Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (36 page)

Sadie bounces up and down next to Rose, finding it freakishly odd that she is cheering on her friend. She’s going to need years of therapy over this one.

Roseline grunts in disgust, weakly tossing Gabriel’s arm away. A trickle of blood seeps from her mouth as she cries out in pain. Her body shakes as a spasm hit her. Bones splinter, cracking loudly in the small space. William doubles over, losing every ounce of the pretzels he devoured earlier on the plane.

Sadie holds her friend as Rose shrieks in agony. “Fane, something is wrong!”

“Gabriel’s barely breathing.” William wipes his mouth. He moves forward and cradles Gabriel’s limp form under his arm. William tears the bottom of his shirt and uses it to stanch the blood flow from Gabriel’s arm, noticing for the first time the tattoo running along his arm, but it’s a bit too late for first aid. “I think he’s almost dead.”

Fane grunts as he hurls a torch at Vladimir. The ashes light Vladimir’s cloak on fire. He dances about, beating his clothes as Fane pauses to survey the room. Sorin’s arm is shattered and Nicolae’s thigh and chest sport nasty gashes. This is not going well. Vladimir and Lucien are outmaneuvering them.

And then…everything stops. Fane whirls around, sniffing the air. Vladimir and Lucien lower their swords, their eyes light with bloodlust.

“No!” Fane cries as the two brothers rush the cage. Their battle with Fane and Sorin is long forgotten as the scent of newly spilled blood drives them into a frenzy. With fresh wounds lining their bodies, the brothers are desperate to rejuvenate their strength.

Sadie grimaces as she drops the dagger she grabbed from the platform. It clatters to the floor, splattering blood on her leg. Sound echoes in her ear, as if she is in a tunnel. Fresh blood pours from her neck, staining her shirt. She is barely aware of the guttural screams nearby or William’s desperate cries.

Rose appears before her with pained eyes filled with need. Sadie rolls her neck to the side and waits. Her breath hitches as Rose’s lips surround the wound. She expects pain but instead feels an odd tugging sensation. Then the floodgates open and Sadie sags. Her energy drains quickly.

“Let her go,” William cries, dropping Gabriel to the floor as he tries desperately to pull his sister away from Rose, but it was too late. The bloodlust has taken over.

Rose hisses at William, her aqua eyes blazing with fierce possessiveness. “William, back away, now!” Fane shouts, racing across the room. “Don’t try to stop her while she’s feeding. She’ll kill you.”

William backs away in horror. Pain flares on his neck and he whips around. Lucien grins as he pulls back a bloody fingernail. He sniffs William’s blood, closing his eyes as he the aromatic scent curls in his nose. Lucien’s head lolls to the side as he licks Vladimir’s finger, savoring the taste.

Using his hand to staunch the blood, William backs away and trips over Gabriel. His gaze locks onto Lucien, horrified as he watches Vladimir fight his brother for a taste of William’s blood. “Oh, that’s just wrong,” he groans, feeling his stomach flip flop again.

William spies a glint of silver just before the bloodlust in Lucien’s eyes is replaced by disbelief as a thin red line appears on his neck. A tiny trail of blood slips from the line, dropping onto his bright white shirt. Glazed eyes stare at William as Lucien’s legs give out on him. His body slumps to the ground. Vladimir’s piercing screams rise in intensity as his brother’s head separates from his body and rolls across the grimy floor. It halts at the base of the platform in the remnants of Gabriel’s blood.

Sorin stands a foot beyond, grinning triumphantly at his fallen foe. “That’s for my sister,” he shouts, spitting into Lucien’s lifeless face. Blood seeps freely from the horrid neck wound. A thick pool of crimson blood stains the stone, seeping into the ancient cracks, mixing with Gabriel’s shed lifeblood.

“You’re a dead man,” Vladimir rages as he attacks Sorin with lightning quick reflexes. Sorin barely has time to think before Vladimir chops down at him from overhead. Sorin fumbles backward, sure this will be his last moment on Earth, but Nicolae snatches up Lucien’s fallen sword and parries the blow.

Fane watches in amazement as the humans fight against Vladimir. Lucien is gone, leaving only one vengeful immortal left, but rage makes him twice as lethal. “Let me in,” Fane cries to William as he arrives at the cell door in one bound.

William looks at him with distrust. “How do I know you won’t bite me?” he asks, cradling his wounded neck in his hand. Fane has to admit William does smell good, but his concern for Roseline overrules his discomfort.

