Blood Crave 2 (49 page)
Authors: Jennifer Knight
Tags: #Social Issues, #Love & Romance, #Vampires, #College Students, #Juvenile Fiction, #Paranormal, #General, #Romance, #Werewolves, #Dating & Sex, #Fiction, #Occult & Supernatural
Then Lucas’s face was above me, his human face. His perfect human face—all mangled up with scratches and blood, but still him. Derek’s face was next to his, human now, too. My boys ... my saviors. I prayed they’d get along after I was gone. That they wouldn’t kill each other like idiots.
More talking, angry fighting and crying. Lucas’s crying. His eyes dragged with tears that cleared clean paths in this filthy skin. He held me in his arms and I suddenly felt a million times better, even though he was so sad. He clutched me to him possessively, as though guarding me. Suddenly, he was yelling.
“You don’t know what that will do to her!” he shouted.
“She’ll die, Lucas,” Derek argued. “Katie told me it would work.”
“Katie doesn’t know what she’s talking about!”
“We have to at least try. She’s dying!”
“He’s right,” I heard a third voice say. Was that Rolf? “There is nothing else to do for her. We don’t have much time. If it fails, she would have died anyway.”
Lucas held me closer.
“I’m sorry,” he choked. “I’m so sorry, baby. Please, please forgive me.”
I wanted to tell him not to be sorry. That this wasn’t his fault. I wanted to say good-bye to him, and thank him for the happiness he’d brought to my life. I wanted to tell him it was okay to move on after I was dead ... but all I could do was look at him.
He kissed my frozen lips, and I felt his tears drip onto my cheeks. Then his grip on my body loosened. He tilted my head back. Derek’s bleeding wrist appeared. It was punctured, like he had bitten himself. Why would he do that?
I felt something warm and gritty fill my mouth and slide down my throat—something metallic.
“Enough,” Lucas said. His face appeared in front of me again, so perfect, and so twisted with worry. I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t in any pain. It would all be over soon.
“Her eyes are closing. . . .”
Everything was starting to go dark around the edges ... fuzzy. I heard more yelling. It sounded like Derek this time. I frowned. I didn’t like yelling. Yelling at Lucas . . . no . . . his face was staring to fade. The world was beginning to ebb. I felt almost good. Like I was about to fall asleep.
Well, if this was what it felt like to die, it wasn’t so bad. It was pleasant, even. I could see Lucas; hear the grating of his voice someplace in the back of my mind ... maybe even smell him, too. Or was that my mom’s macaroni and cheese ... ?
32
THE OTHER SIDE
I
heard voices. Two voices, both soft, yet starkly different.
heard voices. Two voices, both soft, yet starkly different.
Two boys ... they sounded muffled, like they were in a different room, or maybe a different life.
“It’s been four days,” one said. “I don’t think it worked. I think we need to try something else.”
“There’s nothing to try,” another said. He had a low, crumbly voice that sounded dead with defeat.
“You could bite her,” the other said. “Then she might be like me.”
“She’s already got enough magic in her blood. Any more would just make things worse.”
They fell silent for a long moment.
“You really love her, don’t you?” said the one with the mellow voice. It was sweet like low wind chimes.
“Of course, I love her,” the crumbly voice said. “I love her more than my own life. I’d gladly have given it, if it could have prevented this.”
Again there was silence.
“I love her, too,” the mellow voice said. “I’ve loved her since the moment I saw her. I’ve been with her through everything. I can’t lose her.”
“You don’t have to. You could keep her, if you just knew how to love her without wanting her.”
“It’s not like I can help it,” the mellow voice snapped. “She’s . . . she’s perfect.”
“Yeah,” the crumbly voice said. “I know.” He sounded almost resentful about this. “She might be different when she wakes up. She might be a lee—a vampire.”
“Would that be so bad?”
No answer for a moment and then, “Yes. She’d be dead.”
“You wouldn’t love her if she was dead.” He said it as a fact, not a question. “I would love her no matter what she was.”
