comfort of unconsciousness to overtake me again. I sat this way for a while, listening to the absolute silence of the room, feeling the throbbing pain in my temple, until a cool hand covered my own.
I wasn’t alone.
"Hey," a kind voice whispered and I cracked an eye in recognition.
"Olivia?" I rasped in a dry, cracked voice. Olivia kneeled next to me. Her red hair was tied back, giving her face sharp, hard angles. I searched her eyes for hope, but they were worried and tense.
Despite that, she sighed with relief. “Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried when they brought you in here. I knew you were alive but…” She touched the soft spot on my head and I winced. “That looks bad and I feared for internal bleeding or something. Did he hit you?"
"No… well, I don't really know. I was trying to get to the basement safe room and he got to me first. I just remember slamming into the wall before passing out."
Olivia brushed back my hair and put an arm around my shoulder, the two of us leaning against the hard wall. "I knew he was going for you, I saw that much before he left the building, but once he got to you things were unclear. I haven't been able to see much of anything for the last couple of days.”
"What about Grant?" I asked, frantic for any news.
Olivia nodded and my heart soared. Quickly she told me what she knew. "There was a fight. A pack of fledglings and a stronger vampire, named Penelope—not as mean as Sasha but just as crazy.”
“Great.”
“He’s coming for us. Right now, in fact. He was able to get our location from Penelope before he handed her over to Elijah. But Amelia… this is where things get complicated."
"What do you mean 'complicated'?" I asked, with a mixture of happiness over Grant coming here and confusion over Olivia's hesitation.
Olivia sighed and looked at me warily. "I mean, Grant is coming here and Caleb is going to make him—"
"Choose between the two of us," I said knowingly. "He told me."
"Amelia, one of the three of us will not make it out of here,” she said with absolute certainty. "Right now, it's unclear which one of us it will be, only because Grant hasn’t been given the choice yet."
“Are you sure we can’t change those odds?”
She shook her head.
I sat, stunned by the information. Nothing had ever made me see more clearly than being told I had anywhere from minutes to hours to live. The one thing that came to my mind was how much I loved Grant and never wanted to lose him.
"Okay then,” I said.
“Okay what?”
“It has to be me.”
She shook her head slowly. "I know it’s one option, but Grant won't let this happen. There is no way he will let you sacrifice yourself for him. And frankly, neither will I. Amelia, we've lived our lives and then some. It not going to happen."
I looked in her deep, green eyes, rimmed now with a dark black from hunger. "Make me like you," I whispered, pleading for her to understand. "For him. I want to be with him forever."
She stared at me in return before she blinked and her eyes glazed a bit, taking her to a different place. Her eyes snapped back quickly, wide and renewed as though she had seen something. But before I could ask what it was, the heavy metal door flung open, banging loudly into the wall behind it. I tensed on impact but Olivia was calm and collected, never removing her arm from around me.
Caleb strode in the room, flanked by two black-eyed vampires. "Isn't this cute? You're protective of the human, too." He rolled his eyes, locking in on Olivia. "What's going on? What have you seen?"
She hissed in return, tightening her grip on my arm to the point it was almost painful. Caleb stood over us glaring, now at Olivia and finally she said, "I already told you. You end up dead every time. I don't know why you keep pushing this."
I listened to her lie, obviously trying to convince Caleb to let us go for his own benefit. It was a good idea, but I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't
I wasn’t alone.
"Hey," a kind voice whispered and I cracked an eye in recognition.
"Olivia?" I rasped in a dry, cracked voice. Olivia kneeled next to me. Her red hair was tied back, giving her face sharp, hard angles. I searched her eyes for hope, but they were worried and tense.
Despite that, she sighed with relief. “Thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried when they brought you in here. I knew you were alive but…” She touched the soft spot on my head and I winced. “That looks bad and I feared for internal bleeding or something. Did he hit you?"
"No… well, I don't really know. I was trying to get to the basement safe room and he got to me first. I just remember slamming into the wall before passing out."
Olivia brushed back my hair and put an arm around my shoulder, the two of us leaning against the hard wall. "I knew he was going for you, I saw that much before he left the building, but once he got to you things were unclear. I haven't been able to see much of anything for the last couple of days.”
"What about Grant?" I asked, frantic for any news.
Olivia nodded and my heart soared. Quickly she told me what she knew. "There was a fight. A pack of fledglings and a stronger vampire, named Penelope—not as mean as Sasha but just as crazy.”
“Great.”
“He’s coming for us. Right now, in fact. He was able to get our location from Penelope before he handed her over to Elijah. But Amelia… this is where things get complicated."
"What do you mean 'complicated'?" I asked, with a mixture of happiness over Grant coming here and confusion over Olivia's hesitation.
Olivia sighed and looked at me warily. "I mean, Grant is coming here and Caleb is going to make him—"
"Choose between the two of us," I said knowingly. "He told me."
"Amelia, one of the three of us will not make it out of here,” she said with absolute certainty. "Right now, it's unclear which one of us it will be, only because Grant hasn’t been given the choice yet."
“Are you sure we can’t change those odds?”
She shook her head.
I sat, stunned by the information. Nothing had ever made me see more clearly than being told I had anywhere from minutes to hours to live. The one thing that came to my mind was how much I loved Grant and never wanted to lose him.
"Okay then,” I said.
“Okay what?”
“It has to be me.”
She shook her head slowly. "I know it’s one option, but Grant won't let this happen. There is no way he will let you sacrifice yourself for him. And frankly, neither will I. Amelia, we've lived our lives and then some. It not going to happen."
I looked in her deep, green eyes, rimmed now with a dark black from hunger. "Make me like you," I whispered, pleading for her to understand. "For him. I want to be with him forever."
She stared at me in return before she blinked and her eyes glazed a bit, taking her to a different place. Her eyes snapped back quickly, wide and renewed as though she had seen something. But before I could ask what it was, the heavy metal door flung open, banging loudly into the wall behind it. I tensed on impact but Olivia was calm and collected, never removing her arm from around me.
Caleb strode in the room, flanked by two black-eyed vampires. "Isn't this cute? You're protective of the human, too." He rolled his eyes, locking in on Olivia. "What's going on? What have you seen?"
She hissed in return, tightening her grip on my arm to the point it was almost painful. Caleb stood over us glaring, now at Olivia and finally she said, "I already told you. You end up dead every time. I don't know why you keep pushing this."
I listened to her lie, obviously trying to convince Caleb to let us go for his own benefit. It was a good idea, but I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't
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