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

18.10

1/11

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

18/10

211

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

and my vision blurs from darkness to light,

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

monster from before. He’s lost reason. Lost

a

he snarls, spittle flying from his

can’t outrun him, not while carrying her. My only choice is to stand and fight,

If it

a crackling current that dances along my nerves. I

15-11

211

A Shocking Finale

thrumming beneath my

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

with a loud snarl and I trust the power

A punch that before would have been impossible to track is now

training comes to me without

How to block.

How to move.

How to press my hand against his arm, how to utilize

please.

step as I

had little training in offensive strikes, but I’ve practiced defense to exhaustion

tries to grab me,

to regain his balance

13 11

4/11

Finale (1)

go on

the wooziness

the way

my crop top is soaked

I be

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

that I notice

little area.

in the

sound of

fighting. Perhaps they’re on the other side

crash. A lot of

here, with only Teddy and Bren’s corpses,

tactics, his fury fading, his face wary. “Come with us, kitten. I’ve been searching for so long. Don’t

My story?

18:11

5/11

hate these stupid

old ways?”

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

half in contract. Any agreement will bind you. Selene’s words are urgent, and I have so many fucking questions, but I’m swaying on my feet, even with this

body.

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

be small.

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

wonder I’m

pain is there, throbbing, but the damage

of my

Finale (III)-END SEASON

give you the freedom he can’t. I’ll give you the knowledge she won’t. Come, Ava Grey, Ward of the Witches. You seek a home, and I have one to give.”

of me, the one desperate for the

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

trying to make sense

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 to the earth, but they disappear in

blink.

still spotty.

me, cupping my cheek with

Ava!

whisper, not sure if he asked me any questions.