Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 24

24

I don’t even think twice about breaking the door down as we arrive at the apartment. There was never a question as to where Cedar took her, taking her to the place where I killed Evelyn and where he thinks he will now kill Lillia. I thought about the repercussions of killing another vampire the entire flight and I have no qualms about it.

The door shatters into large pieces as I barrel my way into the room. It took my eyes no time at all to adjust to the darkness, but the musty scent took me by surprise. The scent of Lillia’s blood flows through the room, both old and fresh, taking me by surprise. I turn to where the scent is the strongest to see Cedar withdrawing his fangs from her neck, anger fills my veins and clouds my judgment.

Seeing crimson, I lunge at Cedar and aim straight for his throat.

I don’t even register that there are three other people in the room as I grab at him, my focus tunneling in on Cedar and only him. My body has not taken on a life of its own, my hands wrap themselves around his throat. His hard skin begins to crumble beneath mine. In a fluid motion, he knocks me off my feet and my hands release from his throat.

“Her blood was delicious .” He teases, sucking the residual blood off the tips of his fingers. A deep growl escapes my chest, but he’s stronger than me right now. I haven’t eaten in days, not since I drank from Lillia, and my strength is a direct representation of that . He grabs my jaw and lifts me above him, crashing me down on my back. The floor quakes beneath me as I hit the floor. His boot slams down on my neck, pushing it up against my jaw. I strain against his hold and try to fight him off, but he doesn’t budge. I did not come all this way to save Lillia, just to meet my own death.

I grab onto his ankle, twist it, and throw him across the room. His back hits a framed painting, the glass shatters and falls onto the couch. Asher will have much to say about the damage done, but I don’t care. He groans and lifts his head; my eyes are met with pure anger. Asher and Flora take this as an opportunity to rush Lillia out of the room and down the hall, toward my old room. Relief washes over me as they take her away to safety.

Cedar snarls and lunges back at me, flying across the living room. He wraps his hands around my neck with a fierce grip. As I fight against his hold, he crashes us through one of the walls and into the next room. We fight against each other to maintain control, thrashing around on drywall and broken shards of demolished wooden frame. Pain seers through my neck as Cedar begins to dig his fingertips deep into my muscles, breaking skin with the sheer strength of his grasp. As he presses them deeper, fire radiates through my neck and down to my chest.

“Why couldn’t you just let me have her, Finny boy?” He hisses between clenched teeth, “I loved her. You will feel the pain through your body when you watch life fade from her eyes. For, I will not kill you now, but you will want to die after I kill your mortal.”

“No.” I yell, kicking my feet out from where he’s holding me. I push his elbow in the opposite direction, and it dislocates with a snap , Cedar screams out in frustration. Rising to my feet, I expose my elongated teeth to him. There’s a small gust of wind and Asher appears behind Cedar, intertwining their arms together and holding him still. Our eyes meet and Asher gives me a nod, permission to do what needs to be done. I rise to my feet, ignoring the shards of wood that are implanted in my clothing and body, and walk to where they stand. Cedar looks up at me with defeat plastered across his face.

I bend down and force my hand into his chest cavity.

“You underestimated me, Cedar. This is what Evelyn felt,” I whispered in his ear as I grip onto his cold dead heart. “Tell her I said hi when you guys are burning in hell together.” With a twist of my wrist, I pull hard against the membranes and tissue that holds the heart in its place and yank it out of his chest. Asher releases Cedar and he falls to the ground, limp and lifeless.

“You guys really messed up this place. It’s going to be expensive to fix all this damage.” He huffs as he looks around the room.

“I’ll hire cleaners, Ash.”

“Let’s go see your girl.” He nods and places his hand on my shoulder.

The room she was taken into was mine, but it doesn’t feel as familiar as it should. I haven’t been back to France since Evelyn and now I’ve killed two of my kind within these walls. Lillia lays on the bed and Flora is sitting next to her silently sobbing. Her milky skin is covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. I have an overwhelming deep desire to bring Cedar back to life just so I can kill him again .

I want to move, to go to her, but my feet feel weighed down. Knowing she is only in this situation because of me, makes me sick. Asher puts his hand on my shoulder.

“This isn’t your fault, Finn.” I scoff and roll my eyes, turning my face away from Asher. “I’m serious. You didn’t do this. Cedar has always been kind of fucked up and losing Evelyn was just the final straw. He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

“I know, but just look at her. She’ll have scars that will forever remind her of what she experienced.”

“Maybe, but if you don’t move fast, you will lose her. Listen closely to her heart, its beat is fading. I know you don’t want to, but you know what needs to be done.”

Flora rises and goes to Asher’s side. He wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her in close, comforting her with a kiss on her forehead before they turn to leave the room. I cross the room and kneel on the floor next to the bed, Lillia doesn’t so much as move when I rest my elbows on the bed. Asher was right, her heart is struggling. She and I discussed blood-sharing, but not at length. My skin crawls at the thought of doing something without her expressed consent, but I know if I don’t, she’ll die. Lillia’s chest slowly rises and falls, I know I don’t have much time to give her my blood.

Blood, my blood, will heal her.

It will save her.

I can save her.

“Come back to me, my love. I don’t want to exist in a world without you in it.” I rest my forehead on hers and whisper into the space between us.

Her eyes flutter, but she doesn’t open them fully. I lace my fingers in hers, desperate for the warmth of her skin, but she’s cool to touch. I lift myself up and place a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. With hesitation, my wrist meets my lips, and I inhale deeply.

I don’t want to do this, but I know there’s not a lot of choice before I lose her forever. My teeth sink deep into the skin of my wrist and when I pull them back out, blood pools at the area. Carefully, I move my wrist to Lillia’s mouth. Her lips, a pale pink cracked with dehydration, become coated with the deep red wine color of my blood. She parts her mouth and the tip of her tongue dances along my skin. The bed sinks when I reposition myself to by her side, slipping my free arm to support her head. Asher and Flora don’t come back into the room with the understanding of the intimacy in this moment.

“Take what you need from me, my love. All I am is yours.” I whisper against her temple, savoring the vision of my blood flowing into her mouth. I pull Lillia into me, the warmth in her skin returning as her body gets what it craves.