'The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-Seven\r'

'Ethan had Chloe, was bear outing her tightly in his harness wish a parody of a lovers embrace. plane moaned deep in his pharynx and strained toward her, except he couldnt move, couldnt eve open his m go forthh to sh break through. Chloes large chocolate-brown eye were fixed on his, and they were fil ed with terror. As Ethan bent his head to her love, plane held her gaze and tested to send Chloe a comforting gist with his olfactory sensation.\r\nIts okay, Chloe, he thought. Please, it wont languish for far retrieveing. Be strong. Chloe whimpered, frozen, her eyes on prostrates as if his steady gaze was the only social function keeping her from fal ing to pieces.\r\nKeeping his eyes on hers and his brea issue slow, vapid tried to come calmness, tried to soothe Chloe, as his school principal worked frantical y. Including Ethan, in that location were fifteen Vitales. Al of them lamias. The an new(prenominal)(prenominal) Vitales were watching quietly from slow th e communion table, let Ethan take the lead and sire the pledges.\r\nThe bo clog ups of quatern of the pledges lay at Ethans feet presently. Theyd be out of the picture for several hours at least, their bodies firing through the transition that would take them from corpses to vampires. Including mat and Chloe, there were six pledges left. The longsighteder level waited to fight hindquarters, the worse the odds would get.\r\n moreover what could matte do? If only he could break this involuntary stil ness, if only he werent a helpless pris sensationr.\r\nHe tried again to move, this time focusing al his strength on lifting his right arm. His muscles tighten with effort, merely after about thirty seconds of trying, he stopped in disgust. He was exhausting himself, and he wasnt despicable an inch.\r\n some(prenominal) held him was strong.\r\nBut if he could figure out a way to get unloosen, past hed be able to grab a blowtorch from the wal , maybe. Beneath his robe, his poc ket stab weighed heavily in his pants pocket.\r\nVampires burned. press cutting off their heads would kil them. If he could unsloped hold the vampires off long enough to pul Chloe and whichever separate pledges he could grab out of the room, accordingly he could come backside ulterior with reinforcements and fight them with a chance at winning.\r\nBut if he couldnt break this spel or necessity that was holding him in place, some(prenominal) plan he came up with would be useless.\r\nEthan raised his head from Chloes neck, his long precipitous teeth pul ing out of her throat, and licked gently at the red blood trickling from the affront in her neck. â€Å"I know, sweetheart,” he murmured, â€Å" tho its only for a moment. And then wel racy forever.” Chloes eyes glazed over and fluttered shut, but she was stil breathing, stil alive. There was stil a chance for her.\r\nAt Ethans feet, Anna stirred and moaned. As phlegm watched in horror, her eyes snapped open , and she looked up at Ethan, her twist confused but adoring.\r\nNo! dull thought. Its too soon!\r\nAs if he had caught the thought, Ethan turned to planeness and winked. â€Å"The herbs in the diverseness you al drank worked to thin your blood and revivify up your metabolism,” he tell, his voice as casual and friendly as if they were chatting in the cafeteria. â€Å"I wasnt sure if it would work, but it looks like it does. Makes the transition go a heap faster.” His smile widened. â€Å"Im a biochem major, you know.” Ethans mouth was smeared with blood, and Matt shuddered but couldnt look away from the grand eyes that held his.\r\nIts possible, Matt thought for the runner time, that I might not fit this. His stomach rol ed with nausea. He very y didnt want to become a vampire.\r\nIf the newly transformed pledges were waking up so soon, the already slim odds would quickly become impossible. New vampires, he remembered from Elenas transformation back i n the winter, awoke vicious, unreasoning, hungry, and rabid y committed to the vampire who had changed them.\r\nEthan get down his head to bite at Chloes neck again, as Anna climbed to her feet with a fluid, inhuman grace. On the other side of the altar, Stuart was now inauguration to stir, atomic number 53 long leg slip restlessly against the dark wood of the floor.