Chapter 12
TWELVE
Maxim
Breathe.
Slow.
Don’t let any of them know that you're conscious.
I felt it as that vampire gripped my throat, some sort of layer between his fingers and my flesh. It held him away as he tried to strangle me, and the voice in my head, the voice of the vampire they all call Anna, told me to pretend.
So that’s what I did.
Now what? I ask silently.
You’ve got one shot, human; don’t waste it. Your friend is about to come through that door, and when he does, you’re going to go for your knife. Put it through Michael’s heart if you can, but through any part of his flesh if not.
I laugh bitterly inside my head. I don’t think a knife is going to do much except annoy him, but sure, whatever, I don’t want to live without Seleme anyway.
It will. Pure silver is a cleansing agent. Pure-blood vampires are repelled by it. It will hurt the Messinas more than it does most vampires. Be ready. In a few seconds, all our lives will be hanging in the balance.
One shot, of course it comes down to that. A single roll of the dice. My life may very well end tonight, but without Seleme, it’s over already, so what the hell?
I feel the weight of my knife in the side of my boot.
My muscles tense as I gather all my energy for one surge of power. I’ll do as Anna says, but after that, I need to get to her. I have to stop what’s about to happen. I will die trying to protect her. I will not go silently.
As they start into the bedroom, Alberto stops, turning to his father.
“She’s pregnant.” He drops Seleme unceremoniously to the floor. “She’s pregnant, Jesus Christ, I can feel it.” He shakes his hands, his face twisted in revulsion.
“What? It’s not possible.” Seleme’s father’s voice is first, then Michael speaks revelation dawning on his face.
“She’s been with the human. She’s carrying his baby. She cannot honor the agreement. You will all die for this.”
A hush falls, and in the silence, I hear the door handle click. There’s a whoosh of fresh air, and I know this is the only chance we’ll have. I squint, opening my eyes only slightly to see what’s happening. Everyone turns to the sound, and it’s like it’s all moving in slow motion.
One.
Two.
Three.
On a roar, I heave and launch myself up off the floor, turning toward Michael. His eyes go wide, but my knife is already in my hand. I hear his scream, see his attempt to deflect me.
Just as his hand comes up, from the side a black flash comes flying through the open door.
A wild sound, an animal, and I see Maltese flying through the air landing on Michael’s head, his claws bared, mouth open and he grabs onto his face like that creature in Alien, giving me the few seconds I need.
I’m a man possessed, and I plunge the blade deep into Michael’s throat while he tries to tear Maltese from him. His last motion is to throw the animal to the ground, but his eyes are wide as I watch his mouth fall open, his body collapsing.
Before anyone else can react, I’m racing toward Seleme.
I see Seleme on the floor at Alberto’s feet, her eyes flicking to me as the tears stream down her face. I grip the wooden handle of the knife in my fist as I take the last four steps, then I roar as I drop into a crouch and barrel toward them.
Alberto growls, and there’s yelling behind me, but I have tunnel vision, my eyes focused on his neck, where I intend to plunge my knife in the next two seconds. There’s chaos all around, but she’s my only focus.
I lunge at Alberto as Maltese repeats his attack, only this time his leap lands him on Alberto’s thigh, rather than his head. But it helps, providing a much-needed distraction. Alberto is faster than his father. His hands find my throat even as my knife falls toward his neck.
I’m not fast enough. Maltese is tearing into the black fabric of his pants, but Alberto is oblivious. I gather everything I have left, wildly slashing my knife toward his neck.
“Maxim!” Seleme’s scream echoes in my ears as I feel the bones in my neck snap. Indescribable agony turns my vision white, and my legs crumple beneath me, but not before I drag the blade of my knife as deep into the fucker’s neck as I can, somehow slicing through like he’s made of butter, until his head hangs to the side and he crumples to the ground a few feet from me.
As I fall to the floor, it’s Seleme’s face I see. The clock’s chimes begin to echo around me, and as they ring in my ears her blue eyes turn red, the pink in her cheeks dissipating as her skin begins to glow iridescent like a pearl.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I manage, knowing my life force is draining away. Knowing her face will be the last thing I ever see.
Our mouths meet in a kiss of such hunger, my heart lurches in my chest.
“Don’t go,” Seleme whispers in my ear. “I won’t let you go.”
The pain surges through me as she brings her teeth to my neck, sinking them deep. My gut twists with anguish as I feel the teeth tearing into my flesh. As she feeds, though, acceptance washes over me. At least I’ll be able to give her this one last piece of myself.
I don’t know how much time passes.
It could be a split second, or it could be hours. The only sensation I have at this moment is weightlessness.
A laser focus, as though time has slowed.
When I open my eyes, my vision is sharper.
It’s like I’m seeing in four dimensions.
I watch Seleme dart across the landing, then down to the foyer in a single leap, snapping the neck of the first guard then tearing his head from his shoulders an instant before he gets to Dimitri, standing dumbfounded in the doorway.
Then, together with her father, she takes out the vampire that’s holding her mother, ripping his head from his shoulders in a flood of gore. Anna flings her arms around Seleme, then crosses to Dimitri, catching him in an embrace of pure joy as he looks on in disbelief at what’s going on all around.
Dimitri’s eyes are wild his mouth hanging open before he finally speaks. “What the hell…”
Feeling somehow stronger than ever, I push myself to my feet and turn, in a kind of haze and bounding to Seleme, running my hands down her cheeks, marveling at the cool of her skin where there used to be warmth.
“I…” she starts, and I see the doubt in her eyes, but there’s something else, too. I feel the life inside her. The life we created.
I press my hand to her belly, and she rests hers on top of it as our eyes meet.
Her parents come toward us, and I brace myself for her father’s wrath.
“We are bound.” Seleme looks to me, then to her father. “I’m sorry, Papa.” But she isn't. I can feel her joy. It's mine, too.
He lets out a long breath, shaking his head. “No, my precious daughter. I am the one that is sorry. I did what I thought was best for you. For us all. I was wrong.”
He looks to me and extends his hand. “Welcome to the family.”