Rose whimpered as she hit the floor face-first, unable to catch herself. She felt warm blood spilling out of her nose, over her lips, as she tried to climb onto her hands and knees. The injury in her chest ached worse than ever before.
“Rose, you have to hurry,” Kara told her in a quiet, shaky voice. She sounded so worried, Rose thought. “I think Kirk called Alana. Please, get up.”
Rose cried out as her arms slid out from beneath her. The pain felt so severe that she could barely think. She felt the vampire try to grasp her arm.
“She’s still injured. You can do this,” Kara assured her. “Just get up.”
Rose pulled away before the vampire could get a good grasp on her arm, and then, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think past the pain as much as possible. Then, somehow, she stood, the dagger trembling in her hand.
“Need…blood,” the vampire growled, crawling toward Rose.
Rose wiped her hand across her nose, trying to wipe away some of the blood, and then, she once again flipped the vampire over, onto her back.
Rose jumped on top of the vampire, straddling her hips, and quickly pressed the blade of the dagger against the vampire’s throat. Blood pooled around the vampire’s sleek, black hair, and her dark eyes stared up at Rose tiredly. The vampire seemed too weak and disoriented from the head injury to fight back, and as Rose stared down at the injured vampire, one hand clutching the handle of the dagger and the other clutching the blade, she hesitated. She only needed to press down, and the blade would slice through the vampire’s neck, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t kill the vampire, and she was running out of time.
“Close your eyes,” Kara said from the doorway. “Then, press down.”
Rose swallowed uneasily. She wished that she had more time or that there was another way. But she knew that she had to hurry. She knew that she had to save Kara…quickly…before Kirk made it downstairs…and also before Alana found them. She closed her eyes and pushed down on the blade. She turned her face away, cringing, as the vampire’s warm blood sprayed across her face and neck. When she reopened her eyes, the vampire was dead. Decapitated.
“Rose!” Kara screamed out suddenly. “Move! Now!”
Rose heard the rush of movement coming toward her, and thanks to Kara’s warning, she rolled off of the decapitated vampire just in time to dodge Kirk’s attack. She scrambled to her feet and stepped back, bracing herself for another attack as he returned to his feet. He growled ferociously at her and then launched himself toward her. She tried to dodge his body, but he moved too rapidly. His hands grasped her shoulder and jerked her backward as she tried to move. He slammed her against the wall, his chest heaving as he wrapped his hands around her throat. Still clutching the blood-soaked silver dagger, Rose jabbed the dagger into his side, between his ribs, the only place that she could reach in the position he held her in. He groaned in pain, staggering backward as blood poured from his side, soaking into his green shirt. She watched him warily.
Kirk jerked the dagger out of his side and tossed it aside. The dagger hit the floor with a clang and then slid across the floor, away from them. He pressed his hand over the bleeding wound. “I really don’t like you,” he growled.
“Don’t feel bad,” Kara said to Rose. “Kirk doesn’t like me much either.”
He looked at Kara, his green eyes narrowing. “I called Alana while I was upstairs. I told her what you’ve done. She’s on her way here…to kill your friend.”
Kara just smiled. “You should really keep your eye on your opponent.”
He frowned. “What?” he mumbled, but before he could even finish the word, he cried out as Rose stabbed him again—shoving her dagger into his heart.
Rose stumbled backward as he shoved her away from him, barely able to catch her balance before she fell. She watched him as he stepped toward her.
“Rose, come here,” Kara called. “Come into this room with me.”
Rose glanced back and forth between Kara—in the room just to her right—and Kirk—in front of her, staggering toward her, a little unsteady because of his injuries. As soon as she began to move toward Kara, Kirk leapt at her.
Kara jerked Rose into the room with her, snatching Rose out of Kirk’s path less than a second before his hands would have wrapped around her. Rose felt all of the oxygen rush out of her lungs as her back slammed into the wall, the drywall caving in from the speed and force of her body. Kara slammed into her, her hands tightly clutching Rose’s shoulders. Their bodies pressed together, Kara’s muscular form pressing hard against Rose’s curves. Both Rose and Kara panted for breath, their chests heaving, their erratic heartbeats racing rapidly against their chests, as they stared at each other. Kara’s piercing, blue gaze shifted lower, lingering on Rose’s soft, full lips, darkening with desire. Rose swallowed.
