by Maya DeLeina
“No! I can’t be without you! I just can’t!”
“I won’t let you do this. Anya, go on. Let the memory of our love live inside of you. Find another mate to share that love with. Find the happiness you deserve.”
“I love only you. I don’t want anyone else. There will never be another you out there.”
“There will never be another you and me,” Steffan said quietly. “Anya, thank you for giving yourself wholly to our love. I can die as a complete man. I am sorry I gave this life to you and can’t be with you. Forgive me.”
“Don’t ever be sorry. You’ve given me more than I ever had in my life. Steffan, I don’t think I can do this. I can’t go through this pain all over again.”
“I want nothing more than to be with you, but you’re not meant to come with me, wherever I am going. Please do this for me, for yourself. Stay.”
“No!” Anya protested, but with an air of defeat.
“Tell giggle monster I said good-bye.”
“You promised her,” Anya wailed.
“Tell everyone that I love them.”
“I will.” Anya’s voice cracked.
“Avenge my death, Anya. Find a way to make them pay for what they did. Remember what Chariana said of the future.”
“They will pay!”
“I will always love you. Take my bracelet from me when you have the chance. Keep that with you always, as a reminder of me, our love, our connection.”
Anya nodded. “I will always love you, Steffan, always. I’ll never forget!”
* * * *
Steffan centered his gaze on Anya.
His eyes dulled and froze as he took his final breath.
Anya reached her fingers in through the window to touch Steffan’s face for one last time. She released a deep wail in utter anguish as she touched his lifeless body. A deep pain seized her chest, and she gasped for air.
Distraught, she searched for a release, anything to free herself of the pain and anger.
She turned around and focused on Ryan.
He had put so much force and momentum in his attempt to close the door on Steffan that when Anya’s concentration broke, he’d gone sailing head first into the steel door, knocking himself out cold. He lay there, twitching on the ground, trying to get back on his feet.
As he got to his hands and knees, Anya walked over and kicked him swiftly in his face, sending him to fall on his side. She relentlessly kicked him in the chest and stomach, stronger and with marked anger in each attack.
He screamed on the ground, crunching his body up tight in the fetal position. He managed to move and caught her foot. He punched her squarely in her calf and thigh, sending her down to the ground.
He scrambled backward, using his hands and feet to slide himself across the floor. He hit the back wall of the circle of death and huddled against an empty steel chamber.
Anya looked up at him, her eyes igniting in a fiery burn.
Behind him, a hanging pendant lamp came into focus.
She concentrated on the light.
It vibrated and rocked with intensity and shattered into a million pieces with her fury.
The glass came down, slicing Ryan’s face, neck, and arms.
He cried out as the glass lacerated his face.
Anya waited for the repair mechanisms to deploy before she resumed her attack. But then she remembered the lightning.
Ryan’s repair mechanisms were permanently damaged.
“You bitch! My face! What have you done to my face?” Ryan held both hands up to his face, his eyes peering at Anya through his splayed fingers. He leaned his back against the chamber and pushed himself upright. “You disfigured me! This is not finished. You will pay!” Ryan yelled as he ran past Anya and Brynne and out to the tunnel system.
“Anya,” Brynne called out.
“I know. The bitch is next,” Anya said coldly.
She turned around and saw Madeline lying on the floor on the opposite side of the room, awakening from her blackout.
“Anya!” Brynne said once again.
“Let me handle her, Brynne. She’s about to pay!”
Anya’s voice was grave and sinister, her stare fixed on Madeline as she walked slowly to her body.
Brynne grabbed a hold of Anya’s neck as she walked past her, startling Anya.
Anya broke her trance on Madeline and looked at Brynne in shock.
“I know what to do now,” Brynne said. Her eyes glowed bright red as her teeth elongated, and razor-sharp incisors descended through the soft tissue membrane. “Your blood, I can smell it. It’s intoxicating, just like Rhys is to me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. It started just as Steffan passed. Anya, I need to drink from you.”
