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?"

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

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

mind, and my body continued to shake as my mother's nails dug into the blood, pulling it up from the hardwood. She took

Killian said as I righted myself and tried to

if to touch her, but her body was coiled up like a snake ready to spring at

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 coarse plea was followed by a rough round of coughing that speckled

can help you, mom," I said louder than before, but she didn't hear

cried as she continued to trail her finger over

Him? Not the Goddess.

the moment we arrived, and I had seen how upset Haylee was. But

my horrified gaze from her and

to her. Killian growled but allowed it as I looked back into my mother's eyes. They were

human. We would have left you out there if we had known." Her

the words from her mouth made everything clear. I didn't look like them. I didn't act like them. I

Killian in a direct challenge. "You're just a human that we found in the woods as

it to my chest." Mom, it's the venom from the bite

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

her claws extended, puncturing through the hardwood floor to prevent us from moving her as she laid

at her. He placed his arm around me, trying to push my lower

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