“That’s because
you’re
dead,” the other shot. “And I never said I wouldn’t love her.”
you’re
dead,” the other shot. “And I never said I wouldn’t love her.”
Silence.
“You never said you would, either.”
More silence filled the caverns of my mind and I drifted off, thinking that was the strangest dream I’d ever had.
I
smelled Lucas. He smelled of woods and musk and something too delicious to put into words. I inhaled deeply and let my eyes flutter open. I saw a white plastered ceiling and a fan oscillating slowly. Light poured into the room, red light like I was in a darkroom.
smelled Lucas. He smelled of woods and musk and something too delicious to put into words. I inhaled deeply and let my eyes flutter open. I saw a white plastered ceiling and a fan oscillating slowly. Light poured into the room, red light like I was in a darkroom.
Then I felt something warm slide over my stomach. My head fell to the side as the bed shifted and saw Lucas sleeping next to me. I smiled and then stopped because it hurt.
“Ow,” I croaked.
Lucas’s eyes popped open and he leaned over me, his gaze urgent and terrified ... apologetic, even. What could he possibly have to be sorry for? He saved my life.
He and Derek saved my life.
“Hey,” I rasped. My voice sounded like it’d been rubbed with sandpaper for a week.
Lucas suddenly collapsed on top of me, grabbing me up in his arms and hugging me so tightly it hurt. He kept saying he was sorry over and over, kissing my neck.
For some reason I was limp. It took tremendous effort to even breathe. Lucas finally set me down, and I smiled up at him. Again, smiling was painful so I stopped.
“Why does everything hurt?” I asked.
Lucas had tears in his eyes. He petted my hair away from my forehead. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he said. “Are you okay? Can you move everything? I’m so sorry.”
“Stop—being—sorry,” I gasped. “I can’t . . . breathe.”
Lucas’s face tightened. “What? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t move,” I said. “It hurts to breathe. What’s wrong ... with me?”
Suddenly Lucas sat up.
“
Rolf!
” he shouted.
Rolf!
” he shouted.
He vaulted out of the bed and my body shook with the bedsprings, sending agony racing through my bones. I blacked out.
I
saw darkness. Only darkness. It was navy blue, like a winter night. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Then I let out a cry of relief. I was rubbing my eyes.... I could move!
saw darkness. Only darkness. It was navy blue, like a winter night. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Then I let out a cry of relief. I was rubbing my eyes.... I could move!
I sat up, but I must have done it too quickly because my vision spun and I had to lie back down. I looked out the window. It was nighttime.
“Lucas?” I called out.
Nothing.
“Derek?” I asked more softly.
Instantly the door banged open and Derek was there. He bolted to my side.
“You’re awake!” he said. “Can you move? How’s your breathing? Does anything hurt?”
I smiled and waved my hands around to show him I could move.
“I think I’m okay,” I said. “What . . . what happened?”
Derek took up my hand, kissing it a million times, apologizing between each kiss.
Why was everyone apologizing so damn much? They had nothing to—
Suddenly, a terrible thought hit me. What if they
hadn’t
saved my life? What if I was a vampire?
hadn’t
saved my life? What if I was a vampire?
“Derek,” I said. “Am I dead?
He pressed his lips together. “I don’t know,” he said finally.
Ice water drenched my veins. I was dead. I gasped for breath, over and over. My head spun. I was dead.
“I’m getting Lucas,” he said. He dashed out of the room and reappeared five seconds later with Lucas by his side. All thoughts stopped when I saw him, all concern or remnants of pain. In that moment, it didn’t matter if I was dead or not. Lucas was there. He was hugging me, within a breath.
I hugged him back, smiling even though the force of his arms was hurting a little.
“You’re moving,” he said hoarsely. “You can move?”
I nodded, crying. He wiped the tears from my cheeks and kissed them. He put his forehead against mine, and I felt the warmth sink into my skin. It felt warmer than normal.
