“Sam, I don’t know what you’re doing, but please get on with it,” I said, keeping my eyes on Rianne and Noah.
Noah fired the gun, and the dart landed in Sam’s thigh.
Sam’s eyes shot open, and silver overpowered the green as his fangs descended. He let out a guttural growl, and within seconds, the earth beneath our feet was shaking so hard, the ground was splitting in two.
“What’s happening?” Noah asked as he looked at his feet. Then he quickly pointed the gun at Sam’s head and pulled the trigger.
The dart landed on Sam's forehead.
A sound I’d never heard before came out of Sam’s mouth. He sounded like one angry fucking bear.
I dropped to my knees and started digging and throwing dirt on the fire. “Rianne, if you know what’s good for you, help me. If Sam dies, we’re all dead. His sister will make sure of it.” I had no other tactic but to scare the heck out of her. Rianne wasn’t frightened easily, but I had to try.
The embers danced in the wind as I threw more dirt on the fire.
Sam swung his legs forward then backward. When he did, he clipped Noah’s chin. Noah fell as the gun dropped from his hands.
I crawled to my feet and lunged for the gun when Rianne beat me to it. I shoulder checked her as we both tumbled to the ground.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked as we rolled around.
“I hate them!” she shouted above the whistling wind and whipping rain.
A loud explosion split the air, giving me the opportunity to shove Rianne off me. I stumbled to my feet but lost my balance and fell backward. Before I could stop myself, my head hit a rock.
Air punched from my lungs. The sky above spun, and pain dug its claws into me. I blinked several times, breathing in, hoping to fill my lungs with necessary air.
Voices droned around me.
Rain fell.
Thunder boomed.
I blinked again, inhaled painfully, and oriented my vision as I tried to sit up, but Noah rammed his foot into my chest and pointed the fucking dart gun at me. “Say good night, cousin.”
“No!” Sam shouted. “I’ll kill you, human, if you so much as touch her.”
Noah let out an evil laugh. “Too late, vampire.” Then he pulled the trigger.
It felt like pinpricks on my chest before warmth traveled through my veins.
I removed the dart and threw it at Noah. “Fuck you, cousin. You will not get the best of me.” I planted my hands in the muddy ground, pushed myself up, and swayed. The drug was in my system, but hopefully not enough to knock me out.
Noah laughed again. Rianne watched in horror as though frozen. I couldn’t tell if she was regretting her actions or she was actually frightened. But fuck everyone. I stomped over to Sam on shaky legs, not as gracefully as I would’ve liked, but I made it, nonetheless. I grabbed the structure that Sam was hanging from and tried to move it.
Jordyn ran up, screaming like a bad actress in a horror movie. “I will gut Noah, but first”—she turned to Rianne—“you’re not my sister anymore.”
Conrad jogged up and dove into action, tearing the structure down.
Before I could help Sam out of his handcuffs, something sharp pierced my neck.
Shouts tore through the storm. Screams hurt my eardrums.
The only voice I registered was Sam’s. “Layla, no!”
Then the voices died as I plummeted into the abyss.
18
