The Beast And The Blessed

Chapter 38

Thirty-Eight: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

The door had been ripped clean from the frame and was now leaning up against it as a barricade against the elements. The front window had a large hole in the left side that had webbed through the rest of the glass.

I wrapped my arms around my torso as I approached, terrified that the slight disturbance of air caused by my walking would send the shards tumbling down.

"Why are you here?' My mother asked. Her hoarse voice made me flinch, but I remained calm as Killian moved forward and lifted the door before placing it off to the side.

As the interior of the house was revealed, I felt my lungs collapse in my chest.

Blood was splattered on the walls, and the rancid smell of vomit washed over me, making me grimace. All of my childhood memories were scattered over the flood, destroyed in the battle that had occurred here.

I stepped in carefully, hearing the glass beneath my foot crunch as I moved into the living room. Killian was close behind me. I could feel his chest gently brushing against my back as he stood alert, scanning the surroundings when I came to a stop.

My mother was only a few feet away, curled up in a ball against the living room wall with a puddle of dried blood the size of a bear. I knew from looking at her that it wasn't hers, but someone had suffered from a fatal blow in that very spot.

She looked gauntly and pale. Her veins were purple beneath her skin as they struggled to pump blood through her body.

"Mom?" I asked as I rushed to her, crouching down until my knees hit the floor. "What happened? Are you okay?"

at me. Her hand grabbed my legs, ripping my knees off the floor and sending

of the situation was replaced by confusion when she began to run her fingers over the

back into her mind, and my body continued to shake as my mother's nails dug into the blood, pulling it up from the hardwood. She took in a deep breath, closing her

and tried to move

to touch her, but her body was coiled up like a snake ready to spring at anyone who dared to come too close to

watched as recognition covered her face. She turned her head to turn to Killian, and I gasped as I was able to see the infected bite mark on her neck. If I had to guess, it wasn't the only one she had. But the raised edges of the wound were dark like they had been burnt over a fire. The center was red and purple,

rough round of coughing that

didn't hear me. She was in a trance, staring at my mate

she continued to trail her finger over the

Him? Not the Goddess.

I had assumed it from the moment we arrived,

gaze from her and the blood beneath her, glancing

to her. Killian growled but allowed it as

you would be human. We would have left you out there if we had known." Her hold on me tightened as I tried to

the words from

eye contact with Killian in a direct challenge. "You're just a human

loosened, I pulled my arm free, cradling it to my chest." Mom, it's the venom from the bite talking.

got to my feet to stand next to Killian. "We have to get her to the infirmary. Someone has to be able

us from moving her as she laid her

of emotion as he stared down at her. He placed his arm around me, trying to push

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