Page 37 of The Depraved Prince
13
MILLIE
I don’t knowwhere I’m going, but I run down the halls, trying to hold my breath as tears run down my face. I keep going, turning into hall after hall, taking guesses and hoping that God is on my side today. My bare feet hit the black floors as I try to stop myself from tripping over my own erratic pace.
I go down some stairs that seem to lead closer to an exit. I see massive stained-glass red doors. A small smile of hope slants my face when I see the sun is still out, shining through the Victorian windows.
It’s almost nighttime. Just an hour or so, and the moon will rise.
I still hear Kallum’s snarls in the distance. He’s going to kill me if he gets a hold of me again. More snarls come from behind me, but they differ from Hayden’s little brother. And they’re close. Kallum’s screams of agony must have alerted everyone, and now they’re after me.
I don’t look back. I’m either too scared or too focused on what’s before me to waste one more second in this cathedral. I make it down the stairs just as more footsteps thud right behind me.
Oh no!
From what I can tell, it’s just one pair of feet.
Dammit, Kallum must have caught up. Of course, he did. He’s a vampire with speed. It’s a part of their abilities.
Curse their abilities. It isn’t fucking fair.
It’ll slow me down if I check behind me. One wrong move, and I’ll be snapped in half. I’ve seen what they’re capable of doing. I’m like five feet away from the door. My entire body jolts with each stomp like I’m in a race—a race for my life.
I’m right here. One more step, and I’m at the exit. All my dreams of escaping are finally a reality. I’m so focused on getting out that I forget to blink.
It’s real. I’m going to get out. The sun will give me an advantage to run. I have to try.
I lunge forward, grasp the black metal lever with the same design as Hayden’s ring, and pull on it.
A ray of sunlight shines through the cathedral like a ray of hope, a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean, like a lifejacket. I smile with relief. Seeing the sun again after being in darkness the past few days feels so good. Something so simple never felt so grand.
I step out onto the pavement outside just as my hair gets pulled back, and I scream from an unexpected maneuver. I’m forced back into the Cathedral surrounded by red stained glass.
A large familiar hand slams the door shut, and my back gets pushed up against the doors.
“Ahh!” I bellow.
Red rays from the stained glass shine on him, but it’s not doing any damage to the vampire before me.
How? It’s the sunlight…
Shit. Maybe I got it all wrong…if they can be in the sun, then nature’s hopeful alliance is useless now. I need to think of another plan, but first, I need to survive the man I loathe.
Hayden.
My shamefully handsome captor is dressed in an all-black suit, looking at me like he’s won a prize. I hate him.
A wicked curve of his lips turns, his sharp teeth shine, and I can see my pale reflection against them. He’s in full-blown vampire mode.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, Millie?” He questions me like I’m his property. Like he owns me.His prisoner.
He has me caged in with his big arms, and I’m frozen…but that doesn’t last too long as my fight-or-flight senses kick in, and adrenaline is still vividly present with the way my chest is heaving.
“Home!” I slap him across the face hard.
He snickers like he loves it. He pins his hardened gaze back onto me slowly. His fixation doesn’t waver. He tilts his head closer to mine, and a long lock of hair drops across his forehead.
I wince as he presses his hand around my throat, curling his hand all around. He squeezes my neck hard, taking my breath away. My eyes widen with my impending doom, and I quickly thrash against him. I’m slapping, hitting, doing anything and everything to get out of his chokehold.
