Chapter 23
23
My entire nervous system is on high alert, so I fall in and out of a restless sleep. I jump awake at the sound of yelling just outside my door. I don’t dare go over to the door so that I can hear what they’re saying, but I do try to focus on it from where I’m at on the bed. I hold my breath and close my eyes.
“Evelyn was not worth the war you’re bringing to our doorstep, Cedar.” A female voice hisses. “You know she didn’t love you. She only loved one person and that was herself.”
“That’s not true.” He replies abruptly.
“Look, you must get her out of here or call Finn yourself and let him know that you guys are here. He must be frantic in his search.”
“That’s the point. I want him to feel all his emotions at once before I kill her in front of him.”
“You don’t mean that. She’s innocent, surely you must feel that.”
“It’s not about what I feel, Annie. It’s about revenge.”
“Finn’s going to come for you, and you can’t be here when he does. I will not allow this coven to be pulled into your mess. ”
He’s going to kill me. For some reason, that’s not the part that causes a tinge in my chest. Cedar is going to force Finn to watch me die. I don’t want him to have to live the rest of his immortal life with that image in the forefront of his mind. I jump to my feet as the door flies open.
I got a glimpse of the woman who had been talking to Cedar. She’s petite, definitely under five foot. Her hair is so blonde it’s almost white, cascades across her shoulders and down her back in ringlet curls. My eyes stare back into the deep red of hers for only a second before she lets her face fall. It’s at this moment that I realize Finn and I are on our own in the battle that we are about to experience and I’m not sure we will win.
I’ve learned that anger is a strong emotion, possibly the strongest, and it will absolutely eat you alive if you allow it. Being angry and having a broken heart, is like pouring gasoline on a bonfire and nobody that’s around safe.
“We’re leaving.” Cedar grabs me. His grasp is strong, the calluses on his palms scratch against my skin as he wraps the rope around my wrists. He tugs on his knot to check for tightness. “That’ll hold.” I look back over my shoulder and get one last look at the female vampire before Cedar ushers me into the garage.
He opens the passenger door and for a fleeting moment, I’m grateful, but as quick as that feeling came it was gone. The door slams shut, and he drags me toward the trunk.
“Please. I don’t want to go inside again. I couldn’t breathe.” I plead as the tightening in my chest begins. I’m not even in the trunk yet and I can already feel my lungs struggling to hold onto air.
“Shut the fuck up, human.” He says between his teeth before opening the trunk. In one quick and fluid motion, he lifts me and throws me into it. He grabs more rope out of his back pocket, tears sting my eyes as he binds my ankles together. I refuse to let them fall, but I hold his gaze until he closes the lid, and I’m left in complete darkness.
His car door opens and slams shut followed by the sound of the engine’s purr. Just like that we were off on the road again. I have no idea where I am or what day it is. I roll around as he pulls out of the driveway and onto the street, it’s bumpy so I assume it’s a dirt road. I’m sure vampires like to live in seclusion so that they can be free to live their life in the open. I don’t know if it’s the lack of fresh air, the darkness, or my breathing becoming more rapid, but I’m starting to feel dizzy. My chest is getting heavy and tight, the trembling begins in my feet and makes its way up. Before I know it, my entire body is quivering.
We drove for a while. I tried to count all the turns to give myself something to focus on, but we’ve been going straight for too long for me to rely on that anymore. We come to a slower pace, but not quite a stop. I can hear mumbling, and I fight back the urge to thrash around. It would do no good for me, or for Finn.
The car begins to accelerate, but not for long and not at a great speed. It comes to a stop and his door opens and closes, I brace myself for the brightness that will sting my eyes after being in the darkness. Cedar opens the trunk and unbinds my legs. I’m pleasantly surprised to find that it’s nighttime. There’s a peace that fills my chest at the solitude of vast emptiness that surrounds us. That is, until I see we are inside of a private airplane hangar. Panic floods my chest and my breathing becomes rapid, a chill travels down my spine.
“Ready to go, Lillia?” Cedar whispers against my heart, his stone-like body pushing up against mine. I want to scream, run, fight, but my body remains still. Everyone always talks about the fight or flight mode that their body goes into during times of danger, but I don’t have that. I have always either gone toward danger like a freaking idiot, or I freeze and my body ceases movement all together.
The coldness of his skin causes my own to cover in goosebumps as his hand curls around my forearm. There’s a difference between Finn and Cedar’s touches. Finn’s coolness ignites something deep within me, a deep desire to be closer to him. Cedars, on the other hand, makes my skin crawl.
