356 Before My Eyes
356 Before My Eyes
Meredith.
For the first time, Draven smiled faintly. Then he leaned forward until his forehead pressed against mine, grounding me.
His breath was warm when he whispered, “If you are this afraid of vampires, how do you think the humans would react?”
I parted my lips to argue, to tell him fear wasn’t the same as weakness, but he didn’t give me the chance.
He pulled back, his hand gesturing toward the table. “Finish them,” he uttered softly, almost teasing, as though we weren’t talking about
bloodthirsty predators beneath our feet.
And then he was gone.
I turned sharply, watching his tall frame disappear through the ss door. My chest tightened, my heartbeat quickening until I could
hear the rush of blood in my ears.
The shop suddenly felt too big, too silent, too fragile.
I sank back down into his chair instead of mine, angling myself so I could see the ss wall and the street outside so that if something
happened, I would see it on time.
“Do <i>you </i><i>think </i><i>a </i><i>vampire </i><i>will </i><ie </i><i>in </i><i>here</i><i>?</i>” I asked inwardly, extending for Valmora.
Her chuckle slithered through me like smoke. “<i>What </i><i>do </i><i>you </i>
<i>think</i>?”
“My <i>thoughts </i><i>are </i><i>not </i><i>helpful</i><i>,</i><i>” </i>I grumbled bitterly under my breath.
“Well,” she purred, almost smug, <i>“</i><i>go </i><i>ahead </i><i>and </i><i>finish </i><i>the ice </i><i>cream</i>. <i>You </i><i>will </i><i>thank </i><i>me </i><iter</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
I glowered at the cone on the table, my hands clenching. “How <i>in </i><i>the </i><i>moon </i>am <i>I </i><i>supposed </i>to <i>eat </i><i>at </i><i>a </i><i>time </i><i>like </i>this?”
But Valmora’s silence in response was louder than words.
So, I tried to force the sweetness down, spoon after spoon, but the ice cream felt like chalk in my mouth. My nerves twisted tighter with
every swallow.
By the time I scraped thest of mine away, my hand was already reaching for Draven’s untouched cup.
‘<i>What </i><i>is </i><i>taking </i><i>Dennis </i><i>so </i><i>long</i><i>?</i>‘ I pondered bitterly, shoving arge spoonful past my lips. <fn2242> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find·novel</fn2242>
“<i>It </i><i>hasn’t </i><i>even </i><i>been </i><i>a </i>minute <i>since </i><i>Draven </i><i>left</i>,” Valmora chided, her tone smooth, almost amused,
“I <i>don’t </i><i>care</i><i>,</i><i>” </i>I uttered to her as I forced down another mouthful, anything to keep my hands busy and to keep my thoughts from
spinning out of control.
But just then, I heard a faint scream.
And instantly, my head jerked up, my heart mming in my chest. But inside the shop, nothing was wrong. People still ate their ice cream, chatting in low voices andughing.
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356 Before My Eyes
Then the scream came again. This time, louder and closer than the first time.
My ears strained as my wolf’s instincts sharpened. Then suddenly, through the ss wall, I saw humans outside scattering like startled birds, shrieking as they ran, panic spilling down the street like fire,
The chatter in the shop faltered. Chairs scraped. Someone near the counter inquired shakily, “What’s happening? Why is everyone
running?”
Another voice answered, “Is there an ident outside? A fire?”
But I already knew better.
“Get ready, “Valmora crooned with excitementcing her voice. “<i>One </i>ising. Hurry <i>and </i>finish <i>the </i><i>ice </i>cream.”
But a surge of anger shot through me, hot and sharp. Then with a sweep of my arm, I knocked the cups, half–finished and empty, off the
table. They ttered against the floor as the cold sweetness sttered.
“I’m done,” I hissed.
The words had barely left my lips when a man sitting near the window rushed toward the door, grabbing the handle with trembling
hands. He yanked it open, desperate to flee.
But he didn’t make it.
In a blink, a blur of motion followed, then a sickening crack. His body crumpled back inside the shop, his throat torn, and his eyes wide in
horror.
Immediately, the shop erupted as humans started screaming, their panic exploding like wildfire.
And through the doorway, stepping with eerie grace, came the predator. A female vampire, her pale skin almost glowing beneath the harsh lights, her eyes gleaming like molten red ss. Blood glistened at the corner of her lips.
She closed the ss door behind her with deliberate calm. The sound was sharp and final.
More screams bounced off the walls as humans tried to scatter, chairs tipping over, and spoons ttering to the floor.
They were afraid, and so was I, who already had my heart in my hands.
The vampire moved like water. One blink, she was at the door, the next her ws had split a man’s throat.
Another woman tried to crawl beneath a table, but she never made it. The vampire’s hand shot out, dragging her into the open before
snapping her neck with a wet, effortless twist.
I couldn’t move. My heart was a thunderstorm inside my chest. Ten people–ten humans were dead in seconds. Blood sttered across the tiled floor, soaking napkins and toppled chairs, the metallic tang thick in the air.
I swallowed hard, the sound loud in my own ears. I had never seen anything like this in my entire life.
Valmora’s voice cracked through my head like a whip. “<i>Remember</i><i>, </i><i>you </i><i>are </i>supposed to kill a <i>vampire </i><i>today</i><i>, </i><i>not </i><i>be </i><i>afraid </i>of it.”
“<i>The </i><i>one </i><i>who </i><i>just </i><i>killed </i><i>ten </i><i>humans </i><i>before </i><i>my </i><i>sight</i>?” I shot back, my mental voice shaking.
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356 Before My Eyes
“Exactly that one,” she purred. “That’s your test.”
“Moon curse me,” I whispered under my breath, cursing as my hand twitched at my side.
I tried to reach for Draven through the mind–link. But just then, the vampire’s eyes met mine.
She froze mid–step, her scarlet gaze locking on me. Then she dropped the lifeless body she had been holding, letting it thud to the floor.
Her head tilted, a predator’s curiosity sparking in her eyes as she began to step slowly toward me.
“Don’t you dare chicken out,” Valmora hissed in my skull, her tone sharp and electric. “Now, let me tell you a secret–fear puts you in danger. Fear attracts these blood–sucking demons. It’s a <i>signal </i><i>you’re </i>their <i>ything</i>. <i>Understood</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
I clenched my fists, my pulse hammering so loudly I swore the vampire could hear it.
My breath caught in my throat as I forced my body to stay still, to stay upright, even as every instinct screamed at me to run.
“Understood?” Valmora repeated, louder this time, her voice sharp like a de.
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