Reggie carelessly tossed the dagger on the hall table near the stairs. It clattered against the marble top. Chrissy paused on the last step, glanced at the dagger, and then stared at Reggie. Kahn paced before her and raised his brows while mocking her with an evil smile.
“He couldn’t prove any of that and neither can you,” Kahn announced then shook his head. “You won’t be going anywhere. You’ll take your rightful place by my side as you were always meant to. As for your brother, I’ll have his head mounted on my wall.”
She stared at him with surprise. “This was never about Dylan, was it? It was always about me,” she suddenly gasped. “You used Dylan to get to me, and I played right into your evil plans.”
“Even if you could prove that, there’s nothing you can do about it,” he announced. “You’ll be mine. And if you’re thinking my brother will come to your rescue, think again. He can’t harm me or he’ll forfeit his right to become a Life Force.”
Kahn raised his hand to Reggie with a threatening sneer. A bolt shot from his hand toward her. Reggie defensively raised her own hand with a startled gasp and the bolt of energy suddenly dissipated. Kahn stared at her with astonishment. Reggie looked at her hand, flexed it, and grinned.
“That tingled,” she said with a giggle
Chrissy and Begley appeared almost as shocked as Kahn was. Both were now only a few feet away from the show. The front door burst open to reveal a panting Dylan in human form. All eyes were upon him.
“Damn, I’m really out of shape,” Dylan said while hunched over and clutching his knees.
“A steady diet of Twinkies will do that,” Reggie casually replied.
“What’s going on?” Kahn demanded. “Who turned him back?”
Reggie looked back at Kahn and grinned. “It’s a funny story, although I’m not sure you’ll find it all that amusing.”
Helsing half fell through the open doorway, leaned his back to the wall while gasping, and slid down the wall into a sitting position. “I’ve decided I don’t care for running,” he gasped.
Dylan continued to breathe hard while holding his side. “Join the club.”
Kahn stared at Helsing then looked at Reggie as she approached him. Her sly grin was enough to rattle him.
“Helsing and I were each granted one wish from your mother as a wedding present,” Reggie informed him.
Kahn appeared stunned and looked from Helsing to Reggie. “Wedding present? You and Helsing?”
Helsing smiled wearily and gave a tiny wave. “My wish was for my powers to go to Reggie temporarily for her own protection.”
“And my wish was for all the people you’d enslaved to be returned to their mortal lives,” Reggie announced.
“No, that’s not possible,” Kahn protested then looked at Helsing. “If you marry, you can’t be a Light Force.”
“I’ve already been chosen,” Helsing replied. “My Light Force status takes effect after Reggie’s tour of life ends.”
“Mother would never interfere,” Kahn scoffed. “This isn’t over!”
The female light, Leola, appeared in the hallway. Begley took Chrissy’s hand in his as they moved closer together and watched the light. Kahn appeared stunned.
“Mother?” he gasped with surprise then turned angry. “Mother, what’s the meaning of this? How could you interfere?”
“I’m sorry, Kahn. You abused your power,” Leola said. “All the mortals you enslaved will be returned to their world as they were. I’m afraid your behavior calls for severe punishment. The council has agreed to strip your powers starting now. You will live your life as a mortal among mortals. I hope you will learn from your mistakes.”
Leola waved her hand. Vapors flooded from Kahn. He suddenly grabbed onto the table for support and looked at his mother.
“This isn’t fair!”
“You know it is,” Leola replied then vanished.
Helsing smiled and pulled Reggie into his arms.
Dylan glared at them. “Can we go home now?” he demanded.
“Yes, I’d like to see our mortal home,” Helsing announced cheerfully.
Chrissy and Begley approached them while barely able to control their grins. Chrissy hugged Reggie. “I can’t thank you enough for setting us free.”
“From both of us,” Begley added.
“When you’re ready to leave, meet the others on the beach,” Reggie said then smiled. “Be happy.” She turned to Dylan and Helsing. “This should be an interesting trip with me driving.”
Dylan smirked at Kahn in his weakened condition and gave him the finger. Reggie waved her hand and all three vanished.
Kahn frowned with disgust. “It’s not over; not by a long shot.”
He turned and nearly collided with Chrissy. Kahn gave her a stern, dirty look. “My powers will eventually be restored.”
Begley proudly appeared behind Chrissy and placed his arm around her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, kissed her on the cheek, and walked away from her. Chrissy stood proudly before Kahn and smiled as if the world was lifted from her shoulders.
“I never thought this day would come, Kahn, but I’m glad this relationship can finally be terminated,” she announced and sighed deeply. “I hope there are no hard feelings.” Chrissy smiled sweetly and revealed the golden dagger in her hand by her side.
Kahn appeared horrified and let out a startled gasp. She thrust the dagger upward into his abdomen without emotion. He suddenly cried out with pain, clutched the golden dagger as she released it, and stared into Chrissy’s expressionless eyes. Begley and Chrissy watched with no reaction as Kahn collapsed to the floor. She turned to Begley and offered a tiny, pleased smile. Begley took her hand in his, suavely kissed it, and returned the smile.
“Now that you’re officially a widow, can I call you?”
She sank into his arms and clung to him.
The End
Full-length novels by Holly Copella!
