Page 50 of The Dawning
My mind rioted for a split second over why he didn’t lunge or attack me. He had the reflexes, the quick speed to do just that. Maybe he knew me. Maybe he was battling his own demons.
He lifted his chin, sniffing, never taking his otherworldly eyes off me.
“Vampire,” I pleaded as I held up my quaky blood-covered hands. “You have to come back to me. Fight through it. Please.” My voice wobbled, keeping time with my knees knocking together.
Rianne let out a scornful laugh. “You’ll never be able to break him. Can’t you see he’s a true monster? We’ve killed them for centuries, Layla.” The desperation in her voice was heartbreaking.
Still, I didn’t need a reminder that the Aberdeens were vampire hunters. That the bloodsuckers had taken the lives of my family members over the years. Most recently my father, if my uncle Jack was right. Kendra came to mind and faded again when Sam moved toward me.
Stumbling backward, I dug deep for more adrenaline to fight through the sheer craziness of what was happening. My problem was—I was extremely tired. My emotions were on a roller-coaster ride, and even though Carly assured me I wasn’t on the verge of becoming like Noah, I worried she might be wrong. I mean, how many tests had she done? If the empty, bloody beds were any indication, I could conclude that she didn’t have a clue.
I stomped my foot, gritting my teeth. I was completely over this shit. If Sam wanted to devour me, then so be it. I opened my arms. “Come and get me, vampire.”
“That’s it, Layla. Give in.” My sister’s voice sounded like nails on the chalkboard. “You can’t fight him off.”
Maybe not, but I would give it my best shot.
Sam’s gaze traveled the length of my body before lingering on my belly.
Bingo!He was in there.
“We’re having a baby,” I said softly. Those words had worked the last time his chip was engaged.
As he fixated on my stomach, I held out my steady hand, even though it felt like piranhas were eating my insides. “Do you want to feel your son?”
I didn’t know if any of the babies were boys, although if my dreams were true, at least one of them was. Regardless, Sam wanted a son.
“Another Mason boy?” Disgust bled through Rianne’s tone. “All the more reason your pregnancy needs to be terminated.”
If she knew I was having quadruplets, she might murder me now. Or maybe that was her plan all along. If Sam didn’t end me, she would.
She disappeared, searching the grass, probably for the dagger Sam had thrown.
“I love you, vampire.” I’d cracked through a thin wall, and I had to keep chiseling through his predatory armor. I closed the distance between us and took his hand, intent on having him feel my stomach. Instead, that electrical charge that I’d felt earlier pulsed along my arms, then down my legs, making me feel as if I’d been electrocuted.
He blinked in confusion as that distant look in his eyes waned.
When I grasped his other hand, the vibration of energy multiplied. I squeezed his hands tightly, inhaling the damp night air, feeling the cold grass beneath my feet. My nerve endings came alive. The sounds of our breathing sharpened, and I could hear his heartbeat as if it were my own.
Call me crazy, but I think we were channeling each other.
“Sam,” I whispered. “Come back to me.”
As if those words were the code to scramble his chip, he closed his eyes for long seconds as the energy pulsing through us increased.
A glint of light shone in my peripheral vision.
Sam’s eyes flew open, and he whipped his head at Rianne, who was sprinting toward us with the dagger, ready to stake me.
She looked crazed and outraged, her nostrils flaring, reminding me of bull in a ring. It would be comical if I wasn’t the target.
Sam trudged through the grass, opening his arms, readying his elemental powers. But when he reached Rianne, he yanked the dagger from her and drove it into her stomach.
She bent over, swearing like a sailor.
But he wasn’t done with her. He removed the blade and drove it in again.
I should have stopped him, but I couldn’t. My legs were locked, and my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. I was equal parts shocked that I’d been able to bring Sam back and that he was on the verge of killing Rianne. I had no words or feelings at the moment. My sister deserved to feel agonizing pain. But death? I was torn.
