Taking What's His

Chapter Fifteen

{ Delilah's POV }

I had gotten used to the striking feeling of trepidation whenever one of them was near, so it was natural at this moment for me to speed up and try everything I could to get away from him. My gaze was focused on my review mirror, and as I saw him running towards me from a distance, his mouth open as if he was screaming, I sped up even more.

The blaring of a horn drew my gaze, and my foot stomped on the brake as a large 18-wheeler headed straight for me. My car let out an ear splitting screech, but it did not stop all the way. You know how in movies, when an accident or something is about to happen, everything goes in slow motion? Yeah, that's all a load of bullshit. Merely movie magic.

I didn't even see my life flash before my eyes. We merely collided, and as we did, it felt as if every bone in my body had broken. My head slammed against the steering wheel, and I could feel the sharp stabbing pain of glass impaling me as my windshield shattered. My car tilted and flipped, and as the back of the large truck hit me, it sent me spinning.

I was already numb by this time, my entire body acting as if my bones had turned to jelly, and in a far part of my mind, I wondered yet why I was not yet dead. At the very least my neck should have snapped with the way it violently snapped to the right in our first collision. Yet I was still alive, barely, but alive. When my poor car finally came to a stop--I was numb; shocked and paralyzed.

It took a moment for the pain to come, but when it did, an ear splitting shriek left my lips, my body writhing in pain as I struggled, still strapped to my seat. Every moment sent fire shooting through my veins, and I was finally reduced to soft sobs as I prayed for someone to help me, to rid me of this pain.

'Death would have been more preferable to what I suffer at this moment!'

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{ Ashton's POV }

I have never felt so helpless. I screeched to a halt just as their vehicles collided, and with a sickening feeling rising in my chest I watched in disbelief as Delilah's car was thoroughly crushed, her still inside it, obviously. The truck itself came to a tottering halt before me, the driver and the massive vehicle itself only harboring little damage.

"DELILAH!"

I gave no lingering thought to the truck driver, rushing over to her overturned car and dropping down to my hands and knees beside it. I could hear her crying from inside as I tore scraps of metal from the wreckage, knowing I had to get her out. The smell of her blood hit me like a wave, enveloping all my senses to the point where my fangs protruded from my gums, aching for a taste.

I snarled, desperately holding back the monster that hungered to drain her dry as I finally freed her enough to pull her out. Her freely flowing blood instantly coated my hands and seeped into my clothes, and my eyes turned red in animalistic craving. I could see her eyes open, and as she looked up at me she only cried harder. I frightened her.

"De-Delilah..." I choked out, keeping her caged tightly in my arms. Her cries turned to whimpers, and through the pounding of her frantic heart in my ears, I heard her utter words that instantly subdued me.

"I don't want to die."

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{ Delilah's POV }

I tried pushing him away. I struggled feebly in his arms, sobbing, wishing desperately to be anywhere but here. I didn't want him to kill me. Any other way would be preferable; to die by his hand would be unbearable. Not because I was certain it would hurt, or because I knew he would drink every last drop from my body.

No, it was because of the way he held me now, desperately trying to hold himself back from even the smallest of taste of my blood that covered him. His eyes held undeniable hunger, but at the same time a compelling sadness that pained me, unlike the flesh wounds I now harbored. He wouldn't forgive himself if he killed me. Not now, not ever.

"Let me go--let me go!" I cried, trying to push him from me. A low growl sounded in his throat, almost like a cry was bubbling up, waiting to be heared. His grip on me tightened, and his head dipped, lips drawing close to my neck. I could feel each breath of his on my skin, and it seemed as though all my pain had vanished.

The whole world was holding its breath, waiting to see what he would do. I felt certain that it was going to be my end, and I harbored a thought at the front of my mind, compelling him to hear what my lips could not speak. It's not your fault. And it wasn't. I couldn't blame him for what he was, or what he was about to do. I closed my eyes, silencing my whimpers and cries and waiting for him to end it.

"Delilah...I'm not going to hurt you."

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It was as if we were frozen in time.

A few seconds seemed an eternity as I stared up at him from where I was cradled in his arms. His lips parted, and my gaze was involuntarily drawn to them as he spoke.

"I am not going to hurt you Delilah."

I let out a breath, unaware that I had been holding it in until a pain bloomed in my chest. I could still see the gleaming tips of his fangs, which strangely did not seem threatening anymore after his words. I believed him. I don't know why, but I did. He wouldn't hurt me.

Our moment was broken as I realized that he didn't have to. I was already hurt, and losing blood quickly. "Don't worry--I'll get you to a hospital." Ashton murmured, coming out of his own trance and gingerly lifting me up. I moaned as shards of glass pressed deeper into my flesh, a whimpering cry passing blood-crusted lips.

"Try to stay with me, okay? You'll be alright. I promise." he murmured into my hair, trying to soothe me as he held me close. I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded, my fingertips that were stained with my own blood gripping onto his shirt.

I was barely jostled in his hold, but I could distinctly feel the wind whipping by as he nearly flew me back to town. His breathing was still a big ragged, but he had calmed down otherwise, and I felt an amazed wonder at his ability to control his hunger.

I was becoming conscious of the fact that I would soon no longer be able to keep myself awake. I was losing blood at an extreme rate, and it seemed as if my body itself was becoming lighter. The pain had faded, and I had become numb, nearly drunk on the smell of my own blood.

'Vampires. Creatures that drain the blood from humans, consuming it as their food. Sacred crimson, the only thing keeping them from rotting away as they should. And yet here is one who is desperately trying to keep the blood in my body. It's almost comical...'

"Delilah--h-hey! Stay with me! Delilah! Dammit--!"