To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,47

says as an eerie glint sparkles in her eyes. “We could have been allies.” Her fist tightens on the hilt of the sword. “Your father loved me ... we could have been friends.” With a swiftness I’ve never seen before, she raises the sword above me, kicking my heartbeat into overdrive. “But you chose that pike over power!”

My eyes clench closed, the ocean water pulling at my hair as I wait for the pain I know will come.

From beneath the waves a sound echoes strangely through the water. My eyes fling open, water clinging to my dark lashes as I stare up at my father. His mortal weapon shakes in his hand; the sound of the gun rings through my ears.

Mary’s lips part as she glances down at the bloody bullet wound in the center of her chest. Delicate fingers hesitantly cover the torn material, covering the imperfection in her body. Her lips turn from confused to furious in an instant. Her fiery gaze finds my father once more.

“How dare you!” she seethes, her fist shaking at her side, the Crimson Sword swaying in the waves with the power she’s radiating.

Michael says nothing, his hand still clutching the gun. His nervous dark eyes shift away from her to the ground as he clearly realizes the mistake he’s made.

“You would choose this pathetic little girl over me?” Mary screeches with a hiss.

Asher still stands at the shore, his fist shaking and anger rolling off him. He can do nothing but watch, and I can see it’s killing him. My father stands helplessly just a few feet away. Luca lays in the darkness somewhere. Declan …

My chest tightens as I realize she’ll win. She’ll rip all of these people I care about to shreds. And everything we fought so hard for will be for nothing.

The waves grow a bit higher as Mary shifts to stand, but at the last minute I grip her arm, pulling her back down to me. The cold water greets us once more as we slam into the salty waves, my head dipping fully beneath water. I cling to her pretty satin dress as I kick off from the shore, my nose burning as we slip through the clear waves.

My eyes are wide, the red glow of the Crimson Sword lighting her thrashing movements.

I’m too tired to fight her, but I’m too desperate to give up. Adamantly, I hold her to me as we both slice through the Emerald Ocean.

I feel them before I see them, and it fuels me further, my legs kicking us deeper into the dark waters. My chest heaves, frantic for air, but it doesn’t stop the small triumphant smile from touching my lips.

Confusion creases her face as she sees the look on mine. Long, blonde hair floats around her as fear begins to trickle into her ever confident features.

Strong movements slither through the water, the waves pushing over our bodies. With jarring strikes, she slashes the Crimson Sword through the water, sending its red light all around us.

White, thin bodies begin to drift toward us; sharp nails reach out for us. The slick, white skin of hundreds of water fae slips against my flesh, their hungry, white eyes glowing in the depthless shadows.

My eyes begin to drift closed, and I see their small jagged teeth just before the helpless and diluted sound of President Docile’s scream ripples through the calming waters. It’s a triumphant sound that puts me at peace for the first time in a long time. The blood red glow of the Crimson Sword pulses through the dark and depthless ocean, sinking lower and lower, holding my attention as it floats down into nothingness.

Nails drag across my arms, shivering across my skin just as darkness settles over my mind.

Twenty-Three

Rain

Asher

I’m flinging myself through the ocean, irrationally searching for her, when I know she’s long gone.

The empty water is all I find.

“You have to stop,” her father tells me.

My jaw clenches with pain as I recklessly push through the cold waves some more. My fingers slip through the blood tinged water, thrashing through it with only determination fueling my movements.

My heart slams through my chest; my breaths come in heaps. They wrack my body as I finally stand, the water drifting into my chest, my clothes clinging to my skin. I stand there staring out at the endless waves.

A dark cloud drifts above me in the night sky. Lightning toys with the weather, rumbling through the background of my thoughts as I continue