“I want you to understand–” The old vampire started but Violette cut him off.
“I do understand. And it doesn't change anything, I don't care what he did in the past, it's none of my business. All I want is to save my father, and Dante,” she swallowed his name like it was a pure acid, “can help me. Sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear,” her voice kept balanced and stringent. Pretending she wasn't affected by the revealed secret was the hardest thing to do. She meant to look apathetic and cold. And although she succeeded in it, her soul was consumed by terror. She was on the verge of shaking, fighting it for her voice could give her away.
“Very sad. I really hoped we would come to a mutual understanding,” Caidas aired disappointedly, working his jaw at last.
Violette remained steadfast as stone, even though her heart was blocking any other sound around. She knew they could hear it, but she had to endure this moment, remaining detached and unemotional. All the suppressed screams and fears she wanted to let out have to stay in. Caidas should see it clearly – she had no intention to back away. Not now. Not when she was so close.
“It's your fight, not mine and never was,” Violette stated, her throat burning.
He released a deep sigh, just before Dante and Violetteturned to leave.
“If it's your choice…I really didn't want to do this,” the high vampire's tone deepened. “You know that I can't kill Dante, but I can get rid ofyou.”
His eyes darkened as he snapped his fingers. The last thing she saw before the dark blue coat obscured her was Nigel who nearly levitated in her direction. A loud groan left Dante's lungs as Nigel sank his teeth into his shoulder, a blow that was intended for her. The fine hairs rose on the back of Violette’s neck. Dread crept out under her skin, making her body petrify for a second.
“Little Witch, run!” Dante yelled.
Violette didn't hesitate; her legs rushed off on their own. Abruptly, she turned around and looked back at Dante resisting Nigel as he pressed him to the ground.
“I said run!” he commanded again, his voice cracking.
She only glanced at Caidas still standing at the same spot like he didn't want to be involved, like an owner who let his dog off the leash, waiting for his job to be done. She wavered a step back before spinning on her heels and running as fast as she could. It felt like her heart could easily overtake her if it could jump out of her chest. Her hands clenched the delicate fabric of her gown, holding the hem above the ground.
Her legs hadn't stopped as she threw a look over her shoulder just once to take a glimpse of what was happening, but all she saw were naked trees anda fragment of two blurry figures through the branches.
The escape from whatever she heard in the Forest of Somber Eyes was nothing compared to the terror that consumed her now, perhaps because she definitely knewwhowas hunting her this time. If she thought she couldn't run faster before, she was so wrong as her legs were racing for their life, never would she think running on heels would be that easy. Adrenaline was flooding all her being, her heart drumming loud as a thunderstorm.
The sight of the carriage didn't bring her relief but she was completely out of breath to continue her way on her legs.
The driver seemed to come to his senses, sitting at his seat as if he was commanded to wait for them after a casual little walk in the forest.
“Oh, miss!” He lifted his eyes from a brochure in his hands. “Did something happen?” The confusion crinkled his eyes at the sight of Violette gasping for air.
“No time to explain. Rush as fast as possible!” she commanded and burst open the door.
Sudden rustling coming out the back made her foot freeze on the carriage step. She looked around and jumped inside.
“But what about–”
Violette cut the coachman off as her head popped out from the window.
“I said make haste!” she yelled. “Go!”
Theman didn't say anything else. As soon as the reins were drawn, the sound of the horses' hooves beat off the ground at great speed.
Even minutes after, Violette couldn't soothe herself, staring at the road left behind as if waiting for anything to suddenly show up, like a big beast jumping out of the thickets. Finally after watching the road for a while, she got fully inside, her back collapsed into the seat. Her chest was raising up and down, she tried to ease at least a little before her heart would burst from the speed of its beating.
Everything happened so fast – she couldn't even collect all her thoughts, which scattered like coins on a marble floor. Her mind was a place covered in a thick pathless haze. Turning her head, she looked through the window again. A scream nearly blew out her lungs as a male figure stormed in.
“Easy, easy. It's me,” Dante calmed her.
She breathed out with a release that it wasn’t someone else. However, his presence was not very comforting now either.
His coat was gone, half of his shirt was ripped, the blood dripping from his shoulder.
Violette’s brows twisted together, her lips parted and she gasped for air once again. Her eyes glistened in the darkness as Dante’s hand reached to hers. He tried to calm her down, reassure her everything was fine but then he was forcibly thrown out of the carriage. This time the scream left her lungs, after all.
It was Nigel, trying to get in. Dante sank his nails into his arm, another hand into his shoulder. The carriage swayed from side to the side. Nigel gripped the edge of the door but soon both of them fell to the ground and were whipped out.
