by Unknown
“I won’t ever let Damien suffer what I have,” I looked at our interlocked hands as Phoenix spoke with a resolute vehemence.
I let myself feel his grief. Wishing I could take it from him, but also needing to know how it felt for myself. To know what I was really facing tonight.
“Does he know?” the whisper came out so soft on my breath I could hardly put the words together. Phoenix shook his head.
“No one knows the truth in it. Some know that I lost her. But we’ve all lost people. They don’t know who she was to me. They don’t need to.” I nodded, understanding. I could keep Phoenix’s secrets. He needed someone to share them, and I would gladly take a part of his burden, though I knew I could never take it all.
Lara stood and in doing so everyone else seemed to freeze in place. “They’re coming,” she said loud enough for us all to hear.
Phoenix squeezed my hand again before standing and pulling me with him. Releasing me, he placed his fingers to the small of my back as we walked down stairs. Stopping me at the stairs, he nodded towards Damien. “Go say something to him. Maybe it’s time you told him, Lianna.” He was right. It may be my last chance to say it.
He gave me a knowing look and then turned to everyone else, making sure they were all ready. We had all gone over our positions a while before. Most of us were supposed to fan out through the house. They wanted to divide and conquer, so be it. We’d play into their hands and spread them out so they couldn’t combine their efforts against us.
Everyone moved at once except Damien, who was supposed to be in the now empty living room. Hendrick and Ryce had moved all the furniture down to the basement a few hours ago. My idea.
Ryce gave me a grim look as he passed me to head up the stairs. He was supposed to be the surprise attack. Once up the stairs I heard him changing into the panther. It sounded gruesome.
Hendrick moved for the open kitchen. Jezabell and Lara went to the den. Phoenix stood at the base of the stairs, in front of the main entrance. I made my way to Damien.
They wanted me as close to Damien and Phoenix as possible. I was to stay in the living room between them. “Damien?”
His shoulders tensed but he said nothing to me. He didn’t even look away from the repaired window that covered the back wall. “I’m sorry… For everything. The visions. For hurting you, and for bringing Phoenix deeper into the mess that I am, and most of all turning you against him.”
Still Damien would not look to me. “It’s nothing to apologize for. It’s for the best. You can’t help who you are anyway. Phoenix is a good enough man to look after you. He’ll protect you. He’ll teach you things that I could not.”
There was no concern or emotion left in his voice at all. The lack of any emotion made my body feel as cold as ice. The feeling through the bond radiating off him was just as cold. He’d given up on me. Just that quickly. That instantly. He was done. And he was making damn sure I knew it. The pain of my broken heart froze me in place.
Was I supposed to not like myself for being able to have these dreams and visions? Was I supposed to hate Phoenix because he had done so much for me? Did he need me to apologize for who I was? I sighed and finally my eyes fell off of him. I wouldn’t do it.
You know one thing about being upset with a mind reader, there is no good way to argue with them. So ultimately I said nothing. I looked out the window for a minute as well before my eyes slowly moved over to the dying embers of the fire.
Our time together was supposed to have been spent far closer to one another. I was supposed to tell him what I had never been able to say to anyone before out loud.
Now I felt alone, and colder than I’d ever been. It was a strangely secure feeling. I was well acquainted with them both. I let it devour me. Lianna, don’t! Phoenix warned.
I set the demon free…
A strange feeling of guilt seemed to overwhelm me, but it wasn’t from Damien. Looking up to the stairs, Phoenix was watching me.
It didn’t matter though. Right now all that mattered was surviving the night, and destroying every one of the things coming for our blood. The creeping cold that took hold of my heart spread through my veins, washing the burning pain away. It felt good. It felt free. To be rid of the guilt and the pain and the hurt. Even if for just a moment.
Anna, don’t do this to yourself. Please. You don’t know what you’re doing. I looked up to Phoenix blankly. He said nothing else, nor did I.
