Revelations (24 page)

And just then she stopped. For a second she seemed to hover, frozen in mid-air. Then she felt something around her foot. She looked down and saw in horror that the vile beast’s tongue had wrapped itself around the bottom of her leg, like some sort of lasso, and was pulling her back. For an eternal moment time seemed to stop as despair gripped her. She had been so close!

Nora thrashed against it, but she was being pulled back. Right into the mouth of the beast. Panic held her, but she realized that in one hand she still held that small piece of crystal from before. She slashed down at the tongue, connecting just before reaching the creature. The creature cried out in pain, a horrible sound, and flailed to the side, sending Nora flying into the wall.

She had no time to balance herself and crashed heavily into the marble. Pain radiated across her back, horrible pain, and her lungs expelled all the air that had been in them. Then she slid down. She looked up and saw with horror that the creature was flying through the air right at her. She didn’t have enough time to move.

“You will pay for this!” The creature crashed right on top of her, crushing her with one giant paw. Its claws extended out, curling around Nora’s body. She felt the marble beneath her cracking again. She felt the heat of the creature’s breath on her. And she felt the massive weight pressing against her body, crushing her slowly.

Suddenly, Nora was in the air – she had been thrown. She flew fast, and didn’t have the strength or the time to regain her balance before she slammed heavily into another column.

Her vision blurred. She felt dizzy and weak. And again, the creature bounded up to her. Nora reached weakly for something, anything to fend the beast off. But there was nothing. Again, she felt the crushing weight of the heavy paw pressing down against her ribs, robbing her of breath and movement. Suddenly her fingers brushed against something slick, something like glass – a crystal shard! The creature was on top of her, looking at her through those evil dark eyes, taking its time to crush Nora slowly. Weakly, Nora’s fingers wrapped around the hilt of the crystal piece. If she could just get it in her hand…

“What are you looking at?” The creature snapped its head back to where Nora’s arm lay. It let out a guttural chuckle and kicked the crystal away disgustedly. And Nora’s hand fell to the floor, empty. She was going to die.

Slowly, the creature moved its massive snout close to her. She could feel its breath, hot and heavy and putrid, across her entire body. She was trembling with fear. There was nothing left – she could do no more. This was the end.

The creature’s jaws opened menacingly, and Nora turned her head away just as they began to close onto her. She shut her eyes tight and waited for the end.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, Nora felt the vibrations through the air as the creature snapped its jaws at her just inches from her face. It picked her up again, and threw her across the room.

Nora flew, over the pool, and hit the far wall. Again. She slid down slowly. From the other side, she could see the creature peel its lips back in a vicious smile. It was toying with her! It knew it had her beat, and was taking its sweet time. Weakly, Nora tried pushing herself up – and fell back down. She was too weak to fight anymore. She looked up, and saw the creature walking slowly around. Taking its time. Enjoying the moment.

Determination gripped Nora again. She did not want to lie there helplessly and wait for her demise. She pushed herself up, forcing her body to respond. Her legs didn’t want to listen, and her arms didn’t want to listen, but she made them. She got up and started to run. It was a weak run, a pathetic run, as she stumbled over her feet and nearly fell on every second step. She was exhausted – her body was weakened – but she knew she had to get away. She ran, lurching forward unevenly, limping even, but it was no use. She didn’t have the same speed as before, and the creature was just behind her. Something slammed against her side – the creature’s paw, most likely – and black sparks flickered across her vision as she flew to the other side of the chamber.

Again, she hit the wall. This time her head recoiled back, slamming the unforgiving marble with enormous force. She slid down and collapsed at the bottom. She didn’t even try to move. She knew she couldn’t. Her legs and arms felt like jelly, and horrible pain radiated from the back of her head. She watched as the creature looked at her and began walking around the pool again. Coming toward her slowly, taking its sweet time.

She knew she should be scared, but she was beyond fear, now. Her body felt useless and broken. She was coming face-to-face with death and was too exhausted to care.

Instinctually, she willed her feet to move, willed her body to respond, but it didn’t. Nothing happened. She felt herself start to drift away. The pain from the back of her head had spread across her entire body, so that every breath brought a horrible mixture of anguish and vertigo.

The creature was on her side of the chamber, now. It was getting closer, still taking its sweet time. It licked its lips greedily with that broken tongue.

Nora tried to watch, but her eyes drifted shut. She was in total darkness for what seemed like eternity.

Then her eyes opened again. Nora thought minutes must have passed, but it had been less than seconds. The creature was getting closer. Nora watched, too exhausted to do anything, as the foul beast labored toward her. It was smiling cruelly.

It stepped in front of her. Nora’s head rolled back against the marble. She felt warmth trickle down her neck and brought a hand weakly to the back of her head. When she pulled it away, she found it sticky and wet with blood.

“You see?” the creature said harshly, “You cannot win. And you will find your place in the pool with the others of your kind,
Succubus.
” Nora’s vision was blurring, and coherent thought strayed out of reach. Wait. What did the creature call her? She couldn’t remember anymore.

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared across her vision. The creature staggered away, looking absolutely stunned. Nora’s vision was blurred, but she saw – she
thought
she saw – a shape approaching from the side. A human shape.

No
. Two human shapes.

Again, Nora felt her grasp on reality slipping away. She felt herself fading. She was losing her grip on herself and knew darkness was forthcoming.

Another flash. The creature stumbled back.

Nora opened her eyes and squinted, straining to see. She could not. There were…shapes…in front of her. But what…?

