Captivated (34 page)

She half opened them, but it was forced. I only had seconds left with her. I leaned my face into hers. She looked deep into my eyes as she always had. Even though she was dying, they were still full of life. They were trying to read me as usual, trying to figure out what I was thinking and feeling. I kissed her rosy lips. I didn’t want to pull away from her softness, but I had to. I had to tell her. My lips pulled away from hers just an inch. I could feel her faint breathing against my lips. I touched my forehead with hers and stared into her eyes.

“I love you.” I whimpered.

“Promise?” She faintly asked as her eyes drooped.

She didn’t wait for an answer and puckered her lips against mine and closed her eyes. I felt the remainder of her life flow through my lips. She was gone. My Lina was gone. The tears immediately poured down. Knowing she could no longer feel anything, I squeezed her body against my own. I rubbed my hands along her arms and through her hair. My Lina was lifeless. The immense pain of a thousand tortured souls surged through me. I had died on that last kiss. Along with her.

I softly set her down on the floor. Knowing it would be the last time I touched her made me weak. I tried lifting myself up even though my legs were wobbly. My body was trying to recover so it could function. After finally standing, I looked down at her. The bite mark was no longer there. I turned to head out the tunnel I came through. Trying to walk straight, I dragged my feet along the dirt floor. My walk, which seemed like an eternity, ended at the entrance to the tunnel. I was trying to fight it. I was telling myself not to look back. For God’s sake!
DON’T LOOK BACK!

My body didn’t listen. My breathing quickened. The beating in my chest accelerated. I’d never known fear. Was this really it? This sensation was dreadful. At the same time, I appraised it because other then love, Lina gave me fear. I cherish anything that came from her and because of her. This fear made me want to run and never stop, so I wouldn’t see what I knew in my heart I would see.

To get it over with, I jerked my body around. And I saw her. My Lina was picking herself up off the ground. Her head was still down. Her red satin strands of hair elegantly dangled down, almost reaching the floor. She straightened herself up and brushed her hands through her hair. She was more beautiful than ever before. Her skin almost glistened from its purity. When she straightened herself completely, she looked straight at me. Her eyes were cold and empty. They weren’t the same ones I was gazing into earlier. The eyes she had now weren’t full of life.

There was one question I knew I shouldn’t have been asking myself. It was bouncing in my mind. I knew it didn’t matter. I knew it wouldn’t change things. But I still asked myself…
did she remember me?
I couldn’t move. I wanted to run. I needed to run far away from her.

A pale figure came in from the darkness behind her. A white hand reached around her waist and held on. That was the same waist I used to wrap my arms around. The pain in my chest where my heart should be was pounding. She didn’t move. She accepted the embrace without hesitation. Then Shane’s face came into the light beside her, pulling her closer to him. She tilted her head to the side, resting it against his shoulder. Lina bared her teeth. Her smile was sexy, but deadly. She ran her tongue over her fangs as her eyes looked me up and down. They both gave me a wicked smile.

I reached for the knife I had strapped to my thigh, pulled it out and gripped it tightly. I closed my eyes to block away the pain of seeing her as she was. If she attacked me, I’d have to kill her. I hoped that Shane would hold her back. Then again, I hoped that he wouldn’t. It wasn’t my Lina anymore. That thing wasn’t human. I took in a deep breath. When I opened my eyes…they were gone.

I spun around in search of them. There was nothing there. I held my knife out, ready to use it if necessary. I scanned everywhere, all around me. All I could see were stone edgy walls, a small pond of water caused by the rain over time. And dripping. The dripping of the water from the jagged ceiling echoed throughout the empty space. A saber tooth fossil on the wall stared back at me. I relaxed my hand that held the knife tightly and stood very still. I held my breath to hear better. I didn’t hear any footfalls. I didn’t hear any breathing. There wasn’t anything else in the stillness of the cave, but the dripping of the water.

I never felt so alone.