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

vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic

drips from his

far cry from the elegant monster from

a

spittle flying from his lips.

Lisa with my body. I know I can’t outrun him, not while carrying her. My only choice is to stand and fight, to

it

a crackling current that dances along my nerves.

15-11

211

Ava A Shocking Finale (1)

beneath

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

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

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

training comes to me

How to block.

How to move.

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

please.

step as I

training in offensive strikes, but I’ve practiced

tries to grab me, he’s shoved

to regain

13 11

4/11

Finale (1) END SEASON

this can’t go on forever.

the wooziness

the way

crop top is

I be unconscious

little longer, Selene says, an encouraging presence in

that I notice the sounds outside of our

little area.

howls in

sound of

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

occasional crash. A lot

and Bren’s corpses, Lisa’s unconscious form, and the vampire in front

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

My story?

18:11

5/11

you hate these stupid ke?

old ways?”

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

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

body.

speak. I don’t know how bad the damage to my

be small.

I bring my hand to my neck again, the skin is smooth and unblemished beneath my fingers, beneath

I’m not

but the damage has

of my

Shocking Finale (III)-END

freedom he can’t. I’ll give you the knowledge she won’t. Come, Ava Grey, Ward of the Witches. You

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

holds her back, despite the faint tingle of the ecstasy I’d

to make sense of it all.

a groan. I can’t hold on to the power, feeling it pour out of me. For a second,

blink.

still

cupping my cheek with a soft croon. A

Ava!

not sure if