“If you don’t let me, in your sister will die.”

Sadie’s face is ashen and her eyes have rolled back into her head. Roseline clings to her neck, desperate to take the blood she needs to live. Survival has tossed sanity out the window.

“Please. I can save both of them,” Fane pleads. He glances over his shoulder to make sure Vladimir is still busy. Sorin and Nicolae have skillfully backed him into the far corner, but Fane has no doubt Vladimir will rebound. He always does.

William stumbles forward and shoves the key through the bars. Fane quickly inserts the skeleton key and yanks open the door. He throws himself at Roseline’s feet. “Roseline, listen to me. You have to stop now. You are killing your friend.”

Roseline growls at Fane, unwilling to let go. William paces behind him, terrified of losing his sister. Fane tries again. “Roseline, my love…I don’t want to hurt you.”

She yanks Sadie around, nearly pulling the girl’s hips out of socket as she fights to keep her prey from Fane. Roseline is not going to share.

“Hand me that torch,” Fane orders, holding out his hand.

William finds a metal sconce on the wall and yanks the torch free. He tosses it into Fane’s waiting hands.

“I’m really sorry,” Fane whispers as he brings the torch down over Roseline’s head. She retracts her teeth from Sadie’s neck as she turns to fight.

Fane catches her attack in his midsection and rolls with her. Roseline rises up and claws at Fane’s face and bare arms. Her eyes are blackened with thirst. “Roseline…it’s me.”

She snarls at him, gnashing her teeth as she goes for his throat. Fane knocks her aside, holding out his hands to keep her at bay. A shrill scream jerks their attention off each other.

“Uncle,” Nicolae cries, rushing to Sorin’s side.

Vladimir shouts in triumph as Sorin falls to the ground. Lifeless eyes stare at the ceiling above. A sword lies buried in his side, nearly cleaving him in half. Nicolae howls in agony.

“One down,” Vladimir taunts.

Rising to his feet, Nicolae grasps the sword firmly in his hands. His attack is swift and brutal, forcing Vladimir to retreat in search of another weapon. He dives for Sorin’s fallen weapon and leaps to his feet to prepare for Nicolae’s attack.

“Fane?” Roseline whispers, blinking rapidly as she glances around her. “Where am I?”

He takes her in his arms, cradling her as she weeps. Most of her wounds have sealed over; internal tears have begun to knit back together, but there are some wounds blood cannot fix.

“Shh. It’s okay, I’m here,” he soothes. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Roseline sinks into his embrace and lets the world fall away, even if only for a moment.

Forty-Five

Nicolae grunts as the tip of Vladimir’s sword buries deep into his arm. He grits his teeth, summoning the waning strength in his right arm, and tosses his sword into the other hand. Vladimir’s triumphant grin melts away as Nicolae confidently approaches. With a clash of steel, Nicolae not only holds his own, he sets Vladimir on the run.

“Oh, my gosh. Sadie!” Roseline screams, diving for her friend the instant she sees her.

“Back off,” William snarls as he shoves Roseline.

She rears back, shocked by the venom in his voice. “William…what’s wrong?”

“You. You’re what’s wrong.” He shakes his head, disgusted with everything. Sadie knew what she was getting into the moment she sliced her neck. “You needed blood and she was stupid enough to offer it.”

“No. Oh no,” she wails as she hangs her head. “Oh, Sadie, you stupid girl. I could have killed you.”

“You probably have,” William mutters as he strokes the damp hair from Sadie’s face.

“Fane?” She is too panicked to concentrate. Her mind too fuzzy. Her body is still buzzing from the fresh blood that races through her veins-Sadie’s blood.

“She will be fine. You stopped soon enough.”

“Really?” William growls at Fane. “‘Cause it sure looks like she’s dead to me.”

He has a point. Sadie has lost all color in her face. Her breathing is so shallow it’s hard to tell if her chest is moving.

“Her pulse is slow but strong. I promise she will recover,” Fane assures him. “Her neck wound is already healing from Roseline’s saliva.”

Roseline closes her eyes. Tears flow freely as she strokes her friend’s hand. She never wanted this. She thought by leaving she would save her friends the pain of discovering her secret. Now look where they have ended up.

A clash of swords catches her attention. She gasps, noticing for the first time who is fighting her husband. “Is that…Nicolae?”

