by Anya Nowlan
At least Robert hadn’t been cruel or violent toward her, aside from when he put his hand around her throat when he first appeared at her door. Kayla hadn’t really given him a reason to use force, either. What was she going to do, fist-fight an undead creature with the speed and strength of a superhero?
Every cell in her body was on edge, her fingers gripping the sides of the crate she was sitting on, as she was left to contemplate if she would ever get the chance to tell Ezra how she really felt about him.
She didn’t want to get too morbid, but she knew there was a good chance either she or Ezra wouldn’t come out of this alive. Ezra was already at a disadvantage because of the fact Robert could use her against him. How could Ezra give his all to fighting Robert when he had to worry about her at the same time?
Movement in her peripheral vision made Kayla perk up and her thoughts scatter, as she raised her head to see Ezra standing at the shipping container’s door, staring daggers at Robert. Dressed in black slacks and a white button-down, he looked sleek and dangerous, and the expression on his face was downright murderous.
“You came,” Robert remarked flatly, still standing in the same spot he had before, his back to Kayla.
“Of course I came,” Ezra spat back, sneaking a glance her way over Robert’s shoulder.
And despite the circumstances, and the near-paralyzing fear pumping through her veins, Kayla found herself immensely glad to see him. She hadn’t doubted he would come for her, not really, not even after the way they had left things. But to have him standing there still filled her with emotion.
“I didn’t think you cared about anyone but yourself, is all,” Robert shrugged, and there was a distinct edge to his voice as he started walking around the container, his steps echoing off the metal walls. “Imagine my surprise when I tracked you down to some plebian apartment, and your betrothed answers the door. Could hardly believe my eyes when I sensed you had claimed her.”
“Enough of the small talk,” Ezra growled, his eyes following Robert’s every movement. “I’m here, so you can let her go.”
“I could, but where’s the fun in that,” Robert replied. “I think it’s rather fitting that she be here to watch me rip your head from your neck. Adds a little drama to the whole thing,” he laughed, the sound hollow and humorless.
“You do know what will happen to you once the royal families find out about this,” Ezra warned, looking like he was ready to pounce at any moment. “The bond between a vampire and their bride is sacred.”
“My marriage to Lilith was sacred,” Robert spat out, taking a step closer to Ezra. “To me, at least,” he added. “But you didn’t care about that, so why should I care about your little whore?”
“Watch it,” Ezra threatened, and Kayla could feel the air around her grow heavy and tense. “You have no right to talk about her like that. She has nothing to do with this.”
Kayla wanted to run to Ezra, to throw her arms around him and tell him how he had changed her life, but she was left to be a spectator in a fight she couldn’t possibly sway the outcome of.
“Maybe I should kill her first, and make you watch,” Robert mused aloud, and that was the last drop, it seemed.
Fangs exposed, Ezra turned into a blur as he charged toward Robert with a savage cry. The men collided with a loud thud, dust swirling around them as they grappled with each other in the middle of the container, lips peeled back and eyes narrowed.
Ezra pulled back his elbow only to smash it into Robert’s jaw, making the man’s head snap back. He followed that up with a knee to the gut, making Robert crumple forward for a second. Kayla could swear she heard the sound of bones cracking on that last hit, but Robert straightened up just a moment later, looking no worse for wear.
Getting to her feet, Kayla flattened herself against the back wall of the container, making herself small so she wouldn’t get in the way of the chaos in front of her. The men were now back to zipping around the place at speeds she could barely follow, with bodies being thrown around and hitting the walls.
Huge dents covered every side of the metal box as Ezra and Robert slammed each other into whatever surfaces they could, including the ceiling. Kayla’s eyes widened when Ezra’s frame shot up to hit the roof and landed in a heap on the floor, coughing and splattering the dirt underneath him with blood as he did.
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Ezra got back on his feet, and he and Robert circled each other, their movements predatory and smooth, their steps measured and silent on the ground. Kayla found herself holding her breath as all she could do was pray Ezra would come out of this alive.
Both men looked a lot more ragged than before, with Robert’s pinstriped suit missing its jacket and Ezra’s white shirt smattered with dirt and blood, not all of it his own.
“You’ve put up a decent fight,” Robert admitted, as the men stared each other down. “But you can’t really expect to beat me,” he sneered. “I’ve been around way before your mother even birthed you into this world and I will make sure your death is permanent this time.”
“You know, your time would probably be better spent learning how to be a better husband to your wife. Who knows, maybe Lilith will take you back if you beg,” Ezra shrugged, the words sounding nonchalant despite the ferocious look on his face.
“You insolent…” Robert muttered under his breath, his fist shooting out, but missing its target as Ezra leapt backward.
Circling around Robert, Ezra managed to disorient the man enough to land a punch to his nose, making it snap to the side with a disgusting crunch. Kayla winced as she watched on in horrified fascination how Robert staggered for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose as the cartilage seemed to straighten itself back out, the bluish-purple bruising disappearing from his face in a matter of seconds.
