Evol

chapter fifty-one

author's note -

Julian's Brooke-sense is tingling.

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Tuesday 20th August, 2019

Julian.

Three hours earlier.

I slammed the vampyre's head into the brick wall, watching with cruel satisfaction as a low hiss of pain seeped through his lips, black eyes closing.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" He cried out as I smashed his head against the wall again.

"Yes, you do." I looked around; no one was in the alleyway - we were alone. "Tell me where she is!"

"I don't know!"

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the hand that wasn't around his throat into his chest, the skin ripping easily underneath my fingers. He gargled in pain as I felt around for his beating heart.

"Don't-- Please--"

"Tell me where she is, you bastard!"

"I-- I don't know--" Without hesitating, I tore his heart clean out of his chest, and he stared forward for a long moment, eyes glossing over, before crumpling at my feet.

Ruthlessly, I threw his heart to the ground, wiping my hands on my jeans.

Carter was waiting behind me, green eyes hard. "He didn't know?"

"No," I growled, pushing my curls back.

"That's the twentieth vampyre in seven days."

"I know."

"How many more will you kill?"

"As many as it takes," I said, and pulled the hood of my jumper up, fighting to keep my swelling anger under control.

The streets had been deadly quiet since the news broke about Brooke's 'kidnapping'. Everyone in Grove Hill thought there was a maniac on the loose, stealing teens, and there was, just not the human kind, and he was only stealing one teen--

I closed my eyes. Brooke.

"That's enough for today," Carter said, kicking the dead body.

"It's never enough."

"You need to sleep, Julian."

I turned to him sharply - he saw the dark warning in my eyes, and nodded like he understood. He didn't. No one did.

"You know," he frowned. "You did this to yourself. You left her alone."

He'd been waiting to say that all week, I knew. But once he said it, I tensed like I hadn't seen it coming. "I know."

"Then you know," Carter watched me carefully, "that if she doesn't survive this, it's your fault."

There was a lump in my throat. "I know," I said, and stared at the brick wall.

"Good. As long as we're in understanding."

"Carter," I said quietly, "if you think for one second that I don't understand what I've done, then you're wrong. You don't have to make me pay for my mistake," I looked down, licking my lips. "Because living without her would be punishment enough."

"I know." He said.

"Good," I met his eyes - they were glassy, echoing the same gut-wrenching desperation I felt. "As long as we're in understanding."