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Adrenaline surges through me as I shove her aside. She falls backward, her head smacking the edge of the hard bench. I don't stop to find out if she's still moving. I don't spare the energy to care if she's even alive. I can't.
I struggle to my feet, fighting to get to Venom.
I lunge forward, my teeth sinking into his muscular arm as hard as I can.
He howls in pain, his grip on the wheel faltering for a moment. He tries to pry me off with his free hand, but I refuse to let go. I can't.
"Get her off me!" he shouts, struggling to keep control of the vehicle.
"Kylie, let go!" Shelby cries from behind us, her voice thick and uncoordinated. But I won't let go—I can't give up now.
Venom swears viciously, yanking his arm hard to dislodge me. The sudden, violent movement sends me careening across the van. I land in a heap in the passenger floorboard, my head bouncing against the dashboard as the air rushes from my lungs.
Shelby cries out in terror, her panicked voice rising above the chaos. "Venom! Look out!"
He slams on the brakes with a roar of fury.
I look up just in time to see the world tilting as the van flips. Time seems to slow, stretching out the horrifying moment into an eternity.
And then metal screeches and glass shatters in an explosion of sound.
My body tries to lift upward, but I'm wedged between the dashboard and seat. I can't go anywhere. Pain radiates through me at the impact of the van landing. My head cracks against the dashboard. Something warm and wet trickles down the side of my face.
Blood, I realize.
The van tumbles over and over like some unstoppable force.
"Memphis!" His name rips from my throat in a raw, desperate scream as I'm thrown violently into the side wall of the van. Pain explodes through me, and everything goes dark.
Chapter Thirteen
Kylie
Screams echo through the darkness, pulling me from the depths of unconsciousness. My body throbs with pain, every nerve ending on fire. I don't know where I am or what's happening. All I know is pain and anguish.
God, it hurts so bad.
Where am I?
What happened?
"Kylie! Kylie, goddammit, wake up!" I'd know that voice anywhere. It's Memphis—my Memphis—but his voice is choked with a kind of torment I've never heard before. He sounds as if he's burning alive. He's in so much pain. Even his hands on my shoulders shake as if he's in danger of vibrating apart at the seams.
I fight to open my eyes but they're so heavy. My eyes flutter, revealing his haunted blue eyes, wet with tears and brimming with desperation.
"Mem…phis," I mumble, his name slurring on my lips. Something is wrong. I feel it in my bones, as if I'm teetering on the edge of death. God. Am I dying?
I can't. Not before I warn him… What?
"Venom," I gasp, choking on the name. Memphis needs to know; he has to be prepared.
But Memphis shushes me, his voice thick with emotion. "Shh, baby," he murmurs, tears streaming down his rugged face, dripping onto mine. "Shh. You don't have to worry about him anymore. You don't have to worry about him ever again."
Relief floods through me, but it doesn't wash away the exhaustion weighing down my limbs.
Why am I so tired?
Maybe I should just close my eyes for a little while. Just for a little bit.
