Love Comes In Many Dangerous Forms

My eyes fluttered open, and my vision flooded with blinding light. I couldn’t move, and my body felt drained of energy. My neck was stiff and exploded in pain each time I thought about it. It was hard to breath, and with each breath I took, my chest would respond agonizingly. I felt something around my mouth and nose, and I would here an annoying beeping sound from beside me. But what was torturing me was the heat, it felt like someone had set the room on fire, and I was standing right next to the flames.

I saw Zach next to me and he held my right hand, but it felt like he wasn’t even touching me, like he was scared he would break it. Audrey was leaning against the opposite wall of the room. Both of their heads were bowed.

“Za-ch,” was all I managed to croak out.

Both Audrey and Zach’s heads shot up, exposing their bloody tears.

“Cassiel?” he sounded astonished that I had said his name, why? I was only asleep for a few minutes.

“Too… hot,” I told him, and I started breathing through my mouth, trying to make breathing easier. It didn’t help.

“Audrey, go get Vera, now,” Zach’s words were rushed and panicked.

Audrey left the room immediately.

“Cassie, please stay awake. Can you do that for me?” Zach asked as he placed his hands on my face.

But I couldn’t do that, it was like fighting a tsunami while you were under water, impossible.

And then the brightness of the room faded leaving me in darkness.

***

(Zach’s P.O.V.)

I felt hopeless waiting there, just agonizingly waiting for something to happen.

“Za-ch,” I heard a weak, almost inaudible voice whisper.

My head snapped up, and looked into the face of the girl who I was determined to protect. But I had failed her.

She looked tired and weak. Her skin was still pale as the snow outside, and her eyes were glazed over. I noticed that she was sweating and her hair was sticking to her face and neck. She looked worse, much worse.

“Too… hot,” she mumbled softly.

“Audrey, go get Vera, now,” I panicked, I didn’t know what I should do, or what I shouldn’t

I placed my hands on Cassie’s face, trying to cool her down, and it almost hurt to touch her. She was extremely hot, and her skin burned me.

Audrey ran out of the room, leaving me and Cassie alone, and I was scared.

“Cassie, please stay awake. Can you do that for me?” I asked her, hoping for any response. I didn’t get anything but her eyes closing.

I could feel her body heat soak into my hands, and soon enough my hands were as hot as her face.

Vera rushed into the room, and Audrey was trailing behind her.

“What’s wrong with her?” Vera asked nervously.

“I think she’s overheating,” worry coated my voice.

Vera placed her hand on Cassiel’s cheek, and pulled back cradling her hand. I guess she had been burned, because Vera was only at least two degrees, and Cassiel was more than a hundred degrees hotter than her.

“Her body is heating up, isn’t that a good thing?” Audrey asked confused.

“Her body still thinks it is out in the cold, and it is heating up, but she is heating up too quickly and too much,” Vera told her putting a thermometer in Cassiel’s mouth.

“And that’s a bad thing?” I asked unsure.

“A very bad thing. If she gets to hot she will die,” Vera answered painfully.

“We need to get her cooled down now. Zach, take off your shirt, now,” Vera ordered, looking at the thermometer.

“Why?” I asked, but did what she said.

“Cassiel is getting to hot, and if you hold her, your body will absorb her body heat, therefore, cooling her down, at least some,” she told me and took my shirt that was in my hands.

I gently took Cassiel into my arms and cradled her like a child. I was careful with the IV’s that were in her arm, and the tube looking thing that was connected to her oxygen mask. I placed my hand against her head holding it against my shoulder, hoping that would be more comfortable for her. I made sure that her

“Audrey, you can help me, we can help cool her down, go get some cloths from the cabinet over there and run them over some cold water,” Vera said to Audrey.

Audrey nodded and rushed towards the cabinet and went to the nearby sink and ran the water making sure the cloths were soaked, before she wrung the out.

“So how’s the killer?” I spat.

“Zach, you know he didn’t mean to. He is a nice boy, he is just confused and wants to protect Carly,” Vera answered.

“Confused or not, he shouldn't have done it.”

“Well, what would you do if you thought Cassiel was out of your life forever, be sold in one of those dreaded auctions. And you get sold to someone who has Cassie with them. And someone says someone is going to try and kill you and Cassiel, wouldn’t you try to stop them?”

I didn’t have an answer.

“Exactly,” she told me, and started placing the cloths that Audrey gave her on Cassiel’s exposed skin, making sure not to get her hospital gown wet.

“She’s going to be okay, Zach,” Vera whispered, “She was only running a fever, of one hundred and three.”

“Then why did she pass out?” I asked nervously.

”The medication we are giving her, it is supposed to make humans sleepy.”

“So, she’s going to be fine?” I asked, just to be sure.

“Yes.”

***

(Unknown P.O.V.)

I watched as the male vampire held my Cassie. She was mine; no one else could touch her, but me. I missed her so; she was so young, so pure, despite what I had done to her all those years ago.

I hid in the bushes refusing to be caught and to be taken away from the girl I watched through the glass window.

I felt jealousy prick though me, I had three other rivals, even though two of them didn’t know it yet, to win the young girl’s heart – the one who dared touch my love, the prince of the race who betrayed the immortals, and the other slave.

I saw from the corner of my eye one maid walk through a nearby door, and started walking towards the bushes where I was hiding, with a curious expression on her face.

I hissed and shot out of the bushes, furious that I had to be away from my love, and ran through the opened gate and into the dark forest. But I had to flee so that I wouldn’t be caught, and I would never see her again.

But I would be back, I promise Cassiel, no matter how much you hate me, no matter how much you fear me, I will be back for you my love.