We Are The Hunted [Demetri Volturi]

Chapter 56

Chapter Inspiration: The Sun's Gone Dim by Johann Johnansson

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"Two are getting away!" Jane snarled.

Her sights set on the retreating hunters. She pulled herself back together since being released, though the limb wasn't fully set properly.

"Leave them, sister," Alec ordered.

Turning to protest her eyes landed on the mortal lying on the ground. The gunshot wound bled out at a rapid rate. The tracker and brute were the first to rush to her side.

"Put pressure on the wound," Demetri ordered.

Felix removed the blade from his shoulder for the area to heal. And for the vampire to regain full movement. The twins joined them to find a way to help. Alec bent down to examine where the bullet hole was located. His hands ripped open the area of the shirt more before Felix did as told.

"We need something to wrap it up, Alec, tear my cloak–"

"That's not going to stop it," the vampire stated. They all knew it, but were trying not to believe it. "She's made it worse by fighting." Her skin turned a deathly color pale with dark purple half-circles forming under the eyes. "She will die."

"Enough!" Demetri roared, getting in the twin's face.

The two stood there, glaring at each other as the other two looked on with wary expressions. Expecting them to start fighting each other. They were all on edge, but it was hard not to be. They barely managed to survive their encounter with the hunting party.

"Kahlen's not going to die!"

"Demetri, it's obvious," Jane dared to voice. "She's bleeding out."

Pulling away from Alec with a murderous expression his gaze turned down to Felix. His hands continued to press against the wound. Blood flowed over his pale skin and even soaked into his clothing.

"We need to get her back to the castle."

"Demetri, we're nowhere close to Volterra," Felix spoke. "She won't make it–!"

"Then move out of my way!" the tracker snarled.

Scooping up the hunter in his arms despite their protest he left the others behind in a blur. The three were left in silence for a few moments to stare at the area they once stood. The brute lowered his hand that reached out to them. It was covered in blood.

"We won't be as fast as them," Alec said. "But we should get moving."

"What about the hunters?" Jane asked.

Only one remained in the clearing. The one she caused to go insane. That would be an easy kill. The Scottish man lay dead too. Which left the one Kahlen had originally rendered unconscious, and another that managed to escape Alec's mist when the brother rushed to help his sister. But he wasn't in good condition himself and would move slower than normal. Alec broke his shoulder and caused the hunter to lose an eye. But the Guard had won, which was a relief in itself. Still, they shouldn't push their luck from their own injuries.

"We can't track them," Alec reasonde. "We may run into an ambush if we're not careful if they find someone else in the field to help them run. We need to return to Volterra."

Demetri didn't care if his actions were reckless. He didn't bother to maneuver around towns and cities, and cut right through them. At such an impressive speed, no one caught a glimpse of them. There was no time to take the long way around, feeling Kahlen's blood seeping into his vest jacket and dress shirt underneath. She trembled uncontrollably and started to breathe abnormally by the time they reached the next forest area. It forced the tracker to halt in a secluded section, laying the hunter on the ground to see what could be done to prolong her life. There were still miles ahead of them, pulling up the shirt to see the condition had grown much worse. The veins around the damaged area of skin had darkened considerably. Cursing in Italian, he tugged it back down and searched around them desperately. But there was nothing there to help as a hand cupped the young woman's cheek, smearing the blood on it in the process.

"Tell me what to do, Kahlen," he begged helplessly. "Please tell me what to do."

Her wheezes were his only answer as she stared at him in the eyes. Bloody fingers began to loosen their grip from his jacket as time went on. She could go into shock at any moment and the hunter no longer found herself able to speak.

"Kahlen..." His voice was strangled. Her color was draining, lips paling drastically. It nearly blended in with the sickly skin. Blood managed to get into the lungs, drowning her slowly, painfully. And in turn it was killing him to watch the hunter's suffering.

"What do I do?" he whispered even softer.

The young woman's grip completely fell slack to the ground, the vampire watching as the eyes began to drift shut. Instantly Demetri panicked, she was dying in his arms. Without hesitation, he ignored the warnings voiced in the past. The vampire ripped the collar of the shirt apart to expose the area of skin. The war had already begun in his eyes with what just happened with the hunters. He didn't hesitate to break the surface with his teeth. It was sloppy with blood overflowing from the wound, unable to keep it all in his mouth from how deeply he bit. The venom needed to work quickly if Kahlen had a chance to survive. His eyes squeezed shut, completely in rapture by the taste that he craved for so long, as his grip tightened on the body. It was everything he thought of and more. After what felt like forever, with difficulty, the tracker removed himself from the hunter's neck. With a shaky breath he clasped the limp arm to bring the wrist up to the lips. His teeth bit into the area as well.

Demetri was then left to wait and watch. Blood smeared across the lips and down the chin as Kahlen lay there in his arms. The seconds ticked by at an agonizing rate before her body suddenly spasm rather violently, as if having a seizure, then went still. She stopped breathing all together.

"No..." he stared wide-eyed. "No, no!"

This wasn't supposed to happen. The venom was supposed to place the mortal in a coma. Allow the heartbeat to slow before ceasing completely after a few days. Not in a matter of seconds. Which only meant, "Kahlen!" it had failed.

There was no one to witness the agonizing cries that echoed through the trees as his shoulders heaved from the sheer force of his anguish and rage.