Page 103 of Scorned
“Oh my god, Winnie. Shayla said he would die if he didn’t choose wisely. She meant you. You’re the one who has to choose to save him.”
“If he wakes up with humans around, he’ll kill all three of you. And he doesn’t want to be a vampire. Is that not enough for you?”
“Please,” I whispered, my voice lowering, tears rolling down my cheeks. Peering up at him from the floor, I picked up his hand, and caressed it between mine. “He’s my dad.”
Winnie’s jaw clenched as he stared into my begging eyes before ripping his hand away. “Fuck you, Sage! Zeke, get the damn blood bags out of the cooler. You, go up there with Lyric.”
“I’m not leaving his side until he opens his eyes.”
“Goddamn it, Sage!” Winnie screamed, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Small purple and blue veins popped up on his face, sending goosebumps across my arms. He opened his mouth and bared his fangs with a hiss. “Do what I said!”
I forced back my need to help and, for once, I did what I was told. Squeezing past them, I lowered my ass onto the edge of the passenger seat, next to Lyric, but kept my body facing them in case they needed help.
Winnie put his wrist up to his mouth and bit into it, leaving blood on his chin.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Zeke asked frantically.
“Turning him into a vampire,” Winnie answered, halting his wrist at the brim of Marcus’s mouth. “Unless you say otherwise. He’s your brother.”
Zeke’s panicked eyes went from Winnie to me and back again. “Do it! Save him.”
Winnie pressed his wrist against Marcus’s mouth. “Babe, I’m going to need you to switch seats with Lynx. We’re going to need more vampire strength back here.”
Lyric slunk past me and the van slowed as she took over driving.
“Should I pull over and—” Gunshots sounded from behind us.
“Don’t stop, we’re being chased.” Winnie removed his wrist from Marcus’s mouth. “Hold his legs, Zeke, and try your damndest not to give in. Because if this works, he’s going to try and kill us all.”
“If you thought he was strong before, he’s going to be a literal god if he transitions,” Lynx added. “When people are already strong, they—”
A large growl filled the van, almost deafening me.
“Zeke, grab the blood,” Winnie yelled.
Zeke removed one hand as he reached for a blood bag, and Marcus flailed, flinging Lynx and Winnie off like they weighed nothing.
Marcus lunged for Zeke, grabbing him by the shoulders. Winnie put him in a choke hold and Lynx grabbed onto Marcus’s arms, but he was much stronger.
He flung her off like she was only a bothersome mosquito, then did the same to Winnie. They both responded quickly, hurling themselves on top of Marcus, pinning his back to the van floor. He snarled, revealing his newfound fangs, the sight leaving my heart racing.
“I can’t feed him the blood and hold him down,” Winnie shouted, then his eyes met mine.
I was ready to bolt out of the seat, my fingernails dug into it, barely holding me in place.
He shook his head, let out a hard breath, and finally relented. “Fuck. Don’t get killed or Luka will kill me!”
I leapt to my feet and dove for the blood bag, barely having it in my hands when Marcus thrashed again, sending everyone flying.
The bag got knocked from my hand and I fell flat on my ass. I desperately went for the bag again and as soon as my fingers grasped it, a wave of absolute terror washed over me.
Marcus snarled inches from my face and I froze.
He grabbed my shoulders, fangs bared, and leaned in for the kill.
With the blood bag gripped tightly, I did the only thing I could do. I turned my head and at the last second, slid the bag in between Marcus’s fangs and my neck.
He bit into the bag, sending blood pouring down the front of me.
