The attack happened so quickly, Alison barely registered the faint laughter coming from the corner of the room, but when she did, it was immediately clear to her that Christine was the source of the attack. Seeing Bryce’s hesitancy to intervene given her vulnerability to the silver lined floor, Alison stepped into the room, and focusing her attention on the laughter, saw Christine standing in a doorway at the far side of the room.
Leveling the gun she still clutched in her right hand, Alison took a steadying breath, and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, sending a jolt up Alison’s arm, and the blast triggered an instant ringing in her ears. Surprised she had held the weapon still long enough to fire it, Alison’s surprise turned to shock when she saw the witch clutching at her left shoulder, blood oozing from between her fingers. She had meant to distract the woman, and hadn’t considered the possibility she might actually hit her.
“You bitch!” A vicious sneer spread across the dark haired woman’s face as she disappeared through the door, and down the darkened hallway beyond.
A cool hand wrapped around Alison’s trembling arm. “It’s okay.” Bryce’s voice was calm as she carefully lowered Alison’s arm.
Tears streamed down the blonde’s cheeks, as her body began to shake uncontrollably. Bryce’s strong arms wrapped around her, and Alison forced herself to take deep breaths, finding solace in the scent and feel of Bryce.
Leaning back, Alison wiped at her face. “Ash. I need to see if she’s okay.”
Bryce nodded, and dropped her arms from around the still trembling woman. “I - I have to wait here.”
Without a word, Alison rushed over to Ash who was trying to get to her knees. The sharp angle of her left femur bone made it obvious her leg had been fractured.
Kneeling next to the shifter, Alison laid the gun on the floor. “Wait. You can’t - I mean it’s broken.” She squelched the urge to rub the injured leg, wishing she could comfort her friend with more than words.
Clenching her teeth, Ash slid back against the wall. “Just give me a minute.” Straightening her leg flat on the floor, she cried out as she pushed down with both her hands onto her thigh. A loud snap, and the leg was lying flat.
“It will heal in a minute, now that the bone is set correctly.” Tears of pain rolled down Ash’s flushed cheeks, a thin film of sweat covering her forehead.
“What can I do?” Alison asked, absently rubbing the other woman’s arm.
Managing a weak smile, Ash looked toward the now empty doorway. “You’ve done enough.” Reaching for Alison so she could help her to her feet, Ash shook her head. “You’ve taken lessons.”
Wrapping the woman’s arm around her shoulder, Alison pulled Ash to her feet. “Hardly. Evidently seeing a dear friend being flung about by a maniac makes me some sort of sharpshooter.”
Putting her full weight on her leg for the first time, Ash chuckled. “Don’t get too carried away, it was just a shoulder shot.”
Alison scoffed. “Thanks.”
Ash smiled, and hugged Alison. Turning toward Lewis, the detective frowned. “We need to get him down.” Ash looked at Bryce, who stood cautiously in the doorway. “What’s the count?”
“Three lycan, and the two witches.” Bryce turned her head slightly. “Christine is clearly in distress. Her heart is like a snare drum right now.”
Nodding, Ash ripped through the thin silver cords as she pulled a leather club chair toward Lewis. Stepping up so her feet were on either of the chair’s broad arms, Ash wrapped her arm around the vampire’s waste and removed the barbed noose from around his neck.
With Alison’s help, Ash lowered the man to the floor, and then hopped down from the chair. “Stay back.” She gestured to Alison. “He’s lost blood, and I don’t know if -”
“I’m not unhinged, detective.” Lewis’s voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. “I haven’t lost that much.”
Untying Lewis’ hands and feet, Ash took the vampire’s hand, and pulled him to his feet. “If it’s all the same, I’ll hedge my bets.” She nodded for Alison to go stand near Bryce.
Rubbing his throat, the punctures from the wire already gone, Lewis twisted his head to the right, and then back to the left. A series of clicks sounded. “Fair enough.”
“What happened?” Bryce asked.
“Happening.” Lewis and Ash walked toward Bryce and Alison. “They are clearly still in the house.”
