The Silk Of The Predator (Book #1 In Series)

Elias

Getting shot sucks. But what's worse than that, is seeing the woman you love most in the world get stabbed in the chest.

I watched helplessly as she fell, her name a scream on my lips. Ally. My Althea. I stared unseeingly at the spot where she lay, where she screamed. The scream pierced through me, and I was able to make out Charlotte hovering over me. I knew what she was doing, what she was trying to do me. How could she be trying to heal me when Ally was lying a few feet away, dying. I pushed Charlotte away, and managed to choke out, "Ally first," before passing out.

I woke to Ally's agonizing scream. I jerked upright to have pain shoot through me. I had to get to Althea, so I pressed on, and I felt an arm around me, helping me up. Glancing over, I saw Vik, her face streaked with tears. With her help, I managed to stand, then Zach came over and helped support me.

I staggered over to her, dropped down next to her, and buried my face in her hair. Opposite of me, Charlotte incoherently muttered words in another language. All I could do was whisper her name over and over. "Ally, Ally, Ally...". "Elias," Matt's voice said softly and a warm hand landed on my shoulder. I knew what he was going to say. "No!" I yelled, jerking away. I refused to believe she was dying. After everything... No! She wasn't going to die. I wouldn't let her.

Vik crouched down next me, leaned against me. I sat up, opened my arms, and she fell into them. She pressed her face to my chest, almost instantly soaking my shirt, but I didn't care. I hugged her tighter, and she wrapped her arms around my neck as she sobbed into my chest. I let my head fall onto her shaking shoulder, as tears fell unchecked down my face. I looked over at Ally, and she so still that if it weren't for that fact that I could hear her breathing, I would have thought she was dead. God, she was so pale. Blood covered the front of her, thick, filled with pain and sadness.

Eventually Charlotte decided that Ally could be moved to the infirmary, and told us to stay away so she could work. It was then that I learned that Matt had taken off in pursuit of Wade, and that Gray and Shiro had flown off to do God knows what, help Matt maybe? Vik had refused to let go of me, so I just lifted her up and carried her with me. The guy that had shot me was nowhere to be seen, but Karolyn promised that when she saw him, she'd make sure she brought him to us. I heard all of this, but I didn't.

I felt numb all over as I walked back to mine and Ally's room. Vik let me put her down on the bed, where she snuggled up on my side of the bed. I felt a flash of gratitude that Vik was allowing me to lay where Ally lays, so that I could be surrounded by her scent. I padded down to the kitchen to get... something. By the time I got there, I had forgotten, so I just sank to the floor by the doorway. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and put my head in between my knees. I felt lost, and still very numb.

And that's how Zach found me. It might have been a few hours later, a few minutes, or even a few days later, I don't know. To me, it felt like an eternity had passed. He crouched down in front of me, and put a hand on my arm. "Elias," he said softly, and I looked up at him. "Come on," he offered me his hand, and I took it.

He made me stand as he got three glasses of water, and then he handed me two of them, "Now go back to Vik. She needs you, as much as you need her, maybe more,". I didn't say anything, I couldn't, it felt like my throat was swollen. I nodded, and headed back to the room where Vik was still curled up on my side, wide awake. I handed her a glass and she drank from it gratefully. No words were exchanged between us, nothing needed to be said. After drinking the water, I laid back and let the scent of Ally wash over me. Vik rolled over and curled up against my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her as the tears started up again.