Reviews left on Amazon are appreciated!
“Insanely Deadly”
When the dead return to life, it’s up to an admiral’s daughter and a mildly insane, former war hero to save their small town.
Jetta Cross, a Navy Admiral’s daughter, is tasked with keeping her father’s comrade, a former war hero turned town crazy, grounded in the real world. Capt. John Hunter is still fighting the war in his head, where imaginary dead people are part of his world. When a viral outbreak brings about a zombie uprising, Hunter is left to his own devices. He must resume his role as a one-man commando unit in order to destroy the ravenous undead. With Hunter still fighting his own inner demons as well as the undead, the townspeople fear their zombie neighbors may not be the only threat. Stranded at the island’s luxurious resort with a handful of workers, Jetta is forced to live up to her father’s reputation and take charge of the deteriorating situation at the hotel. She must wage her own war against the infected before the government declares her hometown a total loss.
“Deadly Institution”
A town recluse suspected of killing his wife teams up with a young woman in order to stop a killer.
After being accused of murdering his wife, Konrad Asher turns his back on the town that once adored him. Ten years later, he still holds his grudge and the title of the most feared man in town. With the reopening of the burned mental institution, where his wife had died, former employees are now murdered one-by-one, throwing suspicion back on Asher. A young local reporter, Jacey, is forced to reveal her long-time friendship with the infamous recluse in order to clear his name not only in the recent murders but to exonerate him in the death of his wife as well. Will Jacey’s relationship with Asher invite the killer closer to her? Or is the killer already in her life?
“Death Displacement”
A grief-stricken man travels back in time to seek revenge on the woman who murdered his girlfriend but inadvertently falls in love with her.
Kane is about to marry the woman he loves. His life is perfect. A few weeks before
the wedding, a vindictive woman from his girlfriend’s past mysteriously arrives and kills her. He learns of a traumatic accident that happened five years earlier, which triggers Riley’s hatred for his girlfriend. Distraught over his girlfriend’s death, Kane uses an antique time machine to travel into the past in order to find and destroy the woman responsible. When he runs into Riley’s younger self, he realizes she’s not the monster she later becomes, and he can’t bring himself to destroy her. With a little help from his oddball friend from the past, they formulate a plan to prevent the accident that sends Riley down her destructive path. Kane’s plan backfires when he falls for the younger Riley. His new tortured existence is further complicated when future Riley, his girlfriend’s killer, shows up with her own devious agenda that doesn’t include him. Will he be able to stop the time ripple, which ultimately ends with his girlfriend’s death? Or will future Riley take him out of the timeline forever--
“The Battle for Andrea Maria”
A cruise ship attack turns six survivors into overnight celebrities after they take credit for the heroic act of a stowaway who died saving them.
The cruise is just what Jess needed--a bit of harmless fun far from her daily grind. But what begins as a relaxing vacation turns into a desperate fight for her life when terrorists take over the ship and start piling up bodies. Teaming up with a mysterious stowaway, Jess attempts to send out a distress call but knows they cannot wait for help to come. If she or the few remaining passengers have any hope for survival, Jess must act now. The papers dub it “The Battle for Andrea Maria,” but to Jess it is the moment she fought side-by-side with her enigmatic Romeo, saving the ship--and losing him. She thinks the story ends there, but really, the nightmare is just beginning…
“Screenplays: The Island Collection”
“Jungle Princess”, “A.L.F. Resort”, “Brighton Island”
Discover how romance and fun in the sun can be downright chilling!
“Jungle Princess” is a romantic/thriller that leaves a teenage girl stranded on an island with two male shipmates and a creature of “unknown” origin. She soon discovers the island is home to an abandoned prison with several prisoners roaming free. What really killed over one hundred prisoners? And is it still out there--?
“A.L.F. Resort” is a romantic/thriller set on an island resort with Artificial Life Forms as the main draw. At this resort, all your fantasies come true…until a malfunction removes safety inhibitors on the A.L.F.’s. Zombies, biker gangs, and mobsters run amuck, turning fantasies into nightmares. A young reporter gets more of a story than she anticipates, but will she survive long enough to write the story?
“Brighton Island” is a romantic/thriller set on a private island. When the owner’s niece brings her psychic friend to the mansion, his presence awakens the spirits’ tortured souls. As the psychic attempts to solve the old murders, the niece is confronted with the possibility that she’s next to join the mansion ghosts. Stranded on the island with a crazed killer, he uncle wages his own war to save them. Will his “shock and awe” tactics actually save them or get them killed?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Holly Copella has been writing since the age of twelve when her frustration at a book’s poor plot drove her to author her own story. Over the last decade, she’s written a number of screenplays, some of which she’s now adapting into novels. Her fascination with zombies and other darker material lends an edge to her writing, which tends to lean toward horror. As a fan of Agatha Christie, she appreciates the craft of a good plot and the importance of creating significant characters.
Hailing from Pennsylvania, Copella lives in the Endless Mountains on a farm with her rescue horses and other animals. In addition to writing and reading fiction, she enjoys riding horses and traveling to Las Vegas and Disney World.
Visit Amazon.com/author/hollycopella for more books by this author. If you enjoyed this short story, reviews on Amazon are greatly appreciated.
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