Inject Me Sweetly / Dusk Until Dawn

:Inject Me Sweetly: Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Car sick?” Ashton inquired.

I ignored him. Luca glared at me for a few more moments before he turned around and faced forwards again. A sick feeling was beginning to spread through me. Habit had me crossing my arms over my stomach to try to settle it.

Apparently the rumor that Ashton knew about my blood was true. Did he kidnap me because he wanted my blood? Was he going to kill me? I couldn’t keep the mental imagines out of my head. Pictures of me lying like a prune on the ground, all the blood drained out… My hand shot up, covering my mouth as I resisted the urge to be sick. That probably was what would happen.

Silence settled in the car now, leaving my thoughts to wonder and become more gruesome. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block them out. Maybe I was being too negative. Maybe they were just going to take me out to dinner…

Yeah, and you’re the main course, a dark voice in my head stated.

I shooed it away. They weren’t going to eat me. Vampires didn’t eat humans; they only drank their blood. And when it came to my blood, they’d probably pour it into tiny vials and keep it stored for future use.

“Emily?”

My head snapped up, my gaze landing on Ashton’s through the rearview mirror. “What?” I snapped before I could stop myself. So much for keeping silent.

“Do you know where we are?”

I glanced out the car window. We were whizzing by a dark forest, the tall trees blurring together. The sight felt familiar, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on where I’d seen it before. It kind of reminded me of the trip I’d taken to Vermont with my family a few years back, but we were definitely not in Vermont.

“Do you seriously not know where we are?” Luca questioned, a smirk playing around his lips. “You’re stupid, aren’t you?”

I glowered at him. “No, I’m not. Sorry I don’t recognize a blurry mass of trees, Blondy!”

He rolled his eyes. “Good one. You’re blonde too.”

“You know what—”

“Right around the corner is Rutherford manor,” Ashton informed me, his eyes piercing mine through the windshield mirror again.

Realization swept over me. That’s why it looked familiar! Even though I’d only traveled this path a few times, I’d been able to commit the inky forest to memory. What were we doing here though? Why would he be bringing me to the manor? Was he trying to get himself killed? Who in the right mind would bring the girl they kidnapped to a house full of the vampires they’d kidnapped her from? Well, in a way. Technically Ashton hadn’t kidnapped me from anyone, but Vincent was supposed to be watching me so…

“If you’re thinking we’re going to the manor, you’re wrong,” Luca informed me, rolling his eyes. “Believe it or not, we’re smarter than that.”

“Where are we going then?”

“To a campsite,” Ashton told me. “My makeshift campsite, rather. I would bring you to my house, but I’m afraid once the Rutherfords catch onto your disappearance they’ll come hunting for you and my house would be the most obvious place.”

I frowned, biting my lip. It was nearly impossible for anyone to be found in the woods at night. What if they were planning to kill me? I was definitely a goner. And then it’d take a while for the police to scavenge the area for my dried up remains…

I shook my head. No. No depressing thoughts. Maybe they were just dragging me out here to scare me, or something.

“Luca, call Jared to see where he is.”