Lunar Rebirth (Lunar Rampage Trilogy Book 3)

by Samantha Cross

“Returning the traitor?” he gurgled. His voice was raspy and deep, and he sounded every bit his age at that moment. The flame from the surrounding candles highlighted the edges of his monstrous face. His nose was flattened and his fangs protruded from his mouth like tusks, and little wisps of gray hair danced around his mouth as he spoke.

  “Negotiations are over,” Max informed him. We all stayed behind as he spoke for us.

  Slowly, Master turned toward us at the door. The eye that Dana injured was caked with patches of dried blood, and when he looked at us it brightened into an electric shade of red. “How unfortunate for you,” he whispered.

  My hands began to shake.

  “Like you’d ever be bummed out over a chance to kill us,” Melanie spat.

  “It is awfully time-consuming. But if that’s the fate you lot have chosen for yourself…”

  The chapel doors behind us slammed shut, as if a powerful gust of wind had been controlled by him. Priscilla involuntarily clutched my arm, realized it was me, and then let go and switched her grasp to Daggett.

  “So be it,” Master finished as he rose from the floor. His feet levitated off the velvet carpet, and his wings spread far and wide. I wasn’t sure if his wingspan had grown, or if it appeared more significant inside a small room. The tips of his jagged, gargoyle wings nearly touched each side of the chapel, and his head was only inches from the ceiling. The flames from the candles illuminated him, and I could see the candlelight flickering through his wings. It was the first time I realized how sheer the skin was. It was almost see-through, yet looked sturdy.

  He looked each of us over, as if debating with himself on who he should kill first.

  We all pulled out a kitchen knife and rested it at our side. We had dispersed them evenly from Priscilla’s coat before we entered the castle. The presence of silver in the room made Master subtly recoil. He wasn’t prepared for us to have this many knives.

  As much as I wanted him dead, it made my stomach turn knowing we were going to have to shred this monster apart with kitchen utensils and our bare hands. I hate guns, but at least they’re quick. At least I wouldn’t have to touch him.

  Max raised the knife level to his head and charged at Master. We all followed his lead. The Master flapped his wings and rose higher to the ceiling as the rest of us fell forward, slashing our knives at the space Master left behind. Master flew over us and then swooped down, planting the claws from his feet into Daggett’s back and pulling him off the floor and then throwing him against the chapel windows, shattering them. The knife fell from Daggett’s hand as he collapsed to the ground, with shards of glass falling on top of him. Poor Daggett’s arms and face were sliced up pretty good from the initial impact, and Priscilla immediately ran to check on him.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Melanie react. The blood. She smelled it. Her eyes went an electric yellow, and she immediately shook her head a few times, struggling to fight the hunger that was growing inside of her. She was by Max’s side, trying to attack Master, but the aroma of Daggett’s blood was trying to pull her away from her destination and toward the smell. But Melanie was strong, and she forged through.

  Melanie ran at Master, and he threw her back.

  Max and Dana ran toward Master, and he threw them back.

  Every time anyone got even remotely close, his wings spread, and they tossed us across the room like we weighed nothing.

  I took a chance and threw my knife at him, hoping that the silver and the blade would slit one of his wings or even put a dent in him, but the second it flew in his direction, he twisted his body sideways and the knife landed behind him. Master looked back at me, equally surprised and angry, and bolted in my direction with his hand grasping for me.

  I may not be the smartest or the strongest, but I know when my ass needs to run.

  Like a football player, Max speared his body into Master before he could reach me, and I rolled onto the floor to avoid getting in the way. I did land on my butt, though, which hurt. Master staggered back a step, but only momentarily. Dana jumped onto him from behind and wrapped her legs around his midsection while squeezing her hands tightly around his head, giving him a struggle to even look around the room. Frustrated, he growled, and his wings flapped maniacally to wiggle her off. She didn’t budge.

