by Liz Schulte
Thomas threw me to the ground and stood over me with glowing red eyes as the change tore through his body. It was faster this time, but looked just as painful. I moved for my knife and he roared, dropping down over the top of me, gnashing his teeth as new teeth tore out of his gums. Blood dripped on my face and chest from its mouth. A low rumble tore from it as its head swiveled. The beast’s fetid breath burned in my nostrils.
It leaned in closer and I held my breath, but didn’t close my eyes. If Thomas was going to kill me, he’d look me in the eye. Its long, wet tongue started at my neck and ran up to my temple. Disgusting, rotten dog breath.
I met its red eyes. The half-wolf, half-human, distorted face caked in blood nearly brushed mine. Thomas was in there. No matter how he looked, I could see him there staring down at me. Even praying to Olivia at this point probably wouldn’t save me. My only real hope was that it killed me outright and didn’t try to curse me. I had nine lives. I could come back from whatever it did—so long as I didn’t end up in pieces—but the curse I would have to live with, and I had no idea what it would take from me.
Thomas growled again, head swiveling and teeth gnashing, but not at me. Vampires had surrounded us. Was he protecting me? The vampires charged all at once. The loup-garou sprang to life. A cross somewhere between a wolf and a human, but really neither, it was a strange creature that was made for one thing: killing. Its claws were several inches long and sliced through the vampires with ease. The beast moved faster than the vampires, shredding them as they came near us. Was that just because he was a vampire underneath? His teeth were elongated, and ripped and tore at anything they touched. Blood and pieces of vampires rained down on me. I scrambled to my feet, but the beast knocked me back down.
Then Thomas yelped as Paolo hit him fast and hard from the side, knocking him across the yard and into a huge, old tree with a sickening crack. He fell limp to the ground.
I stood up, facing off against the ancient vampire. “You have caused me quite enough trouble, don’t you think?” he said, looking down at me.
My bloody fingers clung to the knife even as the vampires surrounded me.
“Give up, Sekhmet. You have been outmaneuvered in every way. I honestly expected more from you.”
I threw the knife straight at his head as fast and hard as I could as at least four vampires took a hold of me, taking long, intoxicating pulls from my life force, turning my bones into jelly. My eyelids grew heavy and my legs ceased to support me as I hung in their arms, helpless against them.
Paolo slowly came toward me, cupping my face in his hands as he tilted my head up toward him. “There are worse ways to die than by our hands,” he said, pressing his cold, waxy lips to mine and drinking deeply from my soul, pulling me away from the others.
“Enough.” Sy’s voice came from behind me.
“So you decided to join the fight,” Paolo said, turning me around in his arms, though my head lolled forward. “I told Leilah you wouldn’t be able to stay away. Your pet is mine now, and I assure you, she is delicious.” His lips brushed against my neck and my eyes threatened to close. “The dragon gave her to me.”
Sy looked about as menacing as I had ever seen him. “She belongs to no one. You don’t want to challenge me, Paolo.”
Paolo shook his head. “Your council wants what I want. Peace among the vampires. That is all. They sent her to me so I could achieve that goal, and look what she has done. She brought me a fugitive and my wayward flock. Her function is through. Her continued existence, however, is a threat. If you kill me…I’ll take it personally. She was mine the moment they sent her to New Orleans. Leilah knew it, and now so do you. There is nothing you can do to save her.”
Darkness crept to the edge of my vision. It was too hard to hold on. My fingers numbly grasped at my side, until I hit what I hoped was a knife. I did the only thing I could and swung my arm blindly up, not knowing if it would hit me or him—but it didn’t really matter. The blade struck something, sinking in to the hilt. I didn’t feel it, but I couldn’t feel anything. “I am no one’s,” I said, though the words were garbled even to my own ears.
I kept my hand that held the knife squeezed tightly into a fist until it was pulled from my fingers and I began to fall. But I never hit the ground.
Hands were on me, pulling at me, but they weren’t feeding from me. Warmth spread through me, combating the numbness. I did my best to push them away, but they were persistent as they rubbed roughly across my skin.
“Femi. Open your eyes. Fight back,” Sy said before slapping me soundly. That did it. I opened my eyes. I took a swing at him, but my arm moved slowly and he easily avoided it.
He smiled a little. “That’s good. Stay mad. There’s no time to sleep. You have to keep moving.”
The fighting wasn’t over. I could still hear it all around us. “I’m okay,” I said, becoming aware that I was leaning against the house. “Help them.”
Sy started to shake his head, but vampires were already coming toward us.
“Help Corbin,” I said.
“Holden already went after him,” he said, pulling a sword out of thin air. Elves had all the fun tricks. He twirled it in front of him and grinned at the vampires surrounding us before beckoning them forward.
The vampires may have been faster than him, but he moved with easy, graceful, controlled swings that cut through them like they weren’t even there.
