Taint (Formerly Claimed) Dark Midnight 1

Chapter 47

*reposted after Wattpad screwed up

*make sure you read the one before this.  I updated twice*

I hate drama and sap, but every good vampire story needs drama and sap.  ;)

I'm counting this as the last chapter.  There's one more after this, kind of an epilouge that will tidy things up, but I'm posting it at a later date.  I'm just too tired at the moment.  

Thanks guys for all of your support.  Now it's time for Nikki to go crash.    

Feed me with comments and votes?  Hmmm?

-Nikki

Chapter 47

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Miriam didn’t remember screaming.  Her mouth was open—but nothing came out.  Nothing but endless, tortured silence as Eliot fell.

He stumbled forward, face clenched in pain, but he didn't make it far.  The light went out of those amber eyes even before he hit the floor…

His last act was to reach out, pushing her back out of Alazzdria’s reach. 

She stumbled back into a rickety table laden with junk as Eliot crouched onto the floor with a thud.  Desperate his fingers had reached up, encircling the staff of carved wood sticking from his chest. 

But he was too late.

Miriam didn’t know how long she stood there.  How long it took for the horror of it all to sink in—but she couldn’t see. 

Tears streamed down, blurring her vision.  Smearing everything into madness.

She couldn't see. 

“…Heal him,” she heard someone insist, though their voice seemed to reach her as if from miles away.  “You can heal him!”

Her head lolled back and forth, as someone shook her, ice cold hands on her shoulders. 

“You can heal him,” Alazzdria insisted, voice impatient.  “I know you can—you’re the one.”

But Eliot was already dead. 

Miriam couldn’t even bear to look at him, face pale and ashen.

“I can’t,” she heard herself croak.  Weightless, she slumped to the floor, utterly broken.  “I can’t…”

Alazzdria’s eyes were molten.  Burning silver.  “You can,” she hissed.  “You must.  You just—”

Her head cocked, gray eyes wide.  The next moment the door flew open, revealing the hulking shape of Sage with Hazel at his shoulder. 

“Eliot!”

Those black eyes widened, taking in Eliot’s body.  Then, they narrowed into black slits.  "What the—"

  The next moment Alazzdria was darting past him.  She was quick.  Like lighting she easily skirted his grasp and bolted for the shadows. 

With a growl, Sage took after her, but it was already too late.

Too late…

Like a ghost, Miriam forced herself to crawl to him.  She couldn’t look—she tried to turn her face away, but in the end she had to.

He looked like a statue made of stone.  Those red eyes stared up at nothing.  Empty.  His skin had lost that ivory hue. 

Already that beautiful face had turned a sickly shade of blue.