I screamed as loud as I could, and as he moved his head closer, I squinted my eyes and thrashed around, but he grabbed my hands and squeezed them on my stomach.
Then, three seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my neck.
Chapter 67
Julian
I had just spoken to Mady on the phone. How could she have allowed my fifteen-year-old sister to go to a goddamn club? I would have to talk to her. In private. But until then, I would have to deal with Mia.
I sat in my car on the way to the club, struggling to figure out how to deal with her.
Luckily, Dad was asleep on the living room couch and hadn't noticed any of the drama. He would probably have blamed himself for Mia's behavior, as he always did. Even though everyone in our family knew who was really to blame for our situation.
The fact that Mia was in the Dark Lion Club had shocked me so much that I'd been on the verge of a transformation like I hadn't been for a long time. My whole body had simply wanted to get away. Out into the woods, just away from here.
How much I desired to separate this part of me, to get rid of it completely.
I turned into the driveway of the club, where I had to be careful not to run anyone over. The entire square was parked up, and drunks, but also simply careless students, staggered across the dimly lit parking area, out and into the former wood factory of this part of town.
A blonde girl in a white dress and mask came running toward me, and I braked slightly. However, she dodged out of the way and quickly scurried past my car out into the pedestrian zone.
I was honestly surprised that no one had been run over yet today.
I parked not far from the club and immediately got out to search for my little sister, dodging two reporters from the Blairville Daily who were looking for people to interview.
I looked around with increasing tension.
There she was, standing on the other corner of the parking lot with Emely.
I decided to go straight to the two of them, determined to explain to Mia in detail what she was provoking with her immature behavior, that certain actions could have consequences.
But I didn't get very far.
An unbearable pain in my neck made me pause. I touched my skin, my face twisted in pain, but there was nothing at all. The pain remained, and along with it came quick images.
A dark street, the street where I lived. A single flickering lantern, Larissa on the ground, in front of it... the black haired DeLoughrey guy.
Then the images disappeared abruptly, and I knew immediately from whose perspective I had seen.
In a hurry, I sprinted over to Mia and Emely. The latter seemed mentally absent. She must have seen the same images as me.
“I can explain...” Mia began with more nervousness than I was used to from her. But the pain and the images in my head distracted me, numbing everything else. I would have to take care of Mia later. Now I reached for Emely, who seemed to be in a trance, and shook her hard.
“Ems!” I shook harder. “Ems! Where is she?!”
“Who are you talking about, Julian?” I heard Mia behind me.
“Emely! Where's Bay?!” Panic rose up inside me. “Come on, Emely, I've seen it too!”
I didn't want to believe it. She must still be in that damn club with her friends...
Emely's eyes seemed to clear, and I used the moment to shake her again. Then, finally...
“Julian...the Ruisangors...they…”
“I know!”
“In front of your house...”
“Could someone explain to me what's going on?” Mia asked, confused.
“Get in the car!” I replied tensely, not taking my eyes off Emely, who was now also clutching her neck.
“But...”
“Just do what I fucking tell you!”
Mia groaned, but finally obeyed and hurried to the car.
“Ems, we have to get there, now!”
But instead of following me, Emely looked at me with hesitation.
The pain that we were both trying to suppress was now not only shooting through my throat, but flooding my entire body. But instead of paralyzing me, it cried out to help Bayla, to go to her and reassure me that she was okay.
“We don't have time to think!”
The increasing pain made my heart beat rapidly, and my grip on the car keys became slippery because my hands were sweaty and shaking.