\r\nHis throat burning with unvoiced sobs of frustration, Matt mat his last flame of hope amaze to flicker and die. There was no escape.\r\nSuddenly, the inlet at the far end of the put up burst inward, and Stefan swept in.\r\nEthan looked up in surprise, but before he or the other vampires could move, Stefan flew across the house and ripped Chloe from Ethans arms. She fel flat in front of the altar, blood ravel down her neck. Matt couldnt tel if she was stil breathing, stil clinging to life as a human, or not.\r\nStefan grabbed Ethan by his long robe and slammed him against the wal . He shook the curly-haired vampire as easily as a dog might shake a rat.\r\nFor a moment, the terrible fear that held Matt in its grip loosened. Stefan knew what was happening, Stefan had found him. Stefan would stay fresh them al .\r\nThe other Vitales were racing toward Stefan now as he struggled with Ethan, their long robes flow behind them as they smoothly came forward, moving as one.\r\nStefan was without a doubt oftentimes stronger than all of them. He flung a black-clad egg-producing(prenominal) vampire †the one who had handed him the goblet, Matt thought †away from him easily, and she sailed across the chamber as if she was no heavier than a bother dol , landing in a crumpled heap against the opposite wal . delightful viciously, Stefan tore at the throat of some other with his teeth, and she fel to the ground and lay stil .\r\nBut there were so many of them, and only one of Stefan.\r\nAfter just a some minutes of watching the fight, Matt could see that it was hopeless, and his hear t sank. Stefan was much older, and much stronger, than any other vampire in the room, but together they outweighed him. The tide of the battle was turning, and they were provoke him through the sheer strength of their numbers. Ethan was free of him now, straightening his robes, and four of the Vitale vampires, working together, pinned Stefans arms behind him. Anna, her eyes shining, snapped at him viciously.\r\nEthan grabbed a torch from the wal behind him and eyed Stefan speculatively, absently whipping at the blood on the back of his hand. â€Å"You had your chance, Stefan,” he said, smiling.\r\nStefan stopped struggling and hung buck between the vampires holding his arms. â€Å"Wait,” he said, aspect up at Ethan. â€Å"You wanted me to nitty-gritty you. You begged me to join you. Do you stil want me?”\r\nEthan flex his head thoughtful y, his golden eyes bright.\r\nâ€Å"I do,” he said. â€Å"But what fecal matter you tel me thatl make me belie ve you want to join us?”\r\nStefan licked his lips. â€Å"Let Matt go. If you let him leave safely, Il stay in his place.” He paused. â€Å"On my honor.”\r\nâ€Å"Done,” Ethan said immediately. He flicked his fingers in the air without taking his eyes from Stefan, and Matt staggered, explosively released from the compulsion that had held him in place.\r\nMatt sucked in one long breath and then ran straight for the altar and Chloe. peradventure it wasnt too late. He could stil bring through her.\r\nâ€Å"Stop.” Ethans voice cracked commandingly across the room. Matt froze in place, once again unable(p) to move.\r\nEthan glared at him. â€Å"You do not help. You do not fight,” he said coldly. â€Å"You go.”\r\nMatt looked imploringly at Stefan. Surely he wasnt just supposed to leave, to abandon Chloe and Stefan and the others to the Vitale vampires. Stefan gazed back at him, his features rigid. â€Å"Sorry, Matt,” he said flat ly. â€Å"The one thing Ive learned over the long time is that sometimes you have to surrender. The best thing you can do now is just leave. Il be okay.”\r\nAnd then, jarringly intrusive and sudden in Matts head was Stefans voice. Damon, he said fiercely. Get Damon.\r\nMatt gulped and, as Ethans compulsion released him once more, nodded slowly, trying to look thwarted while stil signaling to Stefan with his eyes that his message had been received.\r\nHe couldnt look at the other pledges. No matter how much he hurried, some or al of them would die before he returned. Maybe Stefan would be able to compose some of them. Maybe. Maybe he would be able to save Chloe.\r\nHis heart pounding with terror, his head spin with fear, Matt ran for the exit and for help. He didnt look back.\r\n'