Chapter 80 80
LOIS
I finally wake up. Aidan almost died… he almost died.
He’s been in the same state for at least four days, and as if that weren’t enough, we had to remove the collar. I don’t know if that had anything to do with Emmanuel accepting him, or if it was because the connection stayed open to all three of us, or what the reason was. I only knew that now I had unlimited access to all three, and it felt comfortable.
Maybe powerful, strong… invincible.
“No!” Aidan suddenly shouts. His hands clutch at his chest, searching for the collar. I’m holding it, feeling that familiar warmth that always comes when I touch it.
Ezequiel looks at me—no questions. He’s the one who accepted everything fastest. He steps behind me and slides a hand around my waist.
“Why don’t you change into the clothes I brought you?” he says. “We’ll have to leave here soon now that Aidan’s awake.”
I go to Aidan and hand him the collar, running a hand over his sweat-damp forehead.
“Are you okay?” I ask, though words aren’t needed. His mind is settled now, and the bond fits him well; he’s adjusted to it once it was complete.
He leaps to his feet and pulls me into a tight embrace.
“So good to see you again, Lois,” he says, fear threading his voice.
“I told you we would,” I answer. His touch feels right.
I take the clothes Ezequiel hands me and start changing.
“Emmanuel escaped,” I say suddenly. “He escaped!” I repeat, nearly losing my balance as I pull on the pants. Aidan steadies me, and Ezequiel, smiling, helps slide them up.
“I expected nothing less,” Ezequiel says, grinning, proud of his brother.
“Someone’s coming,” Aidan murmurs.
Ezequiel stands and takes my hand, heading for the door.
“No time,” Aidan says. “He’s already here,” he whispers.
My heart slows as ice crawls up my spine. Tears spill from my eyes at the stab of pain. I spin when the smell of blood floods my nose, and turning… I see that man, those eyes, that sinister stare, his calm, his scent of death, and Aidan’s chest… bleeding. Aidan lifts his hands to his mouth, watching the blood pour out. There’s no time to speak, to do anything, but Ezequiel has already moved—not to defend Aidan, but to get me out.
My hand reaches for Aidan, but I can’t touch him. His eyes lock on mine, and he wants me to go, but I don’t. I don’t want to leave him.
We make it through the door of the small cabin and see we’re surrounded. I let go of Ezequiel’s hand as he shifts; we’ll have to fight. I run back inside while Ezequiel’s warnings echo in my head, but I don’t care that this man is the king of vampires—I can’t let him hurt Aidan.
“Let him go!” I scream, charging at him. Before his leg can send me flying, I rip the collar from Aidan’s chest. “Fight back, Aidan!” is the last thing I shout before my body crashes through the wall, tearing a hole in it.
The impact knocks the air from my lungs, but I don’t care. The only thing in my mind is Aidan—his safety, his life. I can’t let them kill him. I can’t lose him now. I force myself up, determination burning in my chest. The fight outside is brutal—I hear Ezequiel’s snarls as he takes on the attackers—but my focus stays on Aidan.
Rage gives me strength as I rise. My body aches, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I’d feel if anything happened to Aidan. I look at him, watching him struggle to stay upright, the collar glowing in his hand. That damn collar… will it be enough for him to defend himself?
“Aidan!” I cry, but my voice is only a whisper, choked by the pain in my chest.
I have to reach him. I have to help. But the vampire king is fast—too fast. My movements are clumsy by comparison, but I don’t care. I run toward Aidan, trying to block the vampire’s path, trying to be the shield that protects him.
Then I see it—the shift in Aidan’s eyes, in his stance. The collar seems to burn in his hand, the blood on his chest slows, and for a moment, hope flares. For a moment, I think maybe—just maybe—Aidan can survive this.
“Don’t give up!” I shout, and in that instant, something in him changes. His eyes blaze with a ferocity I’ve never seen.
The vampire king notices too, and for a second, he hesitates. One second—but it’s enough. Aidan lunges at him, and I watch the collar’s power envelop him, transforming him, giving him the strength he needs.
The clash of their bodies echoes through the cabin—a collision of titans. And I, on the ground, held only by my will, can only pray that Aidan survives, that we can get out of here together—the three of us.