“Lexie’s mom hasn’t been feeling well since Dragos left. She’s been staying with Torin’s family until she’s on her feet. Lexie and Torin went to check out the old manor house, but maybe she just wanted to be with her mom.”
“It won’t hurt to look,” Theo said thoughtfully.
Rounding the hallway, another tug from the bond she shared with Braden yanked through her. This time, it wasn’t a gentle reminder of his love and affection. The feeling sent heat up to her face, drying her throat and making her stomach hurt.
It’s not just fear, he’s in trouble…
The realization hit her so hard she froze in her steps. Not knowing how or why, the more she focused in on him, the clearer the idea became. It unfurled in her consciousness, urging her to take action.
Braden’s in trouble…
Liz needed to go, but to where? Images of the fountain kept pushing through her mind. Just the thought of it made her stomach clench. As her body instinctually began preparing for a fight, nausea built until her mouth tasted like metal.
“I know this is strange,” Liz could barely form the words, “but I saw a fountain in town. The big kind, like over in Europe, with an angel on it? Have you been there?”
While Theo just shook his head, Brooke stared at her. The mistrust from earlier radiated from her tight expression. Finally, the blonde answered, “Yeah, in Cian’s back yard. It’s a cherub. I’ve only seen it once though. I’m not really welcomed at his parent’s house so I’m curious as to why you were allowed over there?”
Despite the urge to bolt, Liz forced herself to remain calm. Wishing she had her phone to call Torin and his cousins, she couldn’t waist time trying to console Brooke about her intentions.
Liz’s hands were shaking and her knees felt funny. She had to get moving. “Listen, I need you to call Cian and have him and Teagan meet me there. Call Lexie too and tell her to send Torin only.”
“Why, do you think Ella might be there?” Theo asked, “at Cian’s house? We could come with you.”
“Maybe,” Liz said, “And no. I need to go alone.”
As she turned her back on them and began racing towards the school’s exit, she knew she wasn’t making the best first impression. Liz didn’t have time to stand around making excuses. She didn’t know where Ella was and it sucked that Brooke questioned why Liz was welcomed into her boyfriend’s family and she wasn’t, but all the drama had to wait.
Braden was in trouble. Nothing else mattered.
37
BRADEN
Braden’s temples were pounding. His blood had rushed to his head. He needed to get out from beneath the vampire, but couldn’t let go of his hold on Strix’s forearms without being strangled. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would give Strix a chance to tear a whole in his chest. Bucking against him, he tried using his feet to dig into the ground, but with the patio brick beneath him, his feet just slid on the loose pieces of stone.
Although the vampire was a good head shorter, his age made him wickedly strong. Braden tried remembering what Donovan had taught him and Torin about evaluating your opponent. As Strix’s snapping mouth tried reaching his, Braden let go of the vampire’s arms and clawed his chin with one hand and the old creature’s ear with the other. Pulling his right leg up while keeping his foot firmly on the ground, he managed to get one knee bent. It was just enough to gain some leverage. With a quick succession of movements, Braden raised his side in the air while dragging Strix’s head along with him. Disrupting the vampire’s balance, Braden flipped Strix over his shoulder.
Springing to his feet, Braden scanned the ground for anything he could find. Without fire, he was limited on options. Draugr were like damphyrs, they could only be killed so many ways. He could run his heart through with something or behead him. If he didn’t manage to kill Strix now, then it was his life and possibly the rest of the covens at stake.
And Liz, I have to keep her safe.
Just the thought of her coming home and looking for him, only to discover Strix in his place was enough to feed his rage. The power that brought them together was fueling their bond and after almost dying in Vancouver, he sure in hell wouldn’t give up without a fight.
Strix charged ahead twenty feet before blasting through the air and sinking his teeth deeply into the Braden’s shoulder, ripping and tearing chunks of his flesh. The pain was immediate, causing blood to pour down his shirt.
Reaching up, Braden delivered a punch, straight into the draugr’s face. Lifting him in the air, Braden hurled Strix as hard as he could against the remains of the patio grill. The vampire hit the stove with an audible thunk, quickly stood and launched himself right back at Braden again. With each swipe of the vampire’s claws, Braden jumped backwards, deflecting the blow.
Seeing the crumbled statue that once made the centerpiece of Fianna’s cherished fountain, Braden dove forward, reaching it before Strix. Somersaulting to the side, he evaded the vampire’s lunge while still managing to land on his feet.
Braden took four swift strides forward and swung the staff. The marble flew in a wide arc and hit Strix on the side of the neck. With his damphyr strength, the blow came with a terrible force. As it made contact, Braden could hear some of the vertebrae in the old vampire’s neck snap.
Just as Strix reached up to support his bones fusing back together, Braden swiveled around, and aimed for the top of the draugr’s skull, making a direct hit. Swinging for a third time, Strix caught him off guard by delivering a kick to Braden’s gut, then soaring backwards and landing at the base of the fountain. Holding the staff out in victory, Strix looked like a cat that just cornered a mouse.
