for the blade at my back and then shoved it like a stake through the boy’s chest. He grabbed at the knife with blood soaked hands, fingers futilely trying to pull it out. I ground my jaw, and pushed it deeper. Until finally, the light left his eyes.
The red head still twitched beside me. I yanked the knife out of her oozing throat and repeated the same process I’d done to the boy. After several seconds she too lay still. I cleaned my knives as best I could on the fallen leaves and shoved them back where they belonged.
I pushed away from the bodies and stood. I had an hour before they reanimated. The only true way to kill a vamp was to take out its heart. I swallowed the bile lodged in my throat. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take out the kid’s heart. But I knew someone who could.
My legs shook as I walked toward the girl. She was still as death. I glanced at the bald vamp to see if there was any movement, there wasn’t. My aim had been true.
I returned my attention back to the girl. Her gray sweater was no more. It was black in the light of the moon. I grabbed her by the shoulders and she moaned. It was a small sound, whispery thin.
I pulled her off the altar which only made her whimper worse. I was sorry to cause her pain, but no one deserved to die this way. I would not let her die alone.
I hugged her to my chest and sat.
She gripped my hand, blue eyes alive and shimmering with pain. “Pl...please.”
“Ssh.” I shook my head, rubbing her mangled cheek in a soothing gesture. Her cheek shifted like the skin sat on sand instead of bone. “Don’t talk. Ssh.”
Her chest heaved, every breath labored. Awful to hear. I rocked with her, humming under my breath, wishing I had the type of glamour to bring peace in death, but demons don’t do peace. We’re vengeance, destruction, wrath, fury; in us you’ll find no rest.
“Pl...mom,” she gasped, “dad, sis...” She closed her eyes. Her grip on my hand loosened, her breathing came slower and slower. “Lo...ve.” With that final word, she gave up the ghost.
I hung my head. I’ve never cried, don’t know if I can’t or I won’t, but if I’d had any tears I think I could have then.
My skin prickled with static. Forced to drop the girl I swiveled, reached for my knife and two things happened at once.
First, a cloaked figure stabbed both my arms—a vamp I hadn’t seen before and flippin' should have sensed.
And second, I heard a metallic whiz of a knife whistle through the air before it buried itself in the figure before me. The vamp crumpled to the ground. The hilt of a knife poked from its back.
I rolled the body over and found a needle clutched in his hand, droplets of blood rolling off the tip. I frowned, and looked at my arm. One had clearly been sliced by a knife, but the other hadn’t been stabbed as I’d first assumed, he’d tried to use that needle on me.
I snatched up the needle and crushed it in the palm of my hand. Why had the vamp run the risk of death for a sample of my blood?
I peered into the forest, trying to scout for the source of the knife. The eerie sounds of hooting owls and rustling leaves made me shiver. I dematerialized, jumping from tree to tree searching and watching, but whoever had thrown the knife was long gone.
Chapter 7
H olding onto my arm, I squeezed tight to stem the blood and ported back to the carnival. My Ferris wheel sat empty. Kemen leaned against the fence, head resting on his fist with eyes half closed.
“Kemen,” I snapped, more from the burn of the wound than any true anger.
He took one look at me and then was by my side, moving faster than I’d ever seen him move before. “Is that?” He pointed at my face; at the blood I was sure was a muddy brown color by now.
“Not all mine.” I shrugged off his grip on my elbow.
“Let me take a look at that, Pandora.” His liquid amber eyes pleaded, he licked his lips, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He was always nervous around blood.
The red head still twitched beside me. I yanked the knife out of her oozing throat and repeated the same process I’d done to the boy. After several seconds she too lay still. I cleaned my knives as best I could on the fallen leaves and shoved them back where they belonged.
I pushed away from the bodies and stood. I had an hour before they reanimated. The only true way to kill a vamp was to take out its heart. I swallowed the bile lodged in my throat. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take out the kid’s heart. But I knew someone who could.
My legs shook as I walked toward the girl. She was still as death. I glanced at the bald vamp to see if there was any movement, there wasn’t. My aim had been true.
I returned my attention back to the girl. Her gray sweater was no more. It was black in the light of the moon. I grabbed her by the shoulders and she moaned. It was a small sound, whispery thin.
I pulled her off the altar which only made her whimper worse. I was sorry to cause her pain, but no one deserved to die this way. I would not let her die alone.
I hugged her to my chest and sat.
She gripped my hand, blue eyes alive and shimmering with pain. “Pl...please.”
“Ssh.” I shook my head, rubbing her mangled cheek in a soothing gesture. Her cheek shifted like the skin sat on sand instead of bone. “Don’t talk. Ssh.”
Her chest heaved, every breath labored. Awful to hear. I rocked with her, humming under my breath, wishing I had the type of glamour to bring peace in death, but demons don’t do peace. We’re vengeance, destruction, wrath, fury; in us you’ll find no rest.
“Pl...mom,” she gasped, “dad, sis...” She closed her eyes. Her grip on my hand loosened, her breathing came slower and slower. “Lo...ve.” With that final word, she gave up the ghost.
I hung my head. I’ve never cried, don’t know if I can’t or I won’t, but if I’d had any tears I think I could have then.
My skin prickled with static. Forced to drop the girl I swiveled, reached for my knife and two things happened at once.
First, a cloaked figure stabbed both my arms—a vamp I hadn’t seen before and flippin' should have sensed.
And second, I heard a metallic whiz of a knife whistle through the air before it buried itself in the figure before me. The vamp crumpled to the ground. The hilt of a knife poked from its back.
I rolled the body over and found a needle clutched in his hand, droplets of blood rolling off the tip. I frowned, and looked at my arm. One had clearly been sliced by a knife, but the other hadn’t been stabbed as I’d first assumed, he’d tried to use that needle on me.
I snatched up the needle and crushed it in the palm of my hand. Why had the vamp run the risk of death for a sample of my blood?
I peered into the forest, trying to scout for the source of the knife. The eerie sounds of hooting owls and rustling leaves made me shiver. I dematerialized, jumping from tree to tree searching and watching, but whoever had thrown the knife was long gone.
Chapter 7
H olding onto my arm, I squeezed tight to stem the blood and ported back to the carnival. My Ferris wheel sat empty. Kemen leaned against the fence, head resting on his fist with eyes half closed.
“Kemen,” I snapped, more from the burn of the wound than any true anger.
He took one look at me and then was by my side, moving faster than I’d ever seen him move before. “Is that?” He pointed at my face; at the blood I was sure was a muddy brown color by now.
“Not all mine.” I shrugged off his grip on my elbow.
“Let me take a look at that, Pandora.” His liquid amber eyes pleaded, he licked his lips, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He was always nervous around blood.
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