Tangled

139 Ava: A Shocking Finale (III) —

END SEASON TWO

“You’re making this so much harder than it should be. I was hoping to savor this moment, but now I have to rush my meal, instead.” He sounds disappointed, not angry, and the difference makes me shudder.

It’s worse than him being infuriated. It shows that my struggles are no more than an inconvenience to him.

When his fangs break skin, the pain is unbearable.

It’s worse than fire in my veins. It’s an ache so deep that my entire body throbs and burns, I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out; I can’t

breathe.

Skimming over the pain is an ecstasy that taunts me with bliss, tantalizing with its lack of pain. I yearn for it, wanting to sink in, wanting to escape this torture-

Eyes, Ava! Selene shouts. Go for the eyes!

With a desperate cry, I jab my fingers toward his face, aiming for those cold, mocking eyes. He jerks his head back and I can feel my neck rip and tear, blood

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139 Ava A Shocking Finale (il)-END SEASON TWO

pouring.

But not before I fe

my nails sink into something soft

and yielding. He howis, his grip loosens, and I wrench myself free, staggering away.

The vampire clutches at his face, blood seeping between his fingers. One eye is a ruined mess, but the other glares at me with unadulterated hatred.

“You’ll pay for that, bitch,” he spits, his voice a guttural

rasp.

I hold my hands against my neck, against the blood pouring out, gasping for air to fill my lungs. It’s like they can’t inflate fully, can’t fill with oxygen.

This time rage fuels his movements as he lunges for me, messy and uncoordinated. My brain’s already off, moving on instinct, through repetitive motions in

training.

A quick sidestep. A knee to the groin, a practiced weak point. He’s wide open and doubles over with a grunt as I follow up with an elbow to the back of his neck,

sacrificing blood loss for success.

He hits the ground hard. Good to know pressure

points also work on vampires

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139 Ava: A Shocking Finale ()-END SEASON TWO

He won’t be down long–may

seconds.

I dart to Lisa, grabbing her under the arms and dragging her back, scrabbling for purchase.with my

from blood.

vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic

feet, his face a mask of rage. Blood drips from his ruined eye, painting a gruesome picture. He stalks toward us, his

the elegant monster

a

snarls, spittle flying from

I know I can’t outrun him, not while carrying her. My

If it arrives.

to life inside of me, a crackling current that dances along my nerves. I feel

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Ava A Shocking Finale

thrumming beneath my

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

with a loud snarl and I trust

would have been impossible to track is now something I can not only see, but think

my training comes to me

How to block.

How to move.

How to press my hand against his arm, how to utilize his momentum to throw his body as I

please.

step as I

in offensive strikes, but I’ve

every time he tries to grab

regain

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A Shocking Finale (1) END

can’t go on

feel the wooziness

way my

top

be unconscious already?

encouraging

then that I notice the sounds outside of our

little area.

in the distance.

sound of sirens.

Perhaps they’re on the other side of the house.

crash. A lot

peaceful back here, with only Teddy and Bren’s corpses, Lisa’s unconscious

wary. “Come with us, kitten. I’ve been searching for so long. Don’t you want to know the

My story?

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hate these stupid ke? Their rules? Their

old ways?”

deranged anger gone, his face once again settled into that pale, death–transcendent beauty. Come

agreement will bind you. Selene’s words are urgent, and I have so many fucking questions,

body.

know how bad the damage to

be small.

again, the skin is smooth and unblemished beneath my fingers, beneath the

I’m not unconscious.

pain is there, throbbing, but the damage has

of

Finale (III)-END

and your friend, too. I’ll give you the freedom he can’t. I’ll give you the knowledge she won’t. Come, Ava Grey, Ward of

one desperate for the love of

of me holds her back, despite the faint tingle of the

I say again, trying to make sense

to my knees with a groan. I can’t hold on to the power, feeling it pour out of me. For a second, I can almost imagine golden strands connecting me

blink.

still spotty.

my cheek with a soft croon. A lullaby, I think.

Ava!

whisper, not sure if he