The handwriting was messy, ink bleeding across the paper like flowing blood.
"Layla Gray, you can't run from me."
My blood froze. My fingers trembled. The paper rustled in my shaking hands.
Who wrote this? Who knew I was Layla Gray?
Cold crawled up my spine like an icy snake slithering along my vertebrae. Something made me turn around.
A pale face lunged at me, fangs bared.
Chapter Eighteen
Layla
I rolled instinctively to the side, knocking over the nightstand. The glass shattered, shards biting into my palm—a sharp sting—but I had no time to care. I stared at the creature, every nerve on alert.
He hunched over, pale as a waterlogged corpse, his nails long and sharp. Those eerie blood-red eyes burned like rubies in the darkness. His mouth split ear to ear, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Vampire.
His eyes swept over me, sizing up my fighting ability. He let out a shrill laugh, his claws scratching impatiently at the floor, leaving five deep gouges, wood chips flying.
We faced off.
He crouched like a beast ready to pounce. I was half-raised on my knees while Diana roared inside me, my nails slowly extending.
"Mom... Mommy?" Kai's voice drifted from the bed, drowsy with sleep.
The vampire's head snapped toward the bed.
No!
He changed targets, lunging for Kai. I didn't think. Didn't hesitate.My body moved before my mind could catch up—I threw myself forward, colliding with the creature mid-air.
We hit the ground hard. I clung to his waist, nails piercing his flesh. He shrieked, thrashing, claws slashing wildly—tearing my arm, cutting my cheek.
It hurt. But rage burned through me, drowning out the pain.
Protect Kai!
Kill him!
I didn't have time to fully shift. I only partially shifted my teeth into fangs and bit down hard on his shoulder, tearing with everything I had. The sensation of rotting flesh in my mouth made me want to vomit, but I bit harder.
Black blood flooded my mouth—bitter, like bile.
The vampire thrashed, trying to shake me off. He was far stronger. One claw smashed into my face. I flew backward, my back slamming against the wall. My ribs screamed—something definitely broke.
But I got up. Launched myself at him again.
I couldn't let him near Kai.
Never.
He came at me again. I dodged his claws, grabbed his extended arm, drove my knee into his gut. He doubled over. I seized the moment, driving my claws toward the back of his neck—
Deep. Grabbing spine.
