Chapter 12

Autumn looked into the black, warm eyes of the man she'd known since she was a kid. It was Antonio Ortega, her mom's best friend. He watched out for her and her mother, keeping them safe from harm.

"Like I always do, I had my eye on you all last night. Almost immediately after you transformed, I walked up to you. I held off the sedative to inject it to you. It took the sedative a while to take effect, and you still managed to graze me before I could properly initiate restraint." He looked at the bandaged arm. "You didn't harm anyone else, though. I got you safely back to your house before anything will happen."

"I'm truly sorry." She examined the bloodied bandage that covered his elbow and wrist. "Oh, god!"

"You already know that I'm pretty good with a needle and thread. I handled it on my own."

"You really should have gotten Dr. Reid to take a look at that. Do you have any ideas for a—"

"He's here already."

"W—why?" Her head bobbed.

"At bedtime last night, your mom..." His words faded and he looked away.

"What about her?" She straightened and pressed her palms against his face, drawing his attention back to her. "What happened to her? Please, answer me!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Autumn, but your mom is very ill."

"I'm aware of that. That's why I sought out Hunter; I had to save her."

"You know what I mean? She's really sick. Worse. While I was away taking care of you, she has a high fever. But, she still made it to the phone to dial Dr. Reid. By the time I got here, he had already taken her to the second floor. Even so, it was too late."

"Already too late? Why?" The chill of terror had settled into her stomach. "What do you mean by that, Uncle?"

He fixed his gaze upon her and she saw the pain, anguish, and profound regret in his eyes. Her breathing and heart rate froze.

"She barely had time to make that call before she went into a coma last night. According to the doctor, this is her system's way of fighting back against the poison in her cells. The fever was through the roof."

"Where is she?" She jumped up from the bed, the blanket clinging to her. "Did you take her to the hospital?"

"Dr. Reid reportedly said that staying here was just as safe as it would have been for her."

She cried as she made her way to the door, the ground shaking slightly under her feet. She moaned, "Oh, Jesus," as she covered her mouth with her hand and held on tightly to the corners of the blanket. The months she'd spent watching Hunter and learning his routines flashed before her eyes. If she really wanted him to do what she wanted, she should have pounced on him the second she saw the opportunity. Some of her mother's nightmares could have been prevented. The reality is that she might be alive, well, and happy right now.

She fought the door and said, "I want to see her." Antonio's hand closed over hers as she turned the knob, and he was standing right behind her. He escorted her down the hall, up the stairs from the second-floor landing to the third-floor landing, and into a dreary room.

When she reached her mother's bedroom, she suddenly became unable to stand. "Mom!" she shouted, and grabbed the woman's hand. The curse had finally caught up with Dawn Herrera, and her time on Earth was drawing to an end. "Mom, can you hear me?" She gently patted her mother's hand. Another stream of tears from her eyes fell to the palm of her mother's hand. There was not so much as a flinch or a blink to indicate recognition. Only the constant rasp of breathing.

"Autumn, she can't possibly hear you. Don't bother her right now. It's best to leave her alone. You can't help her any longer."

"I can't!" She shifted herself away from him and toward her mom. "We're still in time. She hasn't given up on life yet. It was possible for me to save her. As far as we know, she hasn't died yet. Hunter Morrison and I will meet again, and I will—"

"She won't be gone for very long at all, Autumn. It's now too late to save her. Just let her go. This is nonsense, and you can't keep putting yourself in harm's way for it." She had clouded judgment. The illness has left her hopeless and weak. She had enough faith to put it in anything. "You need to keep it in your mind to realize that." As his hands clasped around her neck, he firmly held her in place.

"No, Antonio! I have no one else but her. I just can't let her go. I won't! I can't let that happen!" She clung to her mom for dear life. "I'll save you, Mom! I almost got Hunter," she mumbled into the covers. "As long as you are conscious and able to breathe, it is not too late." As long as her mom was still breathing, she still had hopes. She had the means to destroy the poisonous cells circulating in her body. She told herself she could help her mom. The only thing missing was Hunter. His blood and body.

"Where are you going?" She had just finished giving her mother a final hug and kiss when Antonio asked.

"I must find Hunter immediately. Remember, it's not too late!" She got up and walked toward the door, her legs feeling stronger by the step. "I'm going to protect and save my mom."

"No! Obviously, you can't..."

"Yes, I can, and I must!" She hurried out of her mother's room and through the hall to her own bedchamber. She grabbed her sling bag off the chair and gave it a quick feel to make sure everything was still there. She stomped through her closet in search of something to wear, tears streaming down her face and shaking hands. The look of shock and disbelief she'd seen on Hunter Morrison's face as she'd tightened her grip on his hand came to mind.

She dreaded having to confront him again. No one knows how angry he would get, but by that point she didn't give a damn anyhow. She needed Hunter Morrison despite his possible anger or objections. Furthermore, she didn't give a hoot about that either. If it came to it, she would show no mercy and physically defeat him this time. Assuming, of course, that he coerced her into it. If she tried again, it would end in failure.

She showered, got dressed, and was about to grab her sunglasses and sling bag from the hooks on the wall when the doorbell rang.

"Autumn? Throw out that crazy notion," Antonio urged.

"I won't! It's important for me to find Hunter so that I can save my mother. He's the only one who can break the curse!"

"The risk isn't worth it even if he is the one. Dr. Reid said that your mom could die anytime."

"That's why I'm going to find him right now." She unlocked the door by pulling on the handle. Anthonio waited for the door to open.

"I'll follow you, Autumn."

"No. Stay here with my mom, please."

"What if you transform?"

"It won't happen."

"If you do, then what?"

"No. Understand the significance of this, Antonio. Until I achieve my goal, I have no intention of transforming into a monster. After I got what I wanted from him, it will be irrelevant. It will make the rest of the process much simpler."

"If you don't remember, drawing his blood will be much simpler. However, that doesn't sound like you at all, Autumn. You're not the type to wilfully inflict harm on another person."

"Now this is something new. It's a matter of life and death for my mom."

"Autumn, it's too late. The doctor said she only has a short time to live. Don't put yourself through that."

"There's still time for me to save her." She could and would do it, and she prayed that God would help her.