Third Person POV Rachel's brain hurt as she struggled to open her eyes. She barely had any memory of what had happened, other than the fact that she thought she had found her mate. But she had no idea where she was and what had happened after that.
As she wiggled her fingers, she realized there was something attached to her wrist, and she winced in pain as it moved.
As she winced, she felt this stabbing motion in her stomach, and she groaned miserably.
“Rachel?” She heard her father’s voice before she saw him. “Are you awake?” He proceeded to ask.
He sounded only a little worried.
She finally managed to open her eyes, and immediately wanted to shut them again. The bright light in the room was too much for her to take. She turned her head, not wanting to deal with the lights shining on her face.
“Doctor! My daughter is awake!” Her father yelled; he sounded further away now.
Doctor? She must have been inside a hospital. The scent of latex soon filled her nose, and she groaned again in misery.
She kept her eyes shut, but she heard the shuffling of shoes entering the room and then she felt the presence of someone else by your bedside.
She felt hands on her face, probably to see if she was running a fever.
“She's a little warm,” a woman said. “Rachel sweetheart, can you hear me?” She managed to open her eyes again and look up at this woman with a pink blazer and a long white trench coat.
She wore thin silver glasses, but Rachel could see her pretty emerald eyes and long lashes within the frames.
She had her long blonde hair tied back into a low pony and her light pink lips were decorated with a worried frown as she stared around Rachel's face.
“Can you hear me?” She repeated, much softer.
Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but only air cout.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“What's wrong with her?” Her father asked in a gruff tone. He sounded angry as he looked at this female doctor.
“She just woke up from a coma,” the doctor said sharply. “Give her stime.” “D...d..."” Rachel stammered, trying to formulate swords. Her attempt drew the attention of this doctor, and she lowered herself so she could hear Rachel more clearly. “Doctor...” Rachel managed to get out.
“Yes, Rachel. | am Doctor Hanna Laureen,” said gently. “Can you tellwhat hurts the most?” Rachel took a deep breath before answering. Or at least attempting to answer.
“My... my... my head,” she stammered.
Dr. Laureen placed her thumbs on Rachel's head and began to rub in circular motions for only a short moment.
Rachel was surprised that her pain and discomfort started to melt away.
“Is that better?” She asked kindly.
“Yes...” Rachel said. “Thank you.” “I'm a healer,” Dr. Laureen said simply. “It's what | do.” “Is she going to be okay?” Her father asked without any signs of emotion in his voice.
“It seems she will be. But I'd like to keep her here for a few days just to be safe.” “That's not going to work; we have plans on Saturday,” her father scowled, which surprised Rachel.
The doctor raised her perfectly trimmed brows at Raymond.
“Her life is more important than any plans you might have made,” she said, her tone began to harden with each word she spoke.
“These plans we can’t cancel,” he said between his teeth. “You said you are a healer, so heal her.” “Even my powers take tto work,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “I'd prefer if she stayed here for a few days so | can be sure she’s going to be okay.” Her father growled, which was also surprising for Rachel. She was starting to grow uncomfortable with his presence.
Ignoring him, the doctor turned back to Rachel.
“You are an adult, and you don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to,” she breathed gently. “He has no right to tell you otherwise.” She opened her mouth to thank this nice doctor, but no words cout. She caught a glimpse of her father’s angry eyes and she shuddered, looking away quickly. Memories of Rachel's childhood surfaced in her mind. Her father was always angry; she remembered this look in his eyes so well.
She worried about what he would do.
When it cto her father, limitations didn’t exist.
“Rachel, do you remember what happened?” The doctor proceeded to ask.
“Huh? What?” Rachel asked, snapping out of her daydream to look up at Dr. Laureen.
Could this doctor read minds too? “Do you know why you are in the hospital?” She rephrased.
“No...” she answered after a pause. “| don’t remember.”Which was the truth; she couldn’t remember what happened after she thought found her mate. She could hardly remember anything before that either. She couldn’t have found her mate... could she? “You were stabbed in the stomach,” she explained gently. “By someone named Rodrick. Does that nsound familiar? | guess he’s a professor at your school?” Rachel’s heart fell deep into her stomach.
Rodrick... the hybrid professor and vampire dorm advisor. It was he who stabbed her. He was also her supposed mate.
Was it all true? Were they really mates? Did he really stab her in the stomach? As her mind worked around that fact, memories began to surface in her head. It wasn’t Rodrick who did it; she made him do it. The voice that’s been inside Rachel's mind forced Rachel to manipulate Rod’s mind and made him stab her in the stomach.
It was to make him look guilty, but now Rachel felt nothing but guilt.
This was all her fault, all those deaths. They were her fault.
Now Rod, her hybrid mate, was going to get in trouble for it all.
Rachel was so wrapped up in her mind and these memories that she hadn't even noticed how heavily she was breathing and how rapidly the heart rate monitor was beeping.
“Rachel, sweetheart, try to calm down,” Dr. Laureen said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“Just take a deep breath.” “What did you do?” Her father hissed at the doctor's. “She doesn’t need to be remembering this shit.” This was making Rachel's blood boil; what was his problem? Didn't he want her to be well? Didn't he want her to remember this stuff? Or did he just want her to forget just like he wanted her to forget the entire childhood he abused her? What was the point of him coming back into her life if he was just going to be an asshole again? Ella was right about him the entire time; he hadn't changed. He never would.
The doctor was also right; she was an adult now and she didn’t need to take his bullshit.
“Dad, get out,” she hissed.
His eyes found hers and they widened.
“What did you just say to me?” He asked through his teeth.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“You are nothing but a nightmare. | don’t even know why you are here. Get out,” she said again, angrily.
She was feeling stronger now and her voice cout hardened.
The doctor looked amused as she looked at Raymond, folding her arms across her chest.
“You heard my patient; get out,” she said, backing Rachel up completely.
Rachel liked this doctor.
Her father scowled and at first, she didn’t think he was going to leave. But then he turned and stalked toward the door.
Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about all those people who had died because of her and now her mate was going to take the fall for it because Rachel made him. Her stomach clenched at the very thought. She needed to find out where she was; she needed to find out if this was fixable.
But most importantly, she needed to warn Ella.
“Wait,” Rachel said before her father left completely. He paused at the door and looked at her with his eyes turning to slits. “Call Ella. Tell her it’s important and that | need to see her.” “Why would | do you a favor after you just kickedout?” Her father asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Because if you ever want to mend this relationship, you'll dothis favor,” she said in return, also narrowing her eyes.
He looked at her for a moment longer before muttering something she didn’t understand and leaving the room.
She sighed and laid her head back on her pillow.
She needed to warn Ella about this strange darkness that was inside her; she was the one who killed these people. They needed to find out who this darkness was and get rid of it before it made her kill anyone else.
But then she felt claws digging into her brain; a familiar sensation that made her gasp and grit her teeth. Her heart rate began to speed up again and she found it difficult to breathe as these claws continued to grip her pain. She thought her head was about to explode.
“Rachel? Oh, my God! What's happening? Are you okay?” The doctor asked, trying to calm Rachel, but the pain was only getting worse, and her vision was becoming blurry.
She thought she was going to pass out from the pain, but then she heard the familiar voice in her head.
“If you tell anyone what had happened, if you warn anyone about me. | will make sure you and your loved ones suffer as | kill every one of them. | will make you watch their torture. Then, I will torture and kill you.”