Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter Two Hundred and Thing Two

Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty Two

ALIYAH'S POV.

Ash was covered in sweat, his body trembling. The infection had spread throughout his arm, dark green veins crawling beneath his skin.

Another cry of pain tore from his lips.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking as I wiped his forehead with a wet

towel.

The warlock, Sebastian, had tried everything-every spell, every remedy he could think of-but nothing had worked. The injury was unlike anything we'd seen before, and we've had no luck finding demons.

Bruce had gone back to the place where Daemon and I had lived, only to return with the grim news that the location had been reduced to ashes. For a moment, fear gripped me, the thought that those hunting Daemon had finally caught up with him. But the warlock, Sebastian, rémained convinced that Daemon was still out there somewhere. The question was: where?

For now, there was nothing we could do for Ash other than prepare for the worst. Amputating the arm had become the only viable option. Sebastian had to perform the procedure before the three-day window was up-that was the time he estimated before the venom would spread past his arm and claim the rest of him.

"I can't watch you like this. Please, Ash, just go with the warlock's plan."

"How would I be able to protect you with only a single arm?"

"This isn't about me! This is about you, and you're in pain, and it's tearing me apart. The thought of sleeping while you're awake, suffering...'

>>

He looked down at me, his gaze steady. "When was the last time you slept?"

I couldn't even remember the last time I slept. I'd dozed off for a few minutes here and there, sometimes even a couple of hours on better days, but never nearly enough. I felt like a walking zombie, but I didn't care. All that mattered was Ash and the pain he was enduring because he'd been protecting me.

Kate brought in two bowls of her delicious soup; they were the only thing I could keep in without throwing up.

"Thank you." I said to her, accepting the tray.

"How is he doing?" she asked, though it was clear she could already see the

answer.

"Not very good," I said, my voice shaking.

"It's going to be alright," she said, trying to comfort me. I wanted to snap at her. It

wasn't going to be alright. Didn't she see the pain he was in?

But I held my tongue. She was just trying to help, even if it wasn't working.

Together, we lifted Ash up, and I began feeding him.

"Stop," he moaned. "I'm not hungry."

"But you've barely eaten in days!" I tried reasoning with him.

"You should eat."

"I'll eat after you're done," I insisted, and finally, he complied. It was clear he was struggling to keep the food down. He eventually threw up, blood mixed with the soup staining the floor.

Chapter Two Hundred and Thriftwo

"I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice strained.

"It's fine," Kate said quickly, cleaning up the mess

"No, it's not. It's not fine. He is in pain, and it's because of me. I need to end this."

I said determined,

"Aliyah, where are you going?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"To get you some help."

I ran down the stairs and headed to the door.

The wind ruffled my hair, and I realized it had been a long time since I last stepped outside. The sky was heavy with gray clouds-rain would come soon.

"And where do you think you're going?" the warlock's voice stopped me.

"I'm going to get him help; I'm going to find Daemon."

"First, you should have in mind that you aren't safe out there, and as for the Demon Overlord, I just got news on where to find him."

I paused, my heart beating so loud I could hear it.

It felt like forever since I had seen him last, even if it couldn't be more than a few weeks. I missed him, despite what he had done. A part of me wondered if he'd actually been trying to find me.

I doubted it.

It would have been wiser to remain here; he wouldn't find me here, and maybe I should stay away, but Ash needed him.

I told myself that's the only reason I'm going to him.

"Where is he?"noveldrama

"At the Nightshade Pack. I don't know how long he will be staying, so it's best we leave now.'