I stamped my feet, trying to get the feeling back in my legs, and moved my arms. The sun was beginning to crest and the vampires who were left standing were starting to jump ship. As they thinned out, I had a clear view of Thomas, still sprawled unmoving under the tree.
Sy was busy with the last few vampires, so I went toward Thomas, though it felt like the world was sitting sideways. I stumbled and staggered my way over before dropping down beside him. His face was normal again—bloody, but normal.
I pressed a hand to his neck. There was still a pulse. Not that he’d live long after the sun came up, and I was too weak to drag him inside. I slapped his forehead. “Thomas. Wake up.” I hit him again.
His blue eyes fluttered open and met mine. He smiled slightly, his teeth still pink from the blood. He reached up and touched my cheek lightly, his eyes closing as his fingertips dragged down over my bottom lip. “You’re still here.”
“Paolo underestimated me. He thought he had won.”
Thomas pushed himself up, air hissing between his teeth. “Is he dead?”
I pointed to the body still lying in the grass. “Holden went to get Corbin.” Corbin. Some of the fog dissipated from my mind. “You have to go.”
Thomas met my eyes. “He won’t stop coming after me.”
I nodded. It was true, and Thomas absolutely deserved it, but… “Go. I don’t want to know where you are.”
“Femi.” He gave me a soft, pleading look. “You didn’t let me say it before—”
“Go,” I said, pushing him. “Go now and don’t come back. Not for anything.”
He touched my face again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.” And then he was gone. He wouldn’t make it far before daylight, but then again, neither would Corbin.
I looked up and met Sy’s direct gaze. His face was blank as he looked at me. Finally he nodded ever so slightly, acceptance flickering through his eyes. I pushed myself back to my feet and went toward him.
“Your timing, it’s pretty good,” I said.
He winked at me, offering me his arm to lean on. “You have no idea.”
I bypassed the arm and went straight for his chest, resting my head against his shoulder. “Thank you,” I said. “I know the council…”
Sy ran his hand over my hair. “Don’t worry about the council.”
I took a couple slow, deep breaths then straightened back up. “I had to let him go.”
He nodded again. “I know.”
I squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming.” I waited for his typical “I’ll always be there” speech, but he didn’t say anyt
hing. “You wouldn’t have anything to eat, would you?”
He laughed. “And you’re feeling better. Maybe you can find something inside.” He closed the shutters on the broken window before we went through the front door.
The house was quiet now. Holden and Corbin both stood in the living room with their arms crossed over their chests, probably competing to see who could use the fewest words possible.
“Is the house clear?” Sy asked.
Holden glanced at me and nodded. “Probably should call for clean-up.”
“I’m on it,” Sy said, then immediately turned around and went back outside.
I collapsed on the couch and kicked Corbin’s leg. “Glad you’re not dead.”
“Likewise. Sorry about Thomas,” he said, but he didn’t sound sorry at all. “Well, mostly I’m sorry that I wasn’t the one who got to kill him.”
I stretched my arms in front of me, still fighting off the numbness. “You didn’t do any of the heavy lifting. I killed Paolo. Paolo killed Thomas. What did you do?”
He looked around the room littered with vampires. “Nothing at all.”
I nodded. “Typical.”
Holden sat down beside me. “Nothing like waiting until the last second to call.”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “I didn’t call.”
The corner of his mouth turned down as he turned to me. “Olivia said…”
I shook my head, shrugging. “It wasn’t me.”
“While all of this is fascinating, I’m knackered. I’ll see you when I see you.” Corbin left with a half-salute.
“Consider what I said,” Holden said to Corbin.
“Caring—it’s just not really my thing.” Corbin gave him a one-shoulder shrug.
“It doesn’t have to be,” Holden said.
Corbin nodded. “I’ll sleep on it.” With that, he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
After several moments of silence, I whispered, “You told him Thomas died?”
Holden winked at me. “He looked dead to me.”
But Thomas had changed Maggie and left us in Arizona. Holden had as much of a reason as anyone to hate him. “Why? After everything he’s done.”
“I didn’t do it for him.” Holden patted my knee. “I’m going to go talk to Liv. Tell Sy I’ll see you guys at the meeting. He’ll catch you up on what we found out.” He stood up.
“Hey, Holden.”
His cool green eyes met mine for a moment.
“You’re pretty great.”
He smiled and disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. I pushed myself off the couch and found my way into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator.
“Gah! Damn vampires. Why don’t you eat?” I slammed the door closed. Worthless.
I opened each cabinet hoping for anything at all, but no luck. The one thing I definitely wasn’t doing was thinking about Thomas. The fact that he’d not only resisted the curse and didn’t kill me, but also fought the vampires off me and almost died, didn’t change anything. Not really.
And I wouldn’t want him to change, not for me. That wasn’t the life I wanted. Relationships tied you down. The world was huge and there was still so much left to see. And there was absolutely nothing that would keep me from seeing everything.
“What are you smiling about?” Sy asked from the doorway.
I grinned wider. “I love my life.”
He shook his head. “I know you do.”
Chapter 24
