Paige’s eyes blazed with anger. “He’s talking about Vick like he’s a cow or a pasta bowl!
“Stop it, Paige.” He reached over to shake her, “If you let him rile you up then you won’t be able to think clearly enough to defeat him. Don’t let your love for Vick defeat you.”
She nodded her head, he was right. They needed to find a way out, but how? There was no way they could drive through this. Who knew how many other vehicles were stranded in this white cloud of doom.
“How do we get out of this?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I have your friends, I will kill them one at a time until you turn yourself over to me and I do believe I will start with the boy.”
She turned and reached for the door handle. This time Cal stopped her.
“Think, Paige! If he had them, especially Vick, why would he need you? He could feed from any of them except Joaquin. In fact if he had them, Joaquin would be keeping him from the others. So either way you giving yourself up would be foolish.”
“I’m waiting, Paige will you come out like a good human feed bag or will you make me destroy your friends?”
“Go to hell,” she flung the words out as if they burned.
“I’ve been there, it’s really not a bad place. You humans give such cozy places a bad reputation. Maybe I will give you the grand tour when you’re mine. Now come out of the car, I want a taste of what I will be getting when you lose the battle. Just a little taste, Paige. I promise not make you serve me until I own your soul. After that, well I can’t wait to see you on your knees deep throating me.”
His laughter crept up her spine leaving cold tingles of dread in its wake.
“I will die before I ever serve you.”
“No, Paige, but you will wish you were dead.”
A blast hit their car turning it around in a dizzying circle making the contents of her stomach revolt and try to crawl up her throat.
When the car settled the passenger door was open. The only thing keeping Paige in the car was her seatbelt.
“What do we do?” She looked at Cal hoping for a miracle.”
“We get out, Paige, and we fight.”
“If we lose?”
“We die trying.”
“Remind me to work on your uplifting speeches in times of need later.”
“I will.”
Paige undid her seat belt and climbed out the car while Cal did the same.
“I’m here, now what?”
There was no response as the white at her feet began to thicken.
“I don’t think so.” Paige climbed onto the hood of the car working her way over it to stand next to Cal. “We’re a team! It’s both of us or neither of us.”
“Don’t worry, I plan to eat from both of you.”
The white gathered quickly. Cal picked her up and walked to where it was thinner. The Sudir appeared in front of them.
“What do you think you can do in here? This is my world and you’re just the animals caught in my trap.” His hand shot out incasing them in a clear bubble that separated them. “You never had a chance.”
Paige beat on the material surrounding her having a faint sense of Déjà vu. How would she get out of it this time?
The Sudir walked over to her and caressed the outside of the bubble she was in.
“Dinner, made all the more fragrant by the killing rage of your mate. His inability to protect you amuses me. You could have come to me, I would have treated you so much better. Maybe not, at least I would have protected my food source.”
“The same way you protected Vick?”
The Sudir let out a screech, his teeth becoming sharp like small daggers in his mouth. Paige recoiled away from the front of the bubble.
“Does my form disgust you, Paige? Get over it, soon I will sink my teeth deep into you making you my captive for as long as I like. Your life, your very existence will be in my hands.”
His four arms raised emitting a black substance from his hands, it undulated as if it were in water, slowly creeping towards her.
Paige sent up a prayer that somehow the bubble she was in would save her. The closer she looked at the substance the more it reminded her of the poison injected into her from the birds in the bonding trials. Had the Sudir managed to infiltrate the soul bonding trials? If he had, what else could he do? Was it feasible to actually defeat him?
That small part of Paige that scared her the most reared its ugly head whispering there was no hope. She worked hard in school and on her job to stop the voices that advocated for her defeat. The ones that encouraged her to give up. Now that same voice was telling her there was no hope.
Paige’s mind closed down as fear took over. She rubbed her ring needing one more solid connection with Cal before it was all torn away from her. Her eyes were wide and hazy as they began to dull. ‘Give in Paige, there is no hope. All who enter here are defeated before the battle begins.’ The thought multiplied in her head invading her brain and killing any chances she had of escape.