Page 263 of Tempting Venom
“Take me with you, then.”
“No. You have so many people waiting for you,mon amour(my love).” She hugs me close, singing in French. “Sleep, my heart, forget the voices. When you tremble, just think of me. If tomorrow I’m no longer here, in your dreams, I’ll still hold you in my arms…If tomorrow I’m no longer here, in your dreams I’ll still hold you in my arms…”
I open my eyes, and the first thing I notice is the lack of warm arms wrapped around me.
Then stinging pain follows, spreading across my chest and all the way to my bones.
My tongue feels so heavy in my mouth, and it tastes like sandpaper. Flashing light creeps into my vision, and I groan softly.
Is this hell or something?
My head is groggy, running through all the glamorous options that led to my death.
Flashes of memories trickle in, all jagged and distorted.
Noises and screams andpop, pop, pop?—
“Preston…baby…please…”
I gulp, jerking up, then grunting when pain explodes all over my body.
Fuck.
Marcus.
It was Marcus who held me in my last moments, right?
Fuck.
What have I done?
Or maybe I hallucinated that? Was I so desperate to see him one final time that I made it all up?
Firm, strong hands push me back. “Preston, you need to stay calm.”
Long bursts of air rip out of my lungs as Dad’s serious face materializes in front of me.
Wait, if I’m in hell, he shouldn’t be here, too.
I mean, not so soon, at least.
Then, little by little, my surroundings come into focus. I’m in what seems like a luxurious-looking hospital room decorated with a sofa and two chairs opposite it.
My father watches closely from beside me as an army of doctors and nurses fuss over me, running tests and making me drink water.
I go with it, not fighting, not grumbling, not being a dramatic, little bitch.
Because I’m slowly coming to a realization.
If it hurts this much and Dad is acting so serious, then it means I didn’t die, right?
I made a stupid decision in one impulsive moment, but I’m still here.
I’malive.
My heart roars, beating so loudly.
For someone who’s wished for death my entire life, I’ve never loved feeling so alive this fucking much.
