Chapter 46 MOM
Chapter 46 MOM
What the—
Was that…?
“Oh my god—Mom?”
My heart hammered against my ribs, a painful drumbeat. Through the tangled, shadowy trees, a flicker of movement caught my eye, just at the edge of the deck's warm, yellow glow. Or perhaps it was just a trick of the light, a phantom glimpsed in the deepening dusk.
A figure stood between the tree trunks. It was pale in the moonlight. The figure was slight. It looked familiar. Her hair. It looked just like hers. It was the same length. It fell over her shoulders in the same way.
“Mom?” My voice cracked as I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the protest in my ribs.
She swayed, her body fragile against an unseen wind. It wasn't a graceful dance, but a desperate struggle for balance, as if her very bones had lost their will to support her. Each tilt and dip of her frame spoke of an internal battle, a silent testament to a pain that had rendered her unsteady on her feet. It was the kind of sway that hinted at bruises unseen, at muscles strained to their limit, at a spirit battered and bruised. The air around her seemed to thicken with the unspoken narrative of her distress, her every movement a raw and vulnerable admission of hurt.
“Danni…” The voice was faint. Weak. Barely there.
My breath hitched.
No. No, she was still in a coma. Luka said—But what if he was wrong? What if she woke up and came looking for me? What if something happened on the way?
“Mom!” I called again, stepping off the deck without thinking.
As my bare foot touched the cold grass, a whisper in the back of my mind said, "Wrong. Too quiet. Too... still." The forest sounded off. No insects, no wind, no life. Just her.
“Danni…” she called again, a little clearer this time. A little closer.
I froze.
I heard a voice. It sounded like her. But it didn't feel like her. Something brushed against my mind. It felt like fingers. They tried to slip between my thoughts. It was gentle. It was coaxing.
Come here.
It called to me, My chest tightened.
“Mom…?” I whispered, taking another step anyway.
What if it was her, though? What if she needed me? The figure shifted again, moving further into the moonlight. I could see more of her face now. It was too pale, too smooth, like something wearing her skin.
A chill slithered down my spine.
Wrong… Wrong… Wrong…
“I can’t… come closer…” she said weakly, reaching out to me. “Please… it hurts…”
Pain laced her voice. Real. Raw. My resolve cracked. I took off running.
“I’m coming,” I said quickly, stumbling forward.
Behind me, somewhere far too distant, I thought I heard a door slam open.
“Danni!”
Luka.
His voice. Sharp. Urgent. It was full of panic But it sounded… far away. Why was he so far away? His voice sounded like I was underwater. Why did it sound so funny. The pressure in my mind tightened. Forcing me thoughts away from Luka.
Ignore it.
The voice whispered
“Just a little farther…” the figure whispered.
I stepped past the treeline. The air changed as I entered the shadows. It felt cold and dead. The figure smiled.
Not my mother’s smile.
Something was too wide. It was too sharp. It was too hungry. A hand clamped over my mouth. I couldn't scream.
“Got you.”
The voice was like silk and knives. The shape moved again. It wasn't a deer. It wasn't the wind.
Too deliberate.
It was something not of this world. I snapped out of it.
The world spun. Trees became a blur, then they were all around me. Shadows peeled away from the darkness. They were cold, fast, and hungry. Hands clutched me, their touch like ice on my skin.
I gasped as something slammed me into a tree, bark biting into my back.
“Got her.”
“Careful—don’t damage her.”
Voices. Low. Sharp. Not human. My heart thundered.
MOVE.
MOVE.
I NEEDED TO MOVE.
I tried to shove them off—but they were too strong. One pinned my wrists above my head. Another gripped my jaw, forcing my face up. Cold fingers. Dead fingers. A face leaned close. Eyes too pale. Too empty.
Vampire.
Panic detonated in my chest.
“Easy,” he murmured. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
Lie.
My body knew it. Every cell screamed it. And then—Something snapped.
Not outside.
Inside.
A surge tore through me, hot and violent, like lightning ripping down my spine. My vision sharpened—The dark wasn’t dark anymore.
I could see everything.
Every movement, every breath, every pulse. And theirs too.
Dead.
Still and pure Wrong. A growl ripped out of me. I didn’t mean to make that sound. But it didn’t stop.
It deepened.
The vampire holding my wrists faltered. Just for a second.
That was all it took.
I twisted. It wasn't like me. I moved faster, stronger. My body reacted instinctively, slipping from his grasp as if I'd practiced it countless times. I never moved like this before
“What the—”
I slammed my head forward.
Crack.
Bone met bone. He reeled back with a snarl. I dropped low without thinking, sweeping a leg out. Another vampire stumbled.
Run—
No.
Not run.
Fight.
The thought wasn’t mine. It was hers. Heat flooded my veins again, wild and electric. My nails dug into the arm of the one closest to me—And tore.
He hissed as skin split under my grip.
I froze. I didn’t do that. I couldn’t do that before.
“Careful!” another snapped. “She’s waking up—”
Too late. I was already moving. I lunged—not graceful, not trained—but feral. Teeth bared. Hands clawing.
Something inside me knew where to strike. Knew how to hurt them. Knew how to survive. As if I have done that before.
A hand caught my throat and Lifted. My feet left the ground. Air vanished. Panic surged—And then—White. Not light. Not exactly. But presence. Fierce. Ancient. Mine.
Fight.
The voice wasn’t a whisper this time. It was a command. Power surged through me. My body convulsed—and I drove my knee up hard.
The vampire cursed, and his grip loosened just enough for me to drop, hit the ground, roll, and come up on my feet, chest heaving.
Silence.
For half a second. They stared at me now. Not like prey. Like a problem.
“Change of plans,” one of them muttered. “Take her now.” I backed up, my heart pounding—but it felt steadier now. Stronger. Something inside me had awakened. And it wasn’t going back to sleep.