Dare to Bleed (Emily Sullivan Series)

by Whitten, Mary

  I didn’t have time to wait for him to decide if he was in or not. I had an opportunity to save my best friend.

  “Gavin, I don’t have time for all of this. I am doing this with or without your help. If you think you and Axle can’t protect me from the big bad vampire without Ezra then call him and show up when he gets here.” I was probably hard on him but I was grumpy and stressed.

  “That’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t feel comfortable letting you walk in there alone. I would feel responsible if anything were to happen to you.” It was almost a sweet gesture, but I didn’t know if he really cared about me or was trying to cover his own cute butt. Maybe he did feel something for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think about it.

  “Well, sorry you feel that way but I have to do what I have to do. Now, I have a date with death so just wait for a call from Nelly to give you directions. Stay around your apartment and you will be close.”

  “God, Emily. You are so stubborn. Please be careful,” he answered with sincerity in his voice. I rolled my eyes and hung up. Me? Be careful, yeah right. I knew I was going to die. I got dressed and ate a plain bagel. Well, really I forced myself to swallow a few bites. I was more nervous than I had ever been. I plugged the address into my phone. We closed up the room and checked out. We took the directions that my phone called out in silence. Every turn we took made me even more nervous. We pulled unto a tiny dirt road. I could see an abandoned building down the road.

  “Ok, this is it. Gavin’s number is added in my phone. Um, if you need to call Ezra or Axle they are saved as “Blood Sucking Bastard’ and ‘Dumb Dog.’ Long story, anyways I guess I had better start walking. Give me fifteen minutes before you call them.” I handed her my phone and grabbed the book from the back seat. I opened my door and felt her hand on my arm.

  “Be careful, Emily. Just do exactly what he tells you.”

  I nodded and hopped out of the car. I shut the door and started walking. Each step felt like I was walking in quick sand. I finally snapped out of it.

  “Come on, Emily. You will be fine. Keep focused on saving Kimmy,” I reassured myself. I got closer and noticed Damon standing at the front door. I picked my head up and no longer felt fear. I felt enraged. This guy had ruined my life. I only wanted to kill him slowly. I didn’t know if that was possible for a vampire but I wanted to try.

  He must have felt my anger, because he smiled in response. I had to keep in mind that Gavin and Axle would come to my rescue soon. In a few minutes Nelly would be calling them.

  “I see you brought the book, alone, as I asked. That’s a good start,” Damon greeted me.

  I wanted to tell him where he could shove the book, but thought against it.

  “I want to see Kimmy,” I answered.

  He turned around and walked inside the building. I followed into the creepy rat shack. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was a small open building. There was a counter at the front and a jail cell in the back. It looked as though no one had used the place in years. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. The light shining in from a few broken windows illuminated every dust particle flying around. The jail cell caught my attention. Kimmy was no longer there. In fact I couldn’t see her anywhere.

  “Where is Kimmy? We had a deal.”

  He laughed. “You have only one chance to save her. This was a test.”

  I was confused, I was trying to save her, but she wasn’t in the building.

  “I am trying to save her, asshole, where is she?” I cried out. A sick feeling crept over me. Had he already killed her and this was only a set up to kill me too? We continued to walk to the cell. The room still held the chair from my dream but empty this time. The ropes that were used on Kimmy were loosely draped around the back rest.

  “You want to save her? Go ahead,” he said, gesturing into the cell.

  “You really think I’m going to go in there so you can lock me up?” I answered, crossing my arms over my chest. I was really worried about Kimmy, I was hoping maybe he had let her go.

  “You’re wasting time, and I don’t know how long you can hold your breath but I hope Kimmy can hold hers for longer.” He pointed into the cell. That’s when I noticed the shovel in the far corner of the room. The floor was made of dirt and looked like it had been dug up recently. That’s when it came together, he had buried Kimmy alive.

