In the moment of distraction, Leif took his chance to counterattack Bear, sending him crashing into the pews. Wood splintered everywhere, and I realized too late that Leif had the situation under control.
I looked back up at the balcony, feeling helpless as they struggled to keep Stellan at bay. Ezra was trying to defend Olivia so she could load her crossbow, but even when she did manage to get a shot off, Stellan was impossible to hit.
“Hello, Alice,” Gunnar whispered, and his voice was right in my ear.
I had been too busy watching Stellan that I hadn’t noticed him coming behind me. I tried to look up at him, and his hand was around my throat, one of his razor sharp nails pressing into the skin over my jugular. I fought to pull his arm free, and he started dragging me backwards, towards the altar.
I thought about screaming, but I didn’t want anybody to know. They would stop and look at me, and that’s exactly what would get them killed. Milo was crouched over Bobby, trying to protect him, and I could smell Jack and Peter’s blood from fresh wounds. Only Olivia had yet to be wounded, but she was dodging and diving almost as quickly as Stellan.
So I let Gunnar drag me away. I knew that he would probably kill me, but whatever he did to me, I had to endure it silently. That was my only chance of saving them.
Leif was still fighting Bear, but he seemed to have the upper hand. He knocked Bear back to the ground and grabbed a broken piece of the pew. It had been the back rest, but it had been snapped in half, giving it a sharp edge. Leif held it high over his head, then plummeted it down against Bear’s throat.
There was this awful gurgling sound, but I closed my eyes to keep from seeing the blood. I heard the crunch of bone, and Bear’s heart fell silent. Leif had decapitated him.
“Everyone is so busy right now,” Gunnar clicked his tongue. “It’s so boring and dull with just the two of us, don’t you think?”
“Gunnar,” Leif said, keeping his voice low. Blood stained his shirt and face, and he carefully stepped over the pews towards us. “Let her go. She’s not what you want.”
“You are quite right,” Gunnar sighed. “But she is what everyone else seems to want, and if you take a step closer, I’ll slice her throat wide open.” Leif stopped where he was, glaring at him. When Gunnar spoke again, he was shouting loudly, so everyone would hear him. “What do you think, Peter? How much blood can sweet Alice lose in one day?”
Peter and Jack froze instantly, but Stellan went for Jack. He tackled him roughly, crashing into pews, and falling below the balcony wall, so I couldn’t see him. Olivia aimed her crossbow, but I doubt she could get in a clean shot if they were rolling about together. Ezra jumped into it, trying to catch Stellan, but he moved too quickly, even with Jack in his clutches.
“No, Peter, help Jack!” I shouted. “He needs you more than I do!”
Peter stared at me, his eyes burning, and I knew that he wouldn’t save Jack.
Peter leapt off the balcony, his eyes never leaving me. He walked deliberately slow down the aisle, and I looked up at the balcony. I could hear them fighting, Jack grunting, and how fast his heart pounded, but I couldn’t see him.
Milo was just trying to keep Bobby from getting killed. I saw Ezra go flying across the balcony, landing hard against the wall, and tumbling down next to Olivia. At least Jack’s heart was still beating. At least he was still alive.
Gunnar made it closer to us than Leif had, but he stopped just below the steps leading up the altar. Gunnar had us stationed right below the cross. When I looked straight up, all I could see was the emaciated corpse of Jesus. It was rather disturbing, and it didn’t help that a vampire was about to tear open my throat.
“Let her go,” Peter commanded.
“Why would I do that?” Gunnar laughed. “It’s just so much fun watching you suffer!”
“I know what you’re doing,” Peter put his foot on the first step of the altar. “You still think that you’re going to get out of here alive, but you don’t really care if you do. You only care about winning, and winning for you is destroying me.”
“Very true,” Gunnar admitted, then nodded at Leif. “Then destroying him. The rest of them don’t really matter to me.” His grip tightened on me. “But you know why I can’t let her go.”
“She’s the means to destroying me.” Peter took another step up, and Gunnar pressed his nail into my vein, breaking the skin just enough to draw a little blood, and Peter froze. “You want to make her suffer, so you can make me watch. Killing her is your way of torturing me.”