“Yeah. Guess you’re not the only one with secrets,” William says coldly.

She watches in amazement as Nicolae twirls out of Vladimir’s grip with ease. She glances over at Fane and sees that his thoughts mirror her own—he is good, deadly good.

“So he finally came out then,” Roseline mutters.

“You knew?” William gasps. Fane’s brow furrows at this development.

“Of course I did,” Roseline says. “Do you honestly think he’d let a monster like me around your sister?”

William glances down at Sadie, his tears fall onto her pasty cheek. “I think he loves her.”

Roseline nods. “He always has. He’s been trying to protect her all this time…from me.” Her voice cracks as she looks away.

“Oh, no!” She throws herself onto her knees as she crawls to Gabriel’s side. Her hands flit over his face. His scarred chest and gaping wounds fuels a fire deep within her soul. “What happened to him?”

“He was bait,” Fane replies without emotion.

Heat floods her body as she turns a fierce glare onto Fane. “For me?”

He nods and looks away. Her enraged howl curls his lips into a smile. Sorin was a fool to awaken the warrior within Roseline. Vladimir created her to be lethal, a killing machine that once turned on will not stop. Fane has no idea what she is capable of. No one does.

She holds Gabriel to her chest, fighting to calm the rage swirling within. Like an acid cloud, it poisons her mind and spills over into her nerves. She closes her eyes, fighting to still her wrath long enough to find Gabriel’s heartbeat. Her eyes pop open.

“How is he still alive?” she asks Fane. “He should have been dead hours ago.”

Fane shrugs, completely at a loss for an answer. He has been wondering the same thing. No human can lose that much blood and survive but, then again, Gabriel isn’t entirely human. He is Lucien’s son, after all.

Unable to bear the pain in Roseline’s tortured gaze, he rises. “I should probably go help—” his words cut off as blood gurgles from his lips. A crimson stream stains his pale skin as it drips from his chin and splatters onto his shoes.

“No!” Roseline cries out as a sword pierces through Fane’s chest. In a hacking motion, it rises dangerously close to his heart.

Fane jerks to the right when the sword pulls back and changes its deadly course. Vladimir appears over his shoulder and he shoves the blade deep. The new angle splinters his sternum but saves his heart. A sickening gurgle erupts from Fane’s throat as a bubble of blood bursts, splattering Roseline and William.

William cries out as he frantically wipes his face, smearing the blood more than he manages to remove it. The sword jerks to a halt as Nicolae attacks from behind, forcing Vladimir to retreat to find a new weapon. Roseline must release Gabriel to help Fane. She sets Gabriel gently back on the ground and backs away. Her vision tints red around the edges as she steps up to Fane. “Are you okay?”

“I will be—” he chokes, and his knees buckle and he falls to the floor. Roseline grasps his arm in time to ease him onto his side before sword connects with the ground. She kneels by his side and places her hand behind his back. “Just get it over with,” he grunts.

Without hesitation, she yanks the sword from his chest. Fane’s scream wrenches at her heart but she clamps off her emotions. She eases him onto his back and turns to William. “When I leave you, need to lock that door. No matter what happens, don’t open it.”

William’s eyes are as wide as saucers; his mouth fills with the foul taste from a second wave of bile rising in his throat. “What about Fane?”

“Keep him comfortable till I get back,” she replies in a clipped tone

“You mean he’s not going to die?” William gasps, horrified at the reality of how much it takes to kill an immortal.

“No, but I bet he wishes he could.” She slips off her bloodied cloak and tosses it to William. “Use this to stop the bleeding. I’ll be back soon.”

She crouches low and leaps through the opening. She spins in midair and slams the door shut. The lock clangs into place before her feet touch the ground.

“Holy crap,” William gasps. “I didn’t know she could do that.”

“You should see her when she’s really angry,” Fane wheezes sarcastically. He winces at the burning in his lungs.

Roseline ignores their quips and she focuses only on Vladimir. He has yet to realize she has joined the fight. That’s good. She still has the advantage.

Blood drips from her matted hair, splattering on her shredded dress. It hangs in strips along her body, revealing her gruesome wounds. Bruises bloom along her stomach and abdomen as the internal bleeding recedes; strips of skin regenerate as the old sloughs off.

She rocks onto the balls of her feet as she watches the battle unfold. The sword swings back and forth like a pendulum, counting down the seconds until she will engage her husband for the first time ever.