The Beast And The Blessed

Fifty-Eight: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V.

Cyrus threw up for a long while. The healers pushed me aside when it went from stomach acid to blood. As much as I detested vomit, even though I was able to hold back some of my own, I stayed. He needed people, and I needed answers.

A line of sweat appeared across his forehead, and every time his eyes instinctively closed as he lost his stomach, he would jerk them right back open. He hadn't been kidding about the darkness he saw when he closed his eyes.

He looked haunted and terrified. The man, who typically looked like a teenager, was nothing more than a scared little boy right now, and it broke my heart.

Tobias had his chest to my back with his hands on my hips. While half of my mind was on Cyrus in bed, there was nothing I could do until this wave of nausea passed.

The other half of my mind was zeroed in on how Tobias had his thumbs sliding along my waist to show that he supported me.

It was so comforting, but I was still waiting for him to tell me that I smelled different or that he could hear or feel a little heartbeat inside me. I wondered if he would know before I did since I was stalling.

Once again, I pushed aside those thoughts. I didn't have the courage to take a test right now, nor did I have the time to run to a store, get one and then take it without anyone seeing me.

Deal with Cora first.

I had to keep reminding myself to stay on task. Cora was the threat here; the potential of a baby inside me was not. It was a distraction, one that I could push aside until I received confirmation that it was even true. Until then, I could continue to pretend it wasn't real and focus on the actual issue.

When the healers stepped back, they looked uncertain and uneasy. Flora's hands were up like she was backing away from a rabid animal and looked exhausted.

She had healed him several times, but it hadn't held. Trauma and magic were powerful things.

a large sip, gargled it, and spat it into

fought back the

was worried, I also sensed his amusement at my statement. I needed to get answers and

it would only raise suspicion. Neither of

still tasting his vomit. His lips pursed, and his eyelids lowered as his

I couldn't wait any longer. We didn't have time for more delays. We needed to be ready to

was trapped. I had been able to talk to her, to Rona. I don't know how it worked, and it was only for a short period." He looked off into the distance,

knew that, but hearing the confirmation from someone who had actually been in Rona's head almost made me feel relieved. I knew she was a terror as a kid, and I assumed that Cora controlling her had been recent. So, I still wasn't a huge fan of Rona, but

had been resisting, fighting against her. She had been using Cora's leg to track her. Rona was trying to find out what Cora was up

This was it.

it. "Rona suspected that Cora was after me after you brought me back here. That's why she was so determined to find out what I was. Rona didn't want my power for herself; she just wanted to find Cora's weakness. She wanted to figure out what my connection

bed to stay out of the way of any vomit or the healers in case they needed to

speaking so ill of someone he had bonded with before they died. They may not have been friends or anything more than that, but they went through something awful together. He had been there, in her mind, when she died, and that would be enough to make anyone

on her. Once she figured that out, she spliced the two spells and found a way to get to me without facing me." A tear leaked from his eye, and he wiped it away quickly. "The first attack hadn't

by leaving it in my unattended tower. I knew I was already going to hell from my past actions, but those were all intentional, and I owned those.

and his life would

and feel her pain. We were trapped in her body, but I couldn't talk or move. Cora was ranting about how the love of her life had

person in the room who had been around Cora for most of his

anyone I could remember, and I had to wonder what else I had been blind

she should have done what she was told when she had the

had Rona been told

when Cora started cutting and chanting. I couldn't understand anything she was saying at that point. I didn't even know if it was Rona pulling at the chains or if I was, but neither of us were strong enough to break free. I couldn't

to save him. He had used his magic; he just used them through his body and hit me instead of through Rona's to get to Cora. I wasn't even sure if that was possible, but by his lack of attacks after, I had assumed Cora had gone far enough in the ritual to suppress his magic