  I screamed. I don’t know how my legs moved so quickly without me realizing I was moving. One minute I was screaming, the next I was tearing at the ground with everything that I had. I felt something in the ground and saw her brown hair, at least I was digging in the right spot. Within seconds, I had moved dirt from her face. I put my ear to her mouth. She wasn’t breathing. I prayed that I wasn’t too late as I kept flinging dirt off her body. I had to get to her chest to start CPR.

  As the dirt came off, I put my fingers to her neck. No pulse. I noticed the dirt was getting muddier. I was crying uncontrollably. I started doing compressions and she coughed immediately.

  “Oh, thank God. Kimmy, can you hear me?” I cried out. She didn’t open her eyes. She continued to cough and pulled her arms out of the dirt. She wasn’t very far down so it wouldn’t be difficult to free herself. He must have knocked her out then buried her. I couldn’t tell how much damage he had caused because her face was too dirty. I tried to pull her hand to help her up. She groaned and jerked her hand away. It hurt, she was mad at me. Honestly at that moment I didn’t even care, she was alive.

  I heard the cell door shut and I popped my head around. Damon was standing behind the closed cell, holding the book.

  “So, now I need you to hurry and read my spell.” He threw the book into the room. Dirt sprayed up as it hit the ground.

  “Can’t you give me a second? I’m trying to make sure Kimmy is ok. You almost killed her,” I yelled. Kimmy was almost completely free from the ground. She was pawing at the floor, trying to free her left leg.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t wait around if I were you. See I knew if I just handed you your friend safe and sound you wouldn’t do what I needed. So I made myself a little insurance.”

  I wasn’t sure what kind of insurance he was talking about but the look he gave me didn’t make me question him. I sat down next to the book and pulled it into my lap.

  “Good, now I suggest you hurry. Flip to page 599,” he instructed.

  I did as I was told. I didn’t know how long I had been there but surely the guys should be here by now. As I turned each page, I was listening to hear them break down the door. Nothing was heard except my breathing and Kimmy pawing at the ground. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why she wouldn’t accept my help and what was taking her so long to free her leg.

  “You should probably find that page a little faster,” he warned. I was tired of the hints he was trying to throw at me.

  “Why is it so important that I hurry?” I asked curiously.

  He laughed. “You see, your friend is not herself right now. And the only thing holding her from eating your heart out is her foot chained deep into the ground. Once she frees herself, there will be no stopping her from killing you.”

  I slowly turned to Kimmy. She had the most evil look on her face, and her eyes were shining bright red. Only once had I seen eyes like that, and it was on Ezra. Damon had turned Kimmy into a vampire, and I was going to be her first meal if I didn’t hurry.

  “You fucking bastard!” I yelled at him. I could feel tears falling down my face. He just gave another laugh, I was amusing him.

  “Kimmy, I am so sorry,” I apologized. She wore a blank stare, she was here but no one was home. This wasn’t my best friend.

  “Why would you be sorry for the life I am giving her? We are immortal, and strong. Her old life was boring and useless.”

  I heard the door open but I couldn’t see who was coming to my rescue.

  “Gavin, I’m in here hurry,” I called out.

  Damon had a look of pure surprise on his face as he tur
ned to look. I stood up and ran to the bars, gripping them tightly. I squinted to see who was coming. To my surprise, it was Nelly who had showed up to save me.

  “Nelly. No. Run, save yourself,” I exclaimed, but she kept walking toward us, ignoring me. There was no way she could take on Damon. He would kill her in an instant and I would have to watch. I could hear Kimmy behind me grunting and the chain clinking. As Nelly came closer, she walked straight to Damon and they greeted each other in a warm embrace.

  I thought I would throw up. She had helped me escape because she worked for Damon. All along it was her that was betraying me. I had trusted her, and now no one was coming to my rescue. She never called Gavin to send him my address. I felt my death was near.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “How could you?” I demanded.

