something.
Anything.
But I was empty.
And tired.
My entire body ached, the right side of my face throbbed and my left shoulder felt numb from the elbow down.
I was worse than useless.
But I was the only one here.
And Jason had to live.
I promised.
And if I couldn’t even keep my promises, I was worse than any other monster I had ever fought.
I faced Annabelle and tried to keep the pain out of my eyes. “Getting humans to fight your battle for you?”
She grinned tightly. “You knocked off Marcus, did you?”
“You blackmailed him.”
She shrugged. “Ah well. Cie la vie, hm? If not me, then someone else would have used his blood against him. But really, I must commend you. Taking on an alpha when you’re just a human woman. Impressive.”
Jason sagged in his bonds, but he would heal.
For now, there was no damage being inflicted on him and that was good enough for me.
“You know, most people would have dispensed with the talk and taken me down before you even bothered to open your mouth,” I said. “You like to hear the sound of your own voice, don’t you?”
She cocked her head to one side. “You’re an idiot. You think this is wrong? I am doing my kind a favor. A monster like him cannot be allowed to survive.”
“So you’re the savior of all vampirekind?”
The smile slid off her red lips as though they had never been there in the first place. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me.”
I hated that I wanted to take a step back in the face of her wrath. She was close enough to touch me and that was way too close for my comfort. “I’ve come for Jason. And I’m not about to leave without him.”
“Well, then you’re going to be one disappointed cookie then, won’t you?”
With that, she vanished.
I heard Jason scream again.
But it wasn’t just any scream.
He was screaming for me.
“Ran!”
A teeth rattling impact slammed into my midsection and sharp, excruciating pain radiated from my chest outward.
Rib broken. Possibly more than one. If I was lucky, maybe one of them even punctured a lung. Maybe even a kidney.
And I’d always considered myself to be lucky.
Another moment of weightlessness and I slammed into the opposite wall, my vision sparking black and white at the edges.
Considering how much time I spent in the air, maybe I should’ve invested in a parachute.
I bit my tongue at the sudden blow and the sickly sweet coppery taste filled my mouth, dribbling out the corner of my open mouth as I tried to relearn how to breathe.
For one moment, just one moment, I saw Annabelle crouched over me, one hand reared back, her fingernails impossibly sharp and jagged.
She was going to rip my throat out.
Over her shoulder, I saw Jason’s beautiful dark eyes widen, his mouth open in a soundless cry.
My muscles screamed in protest as I brought up the sword just enough to stop her nails from gouging out my throat.
Her fingers wrapped around the blade, bringing forth blood that covered my neck in her warm, thick blood.
“Why. Won’t. You. Die?” she hissed, her face a mere inch from mine and I did the only thing I could.
I slammed my forehead into hers.
She reared back, one hand on her split forehead, one hand still wrapped around the blade.
My head butt had given me three seconds of time and I took full advantage of the break.
I pulled back my right arm, cutting her fingers to the bone and levered myself from under her weight, my shoulders and chest, one pulsing ache that left me feeling dull, used.
She screamed, high, shrill, clutching her ruined fingers to her chest.
I watched as the fingers refused to knit.
“You bitch!” she shrieked. “I’ll tear you into pieces, I swear it!”
I stared at her unhealing body and then stared at the sword, shining in my hand.
Silver.
There was silver in the blade.
And it was enough to stop vampires from healing.
I had a chance.
I had a chance!
“I can kill you with one hand. Once I suck you dry, then I’ll rip your lover’s throat from ear to ear. Fuck, maybe I’ll even keep you alive long enough for you to watch,” she hissed, hair hanging into her eyes.
Stupid idiot. If she really did kill me, I deserved every damn second of it.
“You talk too much,” I said and moved forward.
Was it a bad thing I couldn’t feel anything anymore?
Her hand was lightning fast as she punched me in the side of the head. It would have caved my skull in,