A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 121: Book 2 - Chapter 15 

"Raven."

Through the darkness I heard a voice, piercing through the haze.

It sounded urgent.

Someone calling out to me.

"Raven, shift back."

Every now and then I would see snippets.

Just stilled images flashing before me, showing pictures of a living room.

Of a broken table.

Of a boy.

It felt somewhat familiar but I couldn’t place it.

"Raven! —Ah, fuck."

..And pain.

So much pain.

The voice continued to call out to me, pleading with m e to do something...but I wasn’t ready.

No, instead, I rescinded into my mind further to escape.

To try and forget what was happening.

...To pretend everything was okay.

And so, I hid from it all, blocking out the images and voices.

Waiting until, finally, things didn’t hurt so badly.

..Until I was sure the pain had stopped.

".Raven," came the voice again.

Only, this time, recognition finally kicked in.

Kieran.

It was Kieran's voice and...and I’d shifted.Changing into the wolf and...—.

Oh...no, no...Instantly, my eyes flew open...and I found myself contained within his arms, wrapped up in a blanket.

He looked down at me with a face showing signs of exhaustion, his breathing heavy.

And I immediately knew something was wrong.

I wasn’t sure how long had passed but I was back to m y normal self, implying it had been at least a few minutes.

But...there was something else too.

Something I’d come to expect from these lapses.

..I could smell the sickly scent of blood.I squirmed out of his grasp, pushing away just enough to get a good look at him...and there it was.

The source of the smell.

A large gash down the front of his chest.

Blood flowing from it...increasingly becoming worse ...pooling on the ground around us.

And, suddenly, it was as if the whole world tilted.

Everywhere I looked there was blood.

Red painted on every surface, on every piece of furniture, on every wall...curtain...and lamp.

And as I frantically looked around, I felt my breathing quicken, my heart starting to race.

...Just what had I done? This was exactly what I had been afraid of and yet I’d let it happen.

I turned back to Kieran, finding his face now so pale, and I quickly moved my hands to his chest to help stop the bleeding.

Hands that were soaked even up along my forearms already.

"I’m so sorry," I whispered.

"I-I didn't mean to do this." I'd told him that this was dangerous and a bad idea.

Why hadn’t he listened to me?

 "Raven...it’s okay," he replied.

I looked at him incredulously, as if he were insane for not seeing the amount of blood he had lost.

It was a miracle he was even still able to talk.

"N-no...no it’s not okay," I stammered.

"Nothing about this is okay...You’re going to die because of me."

entire body shaking, feel

said he knew what he was doing, that everything would be fine, and yet everything

was incapable of being helped? Was I actually a monster? "Raven, what are you

"Fine’?”

I repeated, my voice

o call an ambulance.Goddammit, Kieran! Why didn’t

but he then grabbed my hands and held

are you

"Stop," he ordered.

barely even a

no, no it’s not.How can

down and look," he said,

you...I-I

yelled this time, forcing me

"...I said I’m fine."

at his chest, I found

had already stopped bleeding a while

"W-what...? I don’t understand..."

spun my head around to look at the room...and

few broken pieces of furniture, the

No blood in sight.

so clearly, smelt

no mistaking it....How could that all be in my head?

here," Kieran said, and proceeded to lift me onto his lap with

didn’t take long for me to realise what this meant.I threw my arms around him in relief, no longer caring if

was that

That he was safe.

"J-I’m sorry," I cried.

so sorry.I fucked

hand came up and gently stroked my hair, indulging my

warmth was

"You’re fine," he said.

didn’t do anything

did," I

of whether it was minor,

that I was still a failure.It didn’t matter if I was

that I’d never overcome.Somehow, it felt like I would forever

useless at things that

screw-up to add to

seem

and held my face so I

was your fault,"

"I mean it."

"But I—."

instantly

a breath and repeat

was not

he gave me a look that made

me this exercise wasn’t

fault," I

the words quietly but he still

small nod in approval, he let go of

never seen anything like it,"

most painful changes I've ever witnessed.But...I don’t know.It’s giving me a weird feeling.Almost

mean? Are you saying there is actually something wrong

wrong with you.But maybe more...something external affecting you,"

Or have anything metallic touching you like a piercing? It’d look something like silver." I thought about it for a moment

a good idea for me given m y day

"No."

about diet.Do you drink any

replied again, becoming increasingly

to come up with something else before,

this time, I could tell he

"..What about medications?"

body immediately

for anxiety and post- shifting side effects; mostly the pain and nausea.But...that was something I had been prescribed for

By a doctor.

A professional.

they were a

he wouldn’t have though, right? Because

prompted when I still hadn’t

the bile in my throat, hoping Kieran was

"Yes," I answered.

"Yes. I have medication."

show

and walked to where I'd left my bag, finding it on

bit of shuffling before I

happening so quickly, my

I finally said, presenting it to

behind and swiftly took it from

I silently watched as he worked, subconsciously pulling the

than anything that this really would

it was rarely ever that

"These...these are suppressors,"

said in shock, slowly

used in chemical warfare.I llegal

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