Just A Taste | BOOK 1 The Night Lords Series

18. The Dream

It was hot.

Rippling waves of heat rose up from the asphalt. In the distance, the ground appeared to have melted into a fluctuating sea of debris and cement. When I look down though, the road remained solid beneath my shoes. I was standing in the middle of an abandoned highway surrounded on either side by trees. I look both ways but can determine no end to the barren strip of pavement.

"Bells?"

I gasp, turning around to see a lone figure walking towards me through the heat. His silhouette quivered slightly before solidifying into someone whose face I've almost forgotten.

"Oliver." I sob. I try to run towards him but my feet refuse to move. I try again but nothing changes. I look down in confusion before returning my attention to my brother who's stopped walking. He stood about twenty feet away, smiling.

"You're so beautiful, Bells. Just like mom."

I frown, reaching my hand out for him. I ignored the fact that he still looked fourteen while I seemed to have aged since last time we saw each other. My twin's green eyes sparkled with tears.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. His bottom lip trembled but he bit into it like he usually did to keep from crying. He hated crying in front of me because he said he had to maintain his older brother reputation. Back then, we used to argue whether or not the three seconds between our birth mattered and our mom would have to break us up telling us it didn't.

I lean towards him. "It's okay, Oliver. Please, come here. I can't move."

He stays where he is. "You should run, Bells. Get out of here before he finds you."

I strain my fingers towards him, gritting my teeth. "I'm not going anywhere."

Beads of sweat trickled down the back of my neck. The sun's rays were starting to really bear down on us. Oliver bends down to pick something up from the ground. I furrow my brows trying to see what it is. He turns it, the surface glinting in the daylight. My eyes widen.

"Oliver, put that down!"

He ignores me, pressing the jagged edge of the broken glass to the soft flesh of his inner wrist. I gasp, covering my mouth with my hands as he jerks it across, creating a deep cut. Blood gushes from the wound, through his fingers, and onto the pavement. The crimson drops sizzle and splatter like grease on a grill. He drops the piece of glass. When he looks up, his eyes are suddenly panicked.

"Isabelle, run!" He cries.

I attempt to lift my legs but, again, it's like my feet are glued to the ground.

"I can't," I grit out, my own eyes welling with tears. I reach for him. I just want to hold my brother again. "Oliver, please."

But he's not looking at me anymore. "He's here." he murmurs. I follow his gaze to the trees and that's when my heart drops.

Cassius stood in the shadows, shirtless as he grinned at my twin brother. His gleaming fangs sparkled as he tilts his head, lifting one sinewy arm to curl a finger at Oliver, beckoning him to come closer.

My struggles to move increase and I start to scream at Oliver. "Oliver, please! Get away from him! Come to me, Oli!"

Oliver's green eyes find mine. I shake my head in despair as I recognize the look he's giving me. His mouth was set, eyes hard as he tried to look brave. "Don't look, Bells."

"NO!" I screamed.

He turns away from me. Then, the devil's velvety voice caressed our bodies, a salacious command more feverish than the sun's touch.

"Come to me."

I fight with all my might to move but it doesn't matter. I'm forced to watch in horror as Oliver walks straight into the demon's arms, a trail of blood behind him.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" I roar.

Cassius lifts my brother into his arms as a father would his son. Whispering something into his ear, Oliver shudders once before going limp. The tears roll down my face.

"Please, no!" I cry.

Lifting my brother's bleeding arm to his mouth, Cassius inhales deeply before looking right at me. His tongue slips past his lips to lap at the wound once. He then licks his own lips, painting them red. I fall to my knees, hugging myself as I cry for my brother. Cassius doesn't break eye contact as he lowers his mouth to start drinking. It's when Oliver's blood starts spilling down his throat that the vampire closes his eyes. Oliver told me not to look but I just can't bring myself to turn my head.

"Child."

A new voice sounds from behind me but I don't look. I can't tear my eyes away from Oliver.

"Look at me, child."

No. I need to make sure my brother's alright. I need to make Cassius let him go.

The voice behind me starts to sound nervous. "You need to look away. He cannot be saved anymore. Look away, Divine One."

That title has my head turning just a fraction but I stay focused on Cassius who has now opened his eyes. Those silver orbs were glowing.

I then get an idea. It's something I know Cassius would not ignore. Something he already asked me for. My brother was getting paler and more still by the second. I have to save him.

"Child, don't!" That voice sounds truly panicked now.

I ignore it. "Cassius," I breathe.

I don't flinch back when he's suddenly in front of me, Oliver's blood staining his teeth as he kneels in front of me. I glance over to where he'd been. Oliver's body was hidden in the underbrush, the only part of him that I could see was his small, bloody hand lying limp in the dirt. Cassius takes my face in his hands, gently turning my head back to him.

"Yes?" he murmurs.

I look into his eyes. They were warm for once. Happy. It made him look absolutely beautiful.

The voice behind me speaks again, this time sounding angered. "Divine One, I order you to stop!"

Even though I feel like I should take heed to that voice, I'm lost in Cassius's face right now. He was looking at me lovingly, his cool thumbs that were brushing my cheeks feeling nice in this heat.

"Ask me." he whispers.

I close my eyes as he puts his forehead against mine. My lips part.

"WAKE UP." The voice booms. My eyes fly open as a sharp jolt of pain lances up my spine. Cassius's expression turns feral as he looks behind me. His roar of rage is the last thing I hear before everything turns white.