Another moment lost in my thoughts and I saw Damien’s body straighten away from his slack leaning position against the wall. His hands came out of his pockets as his fingers clenched in anticipation. It was time.
These guys didn’t seem very creative. Unable to help myself, I rolled my eyes as the largest bay window shattered before us. That poor window. This made twice now.
I heard the crunch of his feet land against the shattered glass. It was Roman. Splendid, my demon said. He looked past Damien to me with a sinister smile creeping over his lips. “Ahh, there’s my girl. You miss me, kotehok? No? Well I missed you.” I am not a kitten… I am your death.
Damien’s snarl ripped out of his lips, but he didn’t have the chance to go after him. Two others came in a second later and went barreling for Damien.
My head tilted as a wicked smile spread over my lips. Roman had his heart set on me, so I had his undivided attention. This was going to be fun.
The front door exploded off of its hinges, shattering the solid oak door into at least three large pieces and a million splinters from one very solid kick. Demetrius came through the broken doorway facing Phoenix. Fire lit his eyes. They’d been waiting for this for too long.
Damien ripped the head off a young African Descendant Crossbreed with short cropped hair and a scanty choice of clothes. The body dropped out from under him leaving Damien holding a dead head.
As Damien lunged for Demetrius, he chucked the head at a Shifter Crossbreed with such force it caved the creatures head in and it fell to the floor, dead.
Roman launched himself at me as I screamed for Damien. “Don’t!” He went for Demetrius. Damien wasn’t supposed to go after him, he knew that.
I caught a glance of Phoenix’s furious expression just before Roman’s hands grabbed a hold of my shoulders. As he touched me, the stabbing in my mind began again even stronger than it had the first time. This time I was ready to take it.
Dropping to my knees I rolled over forward, laying Roman flat on his back as I twisted away from him. Though he lost his grip on me, his grip on my mind was strong as ever now.
“What’s the matter, kotehok?” his tone was sickening sweet as it shot daggers into my head. As I tried to stand the pain brought me back to my knees.
Everyone else had their own problems to deal with as the house seemed to flood with assailants from every direction. I was on my own now.
Roman sauntered over to me and braced his hands on either side of my head. His arrogance would bring him to his knees. Literally. The pain was not completely incapacitating the second time. Even if I couldn’t shield myself, I could function around it.
My hands shot out simultaneously against his knee caps. Instead of just two shocking impacts, I grabbed a hold of them, squeezing until I felt the bones shatter.
Though screaming, Roman was attempting to do the same to my head. Jerking my arms back, still holding the grip on his broken knees, I pulled him down on top of me. The surprise made him release my skull just as it began to fracture.
Holding tightly to his knees still, I let my head hang back. Roman’s torso fell right against me as my mouth spread wide, fangs ripping through his shirt and into his gut. Savagely I tore into him like a lion into its feast.
Roman let out excruciating screams as his hands wrapped around my arms, trying to pull my hold free. When he failed, he gave in. Collapsing on top of me, he leaned over further. I felt his fangs dig into my shoulder brutally.
They scraped against bone as he tore a large chunk of flesh from me. Without relent, h
is mental attack was compared to a thousand piercing knives digging into my mind as we fought.
Twisting and thrashing was useless to throw him off me. My cries of pain ended my attack against Roman’s stomach. Standing up, I brought him with me. Moving as quickly as I was able, I charged at the broken window, tackling it. Roman was pinned under me with shards of glass stabbing up into his back. Sure as hell, he let go then.
I fell backwards landing with a crash on the floor. My feet gathered under me quickly as I remained in a low crouch to the floor.
Roman couldn’t stand so he simply fell to the floor as he pulled himself off the shattered window frame. Like a snake, he twisted his body around to face me, holding himself up with just his hands.
“Yu’ going to die, cyka!” Roman’s Russian accent was incredibly thick when he was angry. And like any true Russian he kept the derogatory names and such to his native tongue.
Reaching a hand out for me, his fingers curled into a slow fist. This simple action caused me to let out a broken scream. My skull felt as if it were being ripped apart by an invisible force. My primal instincts took over. I launched myself at the leach.
