Red Ruin {Book One} ✔️ (CURRENTLY EDITING)

{ 24 }

Riah POV

The drive to the house was a blur, and when I actually got into my room, I was exhausted and in pain, both physically and emotionally. Once I chugged down a few glasses of blood, Demitri helped me into the bath, bubbles were already formed and the water was at the perfect temperature. I just stared at the fizzing bubbles as he scrubbed my body clean. I didn't have will to move, let alone care for my well being right now.

Tears continued to stream down my face as Demitri washed my hair with lavender shampoo, gently scrubbing my scalp. He continued to whisper reassuring words in my ear, but I could hear the pain in his words. He had lost one of his closest friends, he lost a part of his family. But he was here, taking care of me, and I'm beyond lucky to have such an amazing, supportive man caring for me. After he sprayed warm water through my hair and rinsed me off, he helped me up out of the tub, wrapped a warm towel around my body, and held my hand as I limped to the large bed in the middle of my room.

Slumped into the mattress, I closed my eyes and dived into nothingness, allowing my body to feel every inch of pain capable. I deserve everything Callum did to me. It's my fault Devitt is gone.

My heart throbbed in pain as I placed my hand over my chest. Opening my eyes, I watched Demitri rummage through the drawers and grab a pair of pajamas out of the bottom drawer. Turning to me, he placed the clothes in my lap and turned around, covering his eyes.

"You've already seen me naked." I croaked.

Shaking his head, he continued to hold his hand over his eyes. "That's different. You were bathing, and you needed me to help you. Putting clothes on is a different type of naked. I don't know how to explain it."

Sighing, I stepped into the sweats, and pulled the t-shirt over my head. "I get it. You're good, all covered." I gave him a weak smile as he sat beside me.

With a soft knock at the door, Marbella quietly walked into the room and placed her medical bag on the couch.

"How are you feeling hun?" She asked sweetly.

I shrugged. "I've been better."

Giving me a sad smile, Marbella pulled out a pouch of clear liquid, a tube and a needle. I winced and scanned Demitri's face.

"What's in the bag?" I questioned, hesitantly.

"It's just some fluid to help rehydrate you. It's kind of like IV solutions, but modified for specific vampire necessities. You just need to keep it in throughout the night, then Marbella will take it out in the morning." Demitri answered gently. 

I glanced back at the needle, this time it was connected to the tube and all situated, ready for her to put it in my arm.

Nodding, I glanced away as she pierced my arm with the cold material, then quickly pulled it out once the tube was in place. Sighing, I relaxed my body as the liquid coursed through my veins.

I'm not a very big fan of needles, and after the pain Callum had put me through, I can't imagine it'll be easy for me to trust anyone touching me.

"Have your wounds healed?" Marbella asked, searching my body.

Glancing down at my arms, I nodded. "Yeah, most of them. My knees still hurt and the area that he poured holy water on is still a little blistered, but it's going away."

Demitri placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch away. "Yeah, holy water wounds take a little longer to heal, but they do heal."

I glanced back down at my hands and fiddled with my thumbs.

Sighing, Marbella closed her bags and made her way to the door. "I'll be in the room next to you if you need anything Riah. Goodnight."

After I said goodnight, she left the room.

Squinting through watered eyes, I stared into Demitri's and placed my hand on his cheek.
"I am so sorry." I whispered gently.

Placing his hand over mine, he smiled weakly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

As a tear ran down my face, I continued to hold eye contact with him. "Devitt is dead because of me. His death is my fault." 
Shaking his head, Demitri turned his body closer to me and grabbed my face with such delicate movements I almost whimpered.

"No, Riah, no. That's not true whatsoever. You can't blame yourself, you had no control over what happened."

Breaking into a sob, I curled into his arms and silently cried into his chest. Rocking me back and forth, Demitri ran his fingers through my hair as he mumbled beautiful poetry into the air.

Demitri POV

It's killing me, seeing her like this. Seeing her hurt, seeing her sob in agony. I didn't move for what felt like hours, just held her in my arms as she broke down. As I rocked her back and forth, I occasionally kissed the top of her head and whispered poetry in attempt to soothe her.

After a while of us curled up together, she slipped into a peaceful slumber. Careful not to wake her, I placed her on the large pillows and wrapped a soft blanket around her shaking body. For a moment, I just stood still, scared I might disturb her first actual sleep in days.

My mind raced as I tried to come up with ways to find Callum. After our altercation in the basement, he shifted into wolf form and disappeared. That's when I found Devitt's body in the hall. I held his lifeless body for a moment, prayed to the goddess Vaena, then followed Marcel and Riah back to the vans.

Nothing hurts more than having to leave a family members corpse in an abandoned building, but with the pack closing in, we had to get Riah out of there as quick as possible.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I grabbed a pillow from the bed and placed it on the couch. Laying down, I stared up at the ceiling as my mind was slowly consumed by determination to avenge Devitt's death, and Riahs torture.

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**S/N: I'm so sorry for the short chapter**
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