Revenge

Chapter 16

I stop, frozen in place when my eyes lock on him. I swear I feel a flutter in my chest, a quick thumping of my heart, but it was only my imagination. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, his dark curls swept back away from his face, his jaw set and eyes focused. It looked like he was coming from the palace. Did that mean... Did he come back for me?

I step forward, my boots crunching in the snow. The sound makes his head snap up, weapon drawn. He points a crossbow in my direction. "Stop hiding in the shadows and show yourself!" 

That's when I realize he must not be able to see me. I walk forward until he tenses, finger flying to the trigger. "Wait!" I shout and he freezes as recognition sweeps across his face. 

"Elliot?"

I keep walking forward until his squinting eyes widen and he finally sees me. Then he's running and then I'm in his arms and nothing's felt better- Until I'm being shoved away so roughly that I fall back into the snow. I blink up at him, watching as his relief turns into horror. He takes me in like he's seeing me for the first time and I don't understand what's happening until he's raising his bow again.

"Dante?" I question in a shaking voice. 

"I'm sorry," he says, surprising me when tears find his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine, I'm-"

He shakes his head. "You look like him, you sound like him, but you're just a monster wearing his skin." Tears are trailing down his face and he's looking at me like... Like I'm not even human. 

"Dante," I feel tears wet my own cheeks. "Please, don't. I'm still Eli, the one you-"

"No!" He takes a breath, blinking the last of his tears away as his expression hardens. "The boy I loved is dead and I'm going to put you down."

I can't move as his finger locks with the trigger, he's pulling down and- A blur crashes into him, knocking him over and I see Marcel quickly get up as Lyle appears beside me, tugging my arm. "Come on, we have to go!"

But I can't move, not when Dante's struggling to reach for his weapon and Marcel's walking towards him like he's prey. I rush forward, putting myself in his path, baring my fangs at him. 

"Move, Elliot."

"I won't let you hurt him."

"He just tried to kill you."

"I would have done the same a day ago! Please," I beg when I see the indecision on Marcel's face. "I love him."

"He's a hunter. He'll kill you, look," he gestures behind me and I see Dante watching us with wide eyes and- And he's reaching for his weapon. "Even now, when you're defending him, he wants to kill you."

"He just doesn't understand. We can bring him back and explain like you did with me-"

"We're not bringing a hunter back with us," Marcel's eyes flash, his fangs descending. "Now it's time for you to chose."

"Marcel, no-"

He flashes his eyes at Lyle and my friend falls silent, his eyes pleading with me but for what, I don't understand.

"Chose, Elliot. The hunter or us."

I felt frozen. The choice seemed obvious and yet, it was the hardest choice I ever had to make. If I was thinking logically, they were right, Dante just tried to kill me. If I went with them, they would show me how to be a vampire, I would be with my friend and I would be safe. 

But Dante was... He was my everything. He was there for me when Lyle wasn't, he showed me how to love myself, he gave me someone I could trust with my life and if I could make him understand, which I knew I could, then the choice was obvious. 

"I chose Dante."

"No, Elliot!" I can't look at Lyle. Not as Marcel gives me a solemn nod before taking off into the forest and dragging Lyle with him. 

An arrow whizzes past my arm, slicing the skin and I cry out in pain as blood starts seeping down my arm. It didn't feel like a regular cut, it burned and it felt like it was spreading through my entire arm to my body. 

"Vervain," Dante says when I turn to look at him. "Extremely toxic to vampires."

I fall back into the snow as he puts his crossbow away and takes out a stake. I scoot back, scrambling to get away from him as he continues to walk towards me. "Dante, please, don't do this."

He's looking at me with such hatred in his eyes that it tears at my heart. "I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do!" I shout. "Why can't you believe that I'm still the same person you fell for? I'm still the same person you took sledding and showed how to skate, I'm still the same person that taught you how to dance, and I'm still the same person that needs you because I love you and I'm sorry I never had the chance to say it before but it's true. I love you!"

Dante stops advancing, looking me over as if he were the one in pain. "Don't."

"I love you," I say again as the vervain spreads through my system, causing the worst sort of pain I've ever felt in my life. My entire body felt too hot, I felt like I was coated in a layer of sweat despite kneeling in the snow. I fall forward, hands sinking into the snow as my vision starts to get blurry. 

Weakness consumes my muscles and I fall into the snow, unable to hold myself up any longer. My vision darkens around the edges and I could just make out Dante's feet stepping towards me before I let unconsciousness claim me.