One hand wrapped around his throat. The force of our collision landed us on the floor with me on top of Roman. Images of my death filled my mind, an old death that had taken place centuries ago.
Clinching my fingers around his throat slowly they tore at the vital organs. While Roman’s hands uselessly clawed away at my fingers and arms, my other hand shot out to his chest. His shirt already soaked in his blood and my own. My hand on his chest forced my fingers to splinter through his sternum, straight through to his frozen dead heart.
The stabbing pain in my head was daunting and never relented, but I fought past it. His hands clawed and dug at my arms with little victory even though I could feel my flesh and muscle being torn away by his nails.
“I promised you would be mine,” I whispered into his ear as my arms twisted sharply. I felt the snaps of breaking bone. Heard the rip of his flesh as his neck snapped. Not killing him but paralyzing him.
I couldn’t stop. I don’t believe that a single part of me wanted to. The demon was hungry. My mouth opened, snarling out a growl so demented it became monstrous. Removing my hand from his throat and clutching to his head now, my mouth closed around his neck sucking every drop of his blood down. My ears were flooded with his gurgled screams and grunts of pain.
The tremor in my head swelled but it made me drive on harder. His blood flowed easily from the gaping wound. As my left hand felt the beat-less cold heart it dug in harder, wrapping around it. As it did so, as the grasp was full, both my hands ripped free. Roman was dead.
The pain in my mind was a dull throb of aftershock. I was badly injured, but soon I would heal. The power of his blood was a frenzy in my veins.
There are only a few ways to kill a Vampire. Drain all of the blood to the very last drop. That’s the slowest. Take off their head. Rip out their heart. Burn them. I made sure that Roman all but burned. I should have brought matches.
Pulling back I looked into his eyes. Roman’s eyes were now solid black, even the whites. Staggering to my feet I looked down at myself. I was now soaked not just in my blood but his. Roman was done.
A surge of power and strength rolled through my body like ecstasy. It was beyond overwhelming. My mind was in a rage of power.
Two clawed hands grabbed a firm hold of my arms from behind. I’d almost forgotten that he and I weren’t alone. The claws dug deep into my flesh. A snarl ripped out of my lips as I forced my elbow hard into his throat snapping his neck instantly. The Shifter collapsed.
Another unknown monster lunged at me with a bloodcurdling scream that must have been her battle cry. Cute.
She aimed to tackle me. The girl’s arms wrapped around my waist with all the force she could muster. I never budged. My elbow came down hard on that bulging bone on the back of her neck that connected her spine to the base of her skull. They collapsed together on an oozing pile at my feet. Her head was attached only by skin.
This is what the monsters of the world were made for. We were fighters. I had never felt so strong.
Another male came at me. He seemed mutated. Stuck between a Vampire and a wolf. His teeth tore into my legs viciously as I picked him up by his head and twisted his neck around so his head sat backwards on his body. My fangs tore deep into his jugular, ripping the flesh off rather than just biting.
Blood filled my mouth. Suddenly two hands grabbed a firm hold of my arms from behind. They were relentless. Good. Dropping the wolf man’s head to the floor at my feet on top of his body, I jerked around to grab hold of the one behind me. “Stop. You’re done, Anna. It’s over.”
My movements slowed as I heard his voice, and looked up at Phoenix. He didn’t lighten his crushing grip. His brow rose as he looked over the corpses and then me. “Well you’re an interesting little thing, you know that, Sticks,” Phoenix commented in a grim manner as he looked at me closely.
After as moment, he pulled against my arm to guide me away from the bodies. His other hand came up to hold against my cheek. The touch wasn’t controlling. It was incredibly tender.
He stared at me for a long quiet moment. His eyes burned into mine. Focus on me now, cupcake, his voice filled my mind as it had in the meadow.