“Yes, and so far it seems to be working,” Gunnar smiled, but there was an unease behind it.
“If I die, you lose.” Peter bent down, picking up a titanium arrow off the top step of the altar. Olivia had been shooting them all over, and a stray one had landed a few feet from us. I felt Gunnar’s confidence falter for the first time. “I want to die. If I die before she does, I don’t see anything. I don’t suffer at all.”
“I’ll still kill her,” Gunnar insisted nervously.
“You’re gonna kill her either way, according to you.” Peter pointed the arrow towards his own heart, pressing the tip against his chest. “But this way, I’m not destroyed. I’ve gotten exactly what I’ve wanted, and you haven’t.”
“You’ll die knowing she’s going to, and that might be enough for me,” Gunnar said with false cheer. Peter’s idea unnerved him. Testing him, Peter pushed the arrow into his chest, not deep enough to hurt but enough to draw blood. “How do you propose I make you suffer then?”
“Let her go, and we’ll battle it out, hand to hand,” Peter said. “The way real men fight. If you catch me, then you can let your surviving henchman do away with her while I watch. I’ll suffer even worse because it’s my idea.”
It was a horrible idea, and that’s exactly why it appealed to Gunnar. I saw no way that it could work out where either of us lived, but Peter was just buying time. He really didn’t care if he lived or died, but he wanted to give me a chance to run away. I wouldn’t, though, not when he and Jack and everyone were still here risking their lives. I would never leave without them.
“Peter, no! This is stupid,” I said. Before I had been fighting Gunnar, but now I hung onto his arm, trying to keep me to him.
“That’s why I liked you, Peter,” Gunnar laughed. “You were brilliant. If only you hadn’t killed my right hand man. We would’ve been so happy together.” With that, Gunnar threw me and I landed roughly in the pews.
Leif helped me to my feet, and I shook off the pain. It faded quickly, but things still hurt. Peter and Gunnar were squaring off, staring at each other as Gunnar taunted him. Peter showed little emotion, and I hoped that he was planning something.
The noises in the balcony hadn’t gotten any better, but from what I could tell, everyone was still alive. Leif and I stood unsurely in the broken pews, neither of us knowing how we could really help the situation.
“Oh, come on, Peter!” Gunnar groaned. “I didn’t spare the girl so we could have a staring contest.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Peter said dryly.
Peter stood on the altar steps. Gunnar wanted Peter to come to him, but when he wouldn’t, he tired of waiting. He dove at Peter, more to get the fight going than to actually hurt him, and Peter deftly jumped out of the way. He leapt over the sacrament table, and as soon as he landed, he jumped up again, grabbing onto the giant cross hanging on the wall. He scrambled to climb up, using Jesus as footing, and Gunnar just stared at him.
“Really, Peter? Are you that much of a coward?” Gunnar looked dubiously at him, and I was wondering the same thing. “I had expected so much more than this.”
Gunnar had his back to us, so I took a step forward, planning to attack him, but Leif put his hand on my arm. I looked at him, and he mouthed “not yet.” Apparently, he had a better understanding of Peter’s plan than I did.
Peter climbed higher up the cross, and to my confusion, he started pulling at the bolts that held it to
the wall. He started on the right arm of the cross, and then when they were free, he moved onto the top.
“What are you doing?” Gunnar asked. “Is this some kind of suicide attempt?”
“Something like that,” Peter said and climbed to start loosening the left arm.
“I can slaughter the girl right now, if you like,” Gunnar offered.
Peter glanced back at me, but he didn’t stop trying to free the bolts. The cross started to sway and groan, but he kept pulling at it. Once he got broke the bolt from the arm, there was nothing attaching it to the wall except for the bolts at the foot of the cross. Peter hung onto the arm, with his feet pressed against the wall and started to push off.
Because the cross was still connected at the bottom, it should’ve just swung down, moving like the hands of a clock until it hung upside down, with top resting on the floor at the 9 o'clock position. But Peter pushed hard against the wall, forcing it swing down and away from the wall. The cross groaned and as it swung down and out, like a crazed pendulum.
