Page 120 of Fallen Thorns
She starved him.I think.He can sense them.
“I’m…” he coughed and turned back to the familiarity of Casper’s warm body. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t tell her where you were, I promise.” His voice was so painfully strained, it almost didn’t sound like him. “She already knew. I’m sorry Casper. I’m…” he looked as though he was running out of breath. His head tilted back slightly as his muscles relaxed unnaturally. “I’m sorry, everyone.”
“How touching,” Lucy interrupted from around the back of us. We all watched her pace around to stand before us once again.
Marianne squared back up to her, standing inches away from her opponent. “Take one of my Thorns again and—” her threat was cut short.
“—What? You’ll murder me? Like you did my brother?”
Marianne tensed. “So this is truly what it’s all about then? An eye for an eye.” She stepped closer. “How long were you waiting for this day?”
“Long enough.” Lucy flashed another soulless smile.
“And you thought to bring my Thorns into this, why?”
“Am I not allowed to have a bit of fun? You really have forgotten yourself in your old age. You killed Isiah. He was only living his life how he wanted, he hadn’t harmedyouor any of your precious Thorns. He was hungry, as are we all. Humans are insects to us, yet you escalated it. You brought this on yourself, Marianne Ashtown. All of the dramatics over one man. I thought you would have learned how to handle your emotions better, especially afterJerome.” She clapped her hands twice and the silent monster at her disposal reached down to pull Ben away from Casper, holding his weak body and limbs tight against his monstrous chest. One arm squeezed under Ben’s arms and over his ribcage, restricting his breaths. Casper pawed for grasp, but I watched the light leave his eyes as he froze in motion, then as if being rewound like a video tape, he returned back to his knees, face relaxing. Ben ceased trying his best to struggle, and his limbs grew dead. Even the beast that held him froze, too. We all turned back to Lucienne — Marianne’s eyes widening.She said she was powerful. I had no idea how strong.
“No,” our leader breathed.
All Lucy did was grin, but in an instant, Marianne’s fist collided with her face, and green hair fluttered into the air as the force of the punch threw Lucy backwards. Two more Thorns joined in and then chaos ensued.
Carmen was the first soul I noticed take a real slash at Lucy with a knife. It failed, Lucy too quick to leap backwards and protect her throat. Someone screamed and once more, Lucy laughed above all other sounds; her choppy fringe askew and hair covering her face as she ran backwards.
Bodies, dozens of them, eyes glowing and teeth elongated, emerged from the trees surrounding us and they all closed in one by one.
“You’re probably going to wish you brought more of you,” she cried.
I watched it all unfold from the second they entered the woods. Of course, I only care about him. My focus fixed to his ever-changing emotions as they make their way through the trees, apprehension high.
I watch his sorrowful face as she reveals the boy, face bound and joints weak.
But what stands out the most is when he notices the Manipulation at work. She had no need to even move her lips. And why did that frighten him the most? He’s been away from me too long. He knows what he is capable of.
In the crowd,I frantically searched for Rani as bodies shoved and lashed out without any sense of direction. The morning sun beamed through the cracks in the trees, blinding and hindering my ability to tell everyone apart. I pushed around, and someone’s back was thrust into my side, knocking me sideways. Somehow, I was able to keep myself on my own two feet, and then I saw her. A fierce looking man, twice our age in human terms, was lashing out with iron knuckles that she so narrowly managed to dodge.
“Rani!” I screamed. She whirled around in my direction, dropping her defence ever so slightly at the recognition of my presence. Her opponent looked back to me too, giving her the chance to regain advantage, and allowing her to thrust a knee between the older vampire’s legs. He crumbled backwards, giving me the opening to pull at him from behind and snap his neck — the body crumbling to my feet. I had not killed him, it would take a far deeper wound to end our kind, but I had at least relinquished our immediate threat. I stood panting a little, making eye contact with the startled Rani. She’d just watched me do that.
“You need to get out of here,” I said, trying to stay calm.
“I can’t leave you all.” She didn’t give me a chance to stop her before she ran off back into the heart of the battle and I lost her almost immediately.
Shit shit shit.
My next move was to run back to Casper, to free him from his trance. I got half as far, his frozen form in the same position it was moments before. Ben was still held firmly in the arms of Lucy’s henchman, but a knife was now pressed to Ben’s exposed lower abdomen. The three of them were paused in time as if waiting for an audience before resuming.
But before I could get any further, a cold breath kissed the back of my neck and a long, slender hand slid over my mouth and nose.
“Shhhh.”
I felt a sharp stab to my neck — realising a moment too late what was happening. Once the black blood started to mix in my system, my eyes grew fuzzy, and as the plunger was released and thrown to the ground, I too collapsed to my knees.
Michael.
The Sun.
No. No. No.
My eyes grew hazy as I grasp at the ground. My legs failed me, failed Arlo. I crawled as best as I could over to Casper’s blurry form and pulled myself up by his shoulders.
