Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (28 page)

She scrambled back. He was on her in an instant. Sera screamed as her hands flailed wildly. He seized them and pinned them down. Pain flared through her wrists, but it was nothing compared to the fear constricting her chest and throat. “Sera!” Kathleen screamed.

Hands seized hold of his shoulders and tried to rip him away. “Liam don’t!” Doug yelled. “Don’t do this!”

He spun quickly and lashed out in fury. Doug was flung into the kitchen cabinets as if he weighed no more than a twig. His own eyes flashed red for a moment before he took a deep breath and steadied himself. Liam looked at the others, but they made no move to come near him.

His eyes focused on her again. The smell of her blood was thick in the air; the wild fluttering of her heart was hammering in his head. He pushed her hair back and pulled her forward. She cried out as she fought against him. Her struggles only made him more determined. He was going to make her his for good. He was going to make sure that no one ever hurt her again.

“Liam please,” she whimpered as his teeth skimmed her neck. Terror spurted through her and she choked out a strangled cry. “Please not like this. Not like Jacob.”

He was pulled back, ready to strike, when her words slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer. They rocked his body and soul as they knocked the demon out of him. He released her wrists as he pulled away from her. Her eyes were wild and terrified, her hair a tangled mass about her beautiful face. Blood marred her delicate cheek and chest, the smell of it was heady, and enticing, but he did not go after her again.

“Get away from me Sera!” he hissed. “Get away now!”

She needed no further encouragement as she scrambled to her feet and stumbled around the island. Jack reached out to steady her, thought better of it, and dropped his hands back to his sides. She had taken a risk with mentioning Jacob’s name. She had known that it would either drive him into a further rage, or help him come to his senses. She was extremely grateful that it had gone her way.

“Get her out of here!” Liam spat. “Get her out now!”

“Sera!” Kathleen yelled. “Sera are you okay?”

“She’s fine,” Mike answered when it became obvious that Sera wasn’t able to do so.

“Get out of my way! I want to see her! Now!” Danielle and Kathleen were both screaming and shoving at Mike.

“Get her out of here!” Liam bellowed. “And take care of them!”

Mike pushed Kathleen and Danielle back as they fought and struggled to get away from him. “Everything is fine,” he said lowly. “Jack, help me.”

“Let us go!” Kathleen screeched. “He’s hurt her! I know he has!”

Mike seized hold of Kathleen’s chin and forced her to look at him. Her eyes blazed with fury as she beat ineffectively at his chest. “Everything is all right,” he said forcefully. “Sera just had a nightmare, but she’s fine now.” Her eyes began to glaze as his power wrapped into her mind. Beside him he could hear Jack whispering the same words to Danielle. “You saw for yourself that she was all right. Now, go back to sleep.”

Kathleen nodded dazedly and turned to leave. Danielle followed silently behind her. Mike sagged against the wall, feeling completely drained. “We can’t keep doing this,” Jack muttered. “Damn I feel as weak as a newborn kitten.”

Mike nodded his agreement as he turned back to the kitchen. David and Doug were before Sera, blocking her from Liam. Liam was standing by the sink, his hands clasped on the counter so forcefully that he was shaking. His head was bowed, but hunger still radiated from him like a heat wave.

“They’re gone,” Jack said.

David and Doug glanced back at them and nodded. “Would you please get her out of here!” Liam grated.

David and Doug began to back up, pushing Sera with them without touching her. Sera’s gaze was intent upon Liam’s trembling back as she shuffled slowly back. She wanted to go to him, to soothe him, but she knew that he would lose it again, and this time he would not come back.

A sob rose in her throat, but she quickly suppressed it as she tore her gaze from him. She was lucky to have gotten away before; she couldn’t risk not being able to get away again. Her breath froze in her lungs as her legs instantly planted themselves. David and Doug bumped into her and instantly jumped away as Liam stiffened and lifted his head.

“What is that?” Sera gasped.

