The Chase

14 Luca

I saw a formation of five bikes moving around a beat up moving van. Evie. Evie was inside that van. I knew it. I could feel it in my heart and soul. Even from this distance I could easily see that the gang ahead of me were packing a serious amount of firepower openly. I saw one whip a thick length of industrial looking chain against the side of the van. Felt the sharp fear and throbbing pain it evoked in my mate. Confirming without a doubt where she was.

I was trying to figure out how I could get through the gauntlet of armed bikers to rescue Evie on my own, without one or both of us dying. When a mind link from the rovers pushed into my head. "We're on the road ahead, sniper in place, stay back and we will distract the gang. You get your mate." Then the connection winked back out.

Not having any weapon aside from my wolf and no better plan or time to make one I just had to trust that the Rovers were as good on the road as I had always been told. I crested a hill and watched two bikers go down, silenced gunshots barely audible over the roar of so many bike engines.

Then all hell broke out. The gang holding Evie let loose, firing wildly. Not bothering to avoid the cargo space of the van. I could feel Evie's fear. Then something more chilling. As I wove around fallen bikes and men, I felt her give up, ready to die. The chilling numbness I could feel from her terrified me. 

My heart was in my throat watching bullet after bullet puncture through the thin walls of the cargo van. Holding my bond with Evie close, trying to send her strength. That I would save her. She was still alive, she hadn't been hit by a stray bullet. Yet. I focused on her. Getting to her. Keeping her alive, finally just getting to know her. 

I saw one of the rovers break open the passenger door of the van. A moment before it finally rolled to a stop on the shoulder. The driver side door opened and a man was pushed out in a heap to the pavement. Neck bent completely the wrong way before he landed on the ground.

I stopped the bike at the back of the van, breaking a cheap padlock and chain with my hands, before letting my wolf come forward. Clawed hands wrenching the rolling door up, metal crushing from the force I was using.

I could feel Evie, she was terrified as she saw me. I tried to quickly shift back but she had seen I wasn't fully human. I tried to reassure her. My words garbled from being half shifted. My wolf was fighting to go forward. He had waited too long for her. I forced back control, shes hurt, she needs human doctors. Her whole face was bruised. Blood matted in her hair, chained to the wall like an animal. As if she could have ever escaped the locked cargo space on her own.

I willed my body back to fully human. Locking my wolf back. Evie was cowering in the corner, unchained arm over her face. Trying to be as small as she could, trembling as she whispered "Please don't hurt me." the salt smell of tears filling the air. I was supposed to be a hero, not another monster to her.

I broke the chain, freeing her from the wall. "You're safe now Evie, I got you." I said, voice low, trying to be soothing. Her head whipped upwards. Eyes wide, but slow to focus on me. Fuck her head injury was bad. She needed a hospital immediately.

"Luca?" She looked at me. Eyes barely open, focusing seemed to be a challenge. Her heart was a mess of distrust, fear, conflicted with something I couldn't figure out. I fell to my knees in front of her. She was a mess. "You really were coming for me?" Her small hand reached out, caressing my cheek I leaned in to her touch, the wonderful sparks bursting to life where our skin met.

"I'll always come find you Evie." She smiled, a weak smile and I felt how it hurt just moving her face that little amount. I heard the Rovers rounding up the surviving gang members. Wanting to go and tear each of them into as many pieces as possible for what they had done to her.

Evie frowned, gently touching her head. I couldn't leave her to partake in torture. She needed me far more than my blood lust needed to be satisfied. "I can't tell if it's still the drug I was slipped last night or the concussion from Whip, but I feel the strangest things when I'm around you." She said. Reminding me of everything she didn't know. Her voice was slurred and stuttering.

Telling her again, "Evie you weren't drugged." I went to pick her up, stopping myself before touching her. "Can I pick you up? We should get out of here. I have a lot to tell you." She nodded weakly once. Wincing again from the slight bit she had shifted her head. "You need a doctor."

Gathering her up, Ike was jogging over to meet us. "Two still breathing sir," I shook my head no. Ike nodded and two subdued pops broke the stillness. "Take the van, down the road about ten clicks is an abandoned gas station. Myrtle has a better rig left there to get you the rest of the way home."

"I don't know how to thank you..." I really didn't. It was thanks to them I had Evie back in my arms where she was going to stay. Exactly where she belonged.

Ike shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "Things have been quiet, cleaning out trash is always a good time." he looked at Evie curled against my chest. She was not ok. "She needs a doctor." His eyes not leaving her face, I knew he was right, she was looking worse not better in my arms. Pale, it seemed harder for her to keep her eyes open than when I had first freed her.

A Rover I didn't know by name, came with bolt cutters, clipping the shackle from her wrist. "Nearest hospital with a decent neuro department isn't until Seattle. Almost an hour away, I would drive quick." His words and the look in his eyes were more than enough encouragement to get me moving. Running full speed to get Evie buckled into the passenger seat. Running to the driver's side. Glad the Rover had manually snapped the drivers neck so I didn't need to drive in blood and gore.

I flew down the road as safely as possible. Stopping only the once to switch to the decent older model pick up waiting in the parking lot of the abandoned gas station as promised. Carefully Moving Evie. She really struggled to stay awake enough to even grunt at me when I tried to talk to her. Inside the city limits I felt her heart rate start to slow. I was so close to my goal. I just had to get her to the hospital and everything would be ok. 

I barely heard the motorcycle coming up behind me. I was so focused on reaching my destination. I never saw it coming, the shot of a gun rang out. My chest exploding in pain as the truck drove into the support of an overpass. I threw myself in front of Evie, trying to protect her as the windshield shattered and everything came to a catastrophic stop.

I heard a manic voice yelling about how Ginger Sweets wasn't supposed to be harmed. An adult man throwing a tantrum while I bled out and Evie was almost dead underneath me. I was barely alive as a single set of strong arms yanked me out of the cab, heedless of how the broken glass cut into my skin. I was thrown, hitting a concrete retaining wall. The pain keeping me focused on what was happening around me. Trying to wildly send a minklink to Elijah, the rovers. Anyone to let him know what was happening.

At least one more rib cracked as I hit something concrete, "There's my Ginger Sweets. Get her some Red. She looks like shit." I heard the manic voice, I tried to move, tried to stop them. The smell of burning flesh heavy and thick in the air. I prayed it wasn't from me or Evie.

Red was vampire blood on the street. The new cure all and ultra high. The perfect drug, able to heal even a nearly fatal injury, with no hangover combined with supreme feelings of euphoria. The only problem was the number of new vampires it accidentally created with their unnatural red glowing eyes and insatiable bloodlust. I didn't want to ever see Evie without her beautiful storming ocean eyes.

I watched as Evie, limp and unmoving was picked up from the truck, and taken away from where I could see her. The bond letting me know she was getting farther away in a car once again. I failed her. I was too weak to do anything, trying to quest towards Elijah. I needed help. Evie needed help.