Chapter 56

Eliyah was dead. Gone, just like that. All that was left was a puddle of ash. Taylor’s scream had tore through me, my knees buckled, and I had dropped to the floor. Not Eliyah. How could this have happened. Id been so occupied with Lily and freeing my mother that I had pushed Eliyah to the side. Now time had run out. I couldn’t save him anymore. I couldn’t save him from himself. He had been a big part of our lives for so long. I don’t know how we will carry on without him.
“Kingsley. We can’t let Lucifer use Lilly.” Bryce said in almost a whisper.
“Fuck Lilly and fuck Lucifer. Eliyah is dead!” I screamed and the tears ran free.
“We promised.” Carter said in a small voice. He was right. It wasn’t Lilly’s fault or Eliyah’s. It was Lucifers.
***
Vito could only smile. “Somewhere you will soon love. Trust me.”
I shook my head as I shut my eyes closed and tried my best to call out to my siblings using telepathy. It worked on dad once, so it should work on my siblings as well.
Irene, Taehyung, Yoongi…if you can hear me…I need your help, please. I know you can hear me. Please find me. I don’t know where I am or where we’re going next. I’m scared and—
My thoughts were cut short when Vito brought a hand up to my neck and squeezed as he began choking me. I could only let out a surprised gasp as I tried to catch my breath, but he was blocking the airways.
“Don’t you dare try calling out to your siblings.” Vito warned as his eyes glowed red. “It’s too late now, Lilith. We’re leaving right now.”
I gripped his wrist with both my hands as I tried to pull his hand away from me, tears forming in the corners of my eyes as I continued to gasp for air. He then quickly let go and I began coughing up and inhaling deeply, the tears blurring my vision.
“Ella,” Vito called to the poor girl who only stood by the bed, looking just as frightened. “You know what to do. Take us back to Italy now.”
Just after Vito had said that the main door of the cabin was suddenly kicked open, the worn-out wood flying from its hinges and the freezing air from outside blew out the candles. We were suddenly surrounded by darkness.
A growl came from the door. It looked like a huge animal.
“See? This is what I was talking about!” Vito exclaimed, completely unbothered by the unknown guest. I could hear Ella’s uneven breathing next to me and I searched for her hand, quickly holding it in mine and grasping it as we blindly stared at the darkness in front of us.
“That girl is ours, bloodsuckers.” A deep voice of a burly man resonated in the small cabin. “You’re surrounded.”
“Ah, werewolves!” Vito pleasantly exclaimed as he clasped his hands together. “You’re too late, you dogs. We’re going back to Venice and taking her to the host.”
Host? What host??
“We’re giving you one last chance to run away and give us the girl.” The man growled. “You know how fatal werewolf bites can be to vampires.”
I could feel everyone tense up in the cabin except for Ella and me. We still held on to each other as we silently stared at what was happening in front of us, not sure what to do or how to escape.
“If you ever hurt me or any of my family, I’ll be ripping that girl’s heart out in seconds so that no one wins this competition.” Vito threatened. “Just one wrong move, dog, and this is over for all of us.”
I then felt Ella softly tug on my hand and I looked up at her. I could now make out the outline of her face as my eyes finally adjusted to the dark room and the small light being illuminated by the moon from outside.
“Just hold my hand and don’t let go, okay?” Ella whispered to me. “I have a plan.”
Ella must have forgotten that we were in a room filled with creatures that had heightened senses. The first one who noticed us was Beatrix, her head snapping towards us so quickly after Ella whispered to me. I knew that she heard every word.
“Where do you think you’re going??” She asked aloud which caught everyone’s attention.
As Vito moved to get me, Ella began chanting something in an unknown language and just when I felt the vampire’s fingers brush against my jeans, I felt myself being sucked out of the place as everything turned black in just a matter of seconds.
 
I stumbled to the ground as Ella, and I finished our quick teleportation to who knows where. As I regained my composure and looked up, I saw that we were in a dark alleyway in between tall cream-colored building. Yellow streetlights illuminated the pavements ahead and it gave off enough light for Ella and me to see in the dark, narrow alley.
“Where are we?” I asked her as I looked around, dusting off the dirt on my jeans. Ella was already standing, watching as I looked around.
“We’re in a small town in Italy,” She replied. Upon hearing the place, it reminded me to when Vito said that we were supposed to come here. So why did Ella bring us where I shouldn’t be?
“What? Why?” I asked as I felt my heartbeat slowly increase its pace once again.
Ella must have noticed the panic in my face, and she quickly held her hands toward me in a defensive manner. “D-Don’t worry! I won’t take you to the host!”
I watched as she looked around the alleyway, seeing if anyone was nearby that could hear us. She took a step closer to me. “We’re far from Venice. We’re in a small town in the other side of Italy. This is where my coven lives.”
Oh, so Ella is a witch.
Ella must have noticed my confused yet still worried expression. She then gave me a reassuring smile. “My coven didn’t join this race. We’re not like other witches; we’re good. We help people, we heal them, and we’re against evil.”
I found myself sighing in relief. “That’s good to hear. I swear I’ve been on foot since that powerful coven went to Goldpeak and tried to take me.”
“Aradia’s coven?” Ella asked as her eyes went wide. “How did you escape them?”
I shrugged. “My siblings and Lucifer fought them, and they hid me back in hell, where the vampires invaded the place and took me. That’s when we ended up in the cabin with you.”
Ella looked at me with an apologetic look, looking like she has something else to say. But she pursed her lips and looked around once again.
“It’s too dangerous to talk in here. Come, I’ll take you to our place. It is not far.”
Ella offered her hand for me to take, and I quickly did so, feeling her rough, calloused fingers from the dirt that stuck on her skin and noticed how small and thin her hands were compared to mine. I wanted to ask her how she ended up being with vampires and how she looked like she wasn’t able to eat or take care of herself properly.