Desperate to control myself, I took deep slow breaths watching Phoenix closely. “Just breathe. Don’t give into it. I know you want to let go of everything, Anna, but you can’t.” He was right to be so weary and firm. Blood rages are as deadly for those who suffer them as they are for those around them. I nodded. Breathe. I’m right here, Anna, just stay with me.
“I already let it in.” I looked to Phoenix, afraid to look anywhere else and see more blood. The demon wanted it all. I could feel it inside of me, feeding on the death. It kept begging for me to let it go, get away from Phoenix, let go.
I know.
More than anything else, I felt power. Undeniable raw power surged my veins. The coldness that swept me up just before the fight was feeding the power somehow. I could feel it spreading through my body, threatening to overtake me completely.
Both his hands placed against my cheeks as mine encircled his wrists. “I will not let you go, Lianna. I told you that once tonight already. Fight it. I know how easy it is to give in. I know how much better you think you will feel, but you’re wrong. You can’t give up yet, cupcake. You let it in, but it’s not taken over yet. Don’t let it.”
Phoenix’s eyes remained locked on mine for the better part of a minute. I hated it. I hated the pain that it brought on. I hated fighting against the overwhelming feeling of power and freedom. But for him I could suffer it all if he needed me to.
We stood like that for a while, until my eyes could finally close. I let out a shaky breath of relief. “Better?” I nodded again. At least I didn’t think I was going to snap now.
He didn’t seem very happy. Not that Phoenix was a box of smiles or that tonight was a giddy night for anyone, but I got the distinct feeling his irritation was reserved for me. “Hell yes I’m irritated with you, woman.” He grinned bitterly for just a second before it washed away. “I warned you of what could happen. You didn’t listen.”
“No harm done.”
He didn’t agree. His thumb stroked my cheek lightly. His eyes still set on mine. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, yet he wouldn’t let me look away. The pain was trying to drown me. It wasn’t just the physical injuries that hurt.
Didn’t matter though. Not yet. We had more important things to deal with. Phoenix’s jaw clinched rigidly. His grip got tighter on me as he saw the change in my eyes. It wasn’t the red color that concerned him. It was the fear. We were completely alone in the house. “Where are they?”
Even if it had been less than a minute I had forgotten the others. “Where are they, Phoenix?” My body tensed as I tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. Fighting my instincts from the rush of the fight a
nd the blood was a little more difficult for me than anyone else I gathered.
On top of all of that my body was wounded and trying to heal. That and from Phoenix’s weary comments I don’t suppose anyone else was ripping out hearts or drinking the blood of the dead.
“Your sanity is hanging by a thread, Lianna. You need to calm down.” Still clinched tight to his wrists, I looked up at him desperately. His arms twisted slightly, guiding me to wrap around him. I clung to him tightly as his arms wrapped around me, holding me close. His bare chest didn’t show a single cut though he was covered in blood. Barely a trace of it belonged to him. He was much better at this than I was. I wondered how many he’d killed. “Seven.” I could hear the grin in his voice. Though he’d never admit it, I could tell he wished it had been more, too.
“Hey, I got three,” I said meekly.
“You did very well.” Though he held me firm, his hand weaving into my bloody matted hair, his tone was still utterly serious, “We believe there’s only two left from the pack. Lara and Jezabell are trying to get information out of one of them. Ryce and Hendrick are in the south woods making sure that was the last of them, and that none of them have gone off after the locals.”
He kept me pulled tight to him, refusing to let me pull or even look away from him. Believe me I tried. Looking at him just made it harder to face things. “Trust me, Sticks. The eye contact will help you keep control. Just look at me and nothing else, okay?”
My body burned everywhere I had been bitten and torn. As if I had been charged with a million volts of electricity my body was trembling from the high tension. “Where is Damien?”
“He’s with Demetrius.” He held me up against him even closer as I fought to push away.
“What?” The word hissed out as I began shaking uncontrollably. I could feel the stir of the strange blood in my body. The demon was trying to push me over the edge. What would happen if I let it? Let me show you! it screamed, clawing its way to the surface with everything it had.