“Annabel?” Bryce frowned.
“Yes. Along with Christine and a legion of lycan.” Taking a deep breath in through his nose, the vampire grinned. “Though clearly you three have made short work of most of them.”
“We got lucky.” Ash interjected. “Where’s Emma?”
“I assume with the others. It was very chaotic as the lycan swarmed the house. We were pulled in different directions.” Lewis closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. “Evidently the order of the day was to divide and conquer.”
“They’re in the garden.” Bryce interrupted.
“Then let’s go.” Ash walked over, and picked Alison’s discarded gun up, and handed it to the woman. “You have five shots left.”
Alison felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. She knew hitting Christine had been nothing more than dumb luck. Then remembering something her grandfather used to say, she resolutely took the gun from Ash – like her grandfather, she would rather be lucky than good any day.
***
The garden was dark. The myriad of shrubs, hedges and statues were shrouded in shadow. Alison struggled to focus her eyes as they left the lights of the house behind.
Bryce led the way, then Ash, followed by Alison. Lewis was the last in line to ensure they weren’t surprised from behind. An otherwise eerie silence was broken by the sound of running water which Alison determined was coming from a large fountain near the center of the garden.
“Everyone’s here.” Annabel’s voice filled the space. “The elements of shock and awe have passed.” The long-haired woman appeared from behind the fountain, flanked by two lycans. Her brow arched when she saw Lewis. “An escapee?” She turned her head as Christine stepped out of the shadows. “Clearly, good help is hard to come by.”
Christine clutched her shoulder, her hand and sleeve covered in blood. “I was shot!”
Annabel turned her attention back to the quartet. “I hate excuses.”
Something caught Alison’s attention as her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the garden. The base of the fountain was overflowing, and water was splashing over the sides of the structure. It was then that Alison saw the silver chain mail-like net cast over the pool of water. Underneath it were the outlines of four bodies. Jesus, she’s trapped them under the water.
Her attention on the fountain, Alison was only partially aware that Bryce was speaking. “It’s just between you and me, Annabel.”
The witch laughed. “You would think that. Your kind always thinks more of yourselves than you should.” Walking around the fountain, the woman stood with her hands on her hips. “There ceased to be a you and I ages ago.” Gesturing around the garden with her hand, she continued. “This hate runs deeper and is so much more exquisite. Its roots are firmly entrenched in centuries of abuse your kind wreaked on me, and the thousands of witches massacred by hordes of power hungry vampires.”
Rubbing her hands together, Annabel glared at Bryce. “So you’re a bonus, but first - the main event.”
In the blink of an eye, the two lycans lunged; one hit Bryce and the second landing squarely on Lewis. The smell of burning leaves filled Alison’s nostrils as she saw Ash take on a bright red glow, her face distorted in a grimace. A moment later, Christine’s cackle came from the shadows as Ash was lifted off the ground and spun upside down.
“We can’t have any of that, shifter.” The witch turned her head, and Ash was hurled through the air. “See how well you can fly if you can’t change into a little birdy.” No sooner had the words left the woman’s mouth, than Ash was being propelled up and over the t
en foot wall of the garden, and into the darkness of the South Texas night.
All of this was happening around Alison in high speed, and her mind and eyes struggling to keep up. It was Lewis’ cries that snapped her brain back into focus. The man was flat on his back, and in his weakened state from the blood loss, was being mauled by the brown haired lycan on top of him.
Without consideration of the danger, Alison closed the short distance between her and Lewis. Steading the gun, and aiming at the back of the animal’s oversized head, the blonde pulled the trigger repeatedly, only stopping as the rapid clicking of the gun’s hammer against empty rounds broke through her adrenaline fueled focus.
The lycan jerked several times, and fell forward, allowing Lewis the opportunity he needed to regain his footing, and begin shredding the animal’s throat and head with his teeth and hands. Alison turned to see Bryce pummeling the final lycan repeatedly across the head and chest, just as a tight, tickling sensation began spreading from Alison’s back around her torso.
