Page 121 of House of Crimson Hearts
Outside, the horses whinny. The carriage jerks and I frown, glancing out the window but assume they must just be spooked.
“I need to tell you something. I tried before, but I think it’s time now,” Octavia says, putting her hands in her head.
“What’s wrong?” I say.
“I did something. Well, we both did. But I think really it was just me, and I need to explain because this has gone too far, and I don’t know how to come back, and I’m scared that it will change everything and… Mother of Blood this is a fucking mess.”
I slump down in my seat, my eyebrows cinched together. “Octavia. What in the hell are you talking about? You just said an awful lot without saying very much at all.”
“I know. Sorry. I… Okay…” she says and takes a deep breath. But she never finishes the sentence.
There’s a blast, an explosion that booms around the carriage. And then we’re flying through the air. The carriage is spinning.
Spinning.
Spinning.
Spinning.
Our bodies are in the air.
Gravity has vanished and the carriage is upside down. We slam into the ground and our bodies smash against the window.
Screams split the stunned silence, and I’m not sure if it’s us, the horses or the driver.
“SHIT,” Octavia screams. “Are you okay? I don’t smell blood.”
I groan against the floor but use the now upended seat to pull myself standing. “I’m fine, just bruised, I think. What the fuck happened?”
Another booming explosion tears through the air.
“Attack. We’re under attack,” she says, scrambling up. “Get out of the carriage. We need to get to safety.”
I pick up my bag and find my blades and look back at Octavia to see her fangs have dropped and her eyes darkened. She reaches up and rips the carriage door right off the hinges.
She springs up, leaping out in one blurred move, leaving me to clamber my way out of the wreckage.
I stick my head up and shriek, immediately lowering it back inside the carriage as a disembodied arm nearly careens into my head.
“Gross,” I moan and then kick off the carriage wall and jump out myself. I land with both feet on the ground, stake and blades drawn.
Someone in a mask is on me instantly. Fists fly at my head. I block, lunge, but he’s lightning quick.
Vampire.
His fist catches my thigh and I yelp as I stumble back, my leg feeling dead. Fuck, it’s hard to move with a dead leg. He takes the opportunity and lands a crushing blow to my cheek. It makes me see stars, but I’m not giving up that easily. I’m trained for this. Even with the welt swelling on my cheek, I duck over and over, making him miss the next three punches.
I dance around him, my face throbbing, leg pounding. But I move as fast as I can, I’ll worry about the ache after. A loose horse wheels and bucks besides us, it distracts him. I use it to launch a savage attack.
Fists. Stake. Block. Swing. I move almost as fast as him.
Turning kick, reverse side kick, tornado to the head. He staggers back, concussed maybe. Hopefully.
Who the hell is attacking us?
I don’t have time to think about it though, he’s already recovered and is charging at me with a spray of kicks and punches. I block. Spin out the way. Lunge back.
That’s when I spot Octavia, her mouth attached to another attacker’s neck, blood pissing out of his throat.
