“Julian...”
“What?” I looked into her dark brown eyes. “What, Emely?!”
“I'm not going to interfere there and endanger the pack's existence.”
My breath hitched.
How could she say that? Hadn't she seen the pictures?
“Damn it, Emely! Just fuck that damn pack for once and do what's right!”
Her loyalty to that stupid pack made me so angry! Bayla was in danger and the Ruisangors had just broken the treaty, but all she could think about right now was her stupid pack?!
Instead of trying anymore, I let it go and ran to the car, where Mia was already waiting for me.
But Emely suddenly appeared at the passenger door.
“Let's go.”
And even though I didn't know why she did it, I didn't question her sudden change of mind, but started the engine to drive off.
Five minutes later, we were downtown, where it was remarkably empty. Probably because everyone was at the club or at home at this time of night. I just wondered because two hours ago, countless children had been running around in Halloween costumes.
I was breaking all possible driving rules, so I couldn’t care less.
“Julian?! That was red!” Mia sounded startled. “What's wrong with you guys?”
Neither Emely nor I said a word.
I was trying to get to our house as fast as possible, if I could without crashing, which was hard when Mia was asking questions all the time and the pain was increasing, not decreasing.
“Julian, she's in so much pain...” Emely whimpered from the passenger seat, unable to take her hand off her neck.
I felt the need to simply take her pain away, but I wasn't able to. There was only one person who could possibly do that, and she was in mortal danger right now.
I felt my hands shaking and gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles stood out.
“Fine. Ignore me then,” Mia grumbled from the back seat. Her impatience didn't make it any better.
With trembling hands, I finally steered my car into the street where not only ours, but also the Adams' house was.
When I saw the flickering lantern, my heart stopped beating for a moment.
I braked hard, causing the tires to squeal loudly.
I had hoped that I was imagining it all. A bad dream. But of course, I wasn't dreaming.
How could you, Julian? How could you still think you were dreaming, in Blairville?
The reality was different. It lay in front of me on the pavement under a flickering lantern surrounded by menacing darkness and fucking ravens.
I pulled myself out of my state of shock and got out of the car to rush to the motionless girl on the stone path.
The ravens shot up into the air, screaming.
I fell to my knees, trying to feel her heartbeat. Panicked, I reached for her wrist, only to feel nothing but my own heart racing.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The pain didn't subside.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Bayla did not move. She was freezing cold.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Painfully, I forced myself to touch her neck, which was the only thing that was warm. Warm and wet. Smeared with blood. The thick, dark liquid stained my hands and the sleeves of my hoodie.
“Julian, her neck!” Emely suddenly screamed in panic, trying to press her jacket onto the area to stop the bleeding.
I, meanwhile, did the first thing I could think of and placed my lips on hers. They were so cold and dry, but I didn't let that stop me. Instead, I gave her my air and then pressed my hands onto her chest with pressure.
“Shit, what's wrong with her? Why is she lying here?!” I heard Mia, who then disappeared into our house. I distantly noticed how she woke our father in a panic.
I pressed my lips to Bayla's again. This time more intensely, more shaking and paralyzed.
“Come on!” I shouted loudly, pushing my hands onto her chest again and again. “Come on! Come on!”