Losing traction, Alison was slammed to the ground, and felt a heavy weight blanket her body as she was pulled across the garden toward the fountain. All sound and air stopped as her head was forcibly plunged into the three foot deep pool of water. Forcing back the instinct to breathe, something that would effectively drown her by taking in a lungful of water, Alison clung to the last breath she had taken before being submerged.
Forcing her eyes open, Alison could see the edge of the silver chain mail net. Not sure if it was anchored to the fountain or held down by its own weight, Alison grabbed the net and pulled as hard as she could. To her relief the heavy material gave way and partially slid back. Before she could pull any more of the net back, she was once again being drug across the garden.
Hanging three feet above the ground, Alison found herself stretched out as if she were about to be drawn and quartered. Her chest, arms and legs throbbed as Christine tightened her grip. Annabel stood in front her, pure hatred twisting her features. Sneering, she laid her hand over Alison’s chest, the sound of her heart deafening as it pounded in her ears.
Then the pressure stopped, Lewis stood between Annabel and Alison, his hands inches from the witch’s throat. Collapsing to the ground, Alison felt sick to her stomach as her head spun, the sound of Christine shouting sounding miles away.
Then Lewis was lying on the ground, his skin no longer pale, but now pinkish, his eyes blue but without the iridescent glow. Turning his head, his gaze met Alison’s, a faint smile spreading across his still perfect mouth just as his neck was snapped. The sound of his neck breaking suddenly filled the garden.
Alison was shoved backwards as Bryce pounced on Annabel, but instead of thrashing the woman, Bryce seemed to freeze inches above the witch. Annabel thrust her hand upward and Bryce began to shake violently before collapsing to the ground.
Instinctively moving toward Bryce, Alison reached for her lover, who lay motionless. Annabel scrambled to her feet, but before she could exact her revenge, Emma was upon her. Dripping wet, teeth bared, eyes glowing an intense blue, the vampire pulled the witch away from Bryce and Alison.
A split second later and Rachel was on top of Christine in a flurry of flying fists and fangs, ripping the witch apart before she could come to Annabel’s aid.
Emma’s arms were wrapped around Annabel’s torso as she held her several inches off the ground. Making eye contact with Rachel, the doctor nodded, and Rachel leaped toward the two, sinking her teeth into the front of the witch’s throat. The woman’s cries became strangled as the vampire thrashed back and forth, finally severing Annabel’s head.
Alison sat next to Bryce’s still body. The quiet of the night was once again returning to the garden. Looking up, her vision blurred by tears, she was vaguely aware Ash had returned, and was removing the remainder of the silver chain mail from the fountain, releasing Sara and Coleen.
“Bryce.” Alison rolled the lifeless woman onto her back. Putting her hand to Bryce’s cheek, Alison quickly pulled it back.
“What is it?” Emma was kneeling beside her.
Looking at her hand and then back at Bryce, Alison shook her head. “She’s - she’s warm.”
Emma tilted her head to the side as if listening at a closed door. Immediately, a slow, steady murmur filled her ears, and she gasped. “Coleen!” Looking over her shoulder, she scanned the garden for her friend. “Get over here.”
Seemingly out of nowhere, a wet Coleen stood behind Emma. “What is-” The woman’s eyes widened and she dropped to the ground, frantically running her hand along Bryce’s arms and across her chest. “She’s -”
Alison didn’t understand what was happening, but she did know Bryce remained unconscious and clearly needed help. “Help her.”
Emma looked up. “She’s human.”
Alison sank down. “What?”
“Annabel.” Emma’s voice was soft, and laden with the shock all three women were feeling.
Ash, Rachel and Sara now gathered around. Looking at the shocked expression on Emma’s face, Ash’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? Is Bryce okay?”
Rachel and Sara both looked at each other, Sara speaking first. “She has a heartbeat.”
Emma stood up. “Annabel had power over death and life. She would turn a vampire before killing them. It was easier that way, but she didn’t finish with Bryce.” Blood stained tears streamed down Emma’s face as she looked at Lewis’ lifeless body. “She was weak after Lewis, and couldn’t finish Bryce off.”
