Chapter 45 #2
Shaw spits blood near our feet and smiles.
“Crew took after his mortal side, Mara. He may be powerful now—strong and deadly—but his life will end in fifty years, maybe longer, maybe sooner, and yours will continue. Your bond will end when he takes his last breath, and you will wander for the rest of your long, long life, alone.”
That’s why his dad hates him.
That’s why he lied to me.
“You are bonded to a death that will possibly end your own life one day. Fitting, seeing death is so drawn to you.”
I release my grip fully, stumbling backward.
Tears well in my eyes, and a deep sorrow threatens to take my legs from under me as it slams into my broken chest. Crew feels it because he becomes more frantic as he rips through the crowd behind me.
My vision blurs, and I choke down the sobs that bubble in my throat.
My heart doesn’t just break, it shatters into pieces, leaving a hole where it once beat steadily. I don’t grieve—I mourn—and I am broken. Always broken.
Hollow.
Shaw watches me, raising his gun toward me.
“I’m not going to kill you, Mara.” His words flow into my ears, but I no longer see him. “That would give you the chance to make things much worse for us. But…”
I hear the thundering footsteps of Bronwyn, Damien, and Crew approaching, and a new fear grows within me—for them.
“I have no problem ending this fucking bond for you.” His words come out nearly as a whisper. “You are going to live a long life, more miserable than you are now. I guess I am good at ending the lives of people that supposedly love you.”
Shaw extends his arm farther, aiming the pistol behind me. I hear Crew grinding his teeth as he sprints through the thinning crowd to reach me. Bronwyn and Damien are at his sides, and I turn on my heels as tears stream down my cheeks.
“Stop!” I scream at them, hearing my voice crack from the fear and pain.
Bronwyn’s hair catches my eye first, and I step toward them. She lifts the gun in her hand, running at full speed, and pulls the trigger, firing the gun directly at Shaw. The sound explodes around us, and the bullet flies past me.
Another flash of light illuminates the space as Shaw fires his gun from just behind me. The boom momentarily deafens me, and the ringing in my ear is louder than the explosion. Crew’s eyes are wild and dark, and a fury leaks from him.
“Crew, run!” I cry, letting the tears stain my cheeks.
I feel like I’m moving in slow motion as I spin, ready to rip Shaw’s head clear off his body, but I freeze when I see that the gun isn’t pointed at Crew, but someone else.
The bullet soars, hitting Bronwyn directly in the chest. Her shoulder flies back, causing her body to spin, and she crashes to the ground with a heavy thud. I watch in horror as her body remains motionless on the cold tile floor. My heart sinks, and I turn to Shaw.
A horror blooms across his face at what he’s just done, realizing who he just shot.
Crew reaches me but doesn’t stop, lunging forward and tackling Shaw.
I stand frozen as I watch Crew’s teeth rip into Shaw’s chest. A harsh scream leaves Shaw’s throat as blood sprays around him, but Crew doesn’t let up.
His teeth gnaw into him, letting all the rage and fury leave his body in a murderous attack.
I feel like I’m back in the mental assessment, watching the demon rip into Shaw, but I’m not.
This is real.
I turn to Bronwyn, watching Damien crash to the ground next to her. He places his fingers against her neck, clearly feeling a faint pulse thump back.
“We need to leave,” Damien yells to us. “Her breathing is shallow.”
I glance back at Crew as he rises from Shaw’s body, drenched in blood.
Shaw’s chest rises and falls slowly, indicating he’s still alive, but Crew knows that leaving with Bronwyn is more important than his rage right now.
Crew moves toward me, his mouth covered in thick blood that drips down his chin, his eyes a profound black, and his chest heaves.
He’s terrifying.
Damien wraps Bronwyn in his arms, standing and rushing to the door leading to the hallway. Crew stumbles toward me, out of his mind, and gazes into my eyes.
“Crew, we have to leave.”
He can’t speak, and I notice his hands trembling beside his large body.
The crowd of people has disappeared, and scattered bodies lie behind Shaw. A darkness creeps through the shadows, and I know who it is. Panic sets in, and I use all my strength to pull Crew away.
Carver steps around the corner, glancing at Shaw as his eyes narrow on us. I grab Crew’s blood-soaked hand and tug him, still in a heavy daze, through the door after Damien and Bronwyn.
The hallway comes into view, and I see Damien’s thundering steps moving around the corner, nearly faster than light itself. Crew keeps pace with me as I yank him down the twists and turns. With each step we take forward, I feel the darkness catching up to us like a nightmare.
“Crew,” a deeper, more ancient demonic voice shouts down the stairs. “I will kill you for this betrayal. This is war.”
Carver closes the distance between us with each passing second, and I run faster.
“This is death!”
I slam against the large metal door, allowing the night air to fill my lungs.
“This way,” I hear Damien shout, and I pound my feet against the pavement.
My hand barely holds onto Crew’s because of the blood, but I pull with all my strength around the corner.
A black suburban waits for us, and Damien quickly opens the back hatch, laying Bronwyn down as he gets in next to her, slamming the back shut. I don’t hesitate to rush forward, swinging open the back door and pushing Crew through the opening.
I close the door behind me and glance around the front. Locke sits in the driver’s seat, his eyes wild.
“What the fuck happened?”
I slam my hand against his headrest. “Drive.”
I glance at Crew, and his eyes remain fixed forward, completely devoid of life. Over my shoulder, I hear Damien trying to keep Bronwyn awake, and my stomach sinks as my mind processes everything.
“Crew, are you alright?” I cut my gaze to him, ignoring the hurt I feel at his dishonesty.
His eyes gradually shift to mine, but the darkness remains, and I flinch as he slams his fist into the back of the seat.
“Hey,” Locke threatens. “Watch the leather.”
“Did you kill him?” I shout. “Did you kill Shaw?”
Crew doesn’t respond.
“Wait, what the hell?” Locke snaps from the driver’s seat. “Who?”
“Answer me!” I scream.
“Mara.” He shakes his head. “I… don’t know.”
Damien keeps talking to Bronwyn, and I hear her shaky breaths saturating the air.
The tires squeal on the pavement as the car speeds forward into the busy street. A crowd stands outside The Neon Sin, some bloody and most dazed, as we leave the alleyway behind. I glance back to see a dark figure hanging in the shadows of the exit we just sprinted out of.
Carver Bannermin.