Total eclipse of a heart (Embry Call)

40. Excruciating

Gasping, Embry grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling at it so strongly it ripped. Eyes wide, lips parted in shock, he could feel a flash of excruciating phantom pain in his chest - the kind Sam felt when Emily was hurt, the kind a wolf feels when his imprint needs help.

Sam recognized it immediately, turning to Rachel that stared at Embry with fear in her eyes.

"Call Valerie." Sam orders, standing up abruptly, his eyes focusing on Embry while Rachel frantically dialed Valerie's number.

"She's hurt. It's bad. It's really bad." Embry repeated, starting to hyperventilate as panic spread in his chest, exploding into his body.

"Someone call Jasper too. See if she's with them." Sam barked orders, grabbing Jared and Paul, his most trusted friends in the process.

"Go along the road and look for her. She might have been driving." Speaking low, Sam gave the wolves a solemn look, the somber change in atmosphere putting everyone on edge.

Jared and Paul took off instantly, but Embry remained in his seat - feeling wounded, as if his soul is departing.

"Did she send you any messages?" Sam asks, hoping to reiterate his fearful mind toward something helpful, hopeful.

"I, uh, yeah...she said she's taking Jasper's car but", checking his phone, Embry finally found the message, listening to her cheerful, apologetic message till the end.

"She was on her way and then it just cut her off." Embry rubbed his forehead in frustration, wanting to scream, to rage, to shift, but he felt far too weak to do anything but breathe.

A knock on the door startles them, something they're unaccustomed to. No one comes along unless they're family or friends and none of them knock. The scent Sam felt was faintly familiar, but not enough to pinpoint who it might be.

Striding over, he opened the door with a scowl only to find himself at the end of a barrel.

"Where the fuck is my daughter?!"

I couldn't move, I couldn't see and to be perfectly honest, I could hardly breathe. The excruciating pain engulfed me, forced me back to consciousness, but my eyes remained closed, unable to push against the heaviness of my tired eyelids. I had said my goodbye, I was ready to go, but someone else had a different idea.

"She's awake." I can hear a familiar, velvety voice followed by a cold, gentle touch against my left cheekbone.

"I'm sorry my little huntress, I couldn't stop them. But I can help you. I can make you better."

Alec?

I could feel my heart beating faster, the adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream driving me to move, to react, to fight a day longer.

After everything that happened, Alec isn't trustworthy, especially not when I'm helpless and his version of help would include an eternity of self loathing, of constant craving for blood, of losing the ones I love even when they're supernatural. Embry would one day die too. He can delay aging, he can maybe get over the vampire smell he explained as a sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh, but he'd grow old...he'd die.

I've always felt alone in this world, ever since my mom died, but he made it feel better. For once I felt important, not as a hunter but as a human being. Embry is my endgame and that can't happen if I'm a vampire.

"P-pp-plea-please", I can hear my voice, the words broken up as my body seems to be, my breaths wasted on a single word I hoped would make a difference. Alec has to know I don't want this life. If I have to choose, I'd rather die.

"You're in pain." Alec realizes as if he had entirely forgotten what it means to be human, what pain feels like.

"Sister, please." In seconds, the pain was gone but I still felt the lack of oxygen my body struggled to breathe for. It's an illusion, I realize, a well crafted illusion I've seen the blonde vampire inflicts pain with but it seems it can do some good too.

"You should do it sooner rather than later. She won't last long." The entitled, pompous voice of what I can assume is the same vampire that took away my pain only makes me shudder, the thought of what they want to do crippling me further.

"She'll hate me." Alec states and I wish I could scream he's right, alas I'm bound to the ground, lifeless, hanging on by a thread.

Does Embry know by now?

Does he think I'm dead? He once said if I die, he would do but isn't that an exaggeration? Isn't that what all teenagers think when they're young and in love?

But what if it isn't?

What if that's an imprint thing? Does he really die? If I give up now, would I be killing him too? If they change me, what will he feel then?

Would he live but hate me? Would the moment my heart stops beating release him from being my imprint?

Too many unanswered questions haunt me, too many to count. But one thing I do know is that I'm at an inch of my life and the only chance to see Embry again seems to be Alec and his fangs.

Per hunter code of conduct, if one is turned into any of the many creatures we hunt, our duty is to kill them of they cannot do it themselves. Would my dad come for me? Would he come with intent to kill me, truly this time?

"She'll hate you but she will live. You'll have an eternity to earn forgiveness." The coldness in her influence, the complete disregard for my wishes and even a hint if disgust in her tone had made me believe she hates humans.

"What if she remembers it all? I wouldn't be able to hide what happened that night anymore. That's unforgivable and I'm not sure if I can spend an eternity with her hating me."

I try to focus on Alec and his concerns but I cannot fathom what he means. Whatever it is, my mind is weakened to the point of blanking, my consciousness slipping again and I can tell there might not be anymore waking moments for me to suffer through.

"Well then, let her die. One less human won't make any difference for me."

"It will for me!" Alec shouts, the girl remains silent.

"I'm sorry." He whispers in my ear, his lips pressing against my neck and I relax, allowing the dark to come, but it never does as I feel my skin break under his fangs and the pain before becomes a sweet memory as venom begins to spread.