13 You Shouldn’t...

Bridget

The first thing I think of when my eyes open and I see Marilyn’s worried face is why I’m not dead yet.

I should be dead, in fact, I want to be dead.

Why can’t that fate person who allowed Sean and Olivia to be together just kill me? Or why can’t God cast lightning down and turn me into a pile of ashes?

My eyes stare right into Marilyn’s gray ones, and she swallows.

“Hold on a second, sweetie, I’ll be right back,” she says, the hurries off. I lay there, wiggling my fingers and toes, trying to believe that I wasn’t truly alive but my heart beating and my dry mouth lets me know that I am truly alive and that I have not gone anywhere.

Marilyn comes back with a glass full of some kind of red liquid.

“Here,” she says, and I take a sip of it. It is divine.

I chug the whole class before Marilyn wipes my lips with a napkin.

“How are you feeling?” she asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Like I should be dead and I’m not,” I answer. “I’m disappointed, honestly.”

“Unfortunately, Lucien is ordering for a training session with the girls so he can choose someone to sell to the allied coven,” Marilyn says, laying some clothes down on the bed. “If you are unable, I can simply-”

“No,” I say firmly. “Lucien is trying to play some kind of game with me, trying to break me, trying to diffuse my fire and I won’t allow him to.”

I swing my feet to the floor, pull a ponytail holder off my arm and wrap my hair up in a ponytail.

“Leggings and a sports bra?” I question, and Marilyn nods.

“Sweetheart, you should really stay here,” she is practically begging me to stay.

“No,” I say again, and she finally sighs and gives up on trying to make me stay within the building.

She leaves the room as I get changed. I grab a tight-fitting jacket as well to wear, because Lucien doesn’t deserve to see me like he did yesterday.

I can’t believe I slept a whole day off, but it’s not a surprise to Marilyn. The only surprise she has is the fact that I’m still functioning.

“Honey, you shouldn’t...” Marilyn tries once more to dissuade me from training with the other girls, but I affirm once again that I’m not letting Lucien shut me down like he always tries to.

I look out the window to see Lucien and Sebastian gathering up Shelia, Rosanna, and Libby. I give a final glance at Marilyn, who only flattens her hand against my forehead and sighs.

“Take it easy, sweetheart,” she says, then kisses my forehead. A chill goes down my spine and I give her a small smile before leaving the building in which I’ve been for so long.

Being outside for the first time in nearly three weeks almost knocks me off my feet. Fresh air is like a blessing to someone whose been kidnapped and not allowed to see the outdoors.

When I look up, I see Sebastian staring at me with a smirk on his face while Lucien looks a little surprised.

What, you thought you could keep me half dead in a bedroom? Nope, doesn’t work like that with Bridget Wayne.

I am a fighter, and I will fight you until the day you actually kill me, Lucien Rowe.

“Surprised to see you standing, Bri,” Sebastian says, then looks over at Lucien, who has turned his head to the side and doesn’t even want to look at me.

You know what?

What the fuck ever.

I don’t like you either, you bastard.

“Well, every one of you seems to be surprised by all the cards Bridget Wayne holds in her bag,” I say, then smile at him. Sebastian’s eyebrows go up, but then he chuckles.

“I guess you’re right,” he says. “Go stand by Libby.”

I walk over and stand there by Libby, who keeps looking at me, as if she’s expecting me to fall over suddenly. Yes, I basically just had my blood drained, but I took a day off, and I’m fine now!

“Okay, so what we will be doing today is woods navigation,” Sebastian says. “This is a mafia coven you’re living in, so you never know when you might have to run. We want to test your speed and agility in difficult spaces.”

Well, this should be simple enough, because I grew up in the woods with my brothers. I did most of the hunting, I put in the effort and made sure that we were always warm, had food, and were protected from the creatures that were in the woods.

Sebastian tells us to go, saying, “You shouldn’t try to escape, because there are several vampire guards throughout the woods, and they don’t have orders as to what to do with you, and some of you smell particularly sweet. Play it smart.”

For some reason, I feel that every part of that statement was meant for me, because I’m the only one that has the balls to escape.

I head into the woods, feeling a sense of serenity go over me because it’s been a while since I have gone back to where I came from and really came back down to earth. Being in this thick of woods makes me miss my brothers terribly. I know they’re the Betas of their pack and that they’re happy just where they are.

I remember training them to survive in the woods, to survive against a world that seemed to want to do anything to try to kill them.

I pick up the pace, heading into a steady run through the woods, leaping over logs, sliding under fallen branches and jumping over brambles.

I come up by a tree that seems to be almost dead, holding my hand on it to catch my breath.

I go to take a step forward, when all of the sudden I’m slammed to the ground, my forehead protected by a cool hand, a body on top of mine.

The tree above us cracks and drops a heavy ass branch on us, and I squirm at the sudden weight on top of me.

“Just...” I hear the person gasp, and I realize it’s Lucien. “Hang...on...”

I try to turn to see him, but his hand keeps my head in place.

“Don’t...move...” he gasps again. “Fuck...”

“Are you hurt?” I suddenly panic.

“Little...” his voice gets cut off and I feel his head drop down against mine.

I scream at the top of my lungs, trying to get someone’s attention, anyone’s.

Soon, Alec and Sebastian are on scene, throwing the log-like branch off of us.

“The Don’s hurt!” Sebastian yells, and it doesn’t take long before lots of vampires come over to us, pulling Lucien off me. Alec picks me up off the ground, asking if I’m okay, but my whole entire soul feels like it’s on fire.

Lucien hurt himself for me...

“Is he okay?” I demand, not listening to Alec. Sebastian looks over with a faint look of surprise, once again. “IS HE OKAY!”

“Does it look like he’s fucking okay, Bridget?” some guy yells at me.

“Karmen, shut the fuck up and get him to his bedroom!” Sebastian orders coldly, and Karmen quickly does as he’s told. I look to Alec for help, and he whispers that Sebastian is always to take over if Lucien is unable to do his job.

“You,” Sebastian says, approaching me, “you are going to stay with Lucien in his room.”

My mouth drops open.

“Huh?” Why do I have to do that?

“Because Lucien seems to have a weird fucking obsession with you. You know he’s literally dying right now?”

Fear, panic, dread swirl in me.

“No,” I whisper, and Sebastian places two fingers under my chin and lifts my head up to see him.

“He can’t hurt you when he’s unconscious, Bri,” he whispers. “And, Carson will be right outside the door if you need anything.”

I nod slowly, and I let Alec carry me to Lucien’s room, the literal first and last place that I want to be.