Chapter 20 #2
Beckett’s red-eyed face loomed above me, fangs extended into three-inch lengths, dripping with the numbing agent vamps used to subdue their prey.
A scream ripped from my throat, but I was trapped under his bulk, the only thing separating me from certain death was my arms blocking him from reaching my neck.
“The Prime isn’t here to save you this time,” Beckett hissed, liquid dripping from his fangs.
Beckett must have done something to keep Leo from following me home.
“What do you want?” It took every bit of effort to keep Beckett’s teeth at bay, and I knew I couldn’t hold out forever. My muscles screamed with effort.
I brought a knee up, but Beckett shifted before I could make contact. He might have a lean frame, but he outweighed me by at least sixty pounds, and I couldn’t get away. His eyes took on a sickly green shimmer, one I’d never seen on a vamp before.
Fear curled down my spine. I bucked and struggled, fighting with everything I had, but the fact remained that Beckett was a vampire and I was a witch.
No witch could outmatch a vampire in sheer strength.
If I moved my hand, I’d risk a debilitating bite, but my resilience was waning. I had to do something.
Shouts rang out somewhere above my head. Beckett’s attention jerked up, but he dismissed whatever it was and pressed his weight down on me, making it difficult to breathe.
“One little sip, Alex,” he breathed, “and I’ll go away.”
“Fuck. You,” I panted, shifting to bring my left arm up, blocking him from accessing my throat. He snapped, his teeth shearing a painful line down my inner forearm.
Fury roared through my veins. I slapped my left hand against his face, digging my fingers into his cheek, unable to care how badly he might chew my arm up. With my right hand, I reached up and over, yanking the flower from my hair.
When he noticed what I held, Beckett laughed. “Your little flower magic won’t do much.”
A word formed in my mind, unfamiliar and foreign, pressing against my lips, willing itself to come out.
I clenched my teeth, foreign magic welling through my body like a flood. Violet power, mixed with a tinge of sparkling black, exploded from my fingers, searing Beckett’s skin. He squealed like a pig. I latched onto his face and held on, the word bursting from my lips.
“Ardere.”
Beckett’s skin peeled and turned black, flaking away from his cheeks and chin. Revulsion filled me. Seizing Beckett’s distraction, I brought the flower toward him, the sharp pin scoring a deep line down his face. He jerked at the last minute, so I just missed his eye, but the damage was done.
The vampire howled and scrambled away, slapping at the black skin on one side and yanking at the pin stuck in his other cheek. His skin sizzled where the pin landed. Blood dribbled down his face. I rolled to my feet and hauled ass for the front door.
It opened the second my feet hit the porch, slamming with a loud boom the moment I crossed the threshold.
“Alex! Are you alright?” Edmund’s voice cut through my panic.
Blood poured down from both cuts in my arm. I hissed and hurried to the sink, turning the cool water on to wash the crimson rivulets away.
“You’re going to need stitches,” Edmund observed.
“I’m not going to the hospital.” The absolute last thing I needed was to make a report about a vampire attack.
As long as I honored the agreement I’d made with Alric to keep my mouth shut about what happened in the alley, he wouldn’t come after me.
Hopefully. Besides, this wasn’t the first time Beckett had attacked.
What could anybody actually do about it?
Pain pulsed through my arm in time with my heartbeat. “I can do one side, but I can’t stitch the other place one-handed.”
“What about Marinka?”
I sighed. “She never leaves her studio.” But I knew someone I could call, even though I didn’t want to.
I heard something slamming to the floor toward the back of the house. “I’m bringing the first aid kit,” Edmund said.
I pulled my cell out and dialed Tiegan. She answered on the first ring. “Alex? Everything okay?”
A floating first aid kit bobbed and weaved through the air before settling by my elbow. I had no idea how Edmund moved things around, but I wasn’t complaining. At least not right now.
I let out a shaky breath. Something had happened out there. Something concerning. I would need to deal with that eventually, but the blood loss needed attention before I passed out. I could freak out later. “I need assistance. Can you come by my house?”
“Of course. Should I bring anything?”
I appreciated that she didn’t pepper me with a thousand questions. “Extra silk thread if you have it.”
Her silence was telling. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Give me your address.”
I rattled off where I lived.
“Be there in ten.” Tiegan disconnected, and I got to the bloody task of awkwardly stitching myself up.
A knock on the door came shortly after.
