To Claim A Crown Book Two: The Winter Harbinger (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Kitchen Floor

Raurlin rushes down the staircase. A crash in the kitchen pulled him from his sleep and finding himself alone in bed send tremors of immediate terror through his body. Briefly he is aware of pounding feet behind him. He skids to a halt at the entrance of the kitchen. His heart drops into his stomach.

Naomi is curled up on the kitchen floor, just in front of the fridge. She is covering her hands over her ears and she is trembling furiously. Beside her there are empty blood bags. Her hands and cheeks are stained red. Her arms are covered in red too. Raurlin hesitantly steps forward. He can feel the panic settle into his body. Behind him he can hear Sarah whisper 'oh my God.' There is a step forward and he holds a hand out.

"Get back," Raurlin cautions and the foot steps forward again. "Get back!" He glances over his shoulder to find Jackson holding onto Sarah who is covering her face into his chest. Stellan has stepped into the kitchen hesitantly. He holds his hands up slowly then retreats again, tracing his steps.

Raurlin continues gently treading to where Naomi is lying. He crouches down beside her. Her lips are blue and her teeth are rattling. He crouches down beside her. His knees resting in the blood that has pooled on the floor. He rubs at her back and she twists to the warmth of his hand. She is muttering "another" in a single constant loop. Her voice is hoarse and throaty. She is bleeding around her ears where she is cupping them.

Raurlin glances over his shoulder and demands with a quiet snap "everyone get out. Back to your rooms, now!" There is an immediate dispersal. Once Raurlin is certain everyone has made it back to their rooms. He rubs at Naomi's shoulders again. He eases her gently into a sitting position. She frowns, clearing her throat. Her eyes flutter open and they are a deep ruby red with a bright and shining golden halo. The halo is pulsating into the red. She slowly awakens and the scene around her slowly registers. Her eyes widen and Raurlin can feel the fear lingering around her skin.

She reaches upward and touches at her ears then winces. Her eyes fall on her hands and she stiffens, trembling still. She looks down at her body, her arms and her legs. Under the blood stains on her arms there are smears that look like ash. Her eyes swell with tears.

"What happened?" her voice is a shaky whisper. "What happened?" Raurlin scoops her up and holds her shaking frame against his bare chest. He runs a hand through her hair and on her back. Naomi fights back a sob and fails. She stares down at her hands. Raurlin covers her hands with his own.

"It's okay. You're okay. I've got you. Let me get you back upstairs. You were dreaming. You're okay. I've got you."

Raurlin eases to his feet, cradling Naomi against him. She sobs softly against him. He carries her carefully up the stairs, hyper aware of every sound around them. He eases them both into their room, kicking the door shut behind them. He walks quickly past the bed and into the bathroom.

"Can you stand?"

Naomi nods and Raurlin sets her down on her bare feet. He turns the shower knob on and after a few seconds the hot water begins to steam up the bathroom. Raurlin adjusts the knob to a warm temperature. He turns to Naomi who is still staring at her hands. He gently eases his t-shirt off her head. He drops onto the floor and then guides Naomi into the shower. He steps into the shower beside her and methodologically begins rinsing the blood off her hands and arms.

He pulls her loofah off the rack within the shower and lathers it with soap. He begins washing her body gently, carefully. The blood rinses off her body and gathers on the bottom of the shower floor around the drain. Naomi stares at it. Raurlin gently lifts her chin. "Eyes on me," he instructs and Naomi nods. "Under the water, let me wash your hair."

Naomi complies and she steps under water falls. Her hair falls straight and Raurlin squeezes a dollop of shampoo into his palm. It releases a burst of floral scents into the room around them. Raurlin lathers the shampoo and massages his hands into her scalp. He washes her hair then rinses the shampoo out. "I'll be right back, stay here okay?" Naomi nods again.

Raurlin steps out of the shower and he walks briskly into their bedroom. He pulls open their cupboard and pulls out a thick purple robe. He walks to their bedroom door and cracks it open. "Horatio." After a moment of silence there's a quick "on my way Your Grace." Raurlin remains standing at the door. Horatio trots quickly up the stairs in a floor length robe.

"Your Grace? There's a problem?"

"Yes. I need you to get a fire going in here, in the fireplace then I need you to clean up in the kitchen. We're going to keep this quiet, Horatio. Do you understand?"

Horatio merely bows before disappearing back down the stairs. Raurlin eases the door shut then makes his way back to the bathroom. Naomi is standing under the water with her eyes shut.

"Are you okay?"

She glances over her shoulder at him, her eyes full of tears. She shakes her head. Raurlin reaches into the shower and turns off the faucet. He holds the same hand out to Naomi and guides her out of the shower. He wraps her in the robe then pulls her into a hug.

After a few moments Raurlin steps back. He turns Naomi to face the mirror and lifts a hair brush

from the counter top. He begins brushing her hair in sections.

"Do you want to talk about what you were dreaming about?"

"Did anyone else see me?"

"No my love. No one else."

Naomi exhales, her eyes dropping from Raurlins.

"I've been having recurring dreams of a fox. Most nights we're in front of a mountain and we're just talking. Today I was here. In our room at home. He told me he knew I was hungry and he took me to the kitchen. He told me to feed. He told me to have more and more."

Raurlin braids Naomi's hair in two separate braids.

"What else does the fox say to you?"

"He calls me harbinger."

Raurlin sets the brush down and Naomi turns to face him. He cups her cheeks gently.

"I can't stop shaking."

Raurlin offers a small smile. "It's the blood rush. This is your first feeding. I'd imagine you're about ready to run a marathon. It's going to work through you and I am going to stay with you through it all. I'd imagine the fox is your subconscious trying to process the thoughts you don't allow yourself to entertain. Come my love, let's go back to bed."