Where Nothing Ill Can Dwell

Chapter 15 - Ferdinand

I knew I shouldn't have tempted fate.

I knew I shouldn't have held her in my arms and drawn her close to me.

I knew I shouldn't have let her kiss me like that.

Wetness seeped along my chest as the collar twisted under her weight, but I ignored the blood spilling out from my neck just like I ignored the little furball that yapped at my heels.

Miranda fell into my arms, her eyes wide and staring past me like I wasn't there. Her hand gripped the collar in a stony vise, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't untangle her fingers from it. Her face was waxy white, and her lips had paled to a deathly blue hue.

She wasn't breathing.

I clawed frantically at her hand and debated whether or not I dared to break her fingers. If I did it to save her life, would she forgive me?

Her mother knelt beside me and shook Miranda. Not even the concerned whimpers of her pet could phase her.

"Deactivate it," I snapped, wondering why the woman hadn't considered it in the first place.

"I tried. She tripped the receptor."

Miranda was dying in my arms, and not even her mother could stop it. I stared down at her face and prayed. Please let go. Just let go.

A sharp blast of an air pistol pierced the strained silence, and she went limp in my arms.

I pressed my ear to her chest and listened. Now my prayers asked for the thump of her heart, the sharp gasp of a breath.

Thankfully, within a matter of seconds, I heard them both. I cradled her close to me, welcoming each warm breath that stung the raw skin along my neck. I had no idea when I'd begun to care so much about a girl I hardly knew, but at the moment I swore I'd never let her go.

I lashed out, releasing the anger and frustration that had built up inside me at the person who'd triggered my rage. "Are you some kind of mad woman? You could've killed her!"

"I never expected..." Her mother drew in a shaky breath, her words tinged with tears. "I mean, she'd..."

I hugged Miranda even closer. Once again, she'd shown me the compassion that her mother lacked, bravery I didn't deserve. She'd risked her own life to save mine. "I swear to God, if I ever get out of this place, I'm taking her back to NAPLES with me."

Her mother's face was still ashen, but the fierceness returned to her eyes. "Give me back my daughter."

"No." I twisted and pulled her away from her mother. "I won't let you hurt her anymore."

"You fool! I'm the one who saved her." She waved the small injection gun in her hand. "If I hadn't administered the sedative when I did, she would be dead. And I'm not afraid to use it on you, either."

It was coming down to a battle of wills, but I planned to prove that as the heir to NAPLES, I was a force to be reckoned with. "She needs medical attention."

"Which I can give her inside."

"Show me." I gathered Miranda up in my arms and rose to my feet. There was no way I'd let her out of my sight until I knew she would be okay.

Her mother narrowed her eyes in challenge, but she had nothing on me. I held her daughter in my arms, and I knew now that she couldn't control me with the collar any longer. The only advantage she had was the sedative pistol she'd knocked Miranda out with, but if she used it on me, I'd drop her daughter.