SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 101- Children of the Damned

As I sit on the edge of Roxie's bed and look at Desire, my anxiety is making my face feel flushed. The bloodstain on the floor is too big, she lost far too much before we got to her.

"Still not awake?" Kai asks from the doorway as he comes in, and I just shake my head "Look, this might be a stupid idea, but I was thinking; you know how you heal faster than the rest of us?" he begins, and I look at him with wide eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask irritatedly "Drinking Lucius' blood made it so he could control people, are you really suggesting-"

"Whoa, easy there. Don't unleash the Kraken on me yet," Kai says as he comes closer, holding out one of Roxie's health tonics "If you dilute it in this I think it will work similarly to what he did. Remember? His cures didn't have the same effects as drinking his straight blood." he explains hopefully. Skeptically, I stare at the bottle, then back at Desire. She's pale and her breathing is still slow, and it's hard to say if her body can keep going like this.

"Lucius' blood wasn't black," I sigh flipping my arm over to look at the dark veins under my skin "I might be in control now, but my soul was cursed, I don't know what kind of effect it could have on another person."

"You said it yourself, you're in control." Kai states hopefully, passing me the bottle "At least test it," he smiles as I take it, looking at the liquid inside as I pop it open. As I loudly exhale, I look at him skeptically, holding out my hand.

"You got a knife?" I ask, and he pulls a small one out of his pocket, gently placing it in my hand. I jam the bottle between my thighs as I take the dagger and lightly slit my fingertip, letting it drip into the spout, creating an essence of black in the clarity. After a moment, I wipe my finger on my skirt and swirl the contents around, making sure it's been thoroughly mixed. Kai gently unwraps the bloody gauze from her arm, exposing the sewn gash. Carefully, I tilt the bottle over it, dripping a small amount over the wound, and her body shudders as it makes contact.

"How long do you think it will take?" Kai asks, watching it closely.

"Lucius normally took an hour or so, but my blood is different, so who knows." I sigh, wrapping her arm back up.

"Speaking of which," Kai says as he glances at my forehead "Damn, you really do heal fast. Those stitches can probably come out already." he chuckles.

"Thank god, they're fucking itchy." I laugh, scratching the top of my head.

"I still don't understand why you're blood is different." he ponders, looking at the blood I had smeared on my skirt.

"It seems like it was something he and Lucius were working on, and when he did whatever he did to me, it sort of just... happened." I explain, looking at the stain "There are a lot of things I wish I understood about myself, but despite everyone seeming to know the answers, I honestly don't know anymore." I sigh.

"You mean whether you're still Breeze, or if you're Shade?" he asks curiously "I honestly don't think there's a difference."

"I suppose you're right about that, but, considering that Shade is real, does that mean Gael really is my father?" I ask nervously, shivering at the thought.

"Yes and no, it's like you're twin spirits in a sense. One is Gael's, and one is Dante's. But both are what makes you-you." he explains thoughtfully "But rather than tearing yourself up trying to figure it out for sure, why don't you just accept it for what it is?" he asks, leaning forward to look me in the eyes.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Gael is my father, the only biological one I will ever have. And he was... a sociopath, a cult leader, a rapist, a murderer, and more of a monster than anyone I have ever heard of. But that doesn't change who I am." he explains confidently "We might be children of the damned, but I think we've done more than proven ourselves over the past few weeks, don't you think?" he asks, starting to smile. As I think about what he said, I can't help but feel warm at the thought. Suddenly, Lucius' words start to echo inside my mind.

"Breeze, you were created in every despicable way possible, but despite that, you rose above it to become something pure. You were the guiding force your parents needed to find each other, you helped rebuild and run things after the gap years, and now, despite my family trying their hardest to screw things up yet again, you have single-handedly put in the most effort to overcome it and save everyone. You faced the curse Gael put on you and stole his power, and you came back to me even after I caused you so much pain. You may be the goddess of shadows, but at the end of the day, you are the one bringing everyone back into the light."

"My aunt Carmen once told me that tragedy breeds bravery." I state, starting to chuckle "I think she's right, but with one minor change; bravery comes when our instincts tell us what matters most." I explain.

"Up until recently, I don't think anything truly mattered to me." Kai sighs, leaning on my shoulder "I never want to go back to those days."

"You'll never have to." I smile, reaching my arm around him.

"You guys are so mushy." I hear Desire mutter, and we're both startled as we turn around and see her start to fidget "What the hell happened?"

"Shut up, how do you feel?" I ask, rushing around to her side.

"Dizzy," she sighs "I remember Gaia slicing me, and then everything blacked out when you all ran in. What happened after that?"

"Long story short, she found out about Ember and Lucius and gave in willingly after some talking." Kai explains "About three hours ago, Aurora and Artemis went into her mind to talk. They said it would at least take a day considering everything she's planning on showing them."

"Holy shit," Desire says in disbelief "Are you sure we can trust she won't try to take them down in there?" she asks worriedly.

"After that talk last night, we're pretty confident." I explain "Your mom and Calista are hanging around them in case anything gets dicey. I'm supposed to head back down soon but she told me to take a break."

"Back to the question of how you're doing, do you mind if I look at this?" Kai asks, poking the bandage on her wrist.

"Why?" she asks nervously, pulling away.

"Trust us," I say as Kai takes her wrist, slowly unwrapping the bandage. As we see the scratch, my eyes grow wide in shock at how well-healed it's become in such a short time.

"What the fuck?" Desire asks as she looks at the stitches over what now appears to be just a scratch.

"I can't believe that worked," Kai states in disbelief as Desire looks between us with concern.

"What did you do to me?" she asks nervously, and I hold up the empty bottle and my sliced finger.

"Turns out this inky stuff is more useful than I thought," I state bluntly, setting the bottle back down, and Desire suddenly looks disgusted.

"Ew, ew, ew, gross!" she shouts "You're blood is inside me, that's nasty!"

"Hey, at least we didn't make you drink it." I shrug as I stand up, heading for the door "You're welcome, by the way," I state, and I hear Kai start to laugh.

"Where are you headed?" Kai asks as I open the door.

"I need to head back to the sanctuary. Plus, someone should tell Roxie that her daughter's awake." I explain as I leave "Maybe don't mention the blood thing unless anyone asks, the last thing I need is another lecture."