“Stay quiet, Edmund. Tiegan has been helpful, but I still don’t know anything about her.”
“Mum’s the word,” Edmund said. He fell silent as I went to answer the door.
Tiegan blanched when she got a good look at me. “Are you alright?”
“I’m getting there.” I led her to the kitchen where I’d left the first aid kit. “Are you any good at stitches?”
She set down the small leather bag she carried and winced when I unwrapped my arm. “Who did this?”
“Vampire,” I said, careful not to jostle my arm around too much.
Her eyes snapped up to mine. She clicked her tongue. “You got lucky.”
“Yeah. You should see the other guy.”
Tiegan snorted and gently took my arm. She studied the stitches I’d already done and frowned. “Sloppy, but they’ll keep the wound closed. You’re going to have a hell of a scar.”
“Yes, but my neck is still intact.” I gave her a lopsided smile, but Tiegan didn’t smile back.
“Vamp don’t often attack witches. Not since the new laws were passed.” She reached inside her bag and pulled out a folded towel.
“I’m aware. I must be extra delicious,” I said dryly. When Tiegan still didn’t respond, I sighed. “Beckett seems to be a little obsessed with me.”
“I’ll say.” She tugged latex gloves on and carefully wiped my arm off with an alcohol pad. I hissed in pain when she hit a jagged spot.
“Sorry.” Tiegan shook her head as she studied the wound. “How’d you get him off?”
“Spelled hair pin.” And frightening magic I’ve never seen before, I didn’t add.
Her hands stilled. “Seriously?”
I nodded. Tiegan’s lips twitched. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall.”
She carefully threaded a piece of flesh-colored silk thread. “Set your arm down here and try not to move. This is going to hurt.”
A soft huff of laughter came from her when I pointed to the Frankenstein stitches I’d already completed. Tiegan adjusted the towel and pressed down on my arm with one hand to keep it steady. With the other, she made the first stitch.
Air whistled between my teeth as she worked.
“I have some salve in my bag. Use it twice a day. You’ll heal much faster.” She clicked her tongue as she peered at the wound. “Might not do much for the scarring on the first one, but there are things you can do later to minimize how bad it looks.”
“I’m not too worried about it.”
Tiegan shook her head. “Is this Beckett sick?”
“In the head, sure. Vampires don’t get sick, do they?”
Tiegan lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s rare, but some of them just aren’t made right. For whatever reason, they can be fine for many years, then something snaps inside them, and they lose their marbles.”
I thought about it. “He seemed mostly fine when I first met him. Young and arrogant, but not unhinged. But when he first came into the coffee shop, he immediately tried to pursue me. He’s not the kind who believes no means no.”
Tiegan’s lips tightened. “Was he the reason we found you in the alley?”
I nodded.
She sighed. “You sure know how to make friends.”
I laughed. “Some kind of friend he is.”
Tiegan finished stitching the wound and tied a knot before reaching into her bag for the salve. She applied a thick layer of herbal-scented goo and carefully bandaged both wounds. “You’ll be in long sleeves for at least a week.”
That ought to be fun in a hot-ass coffee shop. “Better than dead.”
Her lips pursed. “Did you look at that ritual?”
I held up my arm. “Kinda busy.”
Tiegan snorted. “I meant last night, funny girl.” She re-packed her medical supplies and shut her bag. “Be careful who you ask to assist you. If you’re adamant about going through with the ritual, I’ll put you in touch with some people who might be able to help.”
I nodded my thanks, even as suspicion welled inside me. “Why exactly are you helping me?”
Tiegan sighed and rose from the stool. “Not everyone is a bad guy. Witches are a tight-knit group. We take care of each other.”
“Even when we’re not in a coven together?”
Tiegan’s smile was sad. “You’re still a witch, and your mother was one of us.
If I can help you, I will.” She reached out and touched my good arm.
“Getting involved with vampires is dangerous to more than your health. You can never be truly sure where you stand with them. Many are expert illusionists. They can make you believe something to your core even when it isn’t true. Be careful, Alex.”
I’d already experienced this thanks to Alric. I nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll be ready next time Beckett decides to come around.”
But as Tiegan left and silence fell in the house, all I could think of was his teeth in my skin and how hard I’d had to fight to get away from him. That was a close one. I was tired and not paying attention to my surroundings, and it almost got me killed.
Even at home, I couldn’t afford to get complacent.
And wasn’t that a comforting thought to go to sleep on?