The sound of a chair crashing against the stone floor drew their attention, and Kara stepped back and spun toward the door. Kirk stood in the doorway, panting, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. His green eyes looked wild and crazed, and he had his fangs bared, causing him to look even less human than before. His gaze darted back and forth from Kara to Rose, as if he were trying to figure out how to kill them both. Blood soaked his green shirt, pouring from his chest and side, large, red droplets splattering onto the stone floor.
A cocky smirk tugged at Kara’s lips. “You should have known better than to come in here with me…especially after I kicked your ass last night.”
Kirk stared at Kara, a hint of anxiety flashing in his manic, green eyes. He rolled his shoulders back, preparing to attack. “You have no weapons.”
“Of course I do,” Kara argued, smiling. “I have my body.”
Kirk lunged at her, and she spun out of his way, causing him to slam into the medical exam table in the center of the room. The table collapsed under his weight, the rusted metal bending and breaking with a thunderous crash that echoed throughout the entire asylum. Kara waited for him to stand and turn back toward her, her body bending just slightly at the knees, into an almost unnoticeable crouch. When he lunged at her a second time, she leapt forward as well. As his hands wrapped around her throat, she latched onto him, wrapping her long, muscular legs around his waist. She flipped them backward, causing him to land on the tile floor. His body slammed against the floor with so much force that a sickening crunch echoed through the room. Kara landed on her feet, lowered into a crouch behind him, and then, she rose gracefully to her full height, pushing her sleek, blue-and-black hair out of her face, as if the fight were over.
Kirk lay there, paralyzed, groaning in pain, as he watched Kara approach him. Kara flipped him onto his stomach with her foot and pressed the bottom of her boot into his back, holding him still, as she grabbed a handful of his reddish-brown hair. She pressed down on his back with her foot as she snatched his head backward with her hand, and an eerie, screeching cry escaped his lips as she ripped his head from his body with her bare hand. Blood sprayed from his ripped-open neck, splattering the dusty, stone medical room, and pooling beneath his body. Then, Kara straightened and tossed the severed head aside.
Rose leaned against the wall, still panting for breath, as she watched the gruesome fight begin and end within a matter of seconds, happening faster than any human could have even seen. She watched as Kara turned around to look at her. Kara wiped her blood-soaked hands on her leather pants, and then, she crossed the room, worry flashing in her light blue eyes, as she approached Rose.
“Are you okay?” Kara breathed as soon as she reached Rose, her soft, warm hands trailing up Rose’s arms, her fingers brushing against Rose’s neck as she tilted Rose’s face to the side so that she could examine Rose’s face and neck, looking for injuries. She swept her gaze down Rose’s body. “Did they hurt you?”
Rose shivered at the sensation of Kara’s fingers sliding over her skin. The bruises from the fight hadn’t healed yet, and her skin felt tender and sore, even beneath Kara’s gentle touch. And yet, even so, the soft sensa
tion of Kara’s fingertips brushing over Rose’s skin raised chill bumps and caused her skin to tingle pleasantly. “I’m fine,” she said in a strained voice. “I’m healing already.”
Kara stared at Rose, her brows furrowing. “What are you doing here?”
“Elise got your message,” Rose explained. “We came to help you.”
Kara lifted her hand and cupped the side of Rose’s face affectionately. “You’re injured, Rose. Why would you come here and risk what little health you have regained?” she sighed. “And why in Odin’s name would you come alone?”
Rose closed her eyes, instinctually leaning into Kara’s soft, gentle touch. “I’m not alone,” she assured her. “Elise is outside…um…distracting the guard.”
The edges of Kara’s lips quirked up in amusement. “Distracting, hmm?”
Rose wrinkled her nose at the awkward subject, her lips twitching. “She, uh, seemed to think it was the best way to keep him occupied while I snuck in.”
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Kara sighed, concern burning in her icy blue eyes. “I think your bravery is beautiful, Rose, but…those vampires were older and more experienced than you are. You’re lucky to have survived.”
