“You stupid little bitch,” she seethed. “You’re going to pay for that. You will pay for every strike.”
Did she just call me a bitch? Well now, that wasn’t on. Summoning all the magic I could muster, I threw a lightning bolt of sparks, and they burned right through her dress, singeing her skin. She wailed in pain before diving at me, and I jumped away fast, falling to the ground with a painful thump. Before I knew it, she was on top of me and my nostrils were filled with the scent of her flowery perfume. It was so pungent it practically stung my sinuses.
One hand gripped my throat, her nails digging into me and breaking the skin. Oh, no! She broke my skin. I was bleeding. I expected her to turn crazed and ravenous, but she stilled completely, a glazed look in her eyes. It was like my blood hypnotised her. I took advantage of her momentary distraction to slice a gash down the exposed, burnt skin at her ribcage.
Her eyes widened at the attack and then they weren’t caramel anymore. They were black. Her fangs jutted out, and she hissed at me like a python. I needed to get the stake out of my pocket, but her entire body pinned me down, and it felt like she was made from pure steel. I struggled beneath her, trying to get at my pocket, but it was no use. One second her black eyes were eating me up, and the next, her fangs were slicing into my throat and all I could do was lie there as she ravaged me—and not in a sexy way.
I used to think that vampires consumed blood in mouthfuls. But now that it was actually happening to me it felt like they could suck out litres within seconds. And right now, each second felt like an eternity. I never knew blood loss could be so painful. Each and every part of me ached.
In the next moment, she pulled away, and her eyes were neither black nor caramel. They were silver. In fact, her skin was turning silver, too. Her body trembled and I could almost see her skin tightening—transforming. This was it. She drank my blood and now she was going to turn into a stronger vampire. An indestructible one who could walk in the sun. Just as she was about to sink her fangs into me again, somebody yanked her away from me.
I looked up to see Ethan standing above me, one hand clutching Eliza’s throat and the other pulling down hard on her hair. She was weak because she was still transforming, and Ethan kept a hold of her easily. I felt helpless and weak, too, unable to think straight. It was only when Ethan locked his eyes with mine and commanded, “Stake her,” that I realised what I needed to do. Struggling to my feet, I reached inside my pocket and pulled out the small piece of wood.
Eliza tried to wriggle from Ethan’s grasp, but he only yanked down harder on her hair, and she cried out in agony. I held Ethan’s gaze as my magic swirled inside me, healing my blood loss. My strength resurged, and I pounced on Eliza like an animal. I was outraged that she’d bitten me. I’d never felt more violently angry in my entire life. I’ve never felt more unlike myself, as though I was some other scary person who was capable of killing easily.
My voice didn’t even sound like mine when I spoke. “You did this. You dug your own grave. You could have walked away, but you didn’t, and now it all ends here.”
I locked eyes with Ethan one last time. He watched me, his eyes full of passion and fascination. With a force I didn’t know I was capable of, I plunged the stake right into Eliza’s heart. Her silver eyes flashed back to their original colour and the silver that had started to tinge her skin vanished. Her body slumped. I was still holding the stake in my hand, and I swear I felt it the moment her heart stopped beating. Her body slipped from Ethan’s grip and fell to the ground.
Ethan and I had all but forgotten about her now as we stared at one another. I’d never killed before. I thought about what it would feel like and the emotion I’d always associated it with was guilt. At this moment, I didn’t feel any guilt. I felt righteous. Indestructible. Something