Page 75 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)
A BURNING ACHE
T he vampire opened his eyes – something was wrong. Something terrible happened. Something terrible was done by him . His gaze dropped on the body of the girl in his arms.
A sharp pain throbbed through his head – there was nothing, he wasn't hearing anything, not her heartbeat, not her breathing, nothing .
The only thing that stopped his hunger was silence, a pure hush. No sign of life from the girl in his hands, the colors drained from her face. Something clicked in his mind as he stayed there, his lips still lingering on her skin.
One.
Two.
Three droplets dripped from his mouth, the sound of each touching the cold ground echoed in his ears. His breathing slowed down, palsy wrapped his body in as the realization struck him – he did something terrible. Unforgivable. He killed her.
He slowly pulled back, shaking, eyes looking at her lifeless face.
His mind froze. Words hovered in the air.
Emotions too heavy to let out or even swallow.
An emptying wound scattering down where his heart was supposed to be.
He was there, holding the girl he used to know, as his entire being was agonized by pure torture.
Suddenly he forgot how to breathe. The air felt like a poison, sharp and trenchant, slicing his throat.
Why did his heart seem so small right now?
As if shrunken, or was it too big and his body was too small to handle it?
Nothing in his mind could compare to the feeling that sheathed his soul.
Was he wretched? Shattered? Battered or smitten? He was guilty .
Finally the numbness loosened its grip on his shoulders but he couldn't let her, to put her soft and fragile body against the cold and rough stone.
The absolute terror clouded his features as his trembling fingers reached to her face.
Her closed lids, her skin too pale – or his mind was playing with him because it knew she wasn't alive?
She felt too cold, too unfamiliar…It was not his Little Witch.
It was a girl he killed without a second thought.
No…
No.
NO!
His mouth went dry but it didn't matter, if he could say something it would change nothing .
Some sighs finally escaped from the deep of his throat and then it became louder until it turned into blaring.
And then it grew into an agony, a hideous torture.
A stinging rain fell from his eyes on the girl's hair as he pulled her closer, shattering on the floor.
He held her the same way the child holds the dearest thing to their heart and swears to never let it go.
He held her with such an intensity as someone could hold only the most important soul in their life.
As if it matters…As if it could cross out the fact that he killed her.
He took her soul. Her heart. He absolutely destroyed everything in her.
His body burned in throes while she was colder than a winter night .
The stars faded as the sunrise finally spread its color over the sky. And this was much more terrible – the touch of the sun seemed like heaven to him right now.
The blood on her neck, at her shoulders, her blood smudged all over his lips, everything burned red. What has he done?
Instead of her heartbeat – absolute silence.
It echoed from the walls right into his mind.
A burning pain. All that remained. After a minute.
After two…And after one more it didn't leave him as well.
His head fell onto hers, his chin burying in her hair; it still smelled like violets. His brows knitted one more time.
His curse was not his mask after all. This was much more painful. Out of all losses. Out of all centuries. Such an empty hole inside his chest.
The hoarse sigh left his mouth. His gaze raised to the hourglass on the table across the room. His eyes flashed in the darkness – a spark of determination, not hope. Hope was too weak with what he was about to do. If it will not work he–No. There was no if .
He stood up and strode to the hourglass with blue sand. If it was truly magical, it would fix everything. Not him, of course. After all, it turned out, he was remediless .
He broke the glass the same way he was determined to break time. If the legend was right the grains of this sand will turn him back to the moment of his biggest regret. If the legend was right the grains of this sand will get her back. Back to him .
He sat once again beside the girl, pressing her to his chest. Her still body was becoming colder with every second. His hand squeezed a pile of magic dust tingling his skin.
“We'll meet again, Little Witch,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her nape and closing his eyes. If fate will be kind enough to her…to him – he'll see her in a second. Just a short moment of time. Like nothing happened.