Tirade (Heven and Hell #3)(76)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I don’t care. I couldn’t wait in your room anymore.

I fell asleep.

He looked at me sharply as he laid me gently on the bed. I gritted my teeth against the fresh stinging pain that stabbed through me. Did you see him?

Yes. He said the pain would only get worse.

Sam’s mouth flattened as he tucked the blanket around me.

I’m so hot. I pushed the blanket away. Sam made an anguished sound and I followed his stare. Welts covered my arms and chest. Before I could say anything, Sam lifted the tank top I was wearing and looked at my stomach. I could tell by the look on his face there were marks there too.

You have bruises all over your body.

It wants out.

I’m going to get it out, sweetheart. I promise.

When the sun came up, I made him leave to do the barn chores. Just because I was sick didn’t mean the horses had to starve. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity for him to ‘arrive’ and find out I was sick. Maybe Gran would finally allow him to come to my room.

I wasn’t sure what time it was when he finally came through the bedroom door, but the sun was high in the sky. He showered and changed because he was dirty from the barn work and the ends of his hair were damp. I smiled when he brushed the hair back from my face and softly kissed my temple.

“How is she?” Gran fretted from behind.

Sam’s eyes locked on mine. I’m going to move you, sweetheart. It’s the only way she’ll let me in here.

“I think I’m feeling a little better, Gran.” I lied, trying to make my voice sound strong.

Sam lifted me up, holding me against his chest, and carried me downstairs to the couch. I held back the grimace when the fresh claw marks burned. I’m so sorry, baby. I had to bring you down here. I have to be able to stay with you.

It’s okay. I’m fine and I want you to be here. Gran was very generous with the time she allowed Sam to spend here and all the meals he shared with us, but her rule about no boys (except for Cole because he’s my brother) in my room was firm, and I guess not even me being sick was enough to sway her.

Sam was quick to pull the blanket up when it fell off my shoulder and exposed the ugly looking welts. I could see that he had brought some DVDs over to make Gran think we were going to watch movies until I was better.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to get better. I was only getting worse.

I started coughing then, a wet kind of cough that shook my chest and brought something warm up past my throat. I put the blanket up to my mouth just as the blood came out.

Sam hunched over me, blocking me from sight and shaking like he might change. Quickly, I wiped the blood away and tucked the red stain beneath my chin. I’m all right. Calm down.

His eyes were wild and his pupils were dilated. His size seemed to swell before my eyes. A fleeting thought went through my mind, but then it was gone.

Sam will you get me some water?

The simple task seemed to center him, give him something he could do, and he nodded and went off to get the drink. It hurt to move, but I reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed Sam’s cell phone that was lying on the coffee table. I quickly dialed Cole.

He picked up on the first ring. His hello was gruff.

“Cole, it’s me.” I stopped to cough again. “I’m not feeling so good and Sam is really freaking out. Could you—”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Bring Gemma,” I told him and then the line went dead. I dropped the phone in my lap and willed the pain to stop.

Sam came back in carrying a large water bottle and a bottle of pain reliever. Gran came bustling in behind him so I forced myself to sit up and smile.

“How is your stomach feeling?” Gran asked, concerned.

I took the water Sam offered and forced myself to take a sip. It seemed to scrape down my throat. “I think it’s getting better. I haven’t thrown up in a few hours.” Coughing up blood didn’t count as throwing up, did it?

“Must just be some twenty-four hour bug,” Gran nodded.

“I was thinking about some of that homemade chicken soup that you used to make me when I was little.”

Gran’s eyes lit up. Like Sam, giving her something to do made her feel better. “What a wonderful idea! It will fix you right up.”

“It always did.”

She frowned. “I don’t have all the ingredients I need, though.” She looked at Sam. “Will you sit with her while I go to the store to get what I need?”

“Of course,” Sam said, picking up a DVD. “We’ll watch a movie.”

Gran kissed me on the cheek and I heard her moving around in the kitchen before calling out a good-bye and closing the door behind her. I let out a hard sigh and let myself rest back into the pillows. My whole body was shaking from the effort of sitting up.

“You’re not as good as you let on,” Sam said, looking at me.

“She’s been coughing all morning,” Logan said, coming down the stairs with a sullen look on his face.

I was saved from answering because Gemma came through the door. She came over to the couch and looked down, her gray eyes apprising me. She came around the couch and held out her hands above me. I knew she was going to try to heal me. I also knew it wouldn’t work. But I let her do it anyway because even if I got only a little relief, it would be welcome.

I didn’t get any relief and after several minutes, I told Gemma to stop trying. It was only making her tired. Cole arrived and stood over me, looking like he was waiting for me to die.

Gemma pulled out the books from her leather bag and dropped them on the table. “There has to be an answer in one of these,” she said and began flipping pages. She knew the books like the back of her hand and she turned the pages with confidence, like she knew exactly where to find the answer.

Everyone began reading. Silence fell over the room. Another coughing spasm burned my lungs and blood filled my mouth. I ran to the bathroom and vomited more blood than I cared to see. Intense pain seared down my back and I collapsed on the floor. Then everything went dark.

*

I woke to the sound of arguing. Sam was holding me—clutching me—against his chest as he stared down Riley. They both looked down when I groaned.

“What’s going on?” What was Riley doing here?

“Heven?” Cole said from somewhere off to the side. “Let me see her.” I felt a tug against Sam and he turned so I could see Cole.

“Hey.” He reached out to touch me and Sam jerked me away. Cole scowled at him but returned his attention to me. “You’re in some rough shape, huh?”