Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,74
to shoot. I aimed my brother’s gun and pulled the trigger. My hands were shaking uncontrollably and I missed, hitting a window.
Glass shattered and poured like rain onto the marble floor. Elijah’s body looped around mine and he slid his hand around my wrist, taking aim at whatever crossed my path. Vampires fell around us and blanketed the ground.
“Behind you,” Elijah shouted and I grabbed a stake from my waist and thrust it backward. With a loud grunt, the woman stopped in her tracks. She cried out in shock as she felt the object now embedded in her body. She was human. I instantly felt sick as she crumpled to the floor. Elijah’s body move away from me and I spun around to scan for danger. He was walking toward Grayson, his hand gripping another stake.
“Grayson,” I screamed, but the words were caught in my throat as a hand wrapped around my neck and squeezed.
“All this trouble for a human. What is so special about you?” a sickeningly sweet voice purred in my ear.
“Olivie,” I choked.
“Stop,” she yelled across the room to Elijah. He whipped around, his eyes locking onto mine. Vampires slowly closed in on him as I read the fear in his eyes. “Elijah’s death will come at the hands of the Council,” she said calmly.
“What is it they want from me?” Elijah asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide his rage.
“I think we both know the answer to that,” she replied coolly in her thick accent. Her grip tightened and the room began to fade. Grayson, unable to contain his hunger for me, leaped forward. Elijah spun around and caught his shirt as he flew overhead, causing them to both crash into us with enough force to knock me free from Olivie’s grip. Elijah slammed his body on top of Grayson. Olivie clawed at them desperately trying to break up the fight.
Grayson managed to escape the brawl as Olivie focused her attention on Elijah.
“Run,” Elijah growled. I stumbled getting to my feet, but as soon as I stood, I was sprinting. I made my way through the dressing room, crashing into a dancer so hard she went flying into a makeup table. Grayson gripped my hair, shoving my head forward and into the cinderblock wall.
***
Scrambling to my feet, I didn’t look back as I made my way out of the back exit and into the refreshing air of the outside world. My lungs burned as I pushed myself harder.
I could see off in the distance that daylight would be coming soon. If I could keep up this pace for just a little while longer, I would be safe… but only me.
Our plan had failed miserably. None of it made any sense. Why did Olivie want Elijah dead? I thought of Elijah in the club, alone, fighting for his life. My heart sank and my legs became heavier as I realized I might never see him again. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I spotted a small wooded area off in the distance. I summoned all of my strength to continue.
As I entered the woods, my relief quickly turned to fear. I heard growling off in the distance and it was growing louder. I realized I had sought sanctuary in the one place the vampires could be outside in the daylight, shrouded by the trees. Ahead I could see a clearing, but I didn’t know how much more strength I had. The growling grew louder and I knew Grayson was coming for me. I could feel Elijah not far off and it gave me the courage I needed to continue.
CHAPTER THIRTY-five
Glimmer of Hope
The sun’s rays began to shimmer and dance through the leaves. It was my glimmer of hope. I ran full speed as my legs felt like they would give out any minute. My lungs burned and I struggled to steady my breathing. I could see the meadow in the distance. I raced daylight, hoping to catch it. I broke through the tree line with Grayson at my heels.
“No,” I screamed, tears streaming down my face. I could feel Elijah’s emotional turmoil pushing down on us stronger than ever. It was an eerie calm in the middle of my own undoing. Elijah growled and hissed from the tree line as he struggled to stay hidden from the sun. Grayson pushed forward, his skin grew gray and gaunt in the rays of dawn. “Stop,” I pleaded, no longer running.
“Eva, Fight,” Elijah wailed from the woods,