Chapter 31
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V
“Edward, take his head and burn him to ash” I walked away from him, and ran to ma petite. She was lying on her side. Blood was coming from the corner of her mouth. I picked her up and felt the coldness and lifelessness in her body.
She wasn’t dead, she couldn’t be. Not Anita. The woman I loved. I laid her on the floor. Her eyes were closed and more blood began to poor from her mouth. I carefully wiped it away, she was gone. I could not believe it. I would not. Tears slipped down my face. She lay there so pale and perfect, how could something like this happen to her?
I slipped a hand over her raven black hair, it tumbled between my fingers back onto the floor. Slowly, I lifted her head up, a small flow of blood escaped from her mouth, I didn't care, nothing mattered now. I drew her towards me, cradling her lifeless body against me, sobs escaping me as I placed one last kiss on her forehead.
Edward was at my side. I wanted to rip something apart. Anger lava hot coursed through my veins. The I looked back at ma petite. In the small amount of years of knowing Anita, she had done something to me. Something that Julianna and Asher had been able to do. She had made me happy.
And now she was gone. I didn’t care that the council were behind me. Now Anita was gone, they may as well have killed me, too. I had nothing now. Nothing but the long dark road of lonely eternity waiting for me.
Chapter 32
Asher’s P.O.V
I watched as Jean-Claude held Anita to him. He had lost all hope. I hadn’t seen him cry in a long time, over a century now. The tears were pouring down his face. He didn’t even notice when the room cleared out. It was only Edward, The Traveller and my self left now.
I couldn’t bare to watch him like this. I remembered when I felt like that, when I had lost my beautiful Julianna. I could not let Jean-Claude end up like I had for the past 2 century's. Edward started to struggles with his gun.
“Help me get this thing off ”
I walked over to him and pulled the strap upwards and helped him out of it. It was quite heavy.
He ran over to Anita and Jean-Claude. He knelt down. Jean-Claude looked at him, then Back at Anita. I walked over to them
“Jean-Claude, Jean-Claude” I said. I touched his back.
Edward tried to get Anita out of his arms, then gave up and started to check her over. He put his ear to her chest for about 10 seconds.
“Her heart it still beating” Jean-Claude looked at him as though he couldn’t quite believe it. He then sat and listened.
I admit, I hadn’t stop and taken time to try and hear if her heart. Jean-Claude laid Anita gently on the floor. Edward pushed back her neck and breathed in to her. He then started to press on her chest quite hard over and over again.
He started to say things to him self, or rather to Anita. I walked closer. I put my hand on Jean-Claude’s shoulder. The Traveller walked round behind Edward. Jean-Claude put his hand over mine.
I could now hear what Edward was saying.
“ Com on, Anita breath......You aint goin any where, Anita cum’on.......What am I gonna do with out you?......Come on Anita breath!”
He kept breathing and pressing. It didn’t seem to be working. Neither Jean-Claude or I could do it, as our breath didn’t keep us alive, so it certainly couldn’t keep Anita alive.
Edward pulled back from her and looked as though he was about to give up, when Anita gave an almighty cough, and started to breath and cough. Jean-Claude pulled her into his lap and started to stroke her hair. She was only semi conscious.
The Traveller smiled and Jean-Claude kissed her head. He picked her up and cuddled her to him. The marks were no longer between them. She was no longer a human servant. It was now up to Anita what she wanted.
Chapter 33
Anita’s P.O.V
I could hear people talking all around me and I was fever warm. Almost sickly warm. I tried to move, but my muscles didn’t seem to want to co-operate. I tired to open my eyes, but they were too heavy.
I was wedged between two people. They ...smelled familiar. I new one was Micah, as I knew every curve of his body and I could feel his presence close to me. I tried to reach out to Jean-Claude. Then remembered I was no longer his servant.
Things had obviously taken a turn for the worse when I had passed out. I rattled my brains, trying to remember what had happened. I was awake, barely, when Asher came in. I didn’t know who was with him, though.
Then I remembered feeling as though I was loosing blood from throat, and someone had taken Casspian’s throat out. But he had healed. I reached out, but found no marks what so ever. Not Jean-Claude’s, not Casspian’s, not even Richard’s. What had happened?
Flames. Edward had brought a flame thrower and riddled Casspian with it. I remembered the feeling of my flesh turning backwards off my bones, but my skin didn’t burn. I was just feeling what my master was feeling.
I had passed out then. I knew Casspian must have been dead. If I couldn’t feel the marks on me, he must have been dead. Right?
I forced my eyes open. I was in Jean-Claude’s room. The other person I was wedged between was Merle. He had his back to me, but was talking to someone. Micah was leaning over me, but couldn’t see that I was awake.
