Chapter 5 - A Flame in the Dark
Working with frantic, lethal precision, Cora drove an IV needle into Julian's vein, administering a atropine counter-agent from her emergency kit. She sliced open his shirt, quickly stitching the open wound near his ribs while his blood stained her hands.
For two hours, she fought the grim reaper in the quiet room, keeping his heart pumping through sheer force of will.
When Julian finally opened his eyes, the moonlight was pouring through the skylight. Cora was sitting on the floor beside his bed, her forehead resting against the mattress, exhausted, her hands still stained with his blood.
Julian reached out, his rough fingers brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Cora woke with a start, her eyes locked onto his.
"Why didn't you let me die?" Julian asked softly, the coldness in his voice replaced by an agonizing vulnerability. "It would have freed you."
"I am a doctor, Julian. I save lives. Even monsters like you," Cora whispered. "And I won't let you blame me for my father's sins."
Julian sat up, ignoring the agonizing pull on his fresh stitches. He reached out, grabbing her waist, pulling her up onto the bed until she was breathless against him. His gaze dropped to her lips—the same lips he had claimed in the darkness of the auction house.
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"You are not your father, Cora," he murmured, his hand cupping the back of her neck. "And you are no longer my captive."
He kissed her then—not as a shield, not out of desperation, but with a raw, consuming hunger that set her blood on fire.
