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

my vision blurs from darkness

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

from the elegant monster from before. He’s lost reason. Lost

a chance.

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

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

it arrives.

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

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Shocking Finale (1) END

thrumming beneath

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

charges with a loud snarl and I trust the power within me, meeting him head

A punch that before would have been impossible to track is now something I can not

training comes to me without

How to block.

How to move.

his arm, how to utilize his momentum to throw his body as I

please.

step as

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

time he tries to grab me,

to regain his balance

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Finale (1) END SEASON

can’t go on forever.

the wooziness in

the way

how my crop top is soaked in

I be unconscious

little longer, Selene says, an encouraging

then that I notice

little area.

in the distance.

of sirens.

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

A lot

here, with only Teddy and Bren’s

face wary. “Come with us, kitten. I’ve been searching for

My story?

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you hate these stupid ke?

old ways?”

beauty. Come with me, kitten. I’ll keep you safe, teach you your powers. Tell you the truth about that wolf inside your soul.”

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 this energy flowing through my

body.

even speak. I don’t know how bad the

be small.

when I bring my hand to my neck again, the skin is smooth and unblemished beneath my fingers, beneath the blood coating every part of

wonder I’m not unconscious.

there, throbbing, but the damage

faint outline of my coar

Ava: A Shocking Finale

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

little girl inside of me, the one desperate for the love of my family, sways toward him.

despite the faint tingle of the ecstasy I’d felt taunting me from

sense of it all. “I’m not leaving

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

blink.

still spotty.

cheek with a soft

Ava!

sure if he asked me