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

vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic shapes.

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

monster from

a

apart,” he snarls, spittle flying from his lips. “Piece

outrun him, not while carrying her. My only choice is to stand and

it arrives.

current that dances along my nerves. I feel

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Ava A Shocking Finale (1) END

beneath my

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

vampire charges with a loud snarl and I trust the

changes. A punch that before would have been impossible to

my training comes to

How to block.

How to move.

how to utilize his momentum to throw his body

please.

step as

but

every time he tries to grab me,

to regain

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A Shocking Finale (1)

can’t go on forever.

the wooziness in

the way my

crop top

I be

an encouraging presence in my mind. They’re

notice

little area.

howls in

of sirens.

Perhaps

an occasional crash. A lot of

relatively peaceful back here, with only Teddy and Bren’s corpses, Lisa’s unconscious form, and the vampire in front of me.

us, kitten. I’ve been searching for so long. Don’t you want to

My story?

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hate these stupid ke?

old ways?”

hand, all the deranged anger gone, his face once again settled into that pale, death–transcendent beauty. Come with me, kitten. I’ll keep you safe, teach you your powers. Tell you the truth about that wolf inside your

bind you. Selene’s words are urgent, and I have so many fucking questions, but I’m swaying on my feet,

body.

I’m shocked I can even speak. I don’t know how bad the damage to my neck is, but it

be small.

skin is smooth and unblemished

I’m not unconscious.

there, throbbing, but the damage has

of my coar remaine

A Shocking Finale (III)-END SEASON TWO

can’t. I’ll give you the knowledge she

girl inside of me, the one desperate for

of me holds her back, despite the faint tingle of the ecstasy I’d felt taunting me from beyond the pain

again, trying to make sense of it

it pour out of me. For a second, I can almost imagine golden strands connecting me to

blink.

still spotty.

me, cupping my cheek with a soft croon. A lullaby,

Ava!

whisper, not sure if