Page 57 of Shut Up and Bite Me

All the air dissipates from my lungs, and my spine chills.

Jason’s knees give out, and he crumples to the ground like a doll, his arms flailing and landing in unnatural positions. As Jason’s limp body falls away, a grimy man with blood dripping down the sides of his mouth steps forward, my body chilling to the bone.

“God, vampires taste gross. I could barely stomach it long enough to bite him.”

My gaze falls to his blood-soaked hand, bile rising in my throat when I realize what he’s holding.

A heart.

“We aren’t alone,” I warn him, lying through my teeth.

He smiles, and I spot the tattoo on the side of his neck, the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up.

Great.

My voice is loud enough to warn Ethan but not too loud to be obvious. “Let me guess. Victor?”

He clicks his tongue. “Indeed.” He takes another step forward, and I slam the door shut, but he’s too fast, blocking it with his leg. “That is not the way to treat a guest.”

Fuck.

He rears his arms back, his palms facing me before he shoves my chest, and I fly ten feet in the air across the foyer, crashing painfully to the hardwood floor.

Grabbing me by my throat, he lifts me up, my toes dangling above the ground.

His eyes shift to red, and his fangs descend. “Why don’t we find out what’s so special about that blood of yours.”

My patience is wearing incredibly thin as the minutes tick by and we still haven’t found Victor. Lachlan and a few select members of his pack have been tracking him, even crossing state lines into Connecticut and back. They think Victor is toying with them, forcing them to run in circles while we try to catch up, two steps behind.

But finally, as we return to Saint Eldritch, Lachlan starts acting like an alpha and latches onto a stronger scent, finally leading us out of this labyrinth of a hunt.

I hear someone whisper incoherently, and I turn, searching their faces, trying to decipher who it was, but no one is looking at me.

“Vivian.” I hear the voice again and immediately recognize it.

Greyson.

“Greyson?” I call out, and everyone’s attention snaps my way, their eyes wide and brows furrowed.

“What is it?” Lachlan demands, walking over to me, but I don’t pay him any attention, instead focusing my hearing to find Greyson’s voice again.

But all I hear is the sounds of nature and Lachlan’s vocalized concern.

A pit forms in my stomach, ripping my gut apart as a coldness settles into every cell in my body. “Something’s wrong.”

“What? What’s happening?” Ava grabs my hand, begging me to answer.

I release my fangs, tapping into the power in my chest and opening all of my senses.

“Ahh!” I cry out as pain erupts in my neck.

My hand flies to it, the pain immediately fading into a strange tingling sensation, pinpointed in two perfect dots.

Oh my god.

“He’s at my house. He’s at my house right now. And he’s…” I can’t even finish the sentence. I’m already running, racing as hard and fast as I can, my feet pounding into the ground.

I’m coming. Just hold on. I’m coming.

---