About a block away from their destination, Cameron stopped suddenly, making Winter bump into him when he turned to her, a small smile spread across his face.
Why is he so happy? Wasn’t doing this going against his every being?
“Here,” he said, pulling Winter’s dagger out of his jeans pocket. “I found this when I killed Layla. She must’ve taken it at some point.”
Winter still didn’t understand how.
“Anyway,” he said, slipping the dagger back into the holster attached to her leggings, “I need you to stay close to me, alright? Don’t let go of my hand. I need to keep you safe.”
Winter nodded, but before they would walk again, she tugged his arm, making him look back to her. “Was Layla the girl in the jacket and the black lipstick?”
Cameron shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
That was odd… Then who was it? A witch working for Dante? Could it have been the one he was using black magic with?
“Come on,” he urged. “It’s almost two.”
She nodded and followed him to the next block, looking around for threats in the dark streets, but ended up finding none.
She had barely slept… but she didn’t really care, she was excited and her body was running off the energy from that emotion.
Not even the slightest bit of exhaustion washed through her…
After a minute, they made it to their destination, Cameron looking left and right for threats, but ended up finding none.
But all the sudden, Winter’s necklace started beating red through her shirt, and they both looked to it, and back to each other.
Cameron was the first to break eye-contact, scanning the area for shadows or anything else…
But he heard Winter’s breath catch, and she cried out a name that Cameron didn’t register, and broke free of his hand, making him yell out to her before running after her.
He stopped a couple feet away from Winter, seeing her kneel down beside a certain girl with black hair and gold eyes.
Erica…
She had a gag in her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes when she looked to Winter, muffling something through the cloth while trying to break free from the bindings…
“It’s okay,” Winter assured her, attempting to untie the ropes. “I’ll get you out of here, don’t worry.”
But when Cameron looked to her necklace… he noticed something was odd…
It was beating harder, faster, the red glowing so bright it almost blinded him.
He looked down to Erica as Winter finished the last binding… and he saw she was wearing a tight, black jacket…
Shit.
He launched toward Winter then, screaming, “Winter! Get away from her!”
She only looked up to him, concern lighting her eyes. “What do you me—”
Erica shot up from where she sat, pulling Winter up with her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a dagger to her throat.
Cameron stopped then, staring at Winter wide-eyed while she stared back with a similar expression.
“Got you,” Erica sang.
“What’s happening?” Winter questioned, breathing heavily as the metal from the dagger burned the skin on her neck.
“She’s the girl in the hood…” Cameron said, looking from Winter to Erica. “She’s been deceiving us….”
Erica smiled. “You never looked at the necklace when I was around. Bad move on your part, Cameron.”
He swallowed down something hard, looking to Winter when she stared back in horror.
It’s going to be okay, he said to her thoughts.
Her expression didn’t waver, and he could tell she wasn’t sure if he was lying to get her to calm down or not.
He moved his gaze down Winter’s hand, seeing one clutching Erica’s wrist to hopefully prevent her from slitting her throat, and the other reaching for her dagger in her belt, very slowly.
He couldn’t run up to Erica and rip Winter away… He wasn’t sure if it was Dante’s plan to kill her or use her… All those things Kit said could’ve been lies to let their guards down…
“Let her go,” Cameron said, glaring at Erica as Winter’s hand got closer to the dagger.
“That should’ve been the first sentence that came from your bratty mouth,” Erica responded.
He watched Winter’s hand get closer.
She almost had it…
“I mean it,” he growled, veins burning with rage.
Winter’s hand closed around the hilt…
Come on, Sweetheart… he thought. You got this…
“Watch out, Erica,” someone said from behind them, voice filled with amusement. “She’s reaching for her weapon, you know.”
It only took Cameron a second to know it was Jett…
Erica caught Winter’s waist harder, paralyzing her lungs with how tight her hold was, and she pressed the knife hard to her throat, making her skin burn like the blade was poison…
She let go of her dagger, knowing she couldn’t break free now that the blade was pressed deep enough to cut skin…
Goddammit…
Winter’s eyes moved to Cameron when Jett walked to her, glistening with unshed tears…
Cam knew what the look said, Help me…
He couldn’t move, though… afraid one stupid gesture would cause her to end up dead on the ground, choking as blood filled her lungs…
Nausea welled up his throat at the thought, but he swallowed it down painfully.
Jett slid the knife out of her belt, tossing it aside when Erica forced Winter still by pressing the knife harder, arching Winter’s back, so she wouldn’t kick him.
“Who are you?” Cameron questioned, hoping to stall until he thought of a plan…
God… his mind was running in circles… Every thought rushing past him at the speed of light, he couldn’t even catch one…
He’d never felt this way before…
But now that the one girl that was meant for him was in the hold of death herself… he couldn’t think straight…
Not when one wrong move would murder her…
“Jett and I are brother and sister,” Erica stated, lessening the pressure she put on Winter’s neck so she’d stop gagging. “You should be able to tell by the hair and eyes, Cameron.”
He then moved his gaze to Jett. “Why did you try to assault her?”
He smiled despite Cameron’s gaze burning. “I was an idiot teen. I’m not like him anymore.”
“How are you alive?” Cameron questioned.
“He knows you died,” Erica commented to her brother, chuckling as Winter let out choked cries.
“Black magic,” Jett said.
So he was another subject, as well.
“What are you?” Cameron said then. “A vampire? Werewolf?”
“Neither,” he said, smirking. “I’m more like an abnormally strong zombie.”
“I’m just a witch,” Erica said, smirking.
Cam’s eyes widened.
Was she the one helping Date bring people to life…?
“Alright,” Jett said, “time to go.”
Winter then shoved her heel into Erica’s shin, making her cry out when she broke free, sprinting for Cameron.
He started toward her, as well, reaching for her hands, but Jett caught her wrist, shoving her backwards as she cried out.
Before Cameron could register what was happening, Jett pulled a gun, Cameron screaming Winter’s name but he smashed her head in with the metal, making her face drop when she fell backwards.
“WINTER!” Cameron screamed.
But Erica caught Jett’s arm as well as Winter’s, whispering the teleportation spell, “Evanescent” before all of them vanished from the alley.
Cameron stumbled and stared at the spot where they once stood.
The panic settled in, and he screamed a curse, slamming the alley wall with enough force to leave a fist print, debris falling everywhere…
His eyes were glowing red now, canines extending from his lips and piercing his skin… but he couldn’t feel the pain…
“WINTER!” he cried again…
He was losing control… every part of him burning with anger and rage, the flames getting stronger when the image of Jett smashing her head in flashed across his eyes…
He couldn’t do it yet… He needed to keep control over himself… He couldn’t lose her…
No… he was burning… He needed to kill everyone that was involved… To see the blood spilling from their throats…
Revenge… that’s what he needed.
A sudden pad of footsteps formed from behind him, and he spun around, poised to attack, but it was only Amelia… though Sophia wasn’t with her…
“I thought the attack was supposed to be here…” she muttered, but then she looked up. “Cameron…?” she whispered, then looked around. “Where’s Winter?”
Then she locked eyes with him, seeing the red glowing in the dim lighting, and how he was letting out low growls through gasps.
Recognition passed over her expression, and she looked to him then. “Cameron, I need you to relax, alright? We can still get her.”
“How?” he snapped, voice almost wolf-like.
“I know where Dante stays… I just can never get in.”
Cameron looked to her then. “You do?”
A nod. “Come on. I need your help. We can still save her.”
She then ran out of the alley, Cameron following behind her.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
