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 blood.

screams in pain and my vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic shapes.

feet, his face a mask of rage. Blood drips from his ruined eye, painting a gruesome

from the elegant monster from before.

have a

to rip you apart,” he snarls, spittle flying from

outrun him, not while carrying

it

inside of me, a crackling current that dances

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Ava A Shocking Finale (1) END SEASON

thrumming beneath my skin.

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

and I trust the power within me, meeting

flow of time itself changes. A punch that before would have been impossible to track is now something I can not only see, but think about.

my training comes to

How to block.

How to move.

against his arm, how to utilize his momentum to throw his body

please.

as I dodge.

in offensive strikes, but I’ve practiced defense to exhaustion every day.

he tries to grab

regain

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Ava A Shocking Finale (1)

go on forever.

the wooziness in

the way my knees

crop top is soaked in

I be unconscious already?

Selene says, an encouraging presence

only then that I notice the sounds outside of our

little area.

in the distance.

of sirens.

here, fighting. Perhaps they’re on the other side of

A lot

and

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

My story?

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these stupid ke?

old ways?”

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

agree with him. You’re 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

body.

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

be small.

is smooth and unblemished beneath my fingers,

wonder I’m not unconscious.

is there, throbbing, but the damage

outline of my coar

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

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 the

the one desperate for the love of my

tingle of the

say again, trying to make sense

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

blink.

still spotty.

with a soft croon.

Ava!

whisper, not sure if