“I love you, Faith,” he whispered. “You can never know how much.”
I smiled. “I think I have an idea.”
Derek cleared his throat pointedly. Lucas pulled back and sat down on the bed, motioning for Derek to come closer. He sat in the armchair next to my bed, still looking worried.
Then I remembered that I might be dead.
I gulped and looked over at Lucas. “I don’t feel dead,” I whispered. “But I remember her biting me. I remember Derek’s wrist bleeding.” Derek nodded, confirming it.
Lucas took up my hand. “You’re not dead, baby. It’s only been six days, not even close to the full moon.”
“But she bit me,” I protested. “I remember being paralyzed.”
“You were,” Lucas said. “But then Derek fed you some of his blood.”
I looked at Derek, who nodded again. “Remember when I told you I gave Katie some of my blood to test?” he asked.
I wrinkled my eyes up, trying to remember.
“Well, she did,” Derek continued without me. “I asked her to do it. I wanted to know what it would do to a human if they drank it. Turns out, it heals. It’s like antivampire blood.”
I gaped. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Because I was trying to keep it secret from the vampires. I thought if they knew what I could do, they’d want to use me like you always said they were. I didn’t want you knowing about it. It could have put you in danger.”
“So you healed me?” I asked, amazed.
“Yeah,” Derek said and shrugged. But his expression was anything but nonchalant. I’d never seen so much love pouring out of one being before—not even Lucas.
“Thank you,” I said, thinking that those silly little words were nothing compared to the gratitude I felt.
“Don’t,” he murmured, looking away. “You almost died because of me.”
“I’m
alive
because of you, Derek.”
alive
because of you, Derek.”
“You don’t get it.” He looked up at me urgently in his eyes. “After we . . . ended things, I went back to the vampires and I found out that they
were
looking for you after all. I knew they were planning to turn you for some reason and I didn’t do a thing. I—I even told them about your power.” He must have seen the hurt on my face because he tried to defend himself. “I was mad at you for what happened between us. For still loving him after how bad he hurt you.” I cast a glance at Lucas and saw him hang his head. Derek continued, “I was so mad. But I swear, I never thought they’d go through all that trouble to find you—just to turn you. Once I told them about your power, though, you became their main focus. I’d never forgive myself if I let them turn you. This life—it’s not one I’d wish on my worst enemy, let alone you.
were
looking for you after all. I knew they were planning to turn you for some reason and I didn’t do a thing. I—I even told them about your power.” He must have seen the hurt on my face because he tried to defend himself. “I was mad at you for what happened between us. For still loving him after how bad he hurt you.” I cast a glance at Lucas and saw him hang his head. Derek continued, “I was so mad. But I swear, I never thought they’d go through all that trouble to find you—just to turn you. Once I told them about your power, though, you became their main focus. I’d never forgive myself if I let them turn you. This life—it’s not one I’d wish on my worst enemy, let alone you.
“But I was being proud. I didn’t want to go crawling back to you. Again. So I tried to just call you, tried to protect you without you knowing it. But you wouldn’t talk to me, and it was only a matter of time before they got to you. So I realized I had to have a plan. That time on the football field? I wasn’t just trying to warn you, I was trying to tell you what I had planned, what I could do . . . but then you kind of surprised me with that whole I’m-the-reason-you’re-like-this thing, and I got distracted. By the time I got over it, it was too late. Melissa got into your dorm and killed that Kira girl and I knew you were done for.”
Other books
Leopold: Part Five by Ember Casey, Renna Peak
The Caged Graves by Dianne K. Salerni
Wonder Light by R. R. Russell
The Children of Hamelin by Norman Spinrad
Casting the Gods Adrift by Geraldine McCaughrean
Rebounding by Shanna Clayton
Over the Misty Mountains by Gilbert Morris
A Fashionable Murder by Valerie Wolzien
Private Tuition by Jay Merson
One Dead Lawyer by Tony Lindsay