41. CATALINA

FORTY-ONE

catalina

I needed to get away from here. Far, far away. A sob hiccupped free and I struggled to see as I slammed myself into my van and scrambled to grab my keys with my good hand. Ren’s threat bounced around my head, but I was working off pure adrenaline.

Keys jingled from my shaking hand, and I let out another wrenching sob. Pressure in my chest became agonizing. The engine clicked, not revving on. I relaxed my grip on the key, taking a deep breath.

Come on.

I turned the key again and it roared to life. Relief loosened my shoulders, and I wasted no time as I backed out of the driveway. Ren’s threat echoed in my ears, but I had to try to leave. I’d hop on a plane and head to Mexico to collect Peter, then we could disappear. I had the smallest window to get out of here, because it was four of them against one.

My non broken hand shook on the steering wheel. My chest was excruciatingly tight and my nose burned. Sobs racked my body as I pushed on the gas. I used my knee to steady the steering wheel to grab my new inhaler with my good hand. It took me a few fumbling tries but I eventually got the wrapper off. Tossing it to the ground, I lifted it to my mouth, sucking in deeply as I drove with my forearm steadying the wheel.

I took a third puff, but the pressure in my chest wouldn’t loosen. Another sob wrenched free from my throat as I reached for the radio, trying to shut off the blaring music. As soon as it cut off, my cries bounced off the windows.

Stop, Catalina.

Yet, the sobs kept coming.

Jax hadn’t allowed me a moment to speak. He didn’t care what I had to say. None of them had. My lip trembled and I had to blink quickly to clear my sight. Asher told me to leave.

As if I was nothing.

Who was I kidding? I was nothing to them. Just a potential blood-whore. How had I been fooled so easily? Vampires are arrogant prideful creatures. At the core of it we like to play– Asher told me this entire time that it was all a game.

The van chose that moment to sputter and jerk. Something started beeping as it stuttered to a stop and hissed. No, God, you had to be kidding.

I blankly stared out the window before my head thumped on the wheel. A loud honk echoed. Quickly straightening, the eerie honk cut off. This couldn’t be my life. It seemed impossible that it could become so shit within a few hours. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

My van emitted a concerning hiss and a cloud of smoke spilled from the crevices of the hood.

Tears still streaming down my face, I reached over and pushed open the door. An intense smell of fumes assaulted my nose.

Where was I? I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and looked around the lonely and road. The outlines of trees stretched into the dark, starry sky. I could see nothing into the thick line of the woods. A sharp pressure tightened my chest. Such a pretty night for it being so shitty. At least I wasn’t a hiccupping mess. I’d gotten a reprieve for a moment.

The engine let out another odd sound and I stumbled away from it. I shouldn’t have pushed the van so much.

I needed to do something and not just stand here like a lump, waiting for my car to burst into flames.

A pebble clattered. No, those were steps. I squinted down the long line of the road, trying to make out the distant figure approaching me with too much speed. All I could see was the outline of a male body. That nasty ball in my stomach expanded again. I took an unsteady step back. No. No. No way.

Was it the vampire from the cave?

Or one of the others?

My chest pumped and I turned and started running down the road as fast as my feet could take me. My head rushed and I picked up pace, the only sound filling my ears was that of my rasping breaths.

Beams of light suddenly blinded me, and a roar filled my ears. Cold metal collided with the side of my body. My ears rang as I went flying and slammed onto the pavement.

Blistering pain seared my arms, and I groaned. Every inch of my body felt like a big bruise. I tried to push myself into a sitting position, but as soon as my fingers twitched, I screamed. My arm was broken. And my leg.

I whimpered and flattened on the ground of the intersecting road. The bright lights of the car that slammed into me burned my eyes as tears washed down my face. Pain speared my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe. Dots flooded my vision. I was going to asphyxiate. I hated this. I hated that I couldn’t breathe normally. My own body was against me.

I choked on a sob, my body jerking with the cough that struck agony through my limbs. The light from the vehicle illuminated the outline of the approaching silhouette. My eyes widened and my throat closed. Darkness consumed me until there was nothing more.

Thank you for reading!

Catalina’s story continues in Undying Thirst .

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