Before I could think of a response, he pushed the car door open and stepped out.Mark and Samantha were already waiting for him. I stayed frozen in my seat, staring after him as if my mind had been left behind in the car.
Tap.
Tap.
I flinched.
David stood outside my window, knocking gently with the back of his knuckles.
"Miss Jennie?" he called with a small smile.
"We've arrived." As he walked toward Mark
Heat rushed to my face.
"Right… sorry."
I fumbled for the handle, shoved the door open, and hurried out. The moment both my feet touched the ground, my shoe caught on the edge of the door.
"Ahhhhh!"
My arms flying out to catch myself before I landed face-first but I was too late .
Everything happened in a blur.
My knees slammed into the gravel with a sickening crack before the rest of me followed. The impact ripped through my palms as sharp stones tore into my skin. I tried to brace myself, but my body had already lost control.
The side of my head struck a jagged patch of gravel,a dull thud echoed inside my skull. A sharp gasp escaped my lips before another sound followed ,a broken cry that barely sounded like my own.
Warmth trickled down the side of my face.
Then another drop.
Blood.
My blood.
It slid past my temple, traced my cheek, and splattered onto the pale gravel beneath me as I lay still, too stunned to move.
Miss Jennie!"
David's horrified shout shattered the silence.Mark spun around, his face went still as he rushed forward.
"She's bleeding!"
For the briefest second, Something flashed across his eyes ,so dark it almost swallowed the whites.By the time I blinked, they were normal again. His gaze remained fixed on the blood pooling between the stones ,something moved in his jaw.
My vision blurred.
The ground beneath me seemed to sway, every breath scraping painfully through my chest. My palms burned against the gravel stones, and blood spread rapidly beneath my knees where the gravel had shredded through the fabric of my gown.
I tried to push myself up,pain shot through my head.
My arm buckled.
I collapsed back onto the gravel with a cry. More blood seeped from the gash above my ear, winding its way through strands of hair before dripping steadily onto the ground.
"Don't move!"
David dropped to his knees beside me.
His voice cracked
"Please, don't move."
Samantha's red eyes caught the light. For the briefest instant, the crimson deepened.
Her lips parted.
She stood rooted where she was, her nostrils flaring almost invisibly. Her fingers slowly curled into tight fists, leather gloves creaking under the pressure.
Footsteps stopped.
Through my blurred vision,
Jacob turned .
His gaze fell to the blood staining the gravel. A chill ran over my skin.
"Sam."
Jacob's voice cut through the silence.
Samantha reached for the emergency medical kit in the nearest vehicle.
No one dared speak as he strode back toward me as my vision dissolved into darkness .
By the time Jacob reached her, she had collapsed ,her blood had already begun pooling beneath the side of her head, soaking into the rough gravel while David hovered helplessly, afraid that moving her would only make things worse.
"Easy… easy."
His eyes flicked from the wound to Jacob before he slowly drew his hands back.
Jacob's grey eyes swept over the injury in a single glance before he dropped to one knee beside her and lifted her up . A drop of blood slid from her temple onto my wrist.
My hand tightened beneath her knees,
I lifted her effortlessly.
A faint groan escaped my lips.
"Mark."
"Yes, Young Master."
"The best doctor in this town "
"Ten minutes."
Mark didn't hesitate.
"At once, sir."
"Samantha."
She straightened immediately.
"Get my room key."
She was already pulling the room key from her pocket.
"Yes, Young Master."
"And bring the first-aid kit with you ."
"Right away."
I shrugged off his coat with one hand, draping it carefully around her to shield injuries before settling her securely against my chest..
Without another glance at anyone, i walked toward the hotel entrance.
Behind me, Mark was already barking orders into his phone while Samantha sprinted toward the hotel door ,shoved through the small crowd gathering near the reception desk, her hurried footsteps echoing across the polished marble floor.
"Hold the elevator!" she called, slightly out of breath.
The brushed steel doors had already begun sliding shut.
My hand shot between them.
The sensors caught it instantly, and the doors glided back open.
I stood inside without a word, Jennie lying limp in my arms. Blood had soaked through the front of her dress and streaking down my sleeve .
Samantha hurried inside, pressing herself against the wall before repeatedly tapping the button for the presidential suite.
The door closed.
Only the soft mechanical hum of the ascent and Jennie's shallow, uneven breathing filled the space.
My grey eyes fixed on every fragile rise and fall of her chest.
The numbers climbed.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Ding.
The doors slid open to a private hallway lined with cream-colored walls and thick carpeting that swallowed every footstep.
Samantha hurried ahead, fumbling only briefly before sliding the keycard into the suite's electronic lock.
A soft beep.
The heavy wooden door swung inward.
The suite was enormous ,a king-sized bed dominated the center of the bedroom, dressed in white sheets and layered with oversized pillows. Opposite it hung an enormous flat-screen television mounted above a sleek electric fireplace. Rich walnut furniture, elegant artwork, and a spacious seating area completed the luxurious room, while sheer curtains drifted gently from the cool breeze escaping the slightly opened balcony door.
I crossed the room without slowing down,carefully lowered Jennie onto the center of the mattress while supporting her neck until her head rested against the pillows.
She didn't react.
Not even a twitch.
Her body lay completely limp, her breathing faint enough that only the slight movement of her chest proved she was still conscious.
Blood immediately stained the white sheets beneath her.
Samantha froze.
Her eyes widened as more blood spread across Jennie dress soaking into the fabric far faster than she expected.
For a moment , Samantha simply stared.
Blood.
The metallic scent grew stronger.
Too strong.
"…Young Master."
Samantha's voice sounded strained.
I looked up .
She was staring at the blood soaking into the sheets.Her breathing had become uneven,the red around her pupils was spreading,her face had turned pale.
Faster than we both would like .
Her nostrils flared as she fought to steady herself, her gloved fingers curling into tight fists.
Without waiting for an order, she hurried into the bathroom and grabbed every clean towel she could find before rushing back.
"Here…"
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
I took them without looking and pressed one firmly against Jennie's ear, wiping away the blood that covered that her head,hair,knees and hands carefully.
The ruined fabric clung stubbornly to her injuries.
With one sharp motion I gripped the fabric.
Riiip.
The front of Jennie's blood-soaked dress tore open from the shoulder down to her knees , exposing the wounded areas enough for me examine them properly.
Gravel burns.
Deep abrasions.
Multiple lacerations.
Nothing appeared life-threatening… but she had lost far more blood than normal.
Fresh blood stained the pale sheets beneath her.
I discarded the torn fabric aside, my eyes scanning every wound and cleaning it and using the first aid box properly .
A sharp breath sounded behind me.
Samantha.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Her pupils had turned an even deeper shade of red.
Samantha instinctively took several steps backward until her shoulders nearly touched the door.
She stayed there, gripping the remaining towels tightly against her chest.
Her pulse hammered in my ears.
She had seen injuries before.
Nothing that smells like this.