“I couldn’t let Elise come by herself,” Rose tried to explain.
“You could have at least brought Kallias and Erik,” Kara insisted.
“I tried,” Rose sighed. “I couldn’t get in touch with them. I called Kallias, but he won’t answer his phone. And Kara…Erik lied to me about you.”
Kara’s brows creased with worry. “What do you mean?”
“Last night, I was,” Rose paused, somewhat reluctant to admit how she’d felt. “I was…worried…when you didn’t come back to the room before sunrise. But then, Erik told me that he had seen you with Elise. He lied to me.”
A surprised smile tugged at Kara’s lips. “You were worried about me?”
Rose lifted her hand to cover Kara’s hand. “Of course,” she whispered.
Kara’s lips parted in surprise, and she found herself intertwining her fingers with Rose’s. “Alana messed with Erik’s mind. That’s why he lied to you.”
Rose bit her lip nervously. “Erik is with Kallias right now. You don’t think that Alana would…” she trailed off. “Do you think Kallias is in danger?”
“If you’re asking if I think that Alana would force Erik to kill his best friend, just to screw with his mind worse than she already has,” Kara sighed sadly, “the answer is yes. That’s exactly the kind of thing that Alana would do.”
Rose turned to leave. “We have to find Kallias. We have to save him.”
Kara sighed as she watched Rose head toward the door, “I can’t leave.”
Rose froze at the door. Then, she turned slowly to face Kara again, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Of course you can. All of the guards are gone.”
Kara exhaled slowly, sadness flashing in her icy blue eyes. “The guards weren’t out there to keep me in, Rose. They were there to keep everyone else out.”
A cold wave of dread washed over Rose, a chill that seeped into her skin, piercing down to her bones. “What are you talking about?” she breathed.
“I never meant for you to get that message, Rose,” Kara explained. She slowly took a step forward, a fearful, pleading look burning in her eyes. “I sent it to Elise. I hoped it would be enough to get her here so that I could warn her.”
Rose swallowed nervously. “Warn her about what?”
Kara sighed, “Alana plans to attack the Tomb of Blood tonight.”
Rose’s heart began to race. “You have to warn Aaron.”
“I can’t,” Kara said. “If I warn Aaron, the deal is off.”
The sense of dread that had already been twisting at Rose’s stomach suddenly intensified. Rose stared at Kara, noticing the way Kara’s shoulders slumped with shame, noticing the sadness that flashed in her light blue eyes, noticing the hesitant, pleading look on Kara’s face as she spoke. “What deal?”
“I agreed to help Alana,” Kara confessed, “in exchange for something.”
“You made a deal with Alana?” Rose breathed in disbelief. “Kara…”
Kara normally hid her emotions so well, but in the moment, intense, visible pain flashed in Kara’s eyes, her face contorting, as if she’d been slapped. “You’re disappointed in me,” she realized. “I tried to tell you, Rose. I’m evil.”
“No,” Rose argued. “No. I refuse to believe that. You’re not evil.”
Her face softened with sadness. “I knew that Erik would be fine. Alana would never hurt him. Despite all of her faults, for whatever reason, she actually does care about Erik and me to a certain extent. She’ll hurt us. She’ll manipulate us. She’ll use us. But she’ll never kill us. So, I knew that, tonight, she would have him out of the way when she attacked. But you…” Kara sighed. “You’re injured. I assumed you’d be there when she attacked, and…she would have killed you.”
“What are you saying, Kara?” Rose asked, her brows furrowing.
“I asked her to spare you,” Kara admitted. “That was the deal.”
“You agreed to help her destroy the Tomb of Blood in exchange for…me?” Rose asked incredulously. “You agreed to help her destroy your home, kill all of the vampires that you care about, start a war between vampires and humans, just to save one life? What the heck, Kara? Why would you do that?”
Kara shrugged. “I swore to protect you.”
“I don’t care what you swore to do!” Rose snapped. “This is insane!”
“There was no way for me to save everyone,” Kara said. “She would have kept me locked in here until it was over. So, I did the only thing I could.”
