Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,50

scent as he closed his eyes and smiled darkly. “How are you feeling?” he asked with mock sincerity as he slipped the vials into his coat pocket and motioned for the nurse to back away. He pulled a wad of cash from his back pocket and handed it to the employee. “You humans are so weak,” he laughed, and I wasn’t sure if he was talking about my fever or the guy he was bribing.

“Sorry,” the nurse said quickly in my direction, avoiding eye contact. I pushed myself up into a seated position and slid back against the headboard, yanking the needle from my arm quickly. The nurse left the room, turning the lock behind him. I was all alone with Reid.

“You have to admit, this is all kind of… funny. Well, maybe not for you.” He smiled at his own deceitfulness as my stomach twisted. “Please understand, I just want what is owed to me. I couldn’t trust Elijah to bring you to me now could I? He has no reason to want Grayson alive,” he explained as if he was telling me about his plans for the weekend.

“We were on our way back to Pennsylvania,” I argued, defending Elijah’s honor. Reid let out a deep chuckle and shook his head.

“Were you?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. He grabbed the chart the doctor had sat on a table by the door and tossed it on the bed. I glanced over it quickly. Beauregard Hospital, Louisiana was printed across the top of the form.

“How?” I asked, my mind swarming with confusion. Reid pulled up his coat sleeve and examined his watch.

“It’s nearly four o’ clock in the morning,” he said smugly. “It appears your beloved hero was planning on letting poor Grayson die in your place.”

The door shot open with a loud thud and Elijah was on top of Reid in a flash, barely visible to the human eye. I cupped my hand over my mouth to muffle my screams, waiting for the commotion to stop. When it finally did, the door rocked on its hinges as Reid escaped. Elijah stood at the foot of my bed panting heavily, his face smeared with blood. His eyes glanced at the tiny pinhole on my arm the needle had made. He was hungry and void of humanity.

I grabbed the blanket and pressed it against the small wound, trying to mask the smell of my blood. He licked his lips as his eyes narrowed into slits. His hand opened, revealing a vial of my blood he must have gotten from Reid during the skirmish. He bit the rubber seal off and spit it on the floor, emptying the thick crimson fluid into his mouth. His eyes closed as he licked a stray drop from his bottom lip. I watched frozen in fear. He hadn’t eaten properly for days and I knew better than anyone what his hunger does to him.

“Run,” he said with a deep growl. I didn’t hesitate. I leaped off of the bed and flew out of the door without looking back. I wanted to question him about where we were and why he brought me further away from home. I was angry, but most of all I was afraid.

Chapter twenty-two

A Mile Away

I ran down the dark sidewalk at full speed. My lungs burned and my feet were sore and raw. I hadn’t had time to grab my flip flops at the hospital. I slipped off the main road into some trees.

Completely lost, I sat down on an old log to examine the wounds on my feet in the dim moonlight. They were smeared with blood and caked with dirt. I sighed in anger as I realized how much easier it would be for Elijah to find me. I could only hope he would find someone to feed off of before we ran into each other again. The sun would be rising soon and I would have the advantage. That is if I can keep myself awake until then. I was running on pure adrenaline and that could only take me so far. My body was still aching and weak.

I lay over onto the log and rested my face on my hands. If I survived until sunrise, I had a fighting chance of saving Grayson. My muscles burning, I breathed deeply trying to relax. Before I knew it, my eyes hung heavy and I struggled to keep them open. I finally gave in and decided resting wouldn’t be such a bad