Gunnar took a step back, so Leif growled and jumped towards him. He didn’t actually attack him, but Gunnar stepped closer to the cross again and his attention was diverted to Leif.
Peter jumped off the cross, and Gunnar turned around to see what was happening just as the top of the cross flew through his neck, cutting his head off. I shrieked as his head flew across the room, and his body collapsed a moment later. Peter barely jumped out of the way as the cross swung back, and he ran over to me and Leif.
“Gunnar!” Stellan shouted.
He paused and Olivia fired another arrow at him, but she narrowly missed. He made a play for the edge of the balcony, and Ezra tackled him before he could make it over.
While Ezra held him back, Jack jumped off the balcony. He landed on the ground and did a roll thing, that made him look much more badass than I ever knew he was. When he stood up, he was holding one of Olivia’s metal arrows in his hand, holding it pointed towards the balcony.
Out of nowhere, Stellan came to a halt next to Jack, the arrow protruding right through his chest. He had jumped down from the balcony with his eyes fixed solely on Peter, meaning to avenge Gunnar’s death, and he hadn’t been paying attention to Jack standing in the middle of the aisle. He had impaled himself on an arrow, and he sputtered, blood coming from his lips, then collapsed back on the ground.
I rushed over to Jack and threw my arms around him. He hugged me tightly, and I pressed myself to him.
Olivia jumped off the balcony and walked over to Stellan. She kicked him once with her foot, then pulled a machete out of the back of her belt. With one fell swoop, she sliced off his head, and blood splattered onto Jack and me.
“Sorry,” she smiled at me. “I just had to be sure. You don’t want any damn vampires coming back on you.”
Honestly, I didn’t even really care. I could feel Peter’s eyes on me, and he had saved my life. I wasn’t angry with him, but I didn’t love him. I loved Jack and I was thrilled to be in his arms again. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Jack softly.
“What the hell happened?” Bobby shouted.
Jack laughed, pulling away from the kiss. I didn’t mind, though, because I loved hearing him laugh. Apparently, Bobby had just woken up, and he was surveying the carnage in the church.
“Hey. That guy tried to kill me! Why is he here?” Bobby pointed to Leif, and Milo tried telling him that Leif was our friend now. The answer seemed to satisfy him, but he still looked confused. “Where is Jane?”
- 36 –
After scouring the cathedral, Milo stepped out the front doors, and that’s what we had needed to do all long. Jane was lying on the front steps. She was shivering and completely out of it but still alive.
The park across the street was swarming with cops and ambulances, thanks to the mangled body the lycan had left there. Milo had on a zippered hoodie over a tee shirt, so he took it off and laid it on top of Jane. He made an anonymous 911 call saying there was an injured girl on the front steps of the church.
This time, I thought the best solution for her was staying away from vampires. She needed more help than we could give her.
After that, we left in a hurry. Olivia went back to her place, and Leif disappeared into the night. I’m not sure where he’d go, but he assured me he’d be alright and he’d see me again. Peter had driven his Audi, and Milo and Bobby volunteered to go with him. It was only a two-seater, but Bobby didn’t mind sitting on Milo’s lap.
Since Jack had taken the Lexus, Ezra had been forced to take the Lamborghini, which he generally thought to be too flashy to drive around. Jack sat shotgun, and I curled up on his lap, resting my head against his chest.
On the ride home, I realized that the cathedral had constant staffing. Ezra explained that when he’d arrived, he’d charmed them into leaving. With his charisma and good looks, he could convince humans of anything. I suspected there might be vampire glamour along with that, but I didn’t ask.
“Oh my god, it’s never felt so good to be home,” I sighed when we walked into the house. Jack grinned at me, squeezing my hand. The night had felt longer than any other one before. I just wanted to go up to bed with him.
“Tomorrow is going to be another long day,” Ezra said, following us in. “I’ll have to spend all day trying to convince the police we had nothing to do with this.” Ezra went over to the fridge and got a bag of blood out of the bottom of the drawer of the fridge. All the blood used to be kept in the basement, but Milo and I were pretty lazy.
