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 blood.

pain and my vision blurs from darkness to light, spotted

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

a chance.

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

body. I know I can’t outrun him, not while carrying her. My

it arrives.

sparks to life inside of me, a crackling current that dances along my

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A Shocking Finale (1) END

thrumming beneath my skin.

It’s electric.

It’s terrifying.

It’s hope.

vampire charges with a loud snarl and I trust the

of time itself changes. A punch that before would have been impossible to track is now something

training comes to me without thought.

How to block.

How to move.

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

please.

step as

little training in offensive strikes, but I’ve

he tries to grab me,

regain

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Finale

can’t go

feel the wooziness in

way my

crop top is soaked in blood…

I be unconscious

encouraging presence in my mind.

I notice the sounds outside

little area.

in the

of

here, fighting. Perhaps they’re

an occasional crash. A lot

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

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

My story?

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these stupid ke?

old ways?”

face once again settled into that pale, death–transcendent beauty. Come with me,

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

body.

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

be small.

hand to my neck again, the skin is smooth and

I’m

pain is there, throbbing, but the damage has disappeared.

outline of my coar remaine

Shocking Finale (III)-END SEASON TWO

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

desperate for the love

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

trying to make sense of it

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

blink.

vision’s still spotty.

me, cupping my cheek with

Ava!

I whisper, not sure if he asked