A Heart Eclipsed by Shadows

Lorrie fought the urge to snap. "It's nothing. I'm done eating. I'll be in my room."

Chuck frowned, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.

Suddenly, Lylith brought a hand to her forehead. "I think my blood sugar level is dropping again. My head's spinning, and my heart's racing."

Chuck was at her side instantly. "You haven't been taking those supplements I got you, have you? How'd you let your sugar crash again? Close your eyes for a bit. I'll take care of it."

Lorrie didn't turn around, listening as Chuck dug through the sugar bowl hurriedly.

She took her laptop to the garden, planning to send the design sketches to the company at Pavrielle.

Out of nowhere, Chuck appeared behind her and draped a jacket over her shoulders. The faint trace of a woman's perfume clung to the fabric.

Frowning, Lorrie snapped the laptop shut. "What are you doing here?"

She used to ask Chuck to walk with her in the garden, but he always refused, claiming the pollen messed with his allergies.

And now here he stood.

"It's chilly out here. I didn't want you to catch a cold—"

Suddenly, a furious barking tore through the air. A wild-eyed hound came barreling straight for Chuck.

Lorrie barely had time to process what was happening before Lylith flung herself in front of him, only to be slammed into the ground by the snarling beast.

"Lylith!"

Chuck lost it. He seized the hound by its collar and hurled it aside. Realizing it was no match for him, it whirled around and went straight for Lorrie.

Paralyzed with fear, she pleaded. "Chuck, help me..."

But he was already gone, sprinting into the distance with Lylith limp in his arms. He didn't even glance back.

Lorrie's cries drowned in the hound's barking. Helpless, she could only watch as the snarling hound lunged straight for her.

As she squeezed her eyes shut, Chuck's old promise echoed in her mind. "I've raised that hound for years. Since it scares you, I'll keep it locked up. It won't get out again."

The beast's fangs sank into her thigh. Darkness swallowed her, and she knew no more.

…

The searing pain dragged Lorrie back to reality. She opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital bed, with Chuck keeping watch beside her.

"You're awake." He reached for her hand. "Are you still in pain?"

Lorrie swallowed her words. The ache in her chest cut deeper than the wound in her leg.

He knew how terrified she was of dogs, how that fear had gripped her ever since one tore into her as a child. And still, he'd left her alone to face that snarling beast, caring about nothing but Lylith's safety.

"Lylith got hurt protecting me. I can't just leave her hanging after that." Chuck's voice was sincere. "But you're different. We're partners for life."

Lorrie almost laughed.

Partners for life? Please. He wouldn't blink if she dropped dead tomorrow.

Then Chuck said the words that turned her stomach.

"Lylith is anemic. The hospital doesn't have her blood type. But you're a match—"

"Over my dead body!" Lorrie yanked her hand back. "The kennel gate's always locked, so why would the hound just happen to attack you then? And why was Lylith, who's never been in charge of garden work, suddenly there? Doesn't that all seem a little too convenient to you?"

It was obvious. Lylith had let the hound loose on purpose.

Lorrie had almost died because of her, and now Chuck wasn't just playing dumb. He wanted to take Lorrie's blood for Lylith.

That wasn't happening.

Her eyes locked onto Chuck's, searching for any flicker of guilt.

"You still don't get it, do you? We're in this together. You're my fiancee. I'll spend my whole life making it up to you. And it's just a little blood. When did you start getting worked up over such a tiny thing?"

Ignoring her protests, he called the doctor and had Lorrie taken to the phlebotomy room.

The needle pierced Lorrie's vein, sending a cold ripple through her body.

Chuck badgered the doctor to hurry, claiming she couldn't handle the pain. But Lorrie knew better. His impatience wasn't for her sake. It was for Lylith's.

When it was finally over, Lorrie pressed a hand to her arm and turned, only to find Chuck, the man who'd talked her into this, already gone.

She was on her way back to rest when she passed Lylith's hospital room and saw her lying still on the bed, fast asleep.

Chuck studied Lylith's face, his fist closed around something unseen. After a pause, he carefully took her hand and pressed the object into her palm.

"Don't you die on me, Lylith. This isn't how our story ends."