Chapter 15 #2
Lights and music dance through the hall, and my heart beats faster the closer I get. I’m almost to the corner. If I can just make it around, make it to where I’m close enough to be heard, I’ll—
Shit.
Another vampire rushes forward, coming around the corner with his mouth open in a hiss. I come to a halt, almost tipping over in these stupid fucking heels. At this point I think taking them off and being barefoot is a better bet.
Heart in my throat, I take a step back, fully aware there is another vampire encroaching only feet behind me. The new vampire is tall, with dark eyes and even darker hair. I move away and my back hits the wall. Motherfucker.
The new vampire tips his head down, inhaling deep. A smile creeps over his face, revealing yellowed fangs. He shudders with pleasure and smells me again.
“Creep,” I huff, and push off the wall, punching him as hard as I can in the face.
He blinks, the pain there and gone in just a second, and snarls at me.
The other vampire is drawing near, and the tall one with the dark eyes springs forward.
I jerk away, subsequently twisting my ankle. I’m never wearing heels again.
I slip back into a doorframe and slide down, my head hitting a doorknob on the way. It would hurt, regardless, but I hit my head in the same spot I’d been bashed with the rock. Pain sears through me, bringing little stars to my vision and a twist of nausea to my gut.
I blink rapidly, trying to clear my vision. The scab was scraped off and blood seeps down my hairline and onto my face. As much as I try to ignore the pain, it winds through me, blinding me and making me unable to move.
And that’s all the vampires needed. That one second where I’m stunned.
One of them grabs my ankle and yanks me forward. I fly back, desperately lifting my neck to keep my head from hitting against the hard floor. I thrash and kick, doing everything I can to get away. The sharp bottom of my heel clips one of the vampires in the face, tearing the skin on his cheek.
He recoils, letting go of my leg. His hands fly to his face, and I know it’s not the pain he’s reacting to.
He’s concerned about his looks and doesn’t want a mark.
I press my hands onto the floor and push myself up, spinning and kicking the first vampire who attacked me.
I use every ounce of strength I have to shove the other away.
Using the doorknob above me, I hoist myself up, but the vampire I kicked in the face grabs me by the waist and throws me to the floor. Hard. So hard, it knocks the wind out of me, leaving me gasping for air on the floor.
His hands go around my neck and he licks the blood dripping from my torn-open scab, shuddering the second his tongue is against my skin. He laps up more and lets out a moan. The other vampire is on the floor next to me now, putting his mouth over the small punctures in my arm made from his nails.
I only have a few seconds before I run out of oxygen. It doesn’t take long to be strangled to death, and I don’t know how I’m going to break free from the vampire’s grasp. Desperation rises inside of me, and watching the vampires get off from drinking my blood makes me mad.
Really fucking mad.
I raise my hand and grab the face of the vampire on top of me, digging my fingers into his eyes and nose.
Heat burns in the palm of my hand, almost as if I’m touching a hot iron.
Only it doesn’t hurt. Suddenly, the heat bursts into a bright ball of light, radiating out from under my fingers and glowing a fiery red.
I dig my nails into the vampire’s face, and the smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils. I don’t let myself think about the how or the why. All I know is I’m holding fire in my palm and it’s not burning me.
But it’s burning them.
The vampire screams, jerking his head back.
Charred and blackened skin falls in flakes down on me.
He lets go of my neck and brings his hands to his face, cradling his burns.
He pulls away, flesh still glowing from the fire.
I bend my legs up and kick him hard in the chest. He falls back, reeling with pain from the burn.
The vampire next to me scrambles away, mouth open in a hiss. On shaky legs, I get up, holding my hand out in front of me. My ears are ringing and exhaustion threatens to take over.
Using magic requires a lot of energy.
Jacques’s voice rings in my ears. Magic. Motherfucking magic. I look away from the vampire for half a second to glance down at the flames surrounding my hand. My heart jolts again and I lurch forward, causing the vampire to jerk away.
“You picked the wrong girl,” I spit, not caring I just said the most cliché thing possible. Along with the exhaustion comes a high, and I’m riding it to the top right now. I make a move toward the vampire, ready to press my hand to his chest and burn him until there’s nothing left.
The other vamp is still on the floor, madly hitting himself in the face to try and put out the flames. I curl my fist and the flames intensify.
Holy.
Shit.
I’m controlling it. A wicked smile takes over my face and I round on the other vampire, holding out my hand.
“Not so scary now, are you?” I taunt, narrowing my eyes. “I know all about you and how you’re turning people into vampires. And I’m going to stop you.”
His snarl disappears and his eyes widen in fear. I advance, squinting from the bright light emanating from my hand. The power flows through me, intoxicating. Something clicks inside of me, and it’s like a missing part of myself—a part I’ve always been looking for—is suddenly unveiled.
I’ve fought tooth and nail to find my place in the world, and no matter how good I was at my job, how successful I became in my field, it wasn’t enough.
Now I know why.
This is who I’m meant to be.
I raise my other hand, staring at my fingers, and feel a spark hit the palm of my hand. I inhale and will the fire to spread. Holding flames in both hands, I look from vampire to vampire.
“You’re fucked now. Tell me who’s turning people into vampires and I’ll make it a quick death.”
The vampire with the burned face pushes up onto his knees, lips pulled back. He growls, but doesn’t dare come at me, not when I’m holding some sort of unexplainable magic fire that I conjured out of thin air.
Slowly, I move away from the wall, still not liking being pinned against it even though I have the upper hand right now. Though as long as I can keep the flames going, I’m safe.
The unscathed vampire lunges for me but stops himself before he gets close enough to get burned.
“Hah. Nice try, asshole,” I leer. “You’re not so tough now when—”
A wave of exhaustion hits me and the fires dim, flames dying down to embers, falling from my hands. I blink, suddenly dizzy.
And then the fires go completely out.