Page 79 of The Vampire Always Rises
“Hrmph,” I said, unconvinced.
I was about to point out that there was no valid reason for them not allowing me to join their group when Merrick, who had been keeping an eye on Nico, suddenly spun and leaped forward, calling out, “Tempest, move!”
I turned, and time seemed to do that slow-motion thing that you see in the movies. Carlo had crawled over to where his gun was, and was rising up on one knee, aiming it at Merrick and Han. I knew with every ounce of my being that he was going to shoot Merrick in the head, and that it wouldn’t be a wound he could recover from. Without being aware I was moving, I dove forward toward Merrick, intent on knocking him out of the way.
A ridiculously loud explosion hurt my ears, followed almost immediately by a searing, burning pain in my left arm.
Merrick flashed past me, slamming Carlo into the wall, clearly intent on bashing the ever-living life out of him. Han and Ciaran pulled him off before he could do more than knock Carlo out, but I felt the rage in Merrick, rage and anguish and, oddly, a sense of brilliant gratitude.
What is that?I asked, wondering at the lightness that filled him, driving out the dark stain of despair and pain that had filled him ever since I had first met him.
A soul, my goddess. You’ve given me back my soul.Instantly I was pressed up against Merrick, his arms hard around me.Are you hurt? You’re thinking hurt thoughts. Why are you thinking hurt thoughts? How bad is it? I refuse to let you die, do you hear me? You’re my Beloved now, and thus you cannot leave me, so stop thinking about pain and go back to thinking about molesting me with your tongue. Christos, I will never forgive myself if Carlo’s harmed you. I should have picked up that gun he dropped.
I’m OK. I think ...I pushed back from Merrick and looked down at myself. A patch of blood bloomed against my sleeve, and was growing at the same rate as the burning pain. “I think I’m about to strike number seventy-seven off my bucket list.”
“Being shot?” Merrick asked, tearing my sleeve off in order to examine the wound.
“No.” My voice seemed to come from quite a distance away. I weaved, unable to keep the black splotches that appeared in front of my eyes from spreading. I gave in to their promise of insensibility; the last thing I heard was my voice saying, “Seventy-seven is fainting.”
EPILOGUE
From: Ellis
Darling! We’re in Monaco, having used the money your dishy Merrick gave us to buy a theater club.
To: Ellis
Oh, good. He said he was going to give you guys the reward money that the vamps ponied up for the capture of Carlo.
From: Ellis
We hope to put on a musical version of Dracula. Don’t you think that would be awesome?
To: Ellis
I’m surprised it hasn’t already been done.
From: Ellis
I’m sure it has, but we’re doing it with actual vampires!
To: Ellis
Good point. You’re happy there? You’re not going back home?
From: Ellis
Happy as a clam in tomato sauce, darling. You? Did you work things out with your hunky bit of beefcake?
I looked up from my phone across the bedroom to where Merrick was having a videoconference with Han and Ciaran, and smiled.
What?
What what?
I feel you smiling at me. What have I done to make you do so?
I don’t know. Maybe just being magnificently arrogant. And stubborn. And reluctant to admit just how crazy about me you are.
