiking my drink and dragging me into an alley... no, I couldn't see how it could be safer than this apartment.

"I don't have any wards set up here. It's obvious now that you're part of this prophecy, which makes you a target, which means, whether you like it or not, you will be coming with me. The choice that you have is whether you come willingly or you come with your hand cuffed to mine with magic. Your call."

Kieran matched my fiery glare with a cool one, and I knew I had no choice. How exactly could I get away from a pair of magical cuffs? "Fine," I growled. "What do I wear?"

Kieran broke into a grin. "Typical woman. We're going shopping, and we're filling a suitcase worth of clothes, but nothing more, I swear. I'm not made of money."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled all the same. Sometimes Kieran was a nice person. Sometimes. "Then let's go then, shall we?"

⤜◯⤛

It was embarrassing, to say the least, to walk around the shopping mall in drab grey clothes that hung off my frame and uncombed hair, but soon enough, I'd taken advantage of Kieran's credit cards.

"This is why I hate shopping," Kieran muttered as we moved to the next store, staring at the fast-growing number bags that I held.

"I doubt you want to be associated with a girl who looks like she just got released from the mental asylum," I replied, flicking through a rack of skintight dresses that made me cringe inwardly in disgust.

"No, but I do want to be seen as the hot guy who's interested in going out with you and can actually afford to buy you a drink," he muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough to evade me supersensitive hearing.

By the time we had finished shopping, it was nearing evening and I was famished.

"Can we just eat?" I whined as Kieran led me through the streets with brisk strides.