Chapter 29 #3
I gripped Beckett’s shirt, holding him tight when he tried to jerk away.
Fire licked from my fingertips, searing his skin, boiling him alive from the inside.
The vampire’s panicked screams overtook all other sound.
Though he clawed and shredded my chest and arms trying to get away from me, I held on grimly.
Letting go meant dying. If I had anything to say about it, only one of us would walk out of here today, and it wasn’t going to be Beckett.
As I watched fire lick over the vampire, I swallowed my panic. Why was I not burning? What unholy power had I conjured in my efforts to get away?
Shouts, not from me or Beckett, sounded in the shop. Two shadows loomed closer, discussing something in rapid fire conversation. But I was busy keeping Beckett from ripping my throat out.
“You can’t touch her!” someone barked.
“The bastard will kill her!”
Beckett’s mouth snapped, his fangs dripping with reddish-brown fluid.
He pressed against me, trying to use his bulk to break my trembling grip— his goal to sink those teeth in my neck.
His claws ripped through skin and hit bone, tearing me apart and breaking my will bit by bit.
I shoved at his chest to keep him away from my most vulnerable parts, pushed more flame from my fingers, and wrapped my legs around his waist, simultaneously holding on for dear life while keeping his upper body away from my throat.
When he realized he couldn’t reach my neck, he went for my arms, sharp fangs tearing through one of my wrists. Blood splattered his face and neck. Warmth ran down my forearm, a crimson line soaking my skin. I had to end this. Now.
“Die, you bastard,” I hissed. The flame flared high above, surrounding us in a near perfect circle.
Vicious swearing rang out in the café, almost immediately drowned out by Beckett’s screams. The vampire’s face began to melt, his skin drooping and sloughing off, exposing bone and sinew. I gagged but held on. Words formed in my head in that language that both was and wasn’t Latin.
They bubbled forth, and Beckett screamed again as my flame rose, now tinged with a pale lavender tone. My clothes burned away, turning to ash around my body, and still I held on.
Sirens screamed in the distance. Help was on the way, and still I held on, refusing to let go of Beckett until he was nothing more than a memory.
“Let go,” he slurred. “Leggo, leggo, leg—” The bottom part of his jaw fell off and landed atop my bare chest. His nose fell off, exposing his nasal cavity.
I was going to throw up for days when this was done. The thought hit me suddenly, causing a hysterical giggle mixed with a sob to rise up through my lips.
His begging became a wet, choking gurgle, and I still held on.
“Let this be a lesson,” I screeched, the flames crackling around me. “No man, be he human or supernatural, will ever master me.”
Beckett exploded in a mass of blood, bone, and viscera, spraying fluid several feet away.
And then it was over. A broken sob escaped me. I scrambled out from under Beckett and wiped my eyes, my hands coming away with enough fluid and entrails to haunt me for the rest of my days.
The door burst open. Half a dozen police officers filed in, all of them stopping abruptly as they took in the scene. I rose, bare feet slipping in the muck, my legs like a newborn fawn’s. I dimly realized I was naked, but I couldn’t muster the energy to care.
Blue flames surrounded me, several feet high. I lifted my head to see Silas and Alric standing there, both of them struck dumb. A shimmering barrier stood between them and my fire. Silas tried to step forward, but Alric jerked him back, his eyes never leaving me.
My wild gaze skipped over them, as I searched through the destruction for a tiny body. I found Quinn lying in a crumpled heap close to the register. Crouching beside her, I carefully scooped her tiny form into my hands and rose.
Her skin was still warm. Long dark hair drooped over my palm as I tucked her against my abdomen and went behind the counter, snatching a new bottle of Quinn’s favorite syrup from the bar. She’d need it. If she lived.
Tears dripped from the bottom of my chin. I didn’t care that I was naked. I didn’t care I had witnesses or even that I’d destroyed the coffee shop. I’d probably lost my job today, and I couldn’t even muster the emotion to care about that either.
What I did care about?
Healing Quinn if it wasn’t too late and finding the closest bathtub and a large steel wool pad I could use to scrub the top three layers of my skin off.
My chest and collarbone were a ruin of flesh, blood, and bone, and I must have at least two broken ribs, making every step I took complete agony. Pixie dust dotted my shoulders, the skin there raised in horrible welts.
I turned around and we all stared at each other. Alric opened his mouth to speak, but I let out a harsh, disgusted laugh and turned away. He dropped the barrier and took a step closer, but a flick of my fingers brought my flames skittering close to him.
He swore and scrambled away. I gave him a vicious smile and kept walking.
The police stepped away as my flames followed me, keeping a barrier between me and the world. I walked outside into the dim light and kept walking.
A large crowd of people stood behind several police cars, most holding up cell phones. Recording, no doubt. Maybe even live-streaming. I couldn’t even muster up the emotion to care. Who knew how long they’d been there or what they’d seen before the police arrived?
A stray thought leaked through into my numb brain. I’d ruin my upholstery if I got into my vehicle. Guess I should have sprung for the leather seats.
“Ma’am?” one of the officers piped up.
“My name is Alex,” I croaked. “I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow.”
No one else tried to stop me. I kept walking, keeping the flames circling me so no one would get too close. When I got to the car, I realized my purse was still in the store. And so were my keys.
I closed my eyes and groaned.
A sharp feminine whistle came. I opened my eyes and saw Cat standing a few feet away.
“Dude,” Cat said, her eyes wide and shining. “You’re going viral on Tock.” She winced. “The entire internet has your boobs in 4K.”
I sighed even as I felt like laughing.
Cat grinned and held up a set of keys. “Need a ride?”
Thank the gods. I nodded. Cat jerked her head over to a small electric car.
“Ya gotta drop the flames before you get in. It’s a rental.
” She clicked her tongue and hissed when she saw my chest. “I have a healing potion in my purse, but you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. Want to stop by the hospital?”
I shook my head. By some unholy power I couldn’t name, I felt myself healing from the inside, a little at a time. Not enough to decrease the agony I was in, but enough to keep some blood inside my body. Small mercies.
I tilted my palm to show Cat what I carried. “Give the potion to Quinn.”
Her eyes widened, and she swore. “Is she alive?”
“I’m not sure.” Gods, I hoped so.
Cat hurried over and opened the passenger door. A moment later, I was settled in Cat’s car, covered with a hand-knitted blanket I’d have to find some way to replace, and we were away.