  Max waltzed straight up to Master and stabbed him in the gut. The blade smoked as it passed through his skin, and Master screamed. He lifted off the floor and kicked Max with both feet, launching him straight into the altar with the dozens of candles. Melanie quickly jumped in from the left and stabbed Master in the shoulder, and he jolted and turned in reaction, letting his wings swipe her and shove her face-first into a wall. He flew straight up to the ceiling, banging against it repeatedly until it shook Dana off of him and then came crashing to the floor.

  Melanie crawled to a fallen Dana and cradled her in her arms. “Are you okay?” she whispered. Dana nodded, and the two slowly got to their feet again.

  A panting Master shakily removed the knife from his stomach and dropped it to the floor. He then weakly did the same to the one in his shoulder. The wounds leaked a steady flow of blood so dark it was almost black, and it dripped all over the velvet carpet. It was the only time I could recall seeing him truly struggle and look like he was out of breath. All because of the silver.

  Max sprung forward, attempting to grab one of the fallen knives, but Master pinned his hand down with his large, bat foot. Max yanked his hand out from beneath Master and then kicked him hard in the shin. Dana and Melanie were back up, both grabbing the knives and stabbing Master in the arms. He backhanded Dana, and then turned to do the same to Melanie, but was met by Daggett, who had collected the shards of glass in his hands and flung them into Master’s face. Master protected himself with both hands, and in that defensive moment, Max grabbed a lit candle and put it out on the side of Master’s head. This caused a sharp, ear-piercing scream. It was a pain he clearly wasn’t prepared for, and with all of his might, he forced Max down to the floor.

  The vibration of the fight knocked one of the window candles over and it rolled across the carpet toward me, nearly scorching my nose. Before the flames settled into the rug and spread, I quickly blew it out. The puff of smoke drifted into my nostrils and I coughed.

  I stared at the unlit candle on the ground, and an idea suddenly popped into my head.

  I crawled across the floor to Priscilla, who had been seated in a corner watching the fight unfold while tightly gripping her knife. “Priscilla!” I yelled.

  She jumped because she didn’t know I was there. “What should I do?” she asked as her eyes remained on the battle. “I wanna help, but I don’t want to die. I can’t do this shit, man! We’re fucking human! What am I even doing here?!”

  I shushed her. “It’s all right. I think I know how we can help. Come with me.”

  She looked at me and blinked. “Come with you? Where?”

  “We gotta go back through the hedge maze. I need you so I don’t get lost.”

  “Are you fucking high?”

  “Come on, Priscilla. We don’t have time.” I grabbed her by the hand and yanked her off the floor as we both dashed to the door.

  Before leaving, I took one last look at Max, Melanie, Dana, and Daggett fighting Master.

  Please stay alive, I prayed. Please be breathing when I return.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  CORA

  I sprinted as fast as I could, and in doing so, repeatedly slid across the snow, yet somehow stopped myself from falling every time. In the distance, Priscilla screamed my name. “Cora!” she yelled. “Wait for me, you dipshit!” I slowed down and let her catch up to me, and she panted heavily when we ultimately made it to the hedge maze. “What the hell are we doing?”

  “Do you remember how to get to the shed?” I asked.

  “The shed?”

  “Yes, the shed. Where we found the axe.”

  “Uh…yeah, maybe? I don’t fucking know. Daggett said to follow the wa
ll.”

  “Yeah, but which wall?”

  “The one that goes to the fucking shed.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Priscilla. They could be dying right now, we don’t have time for sass. My head was messed up when we came in here, so I need you to remember which way we went.”

  Priscilla took a deep breath and then pointed. “I think it was left,” she answered. I wasted no time and booked it into the hedge maze. Priscilla ran right behind me, and reminded me it was her that had to lead the way. I let her go in front of me, and I anxiously followed. My hands and legs were trembling so bad, and I tried to blame it on the cold, but I knew better. It terrified me to think of what we were missing out on back in the castle, and I was desperate to return to them.

  Five minutes later, Priscilla whispered, “I think it’s down this way.” Thank God. We took a sharp turn to the left, around the edge of a hedge, and I bumped right into Priscilla, who had unexpectedly stopped moving in front of me. It was like she hit an invisible brick wall, and something or someone had paralyzed her with fear.