Wait. She recognized the shape. It was…
Madison
? In front of her, with her back turned. That hair, that figure, it could only belong to her. And there was someone else beside her. Someone with her. Someone…she should recognize.

Her mind tried to work, but it was too hard. Her eyes drifted shut, and all she could hear was a dull ringing in her ears. Groggily, she opened her eyes…

She saw a blur at the creature’s feet. Just like that, it was gone, and the creature stumbled down. It swiped angrily at the spot, but another blur came, faster than before. And Nora saw blood pour out of two gashes on the creature’s legs. It fell forward. The earth shook.

Nora was drifting weightlessly in midair. Hovering above a dark cloud of nothingness. She felt heavy, like she was being weighed down, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t care.

She opened her eyes again. And she saw the creature trying to get up, thrashing wildly at…something. Still, the dull ringing was the only sound she heard. The creature stumbled and fell to its chest. Nora’s eyes were closing again. She was losing herself…and darkness came.

No
. Her eyes popped open. Something in the back of her mind kept her there. A small pocket of determination she didn’t know existed. She tried to see, but everything in her vision had become one indistinctive blur.

All of a sudden, a face appeared past the blurring. Near her. A face that she recognized.

Hunter
?

He seemed to shine, to push away the darkness that threatened to creep up at the edges of Nora’s vision. His lips moved. He was saying something. To her.

She couldn’t hear him. His face was full of worry, and she saw his hands moving toward her, brushing her hair away. His lips moved again, slowly, as if underwater, and no sound came.

Darkness covered her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

~Afterlife~

Nora opened her eyes slowly. She was lying on a hard surface, staring at the ceiling in a dimly lit room she didn’t recognize.

“She’s up!”

A voice sounded, but Nora couldn’t place it. She knew she’d heard it before, but where…?

She felt a gust of wind against her face and suddenly felt hands around her shoulders. And then she saw a face appear in front of her. Hunter.

“You’re up,” he whispered, in disbelief. His eyes scanned her face quickly. He looked terribly worried, and tired, too. But he grabbed her and held her tight. “I never want to let go again. I never want to lose you again.”

Nora closed her eyes and melted into his arms. It felt…right. But suddenly she realized,
really
realized, what was going on. And immediately, she recoiled against his grip. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she demanded. “What are you doing? Let go of me!”

Startled, Hunter backed off. But he still held her shoulders. “What are you doing?” she asked again. “Where did you come from?” She tried to move her arms, but they felt as heavy as lead pipes. “I said let go!”

Shock touched Hunter’s face, shock and…disappointment. Carefully, Nora felt herself being lowered as he released her shoulders. But he didn’t say anything.

Wait a minute.
Hunter was here. And Nora was…alive. Abruptly, she remembered the fight. The one she was going to lose. The one she was going to be
killed
in. But…somebody had stopped the creature. And…she had lived.

“What happened?” she asked again. “What did—”

“You’re alive, and that’s all that matters,” he told her.

“Did you…did you
save me
?”

“I had some help,” he smiled.

“What?” None of this was making any sense. He had left, abandoning her in the woods, and now here he was, a knight in shining armor, looking over her with worry creasing his beautiful features, admitting to…
saving
her? If that was true, it changed everything. “But…why?” she stammered. “If you saved me, why did you…why did you
leave
in the first place?”

“There were other Vassiz coming after us. Madison picked up on them before either Alexander or I had. They had my trail, but not yours. They didn’t know your scent. If we split, you would be safe. Madison volunteered to go with me to throw them off. We made them believe she was you.”

Nora’s head spun. Her body still didn’t want to respond, but she felt a cacophony of emotions overcome her. That one short explanation was enough to make her heart melt. But at the same time, she was
furious
with Hunter for abandoning her. And forever grateful to him for coming back. She was smitten with him again, and yet beyond angry for what he did. Her heart said one thing and her mind another.

Hunter looked at her patiently. Nora felt the blood return slowly to her arm, then felt the tingles that accompanied it across her palm and fingers.

And with as much force as she could muster, she swung her hand toward Hunter, catching him across the cheek with a deafening full-handed slap.

His head jerked to the side. It stayed there for a moment, until he brought a hand up to his face. “Ow.” He worked his jaw slowly. Then he grinned at her. “I probably deserved that.”

Nora tried again, this time with her other hand, but he caught her arm. And smiled devilishly at her. “But not that one.”

He knelt down and kissed her.

Nora’s heart stopped as his lips brushed against hers for the first time. They were soft and warm, tender and full of smoldering passion. Her breath caught as she kissed him back, using the strength in her arms to bring him closer, to press his body against hers. All thought evaporated and all hurt was forgotten as she shared with him a moment of unbridled passion. A tingling feeling blossomed in the middle of her stomach and slowly expanded until it encompassed her entire body. She shivered for more.

Slowly, he drew back and looked deeply into her eyes. “I will never let you go.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

~Angels~

When Hunter released her, Nora fell back dreamily. She felt all warm inside, and for the moment, everything was right. She closed her eyes happily as a tingle of shivers ran down her spine. When she opened them again, Hunter was still right there, smiling down at her.

“I was so worried about you,” he said, as he traced a thumb along her cheek. “I didn’t know where you were, or if you were safe, or if I would ever see you again.” The tone of his voice was genuine. His
words
were genuine. “You cannot imagine how much it pained me to leave you like that.”

“Then why did you?” Nora asked softly.

“I had to,” he told her. “It was the only way to keep you safe. I know you’re stubborn, sometimes – don’t frown at me, you know it too! – and if I had told you the truth, I feared you would want to come with me.”