  “Sorry, dear, but I’ve been with Damon for a long time. Where ever he goes I go. I just happened to be working for Ezra when he switched sides. You have to understand he is like a son to me.” She had a genuine look of pitiful regret, but there was no way in hell I would ever forgive her. I felt close to her and she stabbed me in the back.

  “You see, Emily, I needed someone to administer a potion to you in order for me to access your dreams. It was so perfect and none of your stupid boyfriends even guessed it. Robert was onto us, that is why I had to get Nelly to kidnap your friend. I had to push you.”

  I was mortified. Everything that I had done was because of Damon. I was so happy that I had escaped the house but I didn’t dream that it was all part of his plan. I felt betrayed and foolish. And now my best friend was about to be free and kill me. No one would ever find me.

  Damon cleared his throat, bringing me back to reality. “You can still get out of this, Emily. Just read the spell.”

  I was so out of it I didn’t even know if I could read. “What about Kimmy?” I wasn’t sure what I was trying to ask, but I was worried about her and what would happen to her.

  “Kimmy will be fine, you just need to read the spell. Then I’ll let you out and keep her locked in there till your backup gets here to help her. Don’t worry so much, we dealt with things like this all the time. They will take her back to headquarters and teach her how to be a good little vampire. She will probably replace me.”

  At least I still had a chance of survival and Kimmy could get help. I knew I had to take it. Hell, maybe she would even like that lifestyle. I nodded to him and returned back to the book. I opened back to the page as he and Nelly stepped closer to the cell.

  “So all you have to do is read the spell and state my name after you finish.” He was full of excitement and nervousness. I read through the page in my head. The words frightened me. I could feel a tingle in my arms and hands. I had felt this before when I first held the book. I didn’t know what it meant, but I was hoping that it could help me.

  “What if this doesn’t even work? I’ve never done magic before,” I asked curiously.

  He laughed and seemed to relax a little bit. “Trust me, you are the daughter of Robert Sullivan. This will work.”

  I prayed that the guys would find me soon before I started reading the inscription. As I read, he repeated along with me through memory.

  “What is wicked now be sinful. What is unstable make it criminal. Do your bids along with more. Make this maker strong to the core.”

  I stopped, my hands were shaking violently.

  “Keep going,” Damon warned in a whisper.

  So I did.

  “Take the heart and rip in two. Mend the amiss and renew. Expose the guarded portal. Dispense time unto this mortal. Connect what was mine plus his. Send to complete what is. It is written in the stars to empower. Let no fault yet devour.”

  I finished with a sigh, my hands were still. I felt completely relaxed.

  Damon gave me a warning glare.

  “Damon,” I croaked out. Suddenly my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I heard loud hysterical laughing. I felt blood rushing to my head. I knew I would pass out soon if it didn’t stop. The pain was so intense. I crawled on the floor, pounding on my chest, trying anything to stop the agony. My vision was giving out on me, I felt like I was being trapped inside of a tunnel and it was closing in on me. I was unable to even gasp for a breath of air. I was dying.

  I didn’t know how strong the spell was, this was the reason Robert didn’t want me to have it. The reason no one wanted me to give it to Damon, it would kill me and give him my powers. I looked over at Kimmy, I could barely make her out any longer. I just wanted her face to be the last one I saw before I died.

  I don’t know how long I was out. It had to be only a few seconds. I awoke with a violent startle. I struggled to catch my breath. I inhaled the deepest I have ever in my life. I panted. My beating heart had to be going a million beats per second. Everything was clearer. The blur and tunnel was gone, I could breathe again. I was alive! Everyone in the room studied me as I threw myself around the floor, trying to pull as much oxygen into my lungs as I could. I probably looked like a fish out of water, but at that moment I just needed to breathe in as much air as I could. I was alive and fighting for my life.

  Damon was stammering something to Nelly, and she was trying to calm him down. I couldn’t make out what was being said over my heart beating loudly in my ears. Finally I regained my strength and stood. I felt great, like something had been lifted from me that was holding me down. I could finally make out what Damon was fussing about.