  I peeked over Priscilla’s shoulder and was greeted by a set of yellow, vibrant eyes and a hanging mouth full of dripping wet teeth. The werewolf growled as it stood on its hind legs, reaching somewhere around six feet tall, and its hands were drawn in close to its chest. This dark figure of hair, long, coyote ears, and a stature bigger than either of us was so horrifying I almost pissed my pants.

  “Cora…” Priscilla trembled. She looked to me to do something, but I was at a loss. During the frenzy of everything at the castle, I had completely forgotten about Max’s warning of the third werewolf. Be on the lookout, he said.

  Well, here it was.

  “Cora, do something,” Priscilla said through gritted teeth.

  “What the heck am I supposed to do?” I whispered back.

  “You’re the expert on these things.” Expert? The only thing I was an expert at was getting lucky and not dying. But I had to do something.

  I made the sacrifice and slowly and cautiously stepped out from behind Priscilla, pushing the werewolf’s focus away from her and onto me. Its eyes were sharp like daggers and I swallowed hard. I put both hands out and shushed the beast. “It’s okay, puppy. We’re not here to hurt you.”

  Priscilla scrunched up her face and confusedly mouthed the word puppy like it was the dumbest thing I had ever said. It wasn’t even in the top twenty this month.

  “I don’t know if you’re a person under all that or an animal or what, but please don’t hurt us. Please find it in yourself to fight the impulse.” If this was a natural-born werewolf and not human-turned, it wouldn’t understand me, and all I accomplished was sounding like a nut. But I had to try. “It’s okay, puppy. It’s okay,” I echoed tenderly. The werewolf dropped onto all fours and tilted its head inquisitively at me. It was acting like a dog more than a bloodthirsty beast, and call me crazy, but I felt like my voice was calming it.

  “Oh my god, kill it,” Priscilla said through tightened lips. She was afraid to even move her facial muscles.

  There was no killing it, though. We were two stupid humans with a couple of knives in our pockets. Knives neither of us felt confident in using. In order to kill this thing, we’d have to get up close and personal, and we’d have our heads bitten off by the time we could get a stab in.

  No, I had to persuade this thing to leave us alone.

  Moving as quiet as a mouse, I bent my knees and retrieved a fallen branch from a pile of snow. It was as small as an ordinary stick, around thirty inches long, and I waved it back and forth through the air. The werewolf’s eyes latched onto the stick, following my slow movements. I took the deepest breath imaginable and then launched it down a pathway to our right, all the while hoping for the best. I couldn’t believe it, but the werewolf chased after it, immediately disappearing into the darkness.

  I let out the breath I was holding. “Holy shit, that actually worked?” If only Max were here to see this. I knew this trick would take one day!

  Priscilla ran like a bat out of hell, and I followed. It didn’t take long for us to find the shed again, and instantly we broke down the door. Once inside, Priscilla slammed the door shut and pressed her back against it, panting. “What the fuck was that?”

  I rummaged through the belongings inside the shed. “I can’t believe I just played fetch with a werewolf…and it played along.”

  “Our lives are so fucked, Cora. I think I’m over it. Can we cancel this shit?”

  “After we kill the vampire.”

  She exhaled dramatically. “I can’t believe I kissed a werewolf who’s fighting a vampire. I feel like an actual crackhead right now. That’s how batshit insane this sounds. What the fuck are our lives?”

  I stopped rummaging and arched an eyebrow. “You kissed Daggett?”

  “Another time, Cora!”

  I frantically nodded and returned to my search. “Right, right.”

  “What are you even looking for?”

  I paused and smiled. “This.” It was a red gasoline container, and I picked it up and felt the weight of it being completely full. “We’re gonna light his ass on fire,” I told her.

  There was genuine relief in her eyes. I don’t think I’d ever made Priscilla look that way before, and it filled me with even more confidence. This was going to work.

  I pushed past Priscilla and to the door, and when I opened it, the rush of the cold, winter air hit my face. I heard Priscilla behind me say, “What about this?” I turned around to see her staring down at a large object on a wooden table.

