Chapter 88

I couldn’t recognize him almost. As I stared at him. He froze in the doorway. The last time I saw him, he was thin and paler. He’d gotten some color in his skin and filled out a bit. His hair had darkened. He was bigger than before. I swear his eyes had changed too, but I couldn’t focus on that. He’d gotten more handsome, but he was nothing compared to Candido.

When I thought about Candido’s jealousy towards Francium it seemed so silly. Who would ever choose him over Candido?

“Hedy?” He asked. “What are you…?”

“Where is Claire?”

He froze. His eyes widened. “Why would you—”

“She called me,” I said. “I heard her… I heard you and that vampire. The prince, right?”

He paled, and Francia moved subtly. Before Francium could get out the door, I darted across the room, reaching for him. He slipped away from me and turned right. I chased after him, hearing Francia coming just behind us. We ran into town, and he vanished like smoke in the air. I stood still and turned around, glaring at Francia.

"Where did he go?"

"No one here is going to allow you to hurt him,” Francia said evenly. “I would suggest you come back inside, and we can talk about this.”

I glared at her. “What part of I’m here for Claire, don’t you understand? I don’t have anything else to talk about.”

“Hedy, come inside.”

Something shifted out of the corner of my eye. I turned to focus on it. I narrowed my eyes and could see just the faintest image of someone moving. I turned and went after it. People darted into my path, trying to cut me off. I fought through them, leaping over the crowd and rushing after the figure. He rounded the area and headed towards the forest. I knew if I lost him there, I’d be out of luck, but I had to try.

Someone leaped on me, tackling me to the ground. I rolled us over and slammed him into the wall before getting to my feet and rushing after where Francium had gone.

“Hedy, wait!” Francia called as I bowled over a man, trying to get to Francium.

I was probably causing a huge scene, but I didn’t care. I saw him start to appear as we reached the forest, and then he vanished just behind a tree. I growled and turned around to face Francia.

“Francium killed her,” I said. “But I don’t care about that. I only want my best friend back, and if he keeps running, I’m going to forget that part.”

“You can’t see Claire yet,” Francia said. “Maybe not ever.”

“Watch me,” I hissed and turned back.

“You’re not going to find him,” Francia said. “He is more protected than you can imagine.”

Protected my ass. I closed my eyes and focused on my hearing, focused on every sense I had, and sharpened my mind until it was almost painful to think. I could feel blood trickling out of my nose. I felt a bit dizzy.

For a moment, I felt something in me reaching out, pushing and pulling through my blood like a power that I didn’t know I had. Then, I caught just the whiff of his scent, the hint of his sweat on the air. I turned and followed it. I rushed after it and rounded the forest, cutting through it and back to town until we were back at the house and I could enter through the back door. He spun around and stumbled away.

I grabbed him by his arm. He gasped, shocked, and turned to try and get out of my grip, but I didn’t let him go. He twisted and fought, forcing me to yank harder until he flew off his feet. I threw him to the ground and chased after him.

Francia was on her feet as I dragged him bodily up off the floor and back to the table and threw him into the chair. She seemed poised to attack, yet she didn’t move to stop me as I glared down at Francium.

He looked terrified. I wondered if Francium looked down at Claire like this and felt the same way. I could her gasping breath in the back of my mind. I could barely breathe around the fury that was boiling up in me.

He had no right to be so fearful. No right to be scared after he did what he’s done. My phone rang again and I glared at him.

“Don’t move.”

Francium nodded shakily, I pulled out my phone and answered it.

“Are you there?” Armageddon asked. “The GPS isn’t giving us a clear reading of where you are.”

My lips twitched at the urgency in his tone.

“Are you assigned to come to me?”

“Who else?” He asked.

“I haven’t moved,” she said. “Narrow in on my last location. I’ve found Francium.”

“…Why are you after Francium?” he asked.

“Remember when I told you I was following someone… and they were gone?”

I shuddered at the memory. The feeling of my nails digging into the painting and doing my best to get through it, I could barely breathe around the panic and fear that had consumed me then.

He was silent for a long time before answering. “You… know Claire?”

“Yes,” I said.

“How do you know Claire? Are you from Full Moon?”

I frowned, wondering about the pointedness of his questions. “That’s a long story.”

“I need you to tell me right now—”

“And I’m in the middle of something, so if it’s not that important, we’ll get to it later.”

He grunted. “I… Fine. Don’t kill him. We need information from him. Don’t get yourself killed.”

“I won’t,” I said. I hung up and tucked my phone in my pocket, glaring down at him.

I wasn’t so sure of the last bit, given that I still didn’t know how far away the vampire was. I couldn’t be sure how much time Francium had wasted by that chase. I didn’t have time to be nice or play around.

“Where is she?” I asked. “I’m not going to sit here all day with you and fight about it. If you don’t answer me, I’m going to start taking drastic measures.”

“Hedy, I—”

“You killed her!” I screamed, thumping on the chest. He felt more solid. He didn’t wheeze or cave though I hit him hard enough. Were all vampires this hearty? A bit of fear went through me at the thought. It would make fighting them much harder if they could take enhanced punches with ease.

“You dumped her body, but she isn’t there. Now where is she?”

Francium looked over at Francium and shook his head. “That’s not… That’s not true.”

Francia hummed, tapping her arm. “Oh dear, this is quite the misunderstanding, isn’t it?”

I growled at her. “There’s nothing to misunderstand. I heard her stop breathing. I heard her—I heard him!”

“I never dumped her body. She was never—” He shook his head. “That’s not what happened, Hedy, I promise. I would never.”

“I can’t trust you.”

Francia sighed again. “Be that as it may, it is far more complicated—”

“Save it,” I hissed. “Where is Claire?”

He shook his head. “I-I didn’t kill Claire. I could—”

“Liar!” I growled. “Don’t give me that shit! I heard you! I heard you choking her out.”

I shuddered, remembering the way I tried to claw through the painting, trying to get into the caves, hearing her dying breaths, and the way he apologized. The howl of agony that shook the school still ached within me.

“I’m not lying!” Francium said. “I would never. I couldn’t. Hedy, just let me explain—"

“You are!” I shoved him. Francia rushed towards me. I shoved her back and knocked Francium out of the chair, and pinned him down to the ground. Francia tackled me, but I shoved her away. The table split as I sent her through it. I lifted my fist over Francium.

“I didn’t kill her! I know what it sounds like. I can only guess what you heard, but I didn’t! She was already dying!”

I froze, glaring down at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

His eyes turned glossy. “He… He poisoned her. He… He forced her to take the pills.

“Where is she?”

Francium stared up at me, and I realized that his eyes were different. The blue of them had faded and turned gray. Almost silver like a vampire. He wasn’t a werewolf anymore, yet nothing in me said that he was completely my enemy. I needed to stay focus on the task ahead. I needed to find Claire and get out of here.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Where is she, Francium?”

“She’s alive,” he said breathlessly. “Of course, she’s alive.”

“You’re going to take me to where she is. Right now.”

He looked uncomfortable before nodding slowly.

“I’ll take you there…”