Four sets of red eyes hovered just outside the window. “Shit!” Jack exclaimed.

“Get her out of here!” Liam yelled.

He turned and raced out the door in a blur of motion. “Liam!” Sera screamed and lurched forward. “No!”

Doug seized hold of her shoulders and pushed her back. “Stay with her!”

Jack grasped her shoulders and released her as if he had been burned. The minute she was free, she bolted forward. David blocked her off as Mike and Jack ran past. “If you go out there you’ll only distract him, and get him hurt. If you go out there, he will bring you back in here, and he will finish what he started. There will be no stopping it this time.”

Sera glanced quickly at David before looking longingly at the door. She knew what those eyes were, knew what they represented, and knew that Liam was out there with them now. She needed to help him. “There’s nothing that you can do to help him. You will only get him hurt. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

She didn’t move for a moment, and then her shoulders slumped in defeat. She turned and walked woodenly out of the room.

CHAPTER 18

Sera numbly accepted the peroxide, cotton balls, and bandages that David handed to her before he walked over to sit on the other couch. She fumbled with the peroxide, spilling some on her filthy jeans before finally managing to get it on a cotton ball. She winced as she gingerly cleaned the jagged tears in her chest. Her hands trembled as she ripped the plastic wrapping around the large bandage, and quickly taped it to her chest.

She closed her eyes as she took a deep, steadying breath, and tugged anxiously at her torn shirt. “He’s all right,” David said gently.

Sera nodded. “I know.”

“Can you sense him?”

She frowned. “Sense him?”

“Yes, can you sense him, feel him?”

“No. I just know that he’s all right, for now.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s strong.”

“Who were they?” she whispered.

“Probably some of Beth’s friends. I’m sure that she’s created a few others along the way, and that some of them have stayed with her. Or, she’s gathered some here to help. We’re not all the same Sera. Some of us are brutal killers. They relish in their power, thrill in it. The more you drink, and the more you kill, the stronger you are. They may be here just because Beth promised them a bloodbath.”

Sera’s hands trembled as she pulled anxiously at her shirt. Terror was beginning to claw its way up her throat. “Liam, Jack, Mike, and Doug aren’t killers. They won’t be as strong as them.”

“No they’re not, but they will be all right. Liam’s fury alone will be enough to overpower them. They just want the pleasure of the blood. He wants to keep you safe, that is a far stronger motivator.”

“Oh God,” she moaned. “He needs to come back.”

“He will. They’ll drive them away, but he won’t follow them. He won’t go far from you, not now.”

She nodded numbly as tears slid down her face. She had to believe that David was right. If Liam didn’t come back, if he got hurt, if he got killed... Her heart shattered at the thought as she began to tremble. ‘Please God,’ she prayed silently. ‘Please let him come back to me.’ “I can’t live without him,” she whispered.

David clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “No, you probably can’t.”

Sera choked on a sob as she bowed her head and fiddled with her shirt. “Can they come in here?”

“No, they weren’t invited. Only Beth can come in here. Sera...”

“You okay?” Sera jerked around as Mike appeared anxiously in the doorway.

She leapt instantly to her feet. “Where is he?” she demanded.

“In the kitchen, but...” Mike blocked her as she reached the doorway. She glared angrily at him as she tilted her chin defiantly. “You need to stay here.”

“I...”

“No Sera, not now.” His stance was so rigid that she knew arguing with him was useless.

“Is he all right?”

“He’s fine, he’s just a little, ah… he’s a little wild at the moment. Jack and Doug are with him.”

“Are you sure?” she asked anxiously.

“Yes, why don’t you sit down and relax.”

“What about you guys, are you all right?”

She scanned him quickly, but he seemed fine. “Yeah, we’re all fine. They took off when we went outside. I think they just wanted to let us know that they’re here. That they’re watching us.”

Sera’s gaze flickered toward the kitchen. She wanted to go to him; she needed to go to him. “I can calm him down,” she whispered.