“Why me?” Rose asked quietly. “Out of everyone, why would you ask her to spare me? Why not Aaron? Or Elise? Is this really about that stupid oath?”
Kara looked away, her face contorting with pain. “Don’t ask me that.”
“Why not?” Rose asked, her brows furrowing.
Kara shifted her gaze back toward Rose, her cornflower-blue eyes flashing with an emotion that Rose couldn’t identify. “Don’t ask me to admit how I feel about you when I know you’ll never admit how you feel about me.”
Rose swallowed uneasily. “I…I don’t understand,” she stammered.
“I couldn’t let you die, Rose,” Kara sighed. “I care about Elise. I wanted to warn her and save her, too, if possible, but…it’s different with you. It’s deeper than that. Even if I lose everything that matters to me, I can’t let Alana hurt you.”
Rose’s frown deepened. “You care that much? After such a short time?”
Kara just stared at her for a moment. “You’re not an ordinary woman, Rose,” she said quietly. For a moment, she seemed so serious, her words full of unspoken meaning. But then, she raked her fingers back through her long, blue-and-black hair, and offered Rose a hesitant, almost nervous smile. “Same rules don’t apply.” Then, that smile faded, and she stepped forward, closing the space between them. She lifted her hands to push Rose’s thick, auburn hair out of her face, her palms cradling the sides of Rose’s face affectionately. Rose’s bright blue eyes were still wide with shock, her soft, full lips parted in surprise. Kara sighed, “You have to leave. If Alana finds you here, she’ll assume that I broke the deal, and she’ll kill you, just to spite me. Go. Find Kallias. Save him. I’ll warn Elise.”
Rose shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“You have to,” Kara insisted. “I can’t leave. At all. Alana commanded me not to leave this room. I physically cannot step through that doorway.”
“I came here to save you, and I’m not leaving until I do,” Rose told her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rose. Just…” Kara trailed off, her nostrils flaring as a familiar scent drew her attention. On the floor, above them, a door creaked open, and the soft tapping of high-heeled shoes echoed throughout the building as someone stepped into the hallway. Kara’s light blue eyes
widened in alarm, and then, Kara stepped between Rose and the door, shoving Rose behind her.
“What’s going on?” Rose asked, frowning at Kara’s protective behavior. The heels clicked against the stairs now as the vampire descended the stairway. Rose vaguely recognized the vampire’s sweet, perfumed scent. “Who is it?”
Kara watched the door anxiously, shielding Rose’s body with her own. “Alana,” she answered, just as the beautiful vampire appeared in the doorway.
Alana leaned against the doorframe, her bare shoulder and her silk-clad hip pressed against the cold, metal doorframe. She wore a thin, lavender dress that molded to every slight curve of her body—a beautiful, formal dress that looked more like prom attire than apocalyptic-battle attire. She tilted her head to the side, her pale blonde hair falling over her bare shoulder. “Hello, darling.”
22
Negotiating with a Sociopath
Kara stared warily at her gorgeous ex-girlfriend. “You look nice.”
A wicked smile curled at the edges of Alana’s lips. “Nice try,” she said in that soft, seductive voice of hers, “but you’ll have to try harder than that, if you want me to look over the dismembered bodies scattered all over the floor.”
Kara shrugged one shoulder. “You never said that I couldn’t kill them.”
Alana raised an eyebrow. “And am I supposed to believe that the cute little redhead hiding behind you had nothing to do with why you killed them?”
“I’m not hiding,” Rose corrected. “And why do you keep calling me little? Technically, you’re smaller than I am. You’re shorter and skinnier than me.”
Alana’s perfectly-sculpted eyebrows managed to lift even higher. She pushed away from the doorframe and entered the room, her heels clicking against the tile floor with each step. She gracefully stepped over Kirk’s headless body, as if she stepped over corpses while wearing high heels all of the time. She tried to veer around Kara, but Kara quickly stepped to the side, keeping herself between Alana and Rose. Kara’s icy blue eyes flashed dangerously as she stared Alana down, daring her to try something. Alana just smiled. “Step aside, Kara.”
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