Page 46 of Ava: Part Three

She felt numb as she looked at the lifeless body in front of her and then the vampire who relished the kill.

There wasn’t a sound in the training room except the loud beating of her own heart in her ears.

“Now look at what you’ve made me do. I really liked this suit,” the vampire said.

His eyes were back to normal as he rubbed at the bloodstain on his jacket. As if all was still right in the world.

“All you had to do was follow the rules, Ava, not find a way around them. Fight, show no mercy,” he continued. “Is it really that difficult for you? Do you like to challenge everything?”

She looked back at Emily. Was this her fault?

“Yes.”

And then the vampire smiled again.

“Now, who’s next?” he asked.

The chaos started. Omegas started to whimper and cry. Some rushed to their feet and started running out of the training room. Others backed away as if that would draw less attention to them. The two coaches remained where they were standing, their eyes on the body on the floor.

And then Zeke was in front of her, blocking her from the gruesome view and facing down a vampire stronger than any she had seen before, even Penelope. It all felt like it was happening in slow motion.

“Mr Michelson, I’m hurt. I thought we were friends,” the vampire said, and then he laughed.

Psychopaths. The Council was run by psychopaths who were going to kill them all.

“Not all of you. Just some,” the witch said as she came up behind her.

Zeke turned her the other way, but the Alpha wolf stood there. They were surrounded.

Something held her in place; she couldn’t move her feet. It felt like a tonne of something had been placed on her shoulders, and it even stopped her body from trembling. And then she felt those familiar slithers of something as they blatantly played in her head.

But her mind was numb. Stuck on the horror that she had just witnessed. They wouldn’t find any other thought even if she wanted them to.

The witch sashayed the rest of the distance to her. She flinched when her perfectly manicured hand came up to her face and wiped some more blood off her other cheek with her finger. And then put her finger in her mouth and sucked it. The councillor’s eyes closed as if she were tasting something delicious, and she moaned.

“Don’t tease me, Iulia. I’m working here,” the vampire said.

She had been warned about them all her life. She had heard stories. But now she had seen it with her own eyes and knew that this wasn't even the full extent of their insanity.

“You’ve scared them all off. I don’t think you’re getting anything else done today”, the Alpha said as he came to stand next to Iulia.

Then the wolf kissed the witch as if he, too, was savouring the taste of the blood. Because Iulia’s invisible force still held her, she was forced to watch them tongue-fight right in front of her.

So this was their bond? They were lovers?

“Hmm,” the Alpha said as he released the witch and looked at her. “Has someone been talking about us?”

Kittens. Kittens. Think of kittens.

But instead, she saw the smile on Emily’s face. She saw the blood. This was her fault.

“It will be fun to break this one,” the witch laughed.

Suddenly, the vampire appeared beside them, kissing Iulia, too.

“Very fun. But you’re right; we won’t get anything else done here today. Let’s get out of here.”

They all turned to walk out, not caring at all about the devastation they were leaving behind. The moment they were out of sight, the weight fell off her shoulders, and her trembling returned. She dropped to her knees, her eyes still wide as her mind tried to process what had just happened.

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