Looking downright lethal, and like he was insulted by the fact Ezra would even dare punch him in the face like that, Robert reached down and pulled a small dagger out of the sole of his shoe, making both Kayla’s and Ezra’s brows shoot up in surprise.
Now that’s something I thought only happened in spy movies, Kayla thought.
But as she watched Robert hold the blade away from himself, and Ezra take a step back at the sight of it, something sparked in the back of Kayla’s mind as she watched the knife glimmer in the light streaming in from the open container doors.
It was something Ezra had once told her about his kind.
Silver is poisonous to vampires.
Watching as Robert approached Ezra, brandishing his new weapon, Kayla was sure that was what the dagger had to be – silver. And having no idea how powerful of a poison that material was – did it take one cut to kill, or was it more slow-acting? – she could feel her heart start to race.
I can’t watch the man I love die, the thought hammered through her head, surprising even herself with the L-word.
But what could she possibly do to help him?
20
Ezra
Keeping his eye on the blade in Robert’s hand, Ezra weighed his options. He didn’t have any illusions about this fight – he knew it could go either way. What concerned him more than winning or losing was what would happen to Kayla once this was all over.
Would Robert regain a semblance of honor and let her go, or was his bitterness so far gone he would hurt her just out of spite? Ezra didn’t know, and that scared him. He would never have guessed Robert would sink low enough to use Kayla against him in the first place, so anything was possible.
I can’t let her get hurt because of me, Ezra thought, backing away when Robert approached him, blade in hand.
The silver was smooth and shiny, and the sight of it had immediately filled Ezra with unease. The handle of it was thick and rubbery, no doubt to insulate Robert from its harmful effects. The man looked uncomfortable as he held it, and Ezra could feel his blood start to hum the closer Robert got.
I have to buy Kayla some time so she can get away.
Backing away from Robert
, Ezra led him away from the door while he snuck a glance at Kayla. She looked frightened, flattened against the wall as she watched the men, but when she caught Ezra looking at her, she squared her shoulders, as if she was trying to look brave for him.
My sweet Kayla…
“Kayla, run!” he called out, a second before lunging at Robert, taking as much care as he could to avoid the blade in the man’s hand.
Kayla’s eyes widened and she stood, stunned for a moment before pushing herself off the wall she was pressed against and sprinting into motion. Her eyes were glued to Ezra as she ran toward the door, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The sight of her, and the desperate voice inside Ezra willing her to make it out of there was enough to distract him. He had been holding on to Robert’s wrists so the man couldn’t jab the blade into his flesh, but as he was busy watching Kayla clear the container and disappear out the door, Robert pulled his hand away, and stuck the silver dagger straight into his gut.
Immediately, pain exploded throughout Ezra’s body, pulsating in his veins like fire. He tried reaching for the blade’s handle, but Robert grabbed his wrists and bent them backwards before letting him fall to the ground. With the silver infecting every part of him, Ezra was struggling to heal, his bones unable to snap back into place like they usually would.
So he was left helpless on the ground, fingers twitching as he willed whatever power he had left to focus on making his hands move again. Robert stood over him with a victorious grin, eyes wild, and clothes disheveled, but still poised, as was suitable for a man of his heritage and stature.
“I always thought you were a pretentious snob, you know,” Ezra said, hoping if he kept Robert talking the man wouldn’t think to go after Kayla, at least.
Robert gave him a swift kick to the ribs, making Ezra groan as he rolled around on the floor from the force of the blow. He could hear his ribs cracking, but ignored it, still focused on regaining the use of his hands.
His right wrist was tingling slightly, the nerves trying to grow back together, but the process was just too slow…
Robert used the toe of his shoe to roll Ezra onto his back, and disdain echoed off his words as he spoke.
“I never did realize what Lilith saw in you,” he said. “Crude and classless, with nothing to offer. By human standards you might be wealthy, but compared to me, you’re nothing but a common peasant.”
“You always were too preoccupied by your money to see what was going on around you,” Ezra replied, struggling to use his elbows to push himself up.
The movement sent searing pain through every muscle as the silver blade moved around in his wound, and it was all Ezra could do to keep himself from passing out.
“I thought I was going to take my time, watch you squirm, but I’ve had enough of you,” Robert scoffed.
As he started to reach down, his hands aiming for Ezra’s throat, Kayla’s voice made him still and look up.
“Stop,” she said, and Ezra craned his neck to see her standing at the door, holding a piece of wood in her hands.
It looked like it was broken off of something, the edge of splintered off and sharp. Ezra cursed to himself, his hand cracking and trembling as he instinctively tried to make a fist and failed.
“Kayla, no…” he said quietly, his head falling to rest on the ground. “Why did you come back?”
“Who cares why?” Robert chuckled. “There might be some fun to be had here, after all,” he said, stepping toward Kayla as she stood there, wide-eyed, looking over at Ezra.
“I couldn’t leave you,” she whispered. “Not without saying I love you,” she added, her knuckles white around the piece of wood she was holding and her eyes rimmed red.
Ezra forgot about the pain coursing through him as he listened to those words, and felt the emotion and sincerity behind them. In that moment, he knew he had been a fool to question Kayla’s motives.