“Brynne, vampires don’t drink from each other unless they’re mates!”
“Vampire kiss—yes, I know. But there is something about our blood, and somehow I’m drawn to you. Aren’t you feeling it?”
“No, I feel nothing,” Anya replied.
Madeline had risen to her feet and looked over at Steffan’s dead body in the chamber. “He did it! Steffan’s dead!” Madeline was jubilated at the sight and then searched the room. “Ryan? Ryan!”
“Take care of her,” Brynne said as she pushed Anya down on a chair and straddled her lap.
Anya projected her energy on the eleven remaining chairs, projecting them through the air.
The chairs swept up Madeline in the process, pinning her in the corner as they created an impenetrable wall. She centered her concentration on Madeline, caging her like an animal in the corner.
Straddling Anya’s lap, Brynne pushed her hair back to one side, pulled her head back, and slid her teeth deep into Anya.
Brynne fell into a hypnotic state as she drank.
Suddenly, Anya was aware of a sweet confection that permeated the air and a flood of human memories swirled in her mind. She was drawn back to her childhood, recalling the aroma that laced the air at the carnival—candy apples, cotton candy, kettle corn, all mixing delicately in an indescribable sweetness.
The scent was radiating from Brynne.
Brynne licked Anya’s neck, sealing the wound, and looked up at Madeline. Suddenly, the wall of chairs changed in pattern, pushing Madeline deeper into the corner.
“Anya, I think you transferred your kinetic energy to me,” Brynne said in amazement.
“Do you think you can hold her on your own?” Anya asked.
“I think so. Why?”
“Don’t look down or you’ll lose your concentration thread.” Anya pushed back Brynne’s hair, exposing the column of her neck. “I’m now drawn to your blood as well.”
“Drink, Anya, drink,” Brynne said, moving closer into Anya, never letting her focus break from Madeline.
Anya sank her teeth deep into Brynne and drank, savoring her rich, sweet essence. She closed her eyes and let the blood flow into her mouth, swirling around her tongue, and plunging down her throat, satisfying and intoxicating.
As Anya swiped her tongue over the wound, a tear rolled down her cheek. In that instant, the realization that she could never experience a vampire kiss with Steffan ever again overwhelmed her.
“So, what do you feel?” Brynne asked as Anya sealed her puncture marks.
“Well, I definitely feel a different energy brewing inside of me,” Anya said, her breath ragged with rage.
“Let’s see what we can do.”
Brynne held Madeline in the corner as she dismounted from Anya.
The two women stood side by side, setting their focus on Madeline.
Anya explored the new energy sensation she’d acquired from feeding from Brynne. As she tapped freely into it, the chairs flew back into formation where they’d once stood. Madeline’s body hurled through the air, her movements odd and unnatural. It was almost as if a movie was in a rewind mode, with all of the movements playing out in reverse.
They looked at each other, awestruck.
“Shi
t! Can this be happening?” Brynne said in astonishment.
“Brynne, we’re reversing time, but only on Madeline! Our time is not reversing. Nothing else is reversing. How are we doing this?” Anya replied.
“I have no clue. But, Anya, this is where I fit in. This is what Chariana sensed. I think we can do this for Steffan!” Brynne exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face.
“Yes. It all makes sense now! Chariana’s vision was in limbo not because she wasn’t sure about Steffan’s future, but because she could see him in both body states, dead and alive. That is it! We can bring him back!”
“Let’s take care of this bitch first,” Brynne growled as she concentrated harder on Madeline.
Anya’s brow crunched together.
Madeline was pinned to the ground on her back. She screamed and kicked, punching the floor with her hands, unable to break the hold they had on her. Slowly, they slid her body across the floor, inching closer and closer to the death circle.
Anya looked up at the first steel chamber situated in the row and focused her energy in opening the door. The door flew open, exposing the cold steel spikes that lined the inner door.
