Page 31 of Before We Burn

“You didn’t know, did you?” I look up at him, his eyes filled with fear.

“Do it!” Connie demands.

I shake myself out of the mental ditch I dug. Whatever it is Everett is feeling, I feel it, too. It’s something I’ve only experienced a few times with other humans. I assumed it’s because they were more relaxed around me—that they saw no threat and assumed they could let their guards down—but now I’m wondering if they had a gift similar to mine, or the complete opposite.

I take the tip of the knife and make my first incision. It’s bigger than the original, because the tracker could’ve migrated and I need to be able to feel the entire area. I make another incision following the original ‘X,’ and Everett screams.

There’s no time to waste, because this could easily end up with him dying. I look at him, then Connie, before sticking my fingers in to search for the device.

He screams, thrashes, and tries to kick me, but Connie just punches him in the side until he stops. She is getting some type of joy out of this that I will never understand.

“Please, let me go. I can’t take it anymore,” Everett cries out, his voice weakening as I smell the metal. I push my finger a centimeter deeper and feel a small metal device that’s flat, square, and rough around the edges.

I wiggle my fingers until I’m able to grab it, a small jolt of electricity shocking me that almost makes me pull my hand away. Everett erupts in screams, and Connie covers his mouth. I will myself to dig a little deeper until I finally have the chip in my hand and Everett is no longer screaming.

I take the tracker to the bathroom and flush it down the toilet. We were tracked here, but we need it to look like he’s still moving to buy us more time. I walk back over to Everett. He’s breathing heavily, and his eyes look like there’s a haze covering them. Between the pain and lack of sleep, he is clearly going to pass out.

I let my fangs fall and bite my wrist, and Everett weakly panics once he notices.

“Relax,” I say. “This is going to feel euphoric, but I need you to drink.” I try to say it as gently as I can. He turns his head to the side in refusal.

He is bleeding out. If I wait any longer, he will die. “I’m going to have Connie use her abilities on you if you don’t. So decide now. Either take it willingly and live, or take it by force and live, knowing you were overpowered by two vampires who only want to help you.”

He’s pissed, and I can’t blame him. I keep using his ego against him, but it’s necessary. Even though we might not see eye to eye, and I think he’s a bit selfish, he doesn’t deserve to suffer. No one does. Plus, I want to help him.

Slowly he turns to me, lifting his head slightly, pressing his lips to my wrist and begins to drink.

The euphoria starts in my toes, slowly building to this irresistible urge to touch and kiss, but I fight it. He can take as much as he needs—his body will know when to stop, but it’s his mind I keep a close eye on. Something like this can shift very quickly, and if I let it get too far, he could form an attachment to me that I don’t want to deal with.

Once his grip weakens and color returns to his face, I pull my wrist away from him and stand across the room. Connie pushes herself off the bed and gives Everett a mocking smile.

“Tastes good, doesn’t it?” she taunts, and I sigh. He just had a tracker dug out of him and she can’t give him a moment to recover.

He looks at me, his eyes wide but knowing. He felt everything I could feel, and I felt everything he could. I don’t want to talk about it—I won’t talk about it—so I change the subject.

“Let's get our things and go,” I say, packing everything quickly.

Everett groans. “So we aren’t going to—” He stops talking, and his face morphs from confusion to realization. “I didn’t even get to sleep.”

I roll my eyes and don’t answer him. I prefer to sit in silence.

Connie disappears out the door, most likely finding a car with a tint dark enough to get to Sahara’s house so we can help Bunny.

I throw my backpack over my shoulder and stand at the door, ready to leave. Everett stands behind me, blowing out a heavy breath on the back of my neck.

“I’m really tired, Marzana.” He did sound tired, but that wasn’t my problem.

“You’re traveling with the damned, the forgotten, and the wicked. There’s no rest for us, even in death.” I turn to face outside again, his face making me feel…too many things.

Constantine pulls up in the car and I walk out, something I will be doing more of since everything keeps going to hell.

13

GREAT, A PLOT TWIST

EVERETT

They relegated me to the back seat like a child to be silenced. My legs are too long and hit the back of the seat every time I move, but at least I can glare at Constantine through the rearview mirror.