Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Wearing the pendant necklace around her neck, Anastasia found herself transforming back into her human form. She coughed water from her mouth, feeling intense pain in her stomach. She needed to get out of there.

She looked around and saw that she was in the middle of the forest. Soon, Cassius would come looking for her. She managed to crawl, scanning her surroundings to find a cabin.

Upon reaching it, Anastasia collapsed to the ground, unable to move an inch. Just then, she heard footsteps and became alert. As she raised her head, she saw Cassius approaching her.

He hurried to her side, observing her wound. "Cassius," she whispered before falling unconscious.

….

Anastasia slowly peeled her eyes open, looking around to notice she was lying on a plush mattress. It took her a few seconds to remember how she ended up there. The mermaid had stabbed her in the stomach, and she had crawled out of the water, looking for help. She was in pain but thankful for being alive. It was Cassius who had saved her, and she was grateful.

She managed to sit up, but Cassius hurried to her. "Careful," he warned.

"Thank you," she said, leaning her back against the pillow. 

"So, what happened to you, and how did you sustain this wound?" he asked.

She cleared her throat. "It was the mermaid. I was only trying to help her by taking her back to the water, but she attacked me."

"Help a mermaid?" Cassius scoffed. "Why would you even have that thought?"

"She was not in a good condition, Cassius," she said. "I had to help."

"Mermaids cannot be trusted. They're dangerous," Cassius said. 

"But she doesn't seem dangerous. Rather, she looked afraid. They're afraid of the vampires and how they're killing them," Anastasia tried to convince him.

"I don't care if she seems nice or not, but mermaids can never be trusted," he said. "I thought I lost you for a moment."

Anastasia parted her lips as she stared at him. "You saved my life. I thought you wanted me dead."

"Silly girl," he chuckled. "I wanted you dead, but not to be killed by someone else."

The room fell into silence, and they found themselves staring at each other.

"You are looking so pale and cold," he took her hand into his. "And your veins are turning purple."

Anastasia looked down at her wrist. He was right. She knew she would die soon. She shook her head, her eyes falling to the bandage around her stomach.

"Did you...?" She looked at him with widened eyes. 

"I had to," he replied. "You were almost at the brink of passing out."

She frowned. He had seen her bare skin again, this time very clearly. Anastasia was so mad at herself for falling unconscious. At least this wouldn't have happened.

Then, he stood up from the bed and walked towards the stove, grabbing the kettle and pouring some hot coffee into a cup before mixing it with some milk. Anastasia grabbed the cup from him. 

"Thank you." She brought the cup to her mouth and took a sip. She felt better. The cold was slowly disappearing from her.

"How long have we been here?" She asked.

"For three days," he replied.

"What?" Her eyes widened with shock. Three days? She was shocked that they had been there for three days. She was scared. What if he tried to...? No, Cassius wouldn't do such a thing. But at the same time, she was wary of him.

Her mind recalled the mermaid she had saved. The mermaid was strong, beautiful, and powerful. She was a young girl, about nineteen years old, with long black hair. Anastasia tried to imagine all the things the mermaid had suffered in the hands of the scientist. For some odd reason, Anastasia was happy that they were exiled from the ocean. 

If she had been living in the ocean her whole life, the vampires would have caught her. Anastasia knew she didn't have any experience in the water. She wanted to learn more. She also wanted to do her research on her tribe. She came from the Aquaria colony. But the water was too dangerous, and she might end up coming across the dangerous mermaids.

"Why didn't you return to the castle?" She asked.

"I can't just take you in this condition to the castle," he replied. "The people will kill you."

"Why don't you just hasten my death for me?" She asked. "I know I would die at the end. Just kill me and end my life. I'm tired of suffering."

Cassius laughed, shaking his head. "You're not going to die, Anastasia," he said. "At least, not yet."

He stood up from the bed. "Where are you going?" Anastasia asked.

"To get you some food," Cassius replied. "You've been unconscious for days now. You need to eat something."

She saw him walk away and she sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and gratitude towards Cassius.