"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 pouring.


    But not before I feel my nails sink into something soft and yielding. He howls, 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.


    He won''t be down long—maybe seconds.


    I dart to Lisa, grabbing her under the arms and dragging her back, scrabbling for purchase with my hands slick from blood.


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


    The vampire rises to his feet, his face a mask of rage. Blood drips from his ruined eye, painting a gruesome picture. He stalks toward us, his movements jerky, unhinged.


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


    I have a chance.


    "I''m going to rip you apart," he snarls, spittle flying from his lips. "Piece by fucking piece."@@@@


    I brace myself, shielding Lisa with my body. I know I can''t outrun him, not while carrying her. My only choice is to stand and fight, to buy time until help arrives. If it arrives.


    Something sparks to life inside of me, a crackling current that dances along my nerves. I feel it building, swelling, thrumming beneath my skin.


    It''s electric.


    It''s terrifying.


    It''s hope.


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


    The 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.


    All my training comes to me without thought.


    How to block.


    How to move.


    "No," I whisper, not sure if he asked me any questions. Everything''s a blurry mess. I can''t see him anymore, the only sound a roaring in my ears. My blood, maybe, rushing through my veins.


    There''s pain on my wrist, the feeling of something slicing skin.


    Then something cold against it, and power infusing into my blood again.


    One heartbeat.


    Two.


    My vision clears a little, to see the vampire kissing my wrist. It''s a soft, sweet movement that sends pleasure through my pain-wracked body.


    Pain.


    That''s what I''m feeling.


    My body feels like it''s tearing apart, and the only relief from it is his lips on my skin.


    He laughs, I think. It''s hard to tell.


    I can see his tongue lapping at my wrist, and I''m surprised to see it''s so pale, disgusted to see the blood—my blood—on it.


    "What a good little kitten," he croons, and danger signals in the back of my head.


    I yank at my arm, but he holds it tight, leaning forward to press his bloody mouth against mine.


    It''s iron-rich and disgusting, this brief press of our lips.


    "You''ll be begging me to fulfill our contract," he breathes. "Don''t worry, kitten. I''ll come back for you."


    I hate that I sway toward him, desperate for more contact. For relief against the pain.


    He knows it, too, because he laughs. It''s definitely a laugh.


    And then he''s gone, and something inside of me rebels, wanting him back.


    Ava!


    Selene''s mental presence seems to fill my head, buffering me against the pain in my body. I''m almost there. Just hold on a little longer. The blood haze won''t last once he''s gone.


    Once he''s gone?


    Something in the back of my mind niggles at me, and I blink against my darkening vision. He disappeared from view, but now he''s back.


    But he''s walking away from me.


    Holding a body.


    Wait, no.


    That''s not a body.


    That''s Lisa.


    "Wait—"


    But he disappears, the world shifting around him like a heat mirage, distorting for moments before returning to normal.


    Only he isn''t there.


    And neither is Lisa.


    Shit.