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

slick from

and my vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic

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

a far cry from the elegant monster from before. He’s lost

have a chance.

spittle flying

not while carrying her. My only choice

it

to life inside of me, a crackling current that dances along my

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Finale (1) END SEASON TWO

beneath my skin.

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

trust the power within

changes. A punch that before 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.

to press my hand against his arm, how to utilize his momentum to throw

please.

as I

but I’ve practiced defense

every time he tries to

regain his

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Shocking Finale (1) END SEASON

go on forever.

feel the

way

top is soaked in

be

Selene says, an encouraging presence in my mind. They’re almost

I notice the sounds

little area.

in

of sirens.

snarling and growling of wolves here, fighting. Perhaps they’re on the other side of the

an occasional crash. A lot of slurs.

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

fading, his face wary. “Come with us, kitten. I’ve been searching for so long. Don’t you want to know the truth of your

My story?

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hate these stupid ke? Their rules? Their

old ways?”

reaches out a clawed 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.

bind you. Selene’s words are urgent, and I have so

body.

I’m shocked I can even speak. I don’t know how bad the damage

be small.

is smooth and unblemished beneath my fingers, beneath the blood coating every part

I’m not

throbbing, but the

outline of my coar remaine

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

knowledge she won’t. Come, Ava Grey, Ward

inside of me, the one desperate for the love of my

the ecstasy I’d felt taunting me from beyond the pain when he bit

say again, trying to make sense of it all. “I’m not leaving

power, feeling it pour out of me. For a second, I can almost

blink.

vision’s still spotty.

my cheek with a soft croon.

Ava!

I whisper, not sure if he asked me any