“Let’s turn her back.” Coleen reached for Bryce’s arm.
“Wait!” Rachel grabbed Coleen’s arm. “Isn’t that a choice she should make?”
Sara nodded. “That’s not your place, Coleen.”
Coleen stood, and teeth bared, hissed at the two women. “You know nothing of my place.” Turning her wrath on Sara, her eyes glowed bright blue. “You’re half a second old, and have the nerve -”
Ash stepped between Coleen and Sara. “This isn’t about you, Coleen, and Sara is right. Wake Bryce up and ask her what she wants. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.”
The ensuing argument became background noise to Alison as she looked down at Bryce. The woman she loved had spent the better part of a century changing how she thought and felt about the world in an effort to reclaim her humanity. She had embraced ideals based in the fundamental belief that humans were good, in spite of everything she had witnessed to the contrary.
Now, she was human, and Alison didn’t know what was going to happen; only that as always, Bryce’s choices would be her own. Alison hoped those choices would leave them together.
Epilogue
“The meds really will help. Promise.” Alison handed Bryce a glass of orange juice and a box of over the counter Claritin allergy pills.
“My god, this is horrible.” The redhead sneezed into a crumpled tissue she held in her hand.
“Rethinking the whole human thing?” Alison teased.
Bryce shook her head as she popped a Claritin in her mouth and chased it with a drink of the orange juice. “No. Rethinking living in South Texas.”
“They say if you don’t have allergies, move to San Antonio, and you’ll get them.” Alison took the empty orange juice glass from Bryce. Looking at the beautiful woman prone on the couch brought a smile to Alison’s face.
Bryce had been human for eight months, and they had been living together for a little over six. The two women had fallen into a comfortable intimacy, and Alison couldn’t be happier. The first month after the transformation, Bryce had been a wreck. Whatever havoc the human to vampire transformation may have inflicted on her body, the slide back to human had been ten times worse.
Besides having to explain to a very suspicious and more than a little concerned general practitioner why a woman in her thirties had never been immunized, Bryce had to contend with many long forgotten inconveniences of being human. Not the least of which were fatigue, sickness, sweat, the need to cut her hair and n
ails, and menstruation.
“You don’t have to go. They will completely understand that you’re sick.” Alison walked toward the kitchen and deposited the empty glass in the sink.
“Absolutely not. This is the first group gathering, so I can’t beg off.” Bryce sat up and pulled a tissue from the box on the coffee table.
Alison smiled at Bryce’s persistence. The couple had kept in contact with Emma, Ash, Sara and Rachel over the past few months. Having Ash back in her life, along with the new friendships she had found with the other three women, resulted in a tremendous amount of joy for the professor.
They had even had drinks with Coleen on several occasions, but the woman struggled with Bryce’s decision to remain a human. The outings always seemed to turn into a sales pitch on why Bryce should let Coleen turn her back, and Bryce had begun declining the vampire’s invites.
Bryce had been on a whirlwind tour of meet and greets over the past eight months. The redhead had already met Chad and Gayle. She had even braved a lunch with Julia and lived to tell about it, and she and Elaine were now friends on Facebook and followed each other on Twitter. She and Wayne had managed to bond over her recent affinity for Maker’s Mark. Which was for the best, since Bryce had about as much skill golfing as she did swimming.
“So we’re going then?” Alison sat down next to Bryce on the sofa.
Nodding, the woman got up. “Yes. It’s on you anyway.”
Alison’s brow arched. “How’s that?”
Tossing the box of Claritin at Alison, Bryce grinned. “You’re the one touting the miracles of modern medicine.”
Jumping to her feet, Alison grabbed Bryce’s hand. The warmth the redhead now exuded still sent Alison’s heart into a drum roll. Wrapping her arms around Bryce’s waist, Alison pressed her lips to the woman’s neck. “I should examine you. Make sure you’re fit for travel.”
Bryce sighed, and placed her hands on Alison’s hips. “You did want to go, right?” Her hands moved to Alison’s lower backside.
Dying Forever (Waking Forever Book 3) Page 29
