Captivated

ChapterSeventeen

Angelina

The bonding ritual was as intense as it was satisfying. The sex… well, it was mind-blowing. But it was so much more than that. It was a loving act which would see us bound together for eternity. Unbreakable. Infinite. The changes inside my body were already taking place. I could feel it and sense the energy of their blood melding with mine. It warmed me. My veins throbbed and vibrated with life.

We were curled up under the covers. For the first time ever, I felt whole. Like I finally had a purpose in life. Not only to love my two gorgeous mates forever, but to protect my world from all the demons and other creatures who wandered around trying to destroy it. There was, and always would be, a deep ache in my heart for the loss of Cassie. Viktor would pay for that.

Their breathing had slowed, and I knew they were asleep. I smiled to myself at the power I had over them, and how I’d worn them out. I couldn’t wait to love them all over again. My body heated at just the thought. A wave of nausea rolled over me, and I shot off the bed, ran for the en-suite, then threw up in the toilet. Just as I thought my body was okay, I threw up again.

“Oh, God,” I moaned and rested my head against the toilet seat as I continued to heave and puke.

“Oh, bella.” Salvatore’s words did little to help as I kept on throwing up.

He placed a throw around my shoulders, and they sat at either side of me. They murmured soothing words, although they didn’t help.

How long I vomited, I had no idea. My throat felt as though it was on fire and only bile was coming up now. They kept me hydrated with water, but each time I drank, I promptly threw up again.

“Go away,” I complained. “I don’t want you seeing me like this.” I attempted to swat them away but was too weak to manage it.

Luca stroked my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail to keep me from vomiting in it. I tried to push them away from me once more, but they wouldn’t go. I also attempted to close my mind off. In my weakened state, it was impossible to do so. What I suffered, they suffered.

“I want to get up,” I moaned, my voice sounding raspy.

“We have bowls and towels by the bed,” Luca said.

I laughed weakly. “Wow, you really have planned for this.”

When I stood up, I felt woozy, and my head spun as if I’d been drinking. Luca gathered me up in his arms and carried me back to bed. I didn’t have the strength or inclination to complain. As soon as I reached the bed, I was sick again. Over and over until I could feel blood in my mouth. I must have torn something with all the retching.

The sickness faded into the background, but that wasn’t anywhere near to the end of my suffering. I started to sweat from every pore in my body, as though all the moisture inside me was being sucked out until only a dry husk would be left. Luca and Salvatore mopped my body with cool cloths and patted my skin dry. As soon as they’d finished, they had to complete their actions all over again. I had a cup with a straw in it to sip. I screwed my eyes up at the taste.

“You’re losing so much fluid we need to rehydrate you with salt and sugar,” Salvatore explained.

“Why can’t you just heal me with your powers?”

“Because this is the way it has always been.”

After more time of alternating between sipping liquid, puking, and sweating, my body felt like it was being beaten black and blue. I was so weak I thought I was dying.

“No, you’re not. You’re strong. Fight this. We won’tallow you to leave us,” Luca protested.

The ability to talk had deserted me. I didn’t even have the strength to communicate via telepathy. The twins continually sent me loving messages in my mind. They bathed me, cleared up my mess, and never left my side. How much longer would I have the strength to fight this? My body was giving up, I was certain of it. My bloody weak human body was going to kill me and the men I loved. My eyelids fluttered shut; I didn’t have the ability to keep them open any longer.

“I’m so sorry… I can’t take anymore. I love you…” Blackness claimed me as I felt two sets of loving arms hold me close.

* * *

Salvatore

The twenty-four hours following our bonding was the worst ever experience of mine and Luca’s long life. Angelina had to endure so much fucking pain, and we sensed every bit as much as she did. No one could have prepared us for this nightmare. Sure, we’d heard about human males and females who’d bonded with Hybrids in the past, but this was something I never wanted any of us to suffer again. When she’d blacked out, I panicked and thought she was dying. She lay between us now, protected by our warmth and love.

“She has a pulse.” Luca put his fingers against her jugular.

“What the fuck do we do now?” I ran my fingers over her skin, which felt cold and clammy.

“Perhaps we should speak with our parents,” he suggested, his brow creased with concern.

“We need your help,” I called out to them.

“Is it Angelina?” Our mother’s voice was calm.

“Yes. We have completed the bonding ritual, but…”

I couldn’t finish. The combined anxiety of Luca and me made my emotions rise. Jesus, if I wasn’t careful, I’d be crying.

Luca touched my arm. “I’m feeling it too, Sal.”

“Has she gone through the twenty-four-hour period of sickness yet?”

My father’s words refocused me. “Yes, and now she’s unconscious. What do we do?”

“Run a bath and get in it with her. Bathe her and try to get some liquid inside her. Her body should be healing from within, and she’ll be back with you soon.”

“Then what?” I couldn’t help the frustration in my tone when I responded to our father.

“Then she will wake in her own time. Take her back to bed and stay with her until she wakes.”

“When will we know if she’s going to be okay?” I asked.

“Salvatore, Luca. She is already fine. If she wasn’t strong enough, she’d have died within the twenty-four-hour period. Her body has been through a lot, and sleep is the best healing remedy, along with her new powers. Please, don’t worry. She is safe. You are all safe. Now go and see to your mate. Know that your father and I love all three of you.”A loving caress from our mother entered our minds, and then she was gone.

“Luca, stay with Angelina. I’ll go and prepare the bath.”

He nodded his response, never taking his eyes from our precious woman. I hopped off the bed and ran the bath. Even after our parents’ reassuring words, I knew neither of us would feel relaxed until she was awake.

* * *