Madeline gasped as her core remained pinned to the ground, sliding across the room like a hockey puck. She kicked and screamed, the noises escaping her echoing a demonic possession.
“Ready?” Brynne asked.
“Ready,” Anya replied.
They synchronized their eye movement and lifted Madeline in unison, pinning her into the hollow chamber.
Anya focused on the lever mechanism to raise the chamber’s flooring so Madeline would be eye level with the window opening.
“Damn you to hell!” Anya said to Madeline.
Madeline said nothing. Her eyes had turned to black orbs, her face elongated as she released a bone-chilling screech. She hissed and spat at Anya and Brynne.
With a distinct force, the door slammed shut, instantly impaling Madeline’s body.
The sound of her body intrusion was disturbing, as if a long knife sliced through the juicy flesh of a watermelon and the rind.
Madeline shimmied in the hollow crevice, eerie noises escaping her body as she roared in agony.
The steel chamber started to rock back and forth.
The two women stepped back.
Inside, Madeline’s body convulsed. Her thick, black blood flooded the area, and Anya and Brynne continued to retreat as it spread.
Brynne was hysterical as she spoke, “This is not normal! Look at how much blood there is. What the hell is she?”
“Pure evil,” Anya stated matter-of-factly.
“Anya, look!”
Madeline shook violently in the chamber, her eyes sinking into her body until they were nothing but hollow orbs. Then, her body came to an abrupt standstill, lifeless and motionless.
Suddenly, her lifeless body burst into flames.
The heat was unlike anything they’d experienced before, and the two women scrambled for shelter.
The flame danced in the chamber, weaving in red, orange, gold, and purple. At once, the flames escaped the chamber, igniting the surface of the spilled blood.
The fire swirled and climbed high into the air as Madeline’s figure was recreated in the flame.
There, deep in the heat, she danced in the orange glow, without a care, unruly and forbidding. The flame fell back to the ground and acted like a vacuum, sucking all of the blood back up into the chamber.
As the last river of blood was extracted from the floor, the flame extinguished, leaving behind a pungent aroma.
“Where did she go? The chamber is empty!” Brynne said as she peered in through the window. A small cloud of smoke escaped the chamber as the latch unlocked on its own, sending the door wide open.
“I don’t know. But what’s with that smell?” Anya said, her nose crinkling with the scent.
“It’s like rotten eggs!” Brynne said.
“Steffan!” Anya scrambled to Steffan’s side. He remained entombed in the chamber, his lifeless body propped up by the spikes that ran straight through. “Come here, Brynne. Let’s do this. Bring him back to me!”
The two women focused their newfound energy on Steffan.
The drain in the floor started to rumble, and the women took a step back.
Red liquid seeped out from the tiny holes and rolled backward up on the concrete floor.
“It’s working!” Anya exclaimed
The pools of blood vibrated as the outspread fluid eerily narrowed, flowing unnaturally against the grade in the floor, back into the cavity of the steel chamber. Gravity, physics, all the forces of nature were nonexistent in that moment. The chamber rattled and rocked, though Steffan’s head remained listless, hanging to one side. Suddenly, the locking mechanism broke its hold on the door, sending shards of metal across the room.
The door burst open.
Steffan stood motionless, his hands still handcuffed behind his back in the chamber. His chin pressed into his chest. His eyes remained shut.
Anya walked slowly up to his body and rested her hands on this chest.
His body was unscathed, but he remained unresponsive to her touch.
She pressed her face against his chest.
His body was rigid and still. No sound of a heartbeat could be heard.
Anya pulled her head from his chest and searched his face for any flicker of response.
“Steffan?” Anya called out to him in a desperate whisper. “Please come back to me.
Without warning, Steffan’s chest expanded and he let out an unnerving sound.
His eyes flew open, frightened and alarmed. “Anya?” Steffan said as his gaze settled on Anya’s face.
“You’re back!” Anya burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.
Dazed, Steffan asked, “What? What happened?”
