Riley Hayes | A Vampire Novel | Book 2

Chapter 17 -

Aria and Wendy had arrived earlier, and I could see the shock on their faces when they first saw Riley. The reality of how bad things were settled over them like a heavy fog. Now, they were seated with the others in the dining hall, around a table that had been wiped clean of blood and debris. The room looked pristine, as if pretending the horror hadn't touched it, but everyone seated knew better.

Beth was upstairs, staying with Riley, trying to keep her calm or at least less panicked. I had wanted to be there, to stay with her through every second of this, but I couldn't afford to—not when there was still a chance of saving her. So I forced myself to focus on the room in front of me. The air was thick with tension, every breath tight with the weight of what was happening.

Christina sat next to Wyatt, both looking tense and alert, like they were ready to spring into action at any second. Damian was seated near them, his hands clenched tightly on the table in front of him, knuckles white with the effort of holding himself together. He kept glancing toward the stairs, as if expecting some new horror to come crashing down. Anne sat close by, her expression determined, but there was a fear in her eyes she couldn't quite hide.

Rayna was at the far end, surrounded by grimoires and old spellbooks she had dragged from the attic. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hands shaking slightly from exhaustion. I knew she hadn't slept, hadn't stopped since this began. Aria and Wendy were beside her, flipping through pages, searching for anything that might help.

I stood at the head of the table, trying to keep my voice steady as I spoke. "Alright," I began, meeting their gazes one by one. "We need a plan. Riley isn't going to die from this. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Damian spoke first, his voice strained. "Dad... what can we do?" His eyes were red, his expression desperate, looking to me for answers I wasn't sure I had.

"We're going to find a way to counter that elixir," I replied, my tone firm, even as doubt clawed at the edges of my thoughts. "Rayna, I want you to keep searching. There has to be something in those books, some old spell, some magic we've never thought of. I don't care how buried or lost it is—find it."

Rayna nodded slowly, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "I'll keep looking," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "But Leuca... there's no record of a cure for the Abyssal Agony Elixir. It was designed to be incurable."

"I don't care what it was designed for!" I snapped, the frustration breaking through. "There's always a way. Magic has loopholes. We just have to find it."

Wendy's voice cut through the tension. "Leuca, we have to prepare for all outcomes. Even if Rayna finds something, there's no guarantee it will work. We need to think about what Riley wants."

My chest tightened at her words. "I know what she wants," I replied sharply. "But I'm not ready to let her go. Not yet. Not when there's still a chance."

Aria leaned forward, her gaze steady, though she didn't dare reach out. "We're with you," she said firmly. "But we have to face the possibility that there might not be a way out of this."

"I know that," I said through clenched teeth. "But we'll cross that bridge when there's no other choice. Right now, we keep looking. We keep fighting."

Aria's voice cuts through, sharp and pained. "Leuca, we're close to having no choice," she snaps, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "She's my best friend, and she's screaming her lungs out. Her skin is blistering, peeling off like she's being burned alive from the inside. She's suffering endlessly, Leuca. She's begging for us to let her go. She's begging for death."

Damian looks up, his voice breaking as he tries to hold back his tears. "Mom promised me she wouldn't die this early," he mutters, his voice a fragile whisper.