On The Run With A Vampire

23. Lucien

CHAPTER 23

LUCIEN

This is most certainly not how I had anticipated this would all end. Warren hadn’t even been on my radar as the mastermind behind all of this, and yet here he is, lying lifeless in front of me. Because of me.

Warren may be the villain behind it all, but without me, none of this would have happened. His victims would all be alive, and Raven?—

“Lucien?” she says quietly. Too quiet.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

This is wrong. This is all wrong.

I reach for her, but it’s too late. With one last sad smile, her eyes roll back and she collapses to the floor. If blood still coursed through my veins, I’m sure it would be running cold in this moment.

“Raven!” I crawl towards her and rest her head in my lap. Her eyes are closed, lips parted, and only a faint whisper of breath comes out.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“She’s dying.” I don’t mean to say it aloud, but I do, and it comes out sounding like a broken sob.

“What?” Melody says, suddenly springing to life. She comes over to us and presses her fingers against one of Raven’s pulse points. “What’s wrong? Did he hurt her?”

“No. She’s got a condition.”

“Right,” Melody says. “I think I heard about that. She’s got a bad heart?”

“She’s got a wonderful heart,” I growl. I can feel Raven getting colder and colder with each passing second. She’s got less than a minute before she slips away from me forever.

“What can we do?” Melody asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Raven stiffens in my arms.

She’s going into shock.

Thirty seconds and that’s it.

“Lucien,” Melody says sharply. “We need to do something. You need to do something.”

“What?” I snap. “What can I do?”

I can’t fix her heart.

I can’t breathe air into her lungs.

I can’t turn back time and make it so we never met and she was never put into this position.

I can’t do anything.

“Bite her.”

I stare at Melody. Her suggestion hangs in the air like a sour smell. “Bite her?” I repeat, my voice trembling. “You think I should bite her? You want me to turn her into a vampire?”

Melody shrugs helplessly. “It’s that or she dies.”

No.

No to both options.

“I can’t do it. Not after what happened to Warren. He was my creation. My mistake. Turning him into a vampire was the worst decision I’ve ever made. He became something monstrous. I won’t make the same mistake again. I won’t do that to her.”

Raven’s breathing grows more erratic. Each exhale is weaker than the last.

“Then she dies,” Melody says flatly. “And you need to make peace with that.”

“I can’t.” My voice cracks. “She needs to live.”

“Then do something,” she grits out. “And do it fast.”

There has to be another way.

I look down at Raven. She’s growing paler by the second and what little breath she has left is coming out in shallow, irregular gasps.

Melody is right. I need to act.

“I’m going to try something,” I say, my voice barely a whisper as I shift my position. “But I won’t turn her.”

I won’t do that to her. I won’t take away that choice.

Not again.

I carefully lower my head to Raven’s neck and extend my fangs. It’s not lost on me that the last time I was in this position with Raven, it was under considerably better circumstances. Maybe if this works, we’ll be in that situation again.

And if it doesn’t work?

I refuse to think about that.

I feel her warm blood flow into my mouth the moment I pierce her flesh. She tastes just as she always does—exquisite.

No.

I shake my head free of those thoughts.

Injecting my venom into her bloodstream requires all of my focus. Each drop is a calculated risk, but it’s the only option I have left.

Do not turn her, I remind myself as I push as much venom into her as I can. Give her only what she needs and then—Stop. Stop!

I rear back and watch as her body starts to convulse. The venom is working.

“What are you doing?” Melody asks.

“I’m giving her just enough venom for her body to start repairing itself.”

“But won’t she turn?”

Not if I can help it. I bite down again and begin drawing out the blood infused with my venom. I’ve never heard of a vampire doing this before, and I immediately understand why.

The venom makes her blood taste sour and it takes every last bit of self-control I possess not to retch as I drink.

Nearly there.

I drink until I can’t taste the venom staining her blood and pull back. I release her neck and quickly sit up, wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. The blood is dark and heavy, nothing like the vibrant red I’ve become accustomed to.

“Please, Raven,” I beg. “Please.”

Several excruciating moments pass before Raven’s eyes flutter open. Relief courses through me as her fingers curl around my wrist and the sound of her heart grows stronger and steadier.

Thud.

…

…

…

…

…

Thud.

…

…

…

…

…

Thud.