“Steffan, Anya and I brought you back!” Brynne cried as Anya worked feverishly to release Steffan’s handcuffs.
She stepped down to the concrete floor, holding Steffan’s hand and steadying his shaking body as she freed him from the chamber.
“Back from where? Where was I?” Steffan looked down at Anya. “Why couldn’t I find you?” Steffan embraced her tightly, kissing her forehead.
“What do you remember?” Brynne asked.
“It’s a little hazy,” Steffan said as he looked around the room.
The room was a disturbing scene.
All of the council members were in a deep sleep. Some remained propped precariously on their chair while others had made their way to the floor. A heap of twisted metal and plastic chairs stood toward the back of the room.
Steffan looked around slowly, surveying his surroundings. “What in the hell happened here?”
Steffan’s gaze centered on the Eilian’s motionless body. “What’s going on? Is everyone all right here? Why are they all like this?” Steffan asked frantically as he braced himself against Anya.
“They’re fine. Everyone is fine. They passed out with the Submission gas, but they’ll come out of it soon. Come here. Sit down.” Anya helped Steffan walk while Brynne pulled a chair from the tangled mess.
“You don’t know what happened here?” Brynne asked.
“No.” Steffan turned around looked at the death circle. His heart sank as the realization settled in him. He had just walked out of an empty steel chamber.
“Did I…?” Steffan trailed off, pointing to the open chamber.
Anya shook her head in response to his unfinished question.
Steffan’s breath was rapid. He stumbled over his words. “How–how did you guys do this? You said I came back. That you both brought me back.”
“Anya and I, the unique DNA patterns we both share from our human lives—this is what saved you. Somehow, these altered strands are a link to extraordinary abilities once we turned.”
“I don’t get it. Brynne, we tried testing your abilities when we heard of the myths. There was nothing. We even tested Rhys. He didn’t captu
re abilities even though he drinks from you as your mate. I thought this thing with your blood was just an urban legend.”
“No. It is real. But it takes both of us. I drank from Anya, Steffan. And she drank from me. That’s what triggers it, our blood sharing.”
“You drank from my Anya?” Steffan asked, settling his gaze on Brynne. He turned to Anya. “You drank from Brynne? And the two of you, have a taste for each other, like mates?”
“Yes,” Anya said, watching him closely for his reaction.
“Anya, was drinking from Brynne not hard for you to do? You have only drunk from me. I mean, you still won’t feed from a human yet. I was supposed to ease you into that.”
Anya shook her head, not really knowing how to explain what had taken place with Brynne. “I don’t know. It was just instinct taking over I guess.”
Steffan shook his head, his eyes wide in astonishment. “Well, I will definitely have to watch you two do that to each other again. I’m certain Rhys wouldn’t mind being in the audience as well.”
“Steffan!” the women said in unison.
“So, when you say you two brought me back. Back from death?”
“Yes. I watched you die right in front of my eyes. I heard you take your last breath. We said our final good-byes to each other just minutes ago,” Anya said.
“I’m so sorry, Anya. I don’t know why I can’t recall any of this. The last thing I remember is walking down the tunnel with you and Eilian. In fact, I can’t even remember walking into the Nemesis.”
“I don’t know why that is. We only used our energy to reverse back from when the chamber door closed on you.” Brynne said, trying to come up with a reason for Steffan’s lack of memory.
“It doesn’t matter. You are here now, unharmed and with me. That’s all that matters,” Anya said, wrapping her arms tightly around Steffan.
“Wait. What about Madeline and Ryan. Where are they?”
“Madeline is dead. She literally vanished after we put her in one of the chambers,” Brynne informed Steffan.
“Vanished?”
“Yeah, and she left behind a very, very bad smell,” Brynne added.
“And Ryan?”
“I cut him deep. He ran out screaming and wailing, not out of pain, but because I scarred his face.”
“That’s probably more painful for him than death itself. Perfect punishment,” Steffan said with a sense of relief.
