“Lara?” She refused to reply, digging her teeth into her lower lip to hold in her anguish. The cellar doors rattled; Milo's voice crept between the cracks. “Consider us even, a life for a life. I'll see you in a few hours, I have to get the bridal suite ready.”
“Go to hell, Milo,” she exhaled the frail retort, coughing on the words.
“I'll meet you there.”
She swallowed her insult, not wanting to bait Milo into an argument, and remained immobile at the base of the staircase, waiting until she heard Milo crashing around in the bedroom, two stories above her head, then she pushed up on her elbows and crawled across the cement, slipping on the blood spilling from her wrists. Her body throbbed, her arms felt as though they were aflame, and she was losing her strength by the second, but she kept her mind focused on one goal: reaching Cassius.
Her fingers brushed against his pant leg. Relief poured through her. Her fingers closed around the cuff, and she dragged herself forward, pushing with her toes. When the top of her head was even with his nose, she collapsed.
“Cassius.” She could hardly hear her own voice. “Cassius, are you alive?”
“Barely,” he replied, his voice as faint as hers.
“Open your mouth.”
“I'm not going to bite you.”
“You don't have to, now stop being so stubborn.” She lifted her arm, a herculean effort, and slid it up his chest to his mouth. “Drink.”
Cassius' tongue darted across her skin, lapping up the blood. He wrapped his fingers around her arm, pressing it to his mouth, and sucked on the wound, his throat swallowing greedily. A shudder rolled through his body.
“No!” he growled and ripped his head away. “I won't take your life to save mine.”
“You're not,” Lara murmured, her face against the cool asphalt. “Milo slit my wrists, and I can't stop the flow. There's no purpose in both of us dying down here.”
“I won't take your last breath.” Cassius’ hand closed around her arm, offering a gentle squeeze, and dipped his hand into his pants pocket. “I just have to reach my phone. Ethan can bring an emergency supply of blood and help me defeat Milo. Just stay with me for another half hour.”
“Ethan won't answer,” Lara whispered, her eyes fluttering close. They had run out of time. “Milo used Detective Carter’s body to murder Ethan. He admitted to killing them before he possessed me.
“What about his kids?” Cassius’ horror at Milo’s depravity was apparent in his question.
“Don't know.” Lara struggled to peel her eyes open but couldn't. Milo hadn’t said what he had done with Ethan’s children, and she prayed there was still an ounce of humanity left in him. If she discovered Milo had murdered them, she would make his eternity a living hell.
The burning sensation in her arms lessened. She inhaled a half-breath, the action, draining. After a long minute, she exhaled, her chest falling in slow motion. It didn’t seem necessary to keep breathing, and when the time came for her to inhale again, her chest didn’t rise.
CHAPTER 14
“Lara? Lara? Oh, God... Lara!” Cassius pulled himself up and gingerly dropped his head on top of Lara’s chest. There was barely a beating pulse from her heart, and each inhale and exhale of her breath was practically gone. She was fading. Fading into nothing. Without turning her into a vampire, she’d soon be gone.
No! I cannot turn her into this thing, this despair that I am! In debt to the devil for the rest of eternity. No, she deserves so much more than that.
He glanced back at her, letting his eyes dance over the length of her body. She was so beautiful, lying helplessly on the cold ground. But she was about to lose her life and die all because of Milo.
As Lara’s blood came in contact with Cassius's tongue, each drop, every single speckle of it, had given him life. She had saved him and now he had to figure out a way to save her. He had to find a way to bring her back.
Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he brought his right hand over to her forehead and pushed a few blonde strands of her hair out of her closed eyes. He took a deep breath, sniffling. “Lara, I promise you that I’m going to do everything in my power to save you. I’ll save you the right way. I won’t turn you into a vampire and be destined to live a life like this one, owing it to the devil himself. I’ll bring you back to life the right way... and bring you back to me. I... I love you.” Then, without a moment's hesitation, he leaned down and softly placed his lips on top of hers.
It was the sincerest confession he’d ever whispered, the sweetest gesture he’d ever made to another person, living or dead. Maybe he had done it with Mary Elizabeth, but that was so long ago. It took him by surprise how the words had so casually left his lips, but regardless of that fact, they had, and now he couldn’t take them back.
Did he regret them? No, not at all. He meant them. It did startle him that he was capable of feeling that way, of loving another person ever again. The vow he’d made to himself all the years ago had now been broken. But it was true, and it was real, and all he wanted was to save Lara so that he could see her sweet smile once again.
He didn’t think he was ready for her to hear of his confession, though. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that problem right then because Lara was all but there.
And yet, there was still that teeny chance she had, still that itty bitty miniscule possibility that even though she were lying there unconscious, she could have heard those words.
She couldn’t have heard me, could she? She’s not responding at all.
Cassius shook his head. He couldn’t waste his time, worrying about such things now. He needed to save Lara. He looked about the room, the cold cellar hinting at nothing that he could use to overpower Milo. There had to be something he could use to stop Milo, but nothing in the cellar was proving fit. There was only one way to stop him, and Cassius knew he needed those exorcism supplies. But what of them now?
He needed to buy time until he could find them. Pushing to his feet, Cassius rose and ran up the staircase, bursting through the locked cellar doors. He knew Milo would be back from the bedroom soon, so whatever he had to do, he had to do it then. He needed to move, and he needed to move quickly. Thankfully, with Lara’s blood running through his veins, he felt a newfound energy within him.
He raced to the front of the house, pushing through with each stomp of his feet, until he reached his car. He swung open the passenger’s side of the door, but there was nothing useful. He reached inside the glove compartment, and yet again, there was nothing worthwhile. But there had to be something!
He slammed the door shut and rushed over to the trunk. He smiled as he opened it and a set of back up supplies for the ritual looked back at him. On top of them, he found a note.
Careful not to touch any of the supplies, he picked up the note and read:
Cassius–
We may not have seen eye to eye for a long time, but I’m not one to hold grudges. I’m also not one to judge after all the decisions I’ve made. Lord knows I’ve made some questionable ones, but I don’t regret a single one of those choices.
With that being said, you should know I forgive you. Yes, me. Being the asshole that you are—and yes, before you’re quick to judge me and my language, since being removed from the church, I have found a new way to express myself so fucking sue me—you probably feel like I owe you an apology, but deep down inside, the two of us know the truth. You’re the one who owes me one, but I’m willing to put our past behind us.