Chapter Eighty-six

Chapter Eighty-six

Metal crunched and plastic bits shattered all around him. The man behind the wheel was slumped over in his seat. Bram’s feet skid backward as another car slammed into the back of the one he’d stopped. “Watch out!”

Izabella stumbled away from him, “They’re hunters!” She cried out. Chaos erupted throughout the street. People were climbing out of their cars, trying to see what the hell was happening. Just as Bram turned those blazing blue eyes on her, a shot rang out, and people dove back into their cars, screaming. Bram stumbled, growling momentarily before pulling Izabella to his chest and taking off down the street. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her face into his shirt. He was moving too quickly for her to be able to keep her head up.

A few minutes later, he faltered, falling to his knees. Izabella scrambled off him, holding him close. “Are you okay?” His face pressed into her shoulder.

“I just got shot, Izabella. That’s not something that can usually happen. That shit hurts like hell.” She looked over his shoulder, and sure enough, he was bleeding. The wound was high in his right shoulder.

Applying pressure to the shot, Izabella’s hands shook. “I’m so sorry, Bram.” Looking around her, she saw that they had stopped in an ally. She wasn’t sure how far they had gone. “What can I do?”

“Nothing right now. I need to get back to my car or apartment in order to be able to get to the tools I need to have the bullet removed. What the hell is going on Iz?” He glanced over his shoulder, his features tight and pale.

“They’ve taken us hostage. They said that the church has been hunting you since before my father, and that I was raised to be your weakness.” She dropped to the pavement in front of him, refusing to look at him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I feel… like I-I’ve betrayed you. I didn’t know. If I had, I never would have brought the kids there with me.”

Bram didn’t doubt Izabella. If they wanted to use her against him, they wouldn’t have told her that. Part of the desire of someone like her would have been the innocence cultivated in her younger years. He wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her in close. “I know, sweetheart. It’s okay. They haven’t hurt you, have they?”

She shook her head. Crawling onto his lap and holding him close. The nose of his red Ferrari turned into the tight ally. “No. But they won’t let me see the kids. They make me stand there waiting for you every day. I know they’re planning something awful. I had to come out and warn you. I didn’t want them to catch you off guard. I never would have forgiven myself.”

His mother went to the trunk of the car and pulled out a new shirt and his first aid kit. “Seriously, you’re going to be the death of me.” She moved behind him, handing him a bottle of whiskey, “You’ll want this. Believe me now?”

Bram kicked the whiskey back, exhaling slowly as his mother pushed a pair of sharp needle-nose pliers into his flesh. “I didn’t not believe you. I didn’t believe Izabella was involved.” He grumbled, half smiling as Izabella kissed his cheek.

“Well, I didn’t either. After a while, anyway. I mean, now that she nearly killed herself in order to tell you what was happening, there’s not a single doubt in my mind.” Scarlet was smiled down at her before turning her attention back to the gunshot dripping down his back.

After swallowing the rest of the whiskey, he coughed, resting his head on her shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again. Fuck, that’s going to be a mess. God damn priests shooting me in the middle of a busy street. I thought they were supposed to try to keep us under wraps to prevent the world from knowing what we are. They’re will be a lot of questions of how some guy just pulled a superman move in real life.”

Scarlet cleared her throat. “They knew I was there. Do you think I’m going to let my son oust himself like that?” Bram flinched as she went after the bullet with renewed vigor. “I wipe everyone’s memory who was on the street. They’ll all think that car hit something else. They just won’t know what, or their minds will fill in the blanks.”

Izabella stared up at his mother. The things that woman could do were terrifying. “They’re going to use me and the kids against you. You can’t keep coming to see me. I need to go back for the kids too.”

“I know.” When he looked up at her, her heart nearly broke. “It’s better this way. Let’s be honest, with everyone that’s currently after me, that’s the safest place you can be right now. Mihaela won’t be able to touch you there, and neither will the elders. The church won’t hurt you, especially now, since they know that you will be the best ticket to trap me. I’ll make myself scarce now. I just… I had to know they weren’t hurting you. I had to know you were okay.” He pulled her phone out of his pocket. “Take this. Don’t let them know you have it, if you can avoid it. That way I’ll be able to text you, or you can call me if here’s an emergency.”

Raising up on her knees, she kissed him deeply, not caring that his mother was watching. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”

“This is nothing.” He chuckled. “I’d much prefer to take the bullet over you any day.” When she touched his hand, it had started to go cold.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She leaned forward, watching his mother fish around in his shoulder.

Scarlet frowned. “As soon as we can get it out, he will be. His healing will be able to kick in. I just need to get the stupid thing out first. Take off your shirt.” Izabella reached for the hem, lifting it carefully for him and helping him take the hurt arm out of it. “Give me that whiskey.” She snatched the bottle, dumping a healthy amount over the wound.

Bram frowned, “Not so much. I’d rather drink it. It’s not like I can get an infection.” His voice came out a growl.

“If I don’t get all this out, and it is coming in pieces, you could find yourself in more trouble than you think. We don’t know what sources they’re using, and considering I won’t be able to piece this back together, we’ll never know. Not unless Izabella can get her hands on a bullet and send me a picture.”

“She will not be doing that.” He cringed as Scarlet pulled out the largest piece yet. “I don’t want her to take any chance with them. You hear me, Izabella? Just do as they say and stay under their radar. As long as you and the kids are safe, just let them protect you while there are vamps on my tail. I’ll come and get you out once everything else is settled.”

Bram lifted his nose in the air, his eyes narrowing around him. “What’s wrong?” Izabella asked, feeling anxious.

“They’re coming.” He got to his feet unsteadily. “Maybe in the meantime, try to convince them this is all one sided. And you don’t want anything to do with me. It may make it easier when I come back for you.” He said, leaning in, kissing her passionately. This tongue claiming hers one last time before they would part for who-knew how long. “I love you so much.” He said, peppering kisses over her nose, eyes, and cheeks.

“I love you.” She wrapped her arms around him, wanting desperately just to stay with him. Backing away, she had to force herself not to cry, and it was far harder than she thought.

“We’ve got to go. Don’t fight them.” His hand pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “I love you.” Those words passed between them a number of more times as she watched Scarlet grab his shirt and the first-aid kit and climbed onto his back. He scaled the side of the building in record time, then stood there, watching as the hunters came in. They wore their large church robes walking through the streets, but he knew that was in case they met up with him.

Those robes needed to be large enough to hold a full-scale attack on someone like Bram, and that was no easy task. Once he’d disappeared overed the top of the building, Izabella had fallen to her knees sobbing. One of the men grabbed her arm, hauling her to her feet. And she threw her arms over his shoulders. It broke his heart to hear her telling someone he was a monster, and begging to be kept protected from him. But as the man’s features softened on her, and one of the others placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, leading her away, he knew that was the best course.

They couldn’t know how deeply she cared for him. It would only put her at greater risk. He hoped her true colors didn’t break through before he was ready to come back for her. And for their sake, they better not touch a hair on her head. He would know. And he would kill them.