“Not now you can’t,” David said. “Now, you will push him over the edge.”

“But he needs me!” she cried as she whirled to face him.

“Yes, he does, but not like you are. Not with what is going on. He will finish what he started earlier Sera; don’t doubt that for an instant.”

For a moment she didn’t care. But, it was only for a moment as she recalled the way that he had been earlier. He would never listen to reason now. He would only attack her again. He wouldn’t even give her the chance to offer herself to him. As much as she wanted to be with him, she knew that she couldn’t let it happen like that. He would hurt her, no matter how unintentional, he would. And he would hate himself for it.

She bowed her head as she turned and walked back to the couch. Her heart was breaking as tears rolled down her face. She slid limply onto the couch and hung her head in her hands. “Do you understand now that what I told was true?” David asked softly.

She lifted her head to look at him through blurry eyes. “I understood that earlier.”

David frowned as he glanced quickly over at Mike. “You want to be changed?”

“I won’t lose him. I can’t. It... It hurts to even think about it, to say it. You can’t imagine how much it hurts.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Why hasn’t he done it already?” Mike asked his voice filled with confusion.

She turned her eyes to him. “He said that I would need blood, and Kathleen and Danielle... I can’t. I just can’t.”

“Crap!” Mike muttered. “I never realized... I forgot.”

David dropped his head into his hands. “We need to get out of here.”

“Maybe the roads will be open tomorrow,” Mike said hopefully.

“I doubt it. We’re miles from the highway, on a bunch of back roads. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t get here for another week.”

“He doesn’t have a week, and neither does she.”

“I know that!” David snapped.

“What happens if I don’t have blood?” she asked quietly.

They both turned wary, troubled eyes on her. “If you don’t get it within the first day, the transformation won’t be complete. You’ll die.”

“Or turn into a creature stuck between the worlds. Something completely twisted; an utter monstrosity. You would have to be destroyed.”

“You could have left it at I’d die,” she said dryly.

“We’ll figure out something,” David said.

“What?” she muttered.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to have to do it soon. Very soon.”

***

The feathery touch on her cheek woke her slowly the next morning. She smiled as she nuzzled into Liam’s hand for a moment. Then, the events of the night crashed back over her and her eyes flew open. He was kneeling before her, his eyes dark and clouded, his face hard and impassive.

She sat up slowly. Her neck and back were stiff from sleeping on the couch, what little sleep she had managed to get. She had waited for him to come to her all night, but he hadn’t, and eventually exhaustion had won out and taken her under. She glanced quickly around the living room, but they were alone.

She returned her attention to him. He was gazing at her intently, his eyes narrowed and assessing. She had changed her shirt last night, but his gaze had settled upon where the bandage was. “Are you okay?” he asked hoarsely.

“Yes.”

“I hurt you.”

“No...”

“Yes, I did!”

Sera winced at the anger that radiated from his voice. “Liam...”

He seized hold of her arms and pulled them forward. Sera tried to jerk them back, but he was already shoving the sleeve’s up. Bruises marred her upper arms, and the delicate bones of her wrist. His breath rushed out of him as he gazed upon the ugly, dark marks. Marks that he had inflicted. He dropped his head as self loathing seized hold of him.

“You didn’t mean too,” she whispered as she brushed back his raven hair. “It wasn’t you.”

His eyes blazed with fury. “It was me!” he spat. “It is me!”

Her lower lip began to tremble as tears filled her eyes. He had thought that he had himself under control enough to see her, to come near her. He’d been wrong. His composure was quickly unraveling as he thought about what could have happened to her, what Beth could have done to her, what he could have done to her.

He dropped her arms and stood swiftly. “Liam please don’t shut me out.”

He couldn’t shut her out if he tried. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, out of his body, out of his soul. She was a part of him, and he needed her even more than the blood that kept him alive. “I have to go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“David and I are going to take the snowmobiles out.”

