Roxana — Chapter 8

HOW BEAUTIFUL...

DOES THIS HURT?

LET ME KNOW IF IT DOES.

EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS BEAUTIFUL.

I'M SO GLAD I DIDN'T LET CHARLOTTE HAVE HIM.

OOPS, SORRY.

CASSIS FROM THE NOVEL MAY HAVE GONE THROUGH MUCH WORSE THAN WHAT I--

THAT'S ENOUGH.

I'LL DO THE REST MYSELF.

NOW, LEAVE.

I GUESS HE ISN'T USED TO HAVING A WOMAN TAKE CARE OF HIM...

...OR IS IT JUST IN MY HEAD?

I FEEL LIKE HE IS ACTING LESS HOSTILE TOWARD ME THAN BEFORE.

WHATEVER THE REASON, I HOPE I KEEP GAINING HIS TRUST...

I'LL ARRANGE FOR A PHYSICIAN TO VISIT YOU TOMORROW MORNING.

I SHOULD LEAVE... FOR NOW.

CASSIS HAD ZERO PLANS OF LETTING ME TREAT HIS WOUNDS AT FIRST.

WHAT CHANGED HIS MIND?

SEE YOU LATER.

I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER...

LUNCHTIME.

I'M SURPRISED YOU KEEP COMING PERSONALLY.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT SKIPPING ANY MEALS...

WHY AM I SWEATING SO MUCH TODAY?

HEY...!

Y...YOU'RE BLEEDING!

HEY!

HNNGH!!!

NO!

IT MUST BE THE POISON THAT EMILY BROUGHT ME YESTERDAY.

I HAVEN'T BEEN FEELING WELL EVER SINCE.

SORRY ABOUT THAT, IT'S NOTHING.

WHAT?!

THAT PROBABLY RUINED YOUR APPETITE.

Sorry.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S "NOTHING"? YOU JUST VOMITED BLOOD!

WELL...

...THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME, AND IT CERTAINLY WON'T BE THE LAST.

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT ME?

WHY WOULD I EVER BE WORRIED ABOUT YOU?!

ANYONE WOULD BE SHOCKED...

...IF SOMEONE COUGHED UP BLOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.

YOU'RE RIGHT... I THINK I'M JUST TOO USED TO IT.

I GUESS I'M A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE.

BASED ON MY OBSERVATION SO FAR,

I THOUGHT YOU HATED ME.

I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT MY HEALTH.

CASSIS ACTS TOUGH IN FRONT OF THOSE WITH POWER,

BUT IS EMPATHETIC TO THE WEAK.

THAT'S SO KIND OF YOU.

IN THAT CASE...

WELL THEN, SEE YOU LATER.

I'M SORRY I STARTLED YOU.

...MAYBE I SHOULD START SHOWING HIM MY SOFT SIDE.

ROXANA!

JEREMY.

WHAT...?

THERE'S BLOOD ON YOUR DRESS, XANA...!

THE TOY WAS BEING DIFFICULT,

SO I HAD TO PUNISH HIM A LITTLE.

OH, IS IT THAT LITTLE PUNK'S BLOOD?

STOP DOING THAT, XANA. I THINK YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE.

I DON'T LIKE THE THOUGHT OF HAVING HIS FILTHY BLOOD ON ME.

I'LL DEAL WITH IT ONCE I GET BACK TO MY ROOM.

BY THE WAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? DID YOU COME TO SEE ME?

YOU WEREN'T IN YOUR ROOM, SO I CAME TO FIND YOU.

I SEE.

BY THE WAY, XANA...

WERE YOU AT THE GREENHOUSE AGAIN?

I CAN KIND OF SMELL THE POISON ON YOU.

IF JEREMY CAN SMELL THE SCENT, NO MATTER HOW FAINT IT MAY BE,

YES, I WAS JUST THERE.

THAT MEANS THERE ARE STILL SOME TRACES OF POISONOUS FUMES LEFT ON ME.

FROM NOW ON, I NEED TO AVOID VISITING THE GREENHOUSE BEFORE SEEING CASSIS.

I DON'T WANT THE POISON TO AFFECT HIM.

CAN'T YOU JUST GET RID OF THAT EGG?

YOU COULD GIVE IT AWAY TO SOMEONE.

I-I MEAN,

ONCE THAT CREATURE HATCHES, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO KEEP FEEDING IT YOUR BLOOD.

JEREMY...

IF YOU TRY TO INTERFERE WITH MY BUSINESS AGAIN,

I WON'T HOLD BACK MY ANGER, LIKE I DID LAST TIME.

I WASN'T! I-I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU!

SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING...!!!

HE'S RIGHT.

WHOEVER BECOMES THESE BUTTERFLIES' MASTER...

...ALSO BECOMES THEIR HOST.

EVEN IF I WERE TO SUCCESSFULLY TAME THEM,

I WILL BE DEVOURED BY THEM.

HIS CONCERN IS GENUINELY COMING FROM A GOOD PLACE.

IF I CAN'T PROVIDE THEM THE BLOOD THEY DESIRE,

I Mean, It Has Happened To Others Before.

WHAT WOULD I EVER DO WITHOUT YOU? YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT ME.

OH, SORRY. MY HAND IS ALL COVERED IN BLOOD.

IT'S OKAY! I'LL JUST WASH UP AFTER.

AT LEAST THOSE TWO OTHER EGGS DIED RIGHT BEFORE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HATCH!

I-I MEAN, I KNOW YOU'RE UPSET BY IT,

BUT IT WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT HARDER IF YOU HAD MORE THAN ONE OF THEM TO RAISE AT ONCE...

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, RIGHT?

OF COURSE.

LET'S START HEADING BACK NOW.

OKAY!

THERE'S SOMETHING THAT JEREMY DOESN'T KNOW YET.

I'VE ALREADY...

IT'S TIME FOR YOUR MEAL.

...SUCCEEDED IN HATCHING ONE OF THE EGGS.