  As soon as I approached and realized what it was, adrenaline pumped through my veins. “Yes,” I said with wide eyes. “We’re taking this with us.”

  “It’s gonna be heavy as shit. It’ll slow us down.”

  “It’ll be worth it,” I told her. “Just one thing, though. I’m using it.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  MELANIE

  I socked Master in the face, and as my arm stretched in front of him, he clutched it with both hands and bit into my flesh as hard as he could. Blood squirted from me like a busted hose, and I wrenched my arm away from his clasp and fell back a step. The wound would heal, but the stinging was overpowering. I was seeing stars.

  Dana broke the head off a statue of an angel and clubbed it against the back of Master. He barely flinched, and spun around to face her before backhanding her. The strike was precise and hard, and she crashed into the statue she had taken the head from. Max grabbed Master from behind, attempting to pin back his arms, but all Master had to do was widen his wingspan and Max’s grip slipped. Master threw back his head right into Max’s nose, and I heard the crunch of it splitting. Daggett then began launching broken fragments of wood from the chapel seats at him, and Master batted them away like they were flies. He stalked toward Daggett, rapidly closing the space between them and forcing Daggett into a corner. Master gave a demented grin, and then chomped down on Daggett’s neck as he squealed in agony.

  I dashed toward them in hopes of ending his suffering, but as I got there, Master quit chewing on him and forced his eyes onto Daggett. “Fight her,” he instructed. Daggett practically went brain-dead and instantly came after me, throwing right hand after right hand at my face. I dodged each attempt.

  “Daggett, come out of this!” I pleaded as I backed away. I didn’t want to hurt him.

  Master stood behind, observing.

  “Max!” I wailed. Daggett pounced at me and we both tumbled to the floor. I could take him, but I didn’t trust myself not to kill him. So I laid there and let him sock me in the face. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt like hell.

  Max grabbed Daggett by the shoulders and dragged him off of me. Immediately, Daggett tried to strike him, but Max was able to fend off those attempts. Max ducked, swerved, and then pulled Daggett’s face down onto his knee. The collision stunned and disoriented Daggett, and Max took that moment to bash his head into a wall and knock him out.

&nbs
p; With no warning, Master’s hand twisted around my throat, grasping so tightly my airway closed. My feet were lifted off the floor as I choked out a cry. “See what you’ve done,” he hissed a mere inch from my face. “Your selfishness has led to your friends’ demise.”

  I struggled to breathe as I stared back at Master. “You’re...gonna...fucking...die.”

  He snickered at my threat, and pulled me close to him. “Shall I devour your heart in front of everyone? Or would it be better for you to perish alone?”

  Max charged at Master with his entire body, and they both went flying. I fell back to my feet and coughed profusely, trying to accept the sudden gust of air running down my throat. The two scuffled on the floor with Max ending up on top. Max laid into Master, punching him over and over, each time his hits growing faster and harder. Max’s eyes were taken over by a hue of yellow, and his teeth lengthened and sharpened, no longer fitting his mouth. He was channeling the beast inside of him while staying human. It was crazy.

  I found one of the knives on the floor and quickly grabbed it, running up to the two as they fought and then pierced Master’s wing with the blade. I used my enhanced vampire strength to drive the knife all the way through him and the floor. He panicked and attempted to fly, but he was pinned in place. Master struggled for a moment and when he couldn’t bring the blade out of the floor, he flew anyway, and the blade tore a long, zigzagged hole horizontally through his left wing.

  His left wing completely gave out, and every time he tried to take flight, he wobbled and crashed to the floor. We grounded the fucker.

  Max joined me at my side at the same moment as Dana. The three of us stood together, facing a bleeding, injured Master. He tormented me, terrified me, made me feel helpless and small. But in this moment, it was him that was all those things. And I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

  The chapel doors beside Master suddenly kicked open. Cora and Priscilla stood in the doorway, with Priscilla holding a large container of gasoline and Cora revving up a goddamn chainsaw. I couldn’t believe it, but Cora was actually running toward him. Cora!