“You can’t!” she cried. “You can’t go out there! Those things are out there! She’s out there!”

Fury clouded his vision. He knew what was out there better than she did. He knew what they wanted, and that was her. “Liam,” he heard her stand, but he didn’t turn to face her.

“Sera stay away, just stay away.” She sat back on the couch. “I have to go. This is something that I have to do.”

“Why?”

He ground his teeth as he moved further away from her. He could smell her blood. The memory of what it tasted like caused his teeth to lengthen, and his mouth to water. “I have to find food,” he grated.

“You can just go into the woods!” she cried.

“For you. I have to find food for you.”

She gasped softly as her hand fluttered to her throat. “Oh,” she said dully as realization sank in. “I see.”

“When I come back...” he grated.

Sera bit into her bottom lip. “I know.”

“Good.” He turned and walked from the room. He had to get away from her, now.

“Liam.” He froze in the doorway as her voice drifted over him. “Please be careful.”

“I will be.”

“I love you.”

He closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and forced himself to leave before he couldn’t.

***

Sera gazed out the window as dusk descended. She had long ago retired to her room, unable to face Kathleen’s enthusiasm, Danielle’s bright laughter, and Mike, Doug, and Jack’s silent, pitying glances. Her own thoughts were in such turmoil that she could barely understand what they were saying to her, let alone try to function.

She turned away from the window and moved stiffly toward the bed. These were her last hours as a human, her last hours as a person. Despair filled her as she slumped to the mattress. She wondered if it would hurt. It was a little uncomfortable when Liam bit her, but not really painful. But he hadn’t taken it all before. He would now. When he changed her, when she died, would it hurt? It had too, dying couldn’t be easy.

She shuddered as she wrapped her arms around herself. She was sitting here, waiting for death to come, for her death. She should run, she should flee into the night, and never look back. But she couldn’t move. She had nowhere to run too, and even if she did, she knew that she would return to him.

It was the waiting that was killing her. The creeping by of minutes that was making her so edgy and frightened. She wondered where he was. She knew that he was safe, she could feel that, but she still wondered where he was, and when he would return for her. And would it hurt?

She bit into her bottom lip as she clasped her hands tightly. She could leave. If she left now, then she would be able to put some distance between herself and the cabin. There was another snowmobile, she could take that and go. No one would even know until it was too late.

A soft knock at the door caused her to jump. “Sera, are you okay?” Mike asked.

“Yes,” she called back.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.”

He had come down at least twenty times since she had locked herself in over two hours ago. She knew that he was just worried, but he was driving her insane. Her nerves were frayed enough without being startled every ten minutes by him. She should have gotten used to expecting him, but her thoughts were too discombobulated to even try to remember that Mike would be coming by.

She stood back up and began to pace the room. Suddenly she stopped, her head tilted to the side as she looked at the night beyond the window. Liam was back. She knew it, felt it. She walked slowly over and closed the blinds. Her hand trembled slightly as she stepped back. A steel cord of resolve strengthened her spine. She knew what she had to do.

***

Liam and David stomped the snow off their shoes as they entered the back porch. He quickly shed his wet winter clothes. It had taken hours, and miles of snow, but they had eventually found an open rest area. It had taken almost as long to wait for enough people to stop there but eventually they had. He’d fed until he couldn’t feed anymore, and then fed again.

He needed to make sure that he had enough for Sera; that she would get enough blood for everything to go smoothly. He had seen the things that got stuck in between human and vampire, and they were horrendous monstrosities. He would die before he allowed that to happen to her.

“You going to be okay?” David asked worriedly.

“Yeah.”

Now that he had fed, and the moment was nearly upon him, he was much calmer and more relaxed. He had nearly gone insane on the ride to the rest area, and had driven like a bat out of hell all the way back with the monster clawing at his insides. But now, here, he actually felt somewhat in control of himself again. For the first time since yesterday afternoon, he actually had a firm grip upon himself.