He pulls me up the stairs that lead into the main cabin of the jet. There’s no staff that I can see, nobody who I can ask for help. I’m thrusted onto a chair with my arms still bound behind my back. My shoulder hits the hard plastic of the arm rest. The pain radiates through my shoulder and my upper arm, but I refuse to acknowledge it. I will not let Cedar know any kind of pain I am in. Pacing up and down the aisle in between the rows of seats, he pulls out his cellphone and begins to dial.
“Finnian, hello.” His voice is thick. I can’t hear Finn talking on the other end, but desperately crave the sound of his voice. The conversation is short and quickly Cedar hangs up and turns his phone off, sliding it into his pocket.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this?” I rasp, my throat is dry from the lack of hydration.
“I know you heard the conversation I had with Annie. I’m doing this for revenge Lillia.”
“ I didn’t do anything to you.”
“No, but Finnian did. He killed the woman I love, so I must do the same. An eye for an eye, darling.”
“Something is deeply wrong with you that you think taking a life will avenge your Evelyn, that was her name, right?” My vision blurs with anger. I hold his gaze, but he moves to where he stands just in front of me, bending down to where our noses almost touch.
“Don’t you dare speak her name to me, worthless human. ”
“I’m not really that worthless, am I? That’s why you have me… you need me, Cedar.”
“Stupid bitch.” His hand strikes me across my face right before his hand wraps around my neck. The tightness of his grasp makes my head dizzy, my lungs struggling to get air. I can’t claw at his arms. I can’t speak. There’s nothing I can do. The anger in his eyes is the last thing I see as my vision goes black.
The muscles of my neck and upper back strain as I try to lift the weight of my head. I try to find something in the room to focus on because there’s an insistent pounding radiating throughout my head, but the darkness is all consuming. Where am I?
“Well, good morning sleepy head.” Cedar whispers as he emerges from the shadows. I strain to get my eyes to focus. The room is dark and thick with stale must, almost as if the room has been sitting vacant for a very long time.
He walks, stopping just before where I’m sitting, and bends down to my level. The tips of our noses are practically touching. I try to move, but my wrists and ankles are bound to the wooden frame of a chair. Cedar runs his fingers along my jaw, the chill causes my skin to freckle with goosebumps.
“You really do smell delicious,” he nuzzles my neck. “Do you think Finn would mind sharing you?” Acid rises in my throat.
Cedar invades the immediate space around me. His face becomes distorted by the dizziness consuming my mind. I’m overwhelmed with the desire to protect myself, my biological response to being so close to someone who means to bring me harm, to a predator. My options are limited with my hands being bound, panic sets in. I know his bite won’t be the same as Finn’s, it won’t overwhelm my senses with that of ecstasy. No, Cedar’s bite will be aggressive and leave me more depleted of nutrients then I already am. He inhales deeply and hisses, his teeth becoming elongated as his own natural response to my scent.
Bitch, you have to fight back. Flora’s voice plays throughout my mind.
A quiet hiss escapes his lips as he rises to align our faces once again. “I promise you’ll enjoy this.” He says, his eyes looking deep in mine.
I gather all my strength, tilt my head back, and slam my forehead into his nose. It does nothing but piss him off and make my head hurt. I sit there in a daze; anger burns deep in Cedar’s eyes.
“I do love when you humans try to fight back.” He whispers against my ear; a chill runs up my spine and I know that no good is going to come from this moment.
A sharp pain radiates through my neck, and I realize he’s bitten me, his teeth penetrating deep into my muscles. I strain against him, but it’s no use as his venom seeps into my veins. My previous thought was accurate, the feeling is different than what I felt with Finn.
Finn.
My heart aches, accompanying the hollow feeling that’s blooming in my chest.
Cedar continues to drain me; my body feels lighter. The feeling of weightlessness begins to wash over me as his venom courses through my body. The room becomes a tunnel as I fall deeper into the crater within myself, forcing my mind to go somewhere else .
I want to fight, but I don’t have the energy to do so.
I want to scream, but he’s stolen my voice.
A distant sound echoes throughout the room, but the fog in my mind is so thick. Cedar pulls his teeth from my muscles, the warmth of my blood trickles down my neck at the withdrawal. Three shadows burst through the door and Cedar flies across the room, his figure blending because of the intense speed.
My mind must be playing tricks on me because the next thing I register is Flora untying my ankles. Her mouth is moving as if she’s speaking to me, but I hear no words. Tears are streaming down her cheeks by the time she has moved up to my wrists. I try to lift a hand to wipe them, but the weight of my body is too great. Slowly, the darkness begins to blur my vision all together. I hear Finn’s growl and warmth washes over me.
Now that I know I’m safe, I close my eyes to rest.