Glancing down at his now empty hands, Braden barely felt him pull the object free from his hands.
“No more games. It’s time for you to be mine.” Strix’s voice grew lower and more intimate. “It’s time I tear out your hearts and bathe in your blood.”
From the corner of Braden’s eye, he could see the headlights of a small car approaching, Strix did too. But neither one of them expected the car to accelerate, then bank a hard right, and blast up the short driveway and onto the lawn.
Just as the old vampire cocked his head in confusion, Liz’s white sedan plowed into him, sailing him backwards before pinning Strix between the bumper and what was left of the crumbling cherub.
Realizing what Liz just did, Braden stood in astonishment. With a delighted squeal, she unbuckled her seat belt and started climbing out of the car. Braden was about to throw his arms around her and kiss her profusely when he realized the draugr wasn’t dead.
With the crunching sound of metal, Strix pealed back Liz’s hood and stumbled out from where he was pinned. Unsteady on his feet, but still smirking, he moved closer, glaring at both of them. Blood gushed from his mouth, but a perverse need kept him moving. Lapping at the crimson that stained his lips and chin, only his uneven gate signaled some kind of alarm.
Glancing down, both Braden and Liz saw what slowed the vampire’s movement. The staff he had ripped only moments earlier from Braden’s hands was now imbedded partly in his chest, a result of the weight and momentum from Liz’s car.
Looking down, the draugr’s face looked bemused. The arrogance he had worn like a crown since making his appearance was gone, replaced by his first semblance of unease. Wrapping his hands around the object, he pulled but the rod wouldn’t budge.
Snapping out of his trance, Braden stalked straight up to the vampire, and with a flick of his wrist, shoved the staff into Strix’s heart.
Dropping to his knees, Strix refused to take his eyes from Braden. As his features twisted and shimmied, looking almost birdlike, he muttered in disbelief, “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way…”
“Too bad,” Braden grunted, sending it the rest of the way in.
38
LIZ
Liz was incapable of moving. Strix’s body was motionless on the ground, the large staff the cherub once held, was planted in his chest.
He
looks like someone went pole vaulting and he was the target…
Even after having witnessed the genocide in Vancouver, she had hoped the wicked creature would disintegrate and turn into ash. Knowing that thing had followed them from Canada was terrifying. At least if he burned up or turned into some kind of sticky vampire goo like in the movies, she would find it easier to sleep at night.
Liz realized she was in some weird state of shock. Braden was up and moving, his own body healing from the draugr attack. As he reached for her, she allowed him to take her into his arms.
“I love you so much, you crazy, crazy woman.”
“I felt you,” Liz whispered, looking into his face. Gone were the white eyes and fangs. Her sweet Braden was with her again, safe, breathing, healed Braden. A little on the pale side, but he was gaining color with each passing moment. “I could feel what was happening, that you couldn’t hold him off for long.” Standing on her tippy toes, she took his face into her hands and kissed him. First his chin, than his lips, ensuring everything was okay between them.
Braden gave her a searching look. “I’m sorry I scared you. It’s our bond. The whole time, I felt your strength, your love. It kept me focused and strong. I would do anything to keep you safe.”
“I know you love me,” she said and it was true. Maybe their attraction initially came about because they were destined to be together, but it had become so much more. Now that they had soul-bound, her heart was his forever, and she wouldn’t want it any other way. “Why? Why did Strix come all the way here to kill you?”
“I don’t know,” Braden answered, his heart pounding with hers. “When he had me pinned down, he was getting off on the violence, but it was the thrill of the hunt that drove him. It wasn’t just me that he came here for. Strix planned on destroying our family.”
“Did he say anything else?” Liz asked, afraid of what the answer might be. Riley’s face flashed through her mind. She didn’t want him to be gone forever.
He has to be okay.
Pressing his forehead against hers, so only their noses could touch, Braden breathed in her in and sighed deeply. “I think my brother is okay,” he said finally. “Strix had some kind of hope the two of them would eventually make some kind of killing team. But, he didn’t mention where Riley was.”
Tightening her hold on Braden’s waist, Liz just held him near. For now, it was enough. Eventually the two of them could decide what to tell the elders about Braden’s brother and come up with a plan to find him. For now, she just wanted to curl back up with Braden in his small bed and cherish how much she loved him. How thankful she was to have him and what a miracle it was that he was safe. They only had a moment to stand like that – arm in arm and face to face, before sounds from next door caught her attention.
Headlights graced the driveway. From across the yard, she could see Donovan, Patrick and Seamus breaking through the tree line as they ran in her direction.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what happened Lad?” Seamus asked, bending down to examine the corpse.
“Are you alright?” Donovan said at the same time.
“We’re fine,” Braden insisted.
As he stood tall before the elders, Liz felt proud of her fate-partner. Although she helped take Strix down, it was Braden that delivered the death blow and fought to keep the vampire from hurting his family.
Donovan patted Braden on the shoulder. “We were just out searching for Miss Ella when the boys called with Liz’s message. It seems Cian’s lassie was a tad resistant about passing it on until her friend, Master Theo, insisted she do so.”
