Arabella's eyes remained on her feet as she ran down the dungeon stairs in order to avoid tripping over her dress.
Silas made his way there first, but a sound traveled to her ears before his figure appeared. A haunting one. That of labored breathing, the heaviest and deepest of gasps the young woman had ever had the horror of witnessing.
The sight of Katherine brought no solace. On the contrary, it made Arabella halt dead in her tracks and clasp both hands over her own mouth.
The vampiress' body lay utterly limp, only her chest heaved and fell ever so slowly… Agonizingly as she drew each breath to save her life.
The poor thing looked like she was begging for scraps of air to grace her lungs, for some desperately needed mercy.
But her eyes were the worst part of that image; open wide and sharp as thin, red, popping vein lines covered the eyeballs from every side and end.
"Oh! Dear Lord! What's happened?" Arabella cried.