Hadn’t he seen enough of who she was to know the kind of betrayal he had implied was beyond what she was capable of? How had he even thought a kind, considerate and honest woman like Kayla could lie so thoroughly? She wore her heart on her sleeve and her emotions on her face, after all.
Ezra couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that Robert was preparing to kill them both, if the silver didn’t finish Ezra off before he could. But there was no way Ezra could die now. Not when the woman he loved had just confessed her feelings for him.
There was so much more he wanted to share with her, to show her, to learn from her. An eternity would barely be enough.
“How sweet,” Robert sneered, and just the sound of his voice made anger sweep through Ezra.
No way was he letting this asshole rob him of a life with Kayla, the woman who had opened up a whole new world for him. And he wasn’t going to let some silver in his gut stop him from protecting his woman.
“What are you going to do with that makeshift stake, little human?” Robert taunted Kayla, slowly stepping toward her, laughing when she trembled at the sight of him.
Fueled by what felt like fury alone, Ezra dragged his arm toward his stomach, his wrist almost at a natural angle again, but some of his fingers still numb. He could see the bones connecting his fingers to his wrist strain beneath his skin as he tried desperately to wrap his hand around the handle of the dagger.
Just…a little…more…
Gritting his teeth and ignoring the way his throat was starting to close up, just another effect of the poisonous silver making its way through his body, he managed to get one finger around the rubber handle sticking out of his gut, and then another, and another…
“Are you going to plunge it through the heart of the bad vampire-man?” Robert continued on, apparently taking pleasure in Kayla’s fear.
Her hair whipped around her face when Robert used his speed to close the distance between them, and she gasped as they were now face to face. Yet she still stood up straight and lifted her chin, as she stared back at Robert.
Ezra now finally had a grip on Robert’s blade and was slowly and quietly pulling it out of his flesh, feeling relief spread out all over his body once the silver was no longer in contact with his skin. He still felt weak, and hungrier than he had been in a long time, but he pushed himself to his feet, nonetheless.
“No. I’m not going to be the one to kill you,” Kayla said, her eyes moving from Robert’s face to look over his shoulder at Ezra.
Before Robert could even whirl around, Ezra had used all the strength he had left to speed behind the man’s back, and plunged the silver dagger into the man’s spine. Robert gasped, his hands flailing at his sides as he tried to reach the blade but failed. A pained groan escaped his lips as he fell on his knees in front of Kayla, who looked on, only the barest hint of sympathy in her eyes.
“Will you hand me that piece of wood, my sweet?” Ezra asked, his voice sounding a bit raspier than usual.
Kayla only nodded as she reached out her hand, and let him take the stake from her.
“You can’t... I am Robert Belford, Maker of one of the oldest lines there is… My legacy… It can’t…” Robert rambled on as Ezra circled him, coming to a stop at Kayla’s side.
“You came after an innocent human, my betrothed, no less, to settle your own petty scores. I am doing you a favor. The royal families would not be so kind with your death as I am about to be,” Ezra said, pressing the sharp end of the stake against Robert’s chest. “Goodbye, Robert.”
With one sharp movement, he pressed the stake straight through Robert’s body, piercing his heart in the process. A wordless scream died on the man’s lips as he started to crumple and decay before their very eyes, until there was nothing left but rot and bones, that soon turned to thick, black ash.
Letting the stake drop to the ground, Ezra wrapped an arm around Kayla and pulled her close, spinning her away from the grizzly scene.
“Are you alright?” he asked, well aware of what a stupid question that was at the moment.
“Are y
ou?” she asked back, looking up at him as he lead her out of the container.
“I just need some blood and I’ll be fine,” he replied, pressing her close to him, as if he was afraid she might evaporate as well. “You shouldn’t have come back for me. If anything would have happened to you…”
“I had to,” she said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I know,” he replied, coming to a stop and facing her, gently taking hold of her shoulders. “I would have done the same thing. Because I love you, Kayla Clarke, more than I have ever loved anyone.”
There was a glimmer in Kayla’s eyes as she stared back at him, a tear rolling down her cheek, but a smile on her face.
“I was never going to go back to Seth, I just wanted to make him sweat,” she said. “And I’ve already deleted that stupid article. I never wanted to…”
“I know,” Ezra cut her off, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. “How could I ever question a woman who so daringly came to my rescue? You don’t need to prove anything to me. I should have believed you from the start, but I let my own inner doubts cloud my judgment.”
Using his thumb to wipe away the tear rolling down her cheek, he couldn’t help but smile at her. Robert was dead, and Kayla was all his. There was nothing standing in the way of their happiness together, except for themselves, and Ezra wasn’t planning on making the same mistakes twice.
His gut had been telling him he could trust Kayla all along, and it was time to go with those instincts.
“I was pretty daring, wasn’t I?” Kayla smiled back at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“The bravest little human I have ever seen,” Ezra joked, earning an eye-roll from her.
Taking her face into his hands, he just held her for a while, letting it sink in that she was safe, and his, and it made him feel more alive than he had in some time. She melted in his arms, eyes fluttering shut when his fingers brushed against her cheeks.
