Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Everyone starts moving at the same time.
Marcus comes out of nowhere, throwing himself at Khan, tackling him to the blood covered floor.
Andrei follows his example, jumping on Irina and taking her down with him.
The Guardians, still around us, go after whoever is closest to them.
Not wasting time, I run to Sebastian. Yanking my dress up, I lift myself on the frame holding the casket.
Fumbling around, looking for the latch keeping it closed, I pay no attention to anything around me.
Awareness slams in my chest, and I duck to the side.
A fist cracks knuckles on the crystal where my head was supposed to be.
Wide-eyed, I stare up at Sebastian. He told me to move.
Not in so many words, but I felt him inside me, felt his anxiety, and followed his lead.
The vampire controlled my body from inside a crystal coffin.
Blinking like a fool, I swing my gaze at the one trying to turn my head into a pancake.
He has blonde, spiky hair, and eyes so light blue they look like glass where he glares at me.
Niklas, my mind supplies, and I swear I hear Sebastian’s voice.
The blonde vampire moves. Everything around me slows down, and I see him in slow motion reaching for my throat with his fangs bared.
My hand shoots out, my fist connecting with his face.
Everything returns to normal, and I watch him stupefied when he flies all the way to the other side of the room, taking everyone in his way down with him. “Oh, my God…”
Sebastian projects—or whatever it is that he does to communicate with me—his urgency.
Snapping out of my astonishment, I return to my search for the latch.
There is none. I can see where the two pieces of crystal connect to each other, but there is nothing that I can take hold of to pull them apart.
Marcus bellows from somewhere, making my heart jump in my throat when I hear his pain.
“Come on, come on, come on…” chanting under my breath, I scramble around the crystal, my frustration building. Another warning sounds through my head, and I immediately relinquish control of my body to Sebastian.
Like a passenger, I watch myself twist, bend, and turn in ways I never thought I would be capable of.
If I end up broken after this, I’m going to be really pissed.
You are going to die, being broken is better, my mind reminds me, but I ignore it.
My adrenaline is pumping through my veins, and I’ve never felt more alive.
Maybe I am crazy.
The sentinel attacking me stands no chance.
I can see his punches before he even moves.
Grabbing his larger fist in my tiny hand, I crush his bones with no effort.
His screams make me feel giddy. The April that is taking a ride in her own body feels sick because of what I’m doing, but I ignore her.
This is wonderful. They should all pay for what they have done.
A head rolls at my feet and I watch the sentinel’s headless body drop like a rock.
How did that happen? It doesn’t matter, he is gone now.
Looking down at the white silk dress I was wearing, I marvel at the red color covering it. It’s beautiful.
A nudging makes me look up and go back to Sebastian.
The sounds of fighting slow down. A glance shows me many must’ve fled from the throne room, including the Council.
Cowards, all of them. Licking the blood off my lips, I look at the crystal again.
No latch, no dip, and no hollow space. Tilting my head, eyeing the crystal, an idea hits me.
“Close your eyes.” I’m hoping Sebastian heard me because I’m not even looking at him.
Swinging my hand back, I slam my fist into the crystal.
It cracks slightly. Shaking off the numbness, I swing at it again.
And again. It keeps cracking, veins opening like a spiderweb through the surface.
Some of them are filled with red blood from the broken skin on my knuckle.
All sound stops, silence blanketing the room around me.
I don’t look away from my task. Placing one hand flat on the cracked crystal, I raise my fist again.
With all the strength in me, I hit the center of the casket.
It shatters under my hand like a glass dropped from great heights.
Wrapping my fingers around the thick chains, I pull them apart as if they are made of nothing. Sebastian tumbles out from his prison, his arms wrapping around me. With a sigh, I press my forehead to his chest. “I saved you.”
When he says nothing, I lift my face up to look at him.
Sadness meets me, twisting my stomach with uneasiness.
The question is left on the tip of my tongue when he steps away from me, and someone grips my shoulders tightly.
A sharp pain rips through me and fangs pierce the skin of my throat.
Reaching behind me, ready to kill whoever dares to bite me, my hand is left up in the air when I see Sara rushing to Sebastian, offering her neck to him.
Her eyes flick guiltily at me before they close while Sebastian feeds.
Everything replays through my head. The sickness that Eddie had and how I had to go find medicine.
I met them two weeks ago, around the time Sebastian became aware of me.
The bundle left at the sewer with a blanket from the hotel mocking me.
As my life is drained from my neck, I see the person behind me clearly through Sebastian’s eyes.
It’s a woman that they called last night to iron down the plans.
Mary is her name, if I’m not mistaken. Sebastian planned this to the last detail, knowing full well how the Council would react, counting on my stupidity to fall for it all.
And I did.
My body feels too heavy, my feet unable to carry my weight any longer. The woman behind me goes down to the ground along with me. With my last heartbeat, I hear her last as well. Darkness embraces me.
I’m burning alive.
Fire is raging inside me, and my mouth opens in a silent scream.
No sound can come out of my raw throat. My tongue is thick in my mouth, and I think I’m going to die of thirst. My skin hurts where someone is holding me tightly.
Cold fingers brush the hair from my sweaty face.
When they pull away, I chase them with no luck.
That bitch Luck screwed me again. Luck and Hope suck.
Big time. Voices float to my ears. At least I haven’t gone deaf, as I feared.
“…if she feeds, she will get better.”
“…don’t lecture me on how to take care of her.”
“…it shouldn’t be taking this long.”
“…Mary sacrificed herself for nothing.”
“…she is not holding the blood down.”
“…this can’t be good.”
With a lot of effort, and after a very long time, I finally open my eyes.
A familiar face looks down at me, smiling.
I don’t know who the woman is, her blonde hair tied back and short hairs curling around her face.
But I know deep down in my soul that I know her.
Her hand lifts up, and she offers her wrist to me.
Her skin has been cut, and the scent of her blood makes my mouth water.
Encouragingly, she pushes her wrist under my nose.
Flicking my tongue out, I lick her skin.
Bile rises in my throat, and I turn around, dry heaving to the side. So much pain.
“I don’t understand why she won’t take blood,” the woman says.
“Move away, Sara. I will call you if I need you.”
That voice, and that name bring everything back.
Slowly turning around, I watch Sara leave Sebastian’s room.
He sits on the bed next to me, his cold fingers moving the hair out of my face.
It takes everything in me not to flinch.
From the corner of my eye, I see Marcus leaning against the wall on one side, and Andrei with his forehead pressed on the window, staring outside.
Ignoring them both, I focus entirely on the man sitting next to me.
“Non sono degno della tua presenza, della mia redenzione. How do you feel?” His eyes soften and he cups my face.
I am not worthy of your presence, my redemption. The words translate in my head. Reaching up to touch him as well, I smile. His eyes close on a sigh when my hand glides around his neck. He comes willingly when I pull him down. Embracing him, pressing my lips to his ear, I inhale his scent.
“Mhhh…I think I feel used.” Sebastian stiffens at my purr.
Sinking my fangs in his neck, I grip him tight, so there is no escape for him. My stomach doesn’t rebel at his blood. He tastes delicious.
“Oh, fuck!” Marcus jumps away from the wall in hopes to save his Sire.
Too bad for all of them, I’m no longer a little human.