Chapter 193: Chapter 193

Elijah

I was already pushing past Tyler, heading for one of the fastest cars, a sleek black Audi that could go from zero to a hundred in under four seconds.

It was fast enough to outrun thoughts, to make everything blur.

"Fuck it," I heard Tyler mutter to Gavin. "Backseat. Now."

Footsteps followed me as I climbed into the driver's seat.

The door slammed and the engine roared to life. Tyler and Gavin scrambled into the back just as I threw the car into gear and punched the accelerator.

Gravel sprayed as I tore out of the garage, the car fishtailing before I corrected. The manor disappeared in my rearview mirror in seconds.

I drove, letting everything else turn to a blur because standing still meant thinking and thinking meant seeing Violet's face break over and over.

The speedometer kept climbing and it was already crossing eighty on the small, uneven roads.

"Elijah, slow down," Tyler said from the backseat, his voice tight with concern.

I didn't slow down. Took a turn too fast, felt the tires protest, corrected and accelerated harder.

Ninety.

"For Goddess sake!" Gavin muttered. "You're going to get us all killed!"

The road ahead was clear unlike my head that was buzzing with thoughts.

So I pushed harder and soon it was over a hundred.

A car appeared in the distance, coming from the opposite direction, its headlights growing larger.

I didn't move to my lane.

"ELIJAH!" Tyler shouted.

At the last possible second, I swerved. The other car's horn blared, doppler-shifting as we passed with inches to spare.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tyler was yelling now, real fear in his voice. "Are you trying to kill us? Do you have a fucking death wish?"

I shook my head, tightening my grip on the wheel. "Not until I ensure she's safe."

The words came out quiet and absolute.

By now, Violet was probably traveling. At least, I knew she wasn’t alone.

My fingers itched to call Cassie, to maybe overhear Violet murmuring something quietly beside her. But I gave my fingers something else to do, to grip the steering wheel like it was an extension of my arm.

Besides there were things I needed to arrange.

Because even if she never spoke to me again, even if she spent the rest of her life hating me, I would make sure she was safe and that no one could hurt her.

It was the only thing I could still do for her.

I pressed the accelerator harder, the engine screaming as I pushed past one-ten. The world outside became a blur of colors, trees and fields and sky melding together.

I took yet another sharp turn, this one onto a smaller road. The smooth asphalt gave way to rougher terrain. I didn't slow down, just let the car absorb the bumps and jolts.

"Where are we going?" Gavin asked. "This isn't the way to the city. This isn't the way to anywhere!"

I didn't answer. I just kept driving, following a route I'd memorized years ago, a route most people didn't know existed.

The road narrowed further, becoming little more than a dirt path cutting through dense forest as branches scraped against the car's sides.

Tyler and Gavin had gone quiet in the back, probably holding on and praying I knew what I was doing.

After another ten minutes of bone-rattling terrain, a clearing appeared and in the center of it was a hut.

It looked abandoned and decrepit, and like nobody would ever dare step inside it, certainly not in the dead of the night.

I killed the engine upon reaching my destination, the sudden silence deafening after the roar of driving.

For a moment, none of us moved.

Then I opened the door and stepped out.

The air smelled different here almost like the forest was slowly reclaiming the space humans had carved out. Tall grass brushed against my legs as I walked toward the hut, my dress shoes completely inappropriate for the terrain.

"Elijah," Tyler called from the car. "What is this place?"

I didn't answer and kept walking towards the hut and knocked three times.

I heard movement inside followed by shuffling footsteps and the scrape of metal on metal as multiple locks were undone.

The door cracked open, revealing a wizened face peering out. An old woman, her skin mapped with wrinkles, her eyes rheumy but sharp with intelligence.

She looked me up and down, taking in the tuxedo, the blood on my hands, the barely controlled violence radiating off me.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." She said, her voice like gravel.

"I'm ready," I said.

The words hung in the air between us, heavy with implication.

“Are you sure? You know there’s no going back, no way to stop once we start. And it might take weeks, months even.”

I curled my fingers into fists, my nails biting into the palms of my hands.

“I know”

The old woman studied me for a long moment before nodding slowly.

“Let’s begin” She said and then stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter the dark interior of the hut.

I took one last look at the sky, at the forest, at Tyler and Gavin still sitting in the car looking confused and concerned.

Then I stepped inside and let the darkness swallow me whole.

Author's note: I love to read your comments, dear readers. Hit me up with what you love so far, what you think is going to happen etc. There's so much more I've planned for our lead couple (wink wink)