Choosing Fate (Book 3)

Chapter 13

Everything hurt. My entire body felt worse than before, but I couldn't remember what had happened to me. All I could remember was laying down, trying to sleep, and then opening the door. I knew I saw the person that was standing there, but as much as I wanted to see the face, it was blurry. It was like my mind didn't want me to remember who was standing there.

I felt my fingers twitch, touching the hard fabric underneath, telling me I was laying down in the same bed. I hadn't left, but who had carried me back? When I finally felt the muscles in my eyes, I slowly forced them open, and finally saw the face that had been staring at me at the door.

Xavier.

He smiled down at me for a few seconds, before his face turned somber as his gaze flickered all over me. His lips thinned, and he looked up at someone before he looked back down at me. I didn't move my eyes to see who had accompanied him; I couldn't stop staring at him. As much as I wanted to, it felt like he was a flicker of my imagination, something death was showing me before she finally took me. But the soft squeeze he made to my hand told me he was real, and I was not making it up.

"Xavier?" I breathed, and he smiled once more.

"Hey."

"What— what are you doing here?" My eyes finally flickered to the person that shifted and I saw Ben. He gave me a small smile, and I found myself smiling as memories from what seemed like ages ago passed through my mind. "How did you find me?"

"That's not important," he breathed as he released my hand and stood up from his knees. He sighed deeply, ran a hand through his already messed up hair, and then looked over at Ben, who was staring down at his cellphone. "Do you think we can leave?"

They were leaving already? I felt my heart skip a beat, making my already sore body release another wave of pain. I felt two pairs of eyes flicker towards me as a small moan left my lips. "She can't fly."

She? Did someone else come with them?

"I was afraid you were going to say that. Do you think Reece or Jack can take us back?"

"You are leaving already?" I whispered, making them look back at me. "But you just got here."

Another faint smile from Xavier as he went back down to his knees, and grabbed my right arm in both of his. My lips parted in surprise as he brought it up to his lips, and quickly kissed it, not releasing it as he brought it back down. "We have to go, but I am not leaving you behind. You are coming back with us."

I felt my eyelids blink rapidly at his words. "What?"

"You obviously can't take care of yourself anymore, Eva. Look at yourself." My eyes closed and I flinched as Ben commented on my state. "I'm sorry, but he's right. We can't, and won't leave you like this."

"But... but I thought we agreed..." I trailed off as I turned my head to the side, not wanting to look at them.

"Yes, but things have changed. Feelings have... evolved, and there's no way I can leave you behind and let you die." Xavier took a deep breath, and his next words had me snapping my head to him. "I won't let you die. Not anymore."

"That's not your decision."

"I can't let you die, because part of me won't allow it." He grabbed my hand again as Ben murmured in the background on his phone. "Eva, look at me." My eyes flickered back to him and he cupped my face as he whispered, "Eva, you are the key to my happiness."

The breath on my lungs left, and he had to remind me to breathe. "What?"

"Eva... remember how I told you I am a hybrid?" I nodded, wincing as a round of pain went around my head. The pain now settled there, feeling like a monstrous headache that would never go away. "Well, you are my vampires side beloved."