Summary: Set in the first Bloodlines book, but in Adrian’s POV. Kind of goes by my first revised one.
It’s a dark night, as I walk towards the Alchemist’s door where Sage said she would be. I want to apologize to her for how I acted at Lissa’s pageant. I was a jerk; a bastard. I have the right to be called every name in every book. I didn’t have the right to say those things or act like that.
I knock on the door and wait a few minutes, but nobody answers the door.
Maybe she’s still mad at me, I think.
“Come on, Sage. I know you’re in there,” I call to her through the door.
A few minutes later, I hear noises from inside, just beyond the door. And then with the scent of fear, I hear Sage yell, “Adrian!” I know something is wrong, so I open the door to see the scene.
Lee has a knife in hand and Sage is trying to run to me, but Lee grabs her around the waist. They both land on the floor with Lee trying to hold her back, her on her stomach, trying to crawl away, kicking him as he tries to get a firm grip on her to stop her.
I walk in and close the door.
She rolls to her side to try and get some hard kicks in. And as she does, I say, “Sage,” trying to put warning in my voice. But it’s too late. The abandoned knife stabs into her.
I rush forward and throw Lee. Then, in the next instant, Lee and I are fighting, as I smell the heavy flow of her blood. I have to try and be fast. I’m not a Guardian, but I have to try. My life isn’t in danger. It’s Sage’s. And I don’t want anything to happen to her. I secretly love her, but she probably doesn’t know that. I know I shouldn’t though, because she’s an Alchemist. It’s against Alchemist rule to associate with vampires, unless it’s business. And after she helped Rose be freed last year, she’s just now getting off their radar.
I push Lee and he falls against the desk, which knocks him out.
Soon, I stand in front of her. I don’t think she realizes what has happened. She’s on her feet not far from the couch. I guess she sees my worried face, because she has to ask me, “Adrian, what’s wrong?”
“Sage, you’re hurt.”
“Where?”
“Your side,” I answer, keeping my voice calm.
I think she’s either in shock or the adrenaline is still kicking in, for her not to feel pain or the wound, much less the knife in her left side between her ribs.
I watch her, keeping as calm as I can. I don’t want to scare her. Then it finally sinks in. She grows pale and starts to lose her balance. I gently put hands on her arms.
“Sage, I know what you feel about magic, but I don’t want you to die,” I say, trying to ask for her permission to heal her with Spirit.
“Adrian,” she says, before blacking out.
As she loses consciousness, I catch her from hitting the floor, an arm holding her up, a hand between her shoulder blades. And then I gently pick her up in my arms and lay her down on the couch, before pulling the knife out. I toss it to the floor and put a hand above her wound, using Spirit to heal her.
Soon after, she’s healed and we leave.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
