Please Reject Me.

Take My Hand.

Hesperia’s POV

The sweet smell of gardenias and jasmine filled my nose. It felt safe and like peace as the scent coated me. I could feel the heaviness of something on me, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but it was warmth and kindness. I pulled it closer feeling tufts of fur tickling my face.

“Who the f**k does that jacket belong to?” Joshua growled.

I quickly sat up, seeing Joshua his eyes were nearly black telling me he was so close to losing complete control. Damn it what the f**k am I going to do? He tried to grab the jacket that the man had left. I pulled it out of the way, I was protective over it and I’m not sure why when the situation at hand didn’t need me to be brave.

“You’re a f*****g w***e, and yet you claim me having Bianca was bad!” Joshua shook the hospital bed. Before crawling on the bed, ripping the sheets and hospital gown off of me. “No!” I whimpered as he forced my legs apart.

The door burst open and Azrael came in storming, a guard wolf from the pack followed right after him and Orpheus soon after that. Soon fist and fur were flying; the hospital bed ended up flipping and crushing my leg. I let out a blood curdling scream and no one paid any attention to it. I could feel my leg had basically been severed.

The screams and clashes were so loud. I just want to be free.

And then like my own guardian angel he appeared and the room went black. I couldn’t see anything except for him. “Carden,” he finally answered the question I had asked as he lifted the bed with ease. “And yours?” The wound was worse than I had imagined, it looked as if my leg was only hanging on by a few tendons.

“He…Hesperia…” I struggled to say as my blood began to pour out of my leg. The silver ichor was obvious and Carden noticed and looked at me strangely but immediately refocused. “Bite down, this is going to hurt.”

On what?! I couldn’t find anything but he tilted his head slightly and nodded for me to bite. “It won’t do anything to me, but I promise it will help you through this.” I cursed before biting down on his flesh. He quickly moved my leg around, and then something covered it. I could feel the healing process happening, the muscles and bone healing back together. I whimpered as the nerves came together, tears poured down my face. Carden groaned as my teeth finally managed to pierce his flesh.

All at once it was like time stopped.His blood slid down my throat burning as it coated it and then a soft vanilla came after. Nothing hurt and my mind was clear. Carden pulled back carefully and looked at me. “Freedom,” he whispered softly. “Take my hand,” he held out his hand for me.

I didn’t know what to think or feel but in that moment, I was afraid of what was outside the shadowed veil. His hand felt like the safer option. I slipped mine into his there was a splash and we were in a completely different place.

My feet touched the cold stone floor and I stumbled slightly into his chest. He didn’t complain but just lifted me carefully into his arms. “Are you still tired?” He asked. I didn’t bother to answer as I just laid in his arms.

Passing by the window, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp seeing the world before me. Grand snow-covered mountain encased an entire town. However looking at the bustling town below it was filled with greenery, the building looked like starlights. At the end of the town was a massive waterfront with boats and other vessels.

He brought me into a grand room that seemed like it was made entirely of glass, giving the perfect view of the sky. There was a large bed perfectly made with clothes laid out and a basket of all kinds of goodies.

“There’s a bathroom right through those doors, it should be stocked on anything and everything you should need. Hazel is making some soup right now, that should be easy on your stomach,” Carden explained.

I was shocked that this was all laid out like he had known this would be the outcome.

“You’ll be safe here,” he set me on the bed carefully. “You may feel weird after tasting my blood, we’ll need to speak about that.” He looked nervous yet had such an air of confidence that almost defied logic. “I’m going to get the soup, call to Hazel if you need anything.”

I nodded and walked over to the bathroom and was left mouth agape, this bathroom seemed bigger than Alpha Black’s. I walked over to the shower and stepped in. There were no handles to control the temp. “Um, how do I start this?” I asked myself out loud.

“Good evening Hesperia, guest of the High Lord Carden, what mode would you like?” Hazel’s voice announced.

“Modes?” I was confused.

“Yes, after today's events shall I set it to deep relaxation?” She asked.

“Sure,” I answered as I underdressed, the water began to fall like rain and steam filled the room. Scents of eucalyptus and lavender filled the room. “Hazel, are you an AI?”

“In a way, my soul was damned and Carden stepped in and tried to find a host that I could fill. There weren't any living beings that could host my soul and so he gave me the option to pass away to the ether or become tied to his court. I chose the latter,” she explained. “The shower is ready for you ma’am.”

I stepped into the warm water and my body melted. I found bottles of soaps and conditioners. I almost felt guilty using them but each one made my skin feel better. I let the water run over me for at least 45 minutes. It felt like the heaviness of everything that has happened to me was washing away. I knew when I stepped out I would need to deal with everything, but right now everything was okay. Feeling okay was foreign and it was a dangerous feeling.

“Ma’am, Carden is back with the food,” Hazel announced, snapping me out of the trance.

“Okay, can you stop the shower?” I asked shyly.

“Of course,” Hazel chirped and stopped the water. I grabbed the towels and dried myself off.

The clothes were laid out on the bench, it was a soft dark blue nightgown. I pulled it on and looked at myself in the mirror for the first time in a long time. My blonde hair had been damaged, all the curls were gone, and the ends were brittle. My eyes were still sunken in and had lost their luster long ago. I turned away ashamed of myself.

I walked out to see Carden sitting at a small table near the largest window. He looked up and smiled softly, I wondered what exactly he looked like under the mask but didn’t want to ask. “How was the shower?”

“Better than I deserve,” I walked over and sat down.