Jean-Claude was there. He could see me. I tried to move again, but couldn’t. Jean-Claude came over and touched my face.
“Sleep, Anita, sleep. You’ll feel better, I promise” He said. I couldn’t feel his emotion, but I knew he wasn’t happy.
I didn’t want to go to sleep, but my body wouldn’t co-operate with that. It wanted to sleep very badly. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, to the sounds of the wereleopard’s purr.
Chapter 34
Anita’s P.O.V
I felt myself swim to the surface of the sleep. I didn’t want to stop sleeping. It was safe and cosy and warm. I was safe cosy and warm. Well, I was cosy and warm. I started to open my heavy eyes lids. They didn’t seem to want to co-operate.
When I finally had them open, I was staring into Micah’s sleeping face. His breath was blowing warm on my face. I smiled. I hadn’t seen him when Casspian had been around. I was glad he was alright.
I slowly raised my head against my protesting neck muscles, to find I had wires on my chest, and Lillian checking a machine. Now I concentrated, I could hear the beeping of my heart rate, reassuring people I was still alive .
She looked at me and smiled. My guess is that she had noticed me awake before. She walked to the edge of the bed as I propped myself up on my elbow.
“Hey Anita” She said softly, so as not to wake Micah was my guess. “Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?”
She was still smiling. What was she so happy about?
“ I think I feel fine. My neck feels as though I’ve been in a head lock, but other than that I’m just peachy ”
His smile widened and she laughed softly. I heard another soft chuckling behind me. Why hadn’t I noticed someone else there before? I turned my self slowly round to find Asher propped up behind me. I smiled and he kissed me on the head.
“ You certainly have a way with words ma cherie ” He said
I smiled and leaned into him. I closed my eyes. Why wasn’t Jean-Claude hear? He was hear when I awoke before. Why wasn’t he hear now?
“I will explain all to you soon enough cherie ”
“Micah, can you move so that I can check on Anita?”
I turned over again. Micah was staring up at me smiling. He sat up and hugged me. He smelled like the Pard and it comforted me, but I couldn’t get Jean-Claude off my mind. Micah pulled back and got out of the bed.
For once, no one was naked. Although, to say they were dressed was an over statement. Micah was wearing black bikini briefs, and from what I felt of Asher, he only had pyjama bottoms on. I was wearing a black satin nighty. It was one of my favourites.
I scooted to the edge of the bed and let Lillian check me over. She checked my pulse, temperature and felt my muscles. My neck and back were the worst spots. Then I remembered something about my back.
“Do I have any new scars on my back?” I asked
She stayed silent, but started to push against my back. She got a little flash light out and started to examine closer
“Yes, what happened?” She said curiously.
“ Casspian sort of shoved me into the floor and cut my back up” I told her.
As Lillian was checking my back, I was now facing Asher. His face was a picture when I said the last.
“Why?”
“I tried to run and he caught me. I was thrown to the stone floor in the living room” I told him.
He sighed and shook his head. Micah appeared behind Asher. He smiled, but not like he was happy, he seemed to do it because he couldn’t think of anything else to do.
“I’m going to go for a shower” He said
I just nodded, and he left
“Ok, Anita, I’m done. You’ll need to have your neck and back massaged or the muscles will tense up. And I have some very good news for you” She said, smiling again
“What?” I asked
“You test results came back from the lab”
What test results. I frowned. Then remembered. Lillian had sent of some tests to see if I could still have children.
“And?” I prompted
“They came back positive. It seems that you healed your womb and everything is back to normal ”
I smiled and closed my eyes. I could still conceive. Oh, God, thank you. I said a silent **pryre** of thank you. I looked round at Asher. He was smiling too. All I was missing now was Jean-Claude
“I think I’ll leave you too alone to catch up“ Lillian said, packing some things away. The wires had been removed from my chest now. I hated them things. They always hurt when they were pealed off.
Lillian walked out of the room and Asher wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to him. Normally, this would bother me, but I wanted to be held, I wanted close contact. If it wasn’t Jean-Claude or Micah who could give it to me, Asher was willing to be there for me. .
I sighed and held his arms as he held me. I closed my eyes and wrapped his warmth and scent around me, like a blanket. What were we going to do now? Why hadn’t my lover shown up? Was he dead? No, he couldn’t have been, he was the one who told me to go back to sleep when I woke the fist time.
I turned my head slightly so I could see the profile of Asher's face, he looked content I hated to break that, but I was staring to get worried why Jean-Claude wasn't here
"Asher, why isn't Jean-Claude here?"
His eyes opened form his peaceful reverie, he didn't look happy