Page 49 of Red

Maybe dying together was always our fate.

18.

Predator

Unsure how long I’ve been descending into grief, waiting for the toxicity of silver to finally enter my bloodstream and end me already, I suddenly feel Julia lightly wiggling in my embrace.

I’m fully expecting the movement to be only my imagination as my eyes peep down on her.

The color is slowly returning to her face and she pops her lids open, looking confused.

“I thought I lost you,” I confess with the emotions I’ll never be able to properly describe, squeezing her tighter.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Big Guy,” she speaks in a quiet, shaky voice.

She’s still weakly, it will take her a moment to recover. Otherwise, it appears that our bondhealed her shattered body.

“Oh, you’re bleeding!” She rapidly sits on my lap. “Alex, what is it?”

“Silver bullets.”

“How can I help you?”

“I need you to take them out for me. I can’t touch the silver, and my body is unable to reject them itself.” I know that the silver affects her in some way also, but on a much smaller scale.

She hesitates, probably realizing how much pain it will cause me to just rip them out of my flesh. Staring at her trembling hand on my torso, she says, “This isn’t sterile.”

I begin to laugh at her desperately grasping for excuses yet my chest burns alive.

I genuinely hate to pressure her, but it’s life or death situation—and since our bond snapped in place, our lives are now intertwined.

“Just do it, baby,” I whimper. “It stings like a motherfucker.”

She dips her finger in the hole on my torso with the apologetic look.

“I’m so sorry!” she cries as I wince.

“You’re doing so good. A little to the left,” I instruct her, feeling exactly where it’s stuck.

Using her nail, she successfully manages to remove it, which stops the bleeding. The wounddoesn’t close immediately after the bullet is out, however.

“Why doesn’t it heal?”

“There’s a residue left, and it will take some time for my system to get rid of the toxins. I’ll be weaker for a while, but I’ll survive.”

Then she goes for the hole in my upper arm. This one is much less painful but still a bitch. Lastly, she takes out the one sitting in my thigh, which hurts the least.

“Oh, that was terrifying!” She clings to me tightly, sobbing, once it’s all done.

“Thank you.” I nuzzle into her neck. I don’t think she even understands she just saved me… both of us. “But don’t ever try to fight a vampire for me again.” She was ready to sacrifice herself.

Well, shedidsacrifice herself.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” She argues, only being playful. “I can’t believe he turned!”

“Neither can I.” Now the fetor of his blood makes sense, though he did his best to mask it. A little too late for me to recognize it, but at least it’s over.

She turns her face and notices his ripped to absolute shreds body. “Is he gone?”

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