“There we go,” I murmur, pulling her into a deep embrace. “I thought I’d lost you.” I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. She’s steadily getting warmer and warmer.

“What happened?” She tries to sit up, but I hold her in place. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let go.

“A lot,” Melody says. “I’m sure he’ll go through it all with you later, but right now you two need to get out of here. Todd isn’t going to be out for much longer. If he wakes up and sees all of this?” She gestures around the room.

Warren’s lifeless body.

Raven lying limp in my arms.

Blood still staining my mouth.

“Point taken,” I say wryly. “It’s clear your partner isn’t anywhere near as level headed as you.”

Melody scoffs. “That’s one way of putting it.”

I hoist Raven into my arms and start moving towards the door.

“Wait,” Raven says, pressing a hand against my chest to stop me. “What’s going to happen now? Are you still going to be coming after us?”

That is a very good question. I may not be the villain in this particular ordeal, but I am still a vampire, and that makes the S.B.E.F. and I eternal enemies. I grip Raven a little tighter.

Melody looks conflicted but shakes her head. “You two are free to go. I’ll make sure to get the word out to the local police that you’re innocent.”

“The news too,” I say, remembering just how distraught Raven had been when she first saw that news report. “Raven’s name needs to be cleared by the end of the day.”

Melody’s jaw ticks. “Fine. Consider it done. Now, go .”

I feel like I’m walking towards my doom.

A little dramatic, perhaps, but nevertheless, it’s how I feel.

I follow Raven up the stairs to her apartment and try not to let the creeping feeling of dread consume me. Once I bring her safely to her door, it’ll mark the end for us. She’ll be glad to be rid of me, and I can’t even blame her for it. She’s seen and experienced what kind of destruction and devastation follows me.

How could she want someone like that in her life?

“Hey, look,” she says as we reach her landing. “They put my door back on.”

The door is indeed back on its hinges, but it’s still not fully operational. It swings back and forth as we approach, the lock clearly broken beyond repair. I make a mental note to repair it before I disappear from her life forever. It’s the least I can do.

“I am most definitely sending a bill for all this to Melody,” Raven laughs as she steps over the threshold into her home. “It’ll take me ages to get this all back to normal.”

“I’ll pay for any repairs,” I say, hovering in the doorway. “Any new furniture as well. Just tell me what you need and I’ll have it here by the end of the week.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. Like I said, the S.B.E.F. are on the hook for all of this. They owe me at least that.” She frowns suddenly. “Why’re you waiting outside? Oh! Do I need to invite you in again? Is there a time limit for how long the invitation lasts?”

“I didn’t think I should come in,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve already caused enough trouble.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she says. “Come in.”

“Raven, I?—”

She turns around and marches into her living room without so much as a second glance my way. I should turn and leave. I should march back down those stairs and disappear from her life forever. My feet, however, seem to have other ideas. They move of their own accord and pull me into the dishevelled chaos of her apartment.

There’s furniture scattered everywhere, a broken lamp in her hall, and the door to her bathroom is hanging off only one hinge. I swallow hard and try to push aside the guilt gnawing at me. Try being the operative word here.

By the time I enter the living room, Raven is sifting through the piles of debris and furniture. “Aha!” she declares brightly, pulling her phone out from between several misplaced cushions. “Found it. Oh, shit.” She winces and points the screen in my direction. “228 missed calls from Mum, 12 from Dad, 52 from Daphne, 78 from ‘unknown,’ and…429 messages. This has to be some kind of record, right?”

She gives me a small smile, but I can’t meet her eyes. Instead, I focus on the stake that’s still embedded in the wall and remind myself how close I was to losing her. My fault. This is all my fault.

“Alright,” Raven says loudly. She crosses her arms over her chest and pins me in place with a glare. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting off since we left the S.B.E.F. headquarters. Are you okay?”

Am I okay? Am I okay?

I let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Raven, you nearly died today. If anyone should be asking that question, it’s me.”

“Well, I am okay,” she says defiantly. “Your turn. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I—” My voice cracks. I try again, but the words catch in my throat.

“Lucien,” Raven’s voice is softer now. “What’s going on?”

“I’m just—” My resolve falters, and I have to force myself to meet her gaze. “I’m just preparing to say farewell.”

Raven’s expression shifts from concern to confusion, then to outright frustration. “Why the fuck would you do that?”