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.

vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted with prismatic

his ruined eye, painting a gruesome picture. He stalks toward us, his movements jerky,

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

a

you apart,” he snarls, spittle

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

it arrives.

me, a crackling current that dances along my

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Finale (1) END SEASON TWO

thrumming beneath my skin.

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

snarl and I trust

changes. A punch that before would have been impossible to track is now something I

my training comes to me without thought.

How to block.

How to move.

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

please.

step as

offensive strikes, but I’ve practiced defense

time he tries

forgod to regain

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Shocking Finale (1) END SEASON TWO

can’t go

can feel the wooziness

way my

how my crop top is soaked in

be

longer, Selene says, an encouraging presence in my

then that I notice the sounds outside of

little area.

howls in

sound of

wolves here, fighting. Perhaps they’re on

crash. A

here, with only Teddy and Bren’s corpses, Lisa’s unconscious form, and the

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

My story?

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you hate these stupid ke? Their rules? Their

old ways?”

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. Tell you the truth about that wolf inside your soul.”

half in contract. Any agreement will bind you. Selene’s words are urgent, and I have so many

body.

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

be small.

skin is smooth

I’m

there, throbbing, but the damage

the faint outline of my coar remaine

A Shocking Finale

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

little girl inside of me, the one desperate for

the rest of me holds her back, despite the faint tingle of the ecstasy I’d felt taunting me from

again, trying to make sense

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

blink.

vision’s still spotty.

kneels before me, cupping my cheek with

Ava!

I whisper, not sure if he asked me