“Why would they even think we were involved?” I asked. I had my back to Jack, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I leaned back against him, and he kissed the top of my head.
“Because the Lexus is still there.” Ezra opened the bag of blood and took a long drink. “I’ll have to get it from the impound. I just hope that I have chance to sleep before they come looking for us.” His expression changed, growing perplexed. “That’s funny. I saw Mae’s car in the garage. I thought she’d be wondering where we all were.”
“Maybe she’s in bed,” I shrugged. The sky had already started to lighten slightly already.
“Maybe,” Ezra didn’t look convinced. He finished his blood quickly, then cocked his head. I listened, but I couldn’t hear anything. Not even Mae, but the night had left me exhausted so all my senses were dimmed.
I heard the garage door open, and a few seconds later, Peter walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Milo and Bobby followed right behind him, and thanks to that nice, long nap Bobby had, he didn’t seem to feel any of the weariness the rest of us did. He was following right on Peter’s heels, asking him a million questions.
“So you cut off his head using a cross?” Bobby was completely wide-eyed. “I’m Jewish, and even I think that’s pretty damn awesome!”
Bobby noticed me in the room, and he gave me a weird look. It wasn’t adoration, exactly, but I returned some of the sentiment. It made Milo bristle and put his arm possessively around Bobby.
“I just need to take a hot shower, and be done with this night,” Peter grumbled and walked out of the kitchen. He hadn’t looked at me or Jack since everything had ended, and I wondered if he ever would again. I had nearly been killed tonight because of how much he loved me, but then again, that wasn’t the first time.
“Me, too,” Milo said. He looped his arm around Bobby’s waist to start leading him out of the kitchen, but Bobby stopped and looked confused. “What?”
“Where’s the dog?” Bobby asked. “She’s always knocking me over when we get home.”
“Where is the dog?” I echoed, and Jack tensed up. She always greeted Jack after he’d been away. I couldn’t keep her away from him.
“Matilda?” Jack called her and stepped away from me. “Mattie? Where are you, good girl?”
Matilda barked loudly, and it was coming from Mae and Ezra’s room. She scratched at the door, and Jack and Ezra exchanged a look. Mae shushed her, and she opened the bedroom door, letting
Matilda come charging down at us, and Mae immediately shut the door.
“That was weird,” I said. Jack had bent down to start praising Matilda, but he looked just as surprised as the rest of us.
“Something’s going on,” Ezra said, more to himself than us. He tossed his empty blood bag in the garbage can and walked down to his room. “Mae?” He started to open the door, and she pushed it shut. “Mae? What is going on?”
“Nothing!” Mae shouted. “Go away!”
“Mae, open the door now, or I’ll open it for you,” Ezra said. When he talked like that, his voice was one of the most intimidating sounds I’d ever heard.
Slowly, the bedroom door opened, and Ezra stepped inside. There was complete silence, and Bobby took a step forward, trying to get a better look. Milo stopped him from going farther.
I looked up at Jack to see if he had any insight, but he just shook his head. We all waited expectantly, but Ezra never said anything. A minute later, he just turned and stormed out of the room.
“Get that out of my house!” Ezra growled walking away.
“She’s not a that!” Mae ran after him, almost pleading. “And we can’t travel right now! Not when she’s like this.”
“I don’t care!” Ezra roared, and he wouldn’t even look at her. “I want her out!”
“We just need two, three more days tops, and then we’ll be out of your hair forever!” Mae insisted desperately. He had his back to her, seething. “Ezra, please! If you love me, you can give me three more days! Please!”
“Fine,” Ezra said grudgingly. “But if you stay one day longer, I’ll take care of her myself.” He walked back towards the garage. “I’m going to the station now to deal with the car. Don’t wait up.”
“What happened to you?” Mae gasped, noticing us for the first time. We were all tattered and bloody, and Bobby had scratches and bruises.
Milo started explaining the night to her, but I brushed past him. I thought I knew what was in her room, but I had to see it for myself. Mae tried to pay attention to Milo, but I felt her watching me as I walked by. I pushed open her bedroom door, and it was exactly what I thought.
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