  “I don’t understand. She said my name. I don’t feel anything,” he yelled at Nelly.

  After everything she had done to me and yet I was still getting angry that he was yelling at her. I could hear Kimmy to my left, pulling at her chain, still trying to free herself. The clinking of the metal sounded like thunder in my ears.

  Nelly had her hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. “Damon, calm down. Everything is fine. You just need to learn your skills now.”

  But I knew he didn’t have any skills to learn. In fact, he had nothing. I felt as though I had electricity within my blood, itching to be freed. I started laughing, which stopped everyone. I ended with a smile. Damon and Nelly moved closer to the cell.

  “Who explained how the spell works to you, Damon?” I asked as I stopped laughing. He looked at me in shock.

  “Robert,” he whispered, which made me smile harder. He looked so confused.

  “What’s funny is, you have betrayed Robert in every sense of the word. Yet, the one thing that you desire with every essence of your being Robert betrayed you,” I announced with pride in my eyes. My father was one smart man to never trust anyone.

  “I don’t understand.” He was sounding more like a child with every passing second.

  “Well, you see, Damon, the spell works like this. Two people have to recite the spell but whichever name is called out, that is the soul whose powers are forfeited,” I explained with excitement.

  The look of shock on his face was priceless. He tried to speak but nothing came out. Then he started shaking his head violently. “No. I have the power,” he screamed, refusing to believe me.

  I laughed and walked over to Kimmy. I gently pushed her back to sit her down and grabbed her ankle. I gave the chain a tug and it broke. I looked her straight into her big red curious eyes.

  “Stay,” I commanded and she nodded. She seemed more like a robot than my hilarious vulgar best friend. I turned to Damon, his mouth was open with disbelief.

  “I guess told ya so would be childish to say right now, huh?” I joked. He looked furious, but not as furious as I felt. I waved my hand and the jail cell door flew across the room. He and Nelly started backing up. I really didn’t know if I had it in me to kill Nelly, but I knew I wanted to rip Damon to shreds. He tried to turn and run. I reached out to him with my hand, and he stopped in midair.

  “You have ruined my life. You killed my best friend and turned her into a monster. You made Nelly befriend me and then deceive me, not to mention
the two girls you killed. You, Damon, are a dead man,” I roared.

  “Please, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. You could never live with yourself if you killed another person.” He begged for his life. His eyes were bright red.

  “You’re right, Damon, I don’t know if I could kill another person. But thankfully you are not a person. And I want my face to be the last thing you see before you die.”

  He gave me a look of surprise. Then his face twisted in pain and he cried out. It only took seconds for his body to explode. Yet he blew up with such force blood sprayed everywhere. I felt cold wet droplets on my face and arms. I looked over at Nelly, who looked completely calm although she was covered in blood.

  Suddenly the front door flew open and in walked an army of guys geared up for war. Robert and the boys were at the front line dressed in all black. Was there really a point to their outfits? The sun was shining outside. Black really wasn’t a great color for a rescue in the middle of the day. They all ran in and stood with guns pointed, clearing the room. I thought it was strange they would be carrying guns when the bad guy was a vampire.

  “Hi, guys, where have you been?” I said as they looked up from the scope of their guns. Each gave me a look of confusion and surprise. I just smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  It took Robert all of three seconds to start barking orders. He sent the back-up rat pack out to ‘search’ for Damon. They cuffed Nelly and she sat calmly in a chair. She was being extremely cooperative. Ezra was inspecting Kimmy, and I desperately wanted to be near her. Gavin noticed my sad look and walked over and pulled me into an embrace.

  “Thanks,” I said into his chest.

  “It’s over now, Em. You can breathe.” He said it made me chuckle, if he only knew how true that was.

  “Is she going to be ok?” I asked, releasing his hold on me and nodding toward the cell. Kimmy looked like a petrified little kitten. This was a new side to her I had never seen before and it worried me.