trying to see through the blood that rains down my face—cut by one of her razor-sharp rings. Bertha takes advantage of my momentary blindness and slams a fist into my stomach, causing me to double over in pain.
She grabs me by the shoulders, slamming me against the rock wall over and over again until I think my back’s about to break. It takes all my might to smash my boot down on her foot, then kick her to the stomach. As she falls backward, I throw myself on top of her, wiping the blood from my eyes and then finding her throat with my two hands and squeezing with all my might.
Her eyes bulge from her head as I tighten my grip. From behind me I can hear Sunny screaming—begging me not to kill her—to think of the consequences. But the rage inside of me is too great, and the sudden bloodlust washes over me in a tidal wave. All the kinder, gentler vampire training flees as my anger takes control, pure fury spilling over at this girl who thinks she can hurt my family and get away with it. My fangs descend from my gums and I sink them into her now-bloated jugular, ready to steal away her life as she tried to steal my sister’s and my own.
“Rayne! Stop it!” Sunny’s cries are dim and muted under the bloodlust rushing through my ears. “Don’t kill her! Don’t sink to her level! Remember what you learned in rehab. Remember what happened to Corbin!”
It takes all my strength and willpower, but somehow I manage to pull away, ripping my fangs from her flesh and staring down at her blotchy face, full of broken blood vessels. Is she dead? Did I kill her? Oh God. I’m supposed to be the good guy here.And the good guys arrest the bad guys and bring them to justice. They don’t eat them.
“Bertha?” I venture after a hard swallow. “Um, are you okay?”
Suddenly her eyes shoot open and she flips me around. With one movement, the tables are turned and I’m the one on my back. Pinning me between her strong thighs, she reaches for her stake, managing to grasp it in her fingers.
“Now we see who’s the real vampire slayer,” she snarls, her face beet red and her mouth dripping blood. She pulls back, ready to stake me through the heart. I squirm, desperately trying to get away. But she’s too strong. She’s got me down. This is the end. My final swan song.
“Please, Bertha!” I cry. “Please don’t—”
I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to watch myself poof into dust. What will it feel like to die? Where do I go afterward? I sold my soul a long time ago to become a vampire. Does that mean this is it? The end of me? Or the beginning of a life of eternal suffering?
Suddenly Bertha screams. My eyes fly open. Sunny has her by the hair, dragging her off of me. “No one stakes my sister, you bitch!” she cries in a voice I’ve never heard her use before. She smacks the stake out of Bertha’s hands.
I try to scramble to my feet, to help my sister. But I’m woozy and stunned and stumble backward instead. Bertha yanks free from Sunny’s grasp—leaving my sister with nothing more than a handful of hair extensions. (I should have known that gorgeoushead of hair was nothing more than a weave!) Then, as I watch in horror, she pulls something else from her pocket.
A knife made of iron.
No! I dive at Bertha, using everything left inside of me to get to her before she can touch my fairy sister and poison her with her blade. As a vampire/fairy combo, I have some resistance to iron—it won’t kill me, but it’ll make me pretty damn sick. But Sunny—one touch and…
I leap onto Bertha, trying to wrestle the knife away. I manage to knock it from her grasp and yank her backward. This time there will be no mercy. She’s gone too far. I rip out her throat with my teeth and let the blood spill onto the floor without any interest in drinking. She’s too repulsive for that.
A moan interrupts me and I drop Bertha to the ground and run to my sister. Oh God! My eyes widen as I realize that my efforts were too
She grabs me by the shoulders, slamming me against the rock wall over and over again until I think my back’s about to break. It takes all my might to smash my boot down on her foot, then kick her to the stomach. As she falls backward, I throw myself on top of her, wiping the blood from my eyes and then finding her throat with my two hands and squeezing with all my might.
Her eyes bulge from her head as I tighten my grip. From behind me I can hear Sunny screaming—begging me not to kill her—to think of the consequences. But the rage inside of me is too great, and the sudden bloodlust washes over me in a tidal wave. All the kinder, gentler vampire training flees as my anger takes control, pure fury spilling over at this girl who thinks she can hurt my family and get away with it. My fangs descend from my gums and I sink them into her now-bloated jugular, ready to steal away her life as she tried to steal my sister’s and my own.
“Rayne! Stop it!” Sunny’s cries are dim and muted under the bloodlust rushing through my ears. “Don’t kill her! Don’t sink to her level! Remember what you learned in rehab. Remember what happened to Corbin!”
It takes all my strength and willpower, but somehow I manage to pull away, ripping my fangs from her flesh and staring down at her blotchy face, full of broken blood vessels. Is she dead? Did I kill her? Oh God. I’m supposed to be the good guy here.And the good guys arrest the bad guys and bring them to justice. They don’t eat them.
“Bertha?” I venture after a hard swallow. “Um, are you okay?”
Suddenly her eyes shoot open and she flips me around. With one movement, the tables are turned and I’m the one on my back. Pinning me between her strong thighs, she reaches for her stake, managing to grasp it in her fingers.
“Now we see who’s the real vampire slayer,” she snarls, her face beet red and her mouth dripping blood. She pulls back, ready to stake me through the heart. I squirm, desperately trying to get away. But she’s too strong. She’s got me down. This is the end. My final swan song.
“Please, Bertha!” I cry. “Please don’t—”
I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to watch myself poof into dust. What will it feel like to die? Where do I go afterward? I sold my soul a long time ago to become a vampire. Does that mean this is it? The end of me? Or the beginning of a life of eternal suffering?
Suddenly Bertha screams. My eyes fly open. Sunny has her by the hair, dragging her off of me. “No one stakes my sister, you bitch!” she cries in a voice I’ve never heard her use before. She smacks the stake out of Bertha’s hands.
I try to scramble to my feet, to help my sister. But I’m woozy and stunned and stumble backward instead. Bertha yanks free from Sunny’s grasp—leaving my sister with nothing more than a handful of hair extensions. (I should have known that gorgeoushead of hair was nothing more than a weave!) Then, as I watch in horror, she pulls something else from her pocket.
A knife made of iron.
No! I dive at Bertha, using everything left inside of me to get to her before she can touch my fairy sister and poison her with her blade. As a vampire/fairy combo, I have some resistance to iron—it won’t kill me, but it’ll make me pretty damn sick. But Sunny—one touch and…
I leap onto Bertha, trying to wrestle the knife away. I manage to knock it from her grasp and yank her backward. This time there will be no mercy. She’s gone too far. I rip out her throat with my teeth and let the blood spill onto the floor without any interest in drinking. She’s too repulsive for that.
A moan interrupts me and I drop Bertha to the ground and run to my sister. Oh God! My eyes widen as I realize that my efforts were too
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