“I’m just glad Fianna and Aileen were all over with your wife looking in on Ruby. If any of them ventured out, Strix would have slain them,” Braden replied.
Climbing out of their cars, Lexie and Torin were followed by a nervous and ready to fight Teagan and Cian. The damphyrs only slowed when they saw the elders standing amid the ruins of what was once Seamus and Fianna’s award quality backyard. The fountain was in ruins and the grass was dug up. Even patio furniture was splintered and in heaps. Most of it occurring before Liz plowed into Strix with her old, dump of a car.
As Braden filled his cousins in on Strix’s unexpected arrival, Liz reached out for Lexie and gave her dearest friend a hug.
“Are you alright?” Lexie said. Just hearing her voice and Liz knew she had been crying.
“I’m fine.”
“I knew it was bad when your message said for me to stay behind, but I couldn’t. I would die if anything happened to you.”
“Nothing happened to me. I knew Braden was in trouble and I had to go. I thought he might need help from Torin and the others, but he did okay.”
Stepping back from her friend, Liz examined Lexie carefully. From the red tint of her eyes and the puffiness of her lids, she knew something else had Lexie crying. “You didn’t find her, did you?”
“No,” her lips quivered, “but I found this at the house.” Handing over a small piece of paper, Liz looked down at Ella’s bubbly scroll. As she read the words, she could feel her heart sink further in her chest.
“Everything okay,” Braden asked, looking directly at her.
Shaking her head no, Liz didn’t bother explaining. Braden could feel what her words couldn’t say.
Ella was gone.
According to the note, the teen was with Nicolai, and she didn’t plan on ever coming back.
Soul Kissed
An Erris Coven Novel: Book 3
Coming Early 2013
Find Me
A contemporary YA romance
Coming Early 2013
Fate Fixed
An Erris Coven Novel: Book 1
When Lexie Anderson’s mother suddenly announces she is marrying a Romanian immigrant, Lexie willingly leaves behind her busy life in Connecticut for her penance in “The Moose Capital of the World.” Small town living is strange enough, now Lexie must cope with her overbearing stepfamily monitoring her every move. They disappear into the woods at night and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds coming from the forest behind their new home. Lexie’s biggest surprise comes when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them. Animals and people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being harmed by a formidable evil.
Body of Ash
In the rolling hills of Litchfield County, Connecticut, Brian Jones has everything: an elegant home, a respectable wife and a well-mannered daughter. His position as sole preacher in an affluent church affords him a comfortable income and a tantalizing mistress. Canaan is the ultimate “promised land,” far from his abusive childhood in rural Georgia, but even Brian must learn hidden secrets have consequences. Brian’s 17-year-old daughter, Rachel, may look like she has it all, but feels invisible at home. When Rachel learns her parents are sending her to boarding school, she packs a bag and climbs out her window. Hiding in a nearby city, the last thing she expects is to end up alone on the streets. While her mother, Angela, searches to find her, Rachel begins questioning her religious background, discovering redemption in an unlikely place. Katie Finch is tired: tired of being hungry, tired of going without, and tired of being alone. Ever since her parents divorced, she starves in her father’s absence, skipping school and experimenting with boys and drugs in search of relief. Her mother’s latest fixation is a married evangelical preacher, but Katie isn’t convinced Pastor Jones is the salvation her family needs. What makes it worse is Brian’s daughter is none other than Katie’s ex best friend. Once Marge’s binge drinking and irrational behavior leads to physical abuse and plans for murder, Katie is powerless to stop her mo
ther from destroying what’s left of their strained relationship. After a wild obsession results in death, both teens are forced to evaluate who they are compared to how the world sees them. Finding comfort in their shared pain, Rachel and Katie learn to forgive the past while discovering there is both beauty and heartbreak in growing up.
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As a 17-year-old artist, Alyson Glass had her future mapped – she’d go to art school, study in Paris, and eventually make enough bank to support her single mother. The trouble is, things don’t always go as planned – especially a sneak attack of stage-four ovarian cancer. Suddenly motherless and court-ordered to move in with her estranged father, Aly’s forced to leave behind her New York hometown for the oddities of Alaska. Ashland seems like cruel and unusual punishment – at least until her dad ditches her at a local restaurant and she crashes into a super-hot, guitar-playing diner-boy with a horrific home life. Noah Locklear is used to waiting – waiting for his shift to end, waiting until his drunkard parents go to bed, and waiting for the day he can get his sister away from their dysfunctional family. The summer before senior year, the elusive researchers that ruthlessly pry into Ashland’s history shatter a final cord with Noah’s abusive father, one of the town’s elders. Unfortunately, as far as his parents are concerned, the new girl who’s changing everything belongs to the outsiders. With their relationship increasingly forbidden, the struggle of knowing who to trust reveals that nothing is what it seems. As Aly encourages Noah to investigate the legends he’d always written off as stories, they uncover the one thing their fathers can agree on: there’s something in the woods
Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) Page 17