For Love of Evil - [Roman Godfrey/Hemlock Grove]

-33-

A/N:
This was meant to be tomorrow's chapter, but because it's so incredibly short, I'm going to go ahead and post. *fingers-cross* (I hope I'll  have tomorrow's chapter written today.)
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Lyra stumbled to the earth's floor, rolling on her back as she crawled to the nearest tree. She could feel the repercussions of the crash - her forehead split open above her right brow.

But nothing compared to the pain in her shin. Looking down, she saw the blood soaking through her sweatpants - knowing that it was broken; bone possibly through skin.

There were lacerations on her hands - she tried to brace for impact; tiny shards of glass from the windshield were imbedded beneath her skin.

Lyra sat against the tree, defeated. There was no hiding this time - no more running. All that was left to do was to die.

She saw the silhouette of a woman coming through the trees; the sound of leaves crunching beneath her feet as she approached. Her eyes trailed up the tall, thin woman; watching her lean against the adjacent tree.

A moment of silence lingered between the two - then the sound of a lighter flicking broke through the stillness. Lyra saw Olivia lighting a cigarette, her mannerisms posh and nonchalant - as if this were going to be casual. For Olivia, it was.

"You're hard to get rid of, I'll give you that." Olivia said, taking a draw of her cigarette.

Lyra winced as she pulled herself further up against the tree. "Why- why me?"

"Roman's poor taste in women, I suppose. He defies every order I give him... but not this time." Olivia silently sighed; smoke billowing in the air around her, along with the fog of her breath. "You see, this is nothing personal. Roman just needs... a push. You're weakening him- you and Peter. Upirs aren't like your kind. We need to be pushed. Do you know what happens to a half Upir when it is pushed to its limits?" Olivia asked, adjusting her footing against the tree. She tilted her head toward the tree line, blowing smoking in the air as she waited for Lyra to take a guess.

"Spare me the suspense, just fucking get on with it." Lyra spat. She was in too much pain to see what Olivia was thinking - she was unable to read her thoughts or feelings.

"They become strong. They become... full Upir." Olivia smiled, nearly singing the drawn out sentence. "Roman has always used women- a womanizer, if you will. But then you came along." Olivia dropped her cigarette to the ground, taking a step toward Lyra. She scooted further back into the tree, unable to move away from the demonic presence. "I would go so far as to say that Roman loves you. Which leaves me no other choice. I have to kill you- it's the only way to push Roman... to make him strong, like me."

Lyra finally understood - by killing Lyra, Olivia would be pushing Roman into doing the unthinkable. Lyra had seen it - Roman lying lifeless in a bathtub full of his own blood. Olivia planned to push Roman to commit suicide. It was the only way to turn himself into a full Upir.

"No. No! Roman's stronger than you think, he would never-" Lyra screamed out as Olivia's hand pressed down onto her broken leg. She hovered above the helpless girl like an animal. "Roman will hate you." Lyra groaned. "Roman will never forgive you."

"Perhaps he will, perhaps he won't. You think I care about my son's opinion of me? I gave him life so he could become what I am."

"Roman will never be like you." Lyra spoke barely above a whisper.

Olivia smiled. "He'll be so much more."

Olivia lunged, pulling her away from the tree. Lyra cried out in agony as Olivia's teeth sank into her neck. She closed her eyes, praying that the darkness would take her soon.

Olivia pulled away, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Lyra's vision began to blur - she was beginning to lose consciousness from the amount of pain. The last image she saw was a wolf barreling into Olivia's side, knocking her to the ground. She heard rustling - growling. Her hearing began to deteriorate as the sound of a yelp echoed loudly into the night.