Chapter Twenty-Nine

Finale

Aimee-Li pressed the large silver sword against Honyauti’s heart. There wasn’t a second to lose, she’d already pierced his skin, and one wrong move on my part could have provoked her to turn him to dust.

How Aimee-Li had overpowered the strong Indian was beyond me, although obviously a machete to the head would render most people unconscious.

‘Do you still intend to follow the usurper, or do you wish to join me and my glorious mistress?’ she hissed.

‘Traitorous bitch!’ Honyauti spat some blood from his mouth as he struggled to raise his head.

I didn’t hesitate; this was no time to be squeamish again. I ran towards Aimee-Li and pulled the wooden stake from my belt as I neared her. She turned a split second too late, and I rammed the stake straight into her treacherous, black heart. She literally exploded into dust, and I jumped back, aghast with horror and shock at what I’d done. The silver sword clattered to the floor with a hollow, metallic ring.

Honyauti sat up, and tentatively I held a hand down to help him stand. After a moment’s hesitation, he took it and stood easily. We both knew he hadn’t needed my help. Jake appeared in another doorway.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked. ‘Where’s Aimee-Li?’

Honyauti and I exchanged swift glances. ‘Will’s woman has just saved me,’ he said, and Jake raised his eyebrows at me.

‘Well, that’s not a sight you see every day,’ he said dryly.

It took several attempts to put the stake back through my belt because my fingers trembled uncontrollably. I glanced up briefly when I finally managed it.

‘I have to find Will.’ I muttered, and retraced my steps towards the cellar, leaving the two men together.

Honyauti could tell Jake whatever he wanted.

I ran lightly through the kitchen and the utility room, and started down the cellar steps.

Halfway down, I stopped to listen for sounds of movement.

Big mistake.

A spiteful voice spoke behind me, sending icy marbles of fear rolling down my spine.

‘You really should have let Will kill me,’ said Katarina coldly, as I turned to face her. ‘That will now be your epitaph. Pathetic little fledgling.’

She launched herself at me, and we both tumbled down the rest of the steps. My second time that night. My head bounced from step to step, as her weight bore me down.

Katarina’s cold hands reached for me, and when I tried to stand her hands tightened around my throat like a cold, steel vice.

Blindly, I tried for her eyes, but missed, grabbing instead a handful of her thick hair. I pulled as hard as I could, and tore a huge clump out by the roots. She screamed like a banshee, and I pushed her away from me.

Her fury and hatred of me made her stronger than ever, and she leaped on me again. We both went down, and she went for my throat. I brought both my hands up in the martial art defence move Will had taught me weeks beforehand. She was knocked off balance, but jumped to her feet in a second. A blur of vicious vampire, intent only on revenge. I kicked out at her with every bit of strength I had.

I heard the splintering of a knee joint and she writhed on the ground whilst screaming obscenities at me, but this time I didn’t intend to show any mercy.

I fumbled for the bottle of holy water in my pocket, but remembered it was still on the floor somewhere, and scrabbled instead at the stake tucked in the belt of my jeans.

I pinned her to the ground with my body, and plunged the stake into her chest as hard as I could, and hoped desperately I would get the heart. I felt past caring about my guilty conscience, this was survival, pure and simple, exactly what Will had been teaching me for so many months. I would not let him down.

Katarina gave a loud, piercing shriek and as her head slammed back against the floor, I caught a brief glimpse of her surprised expression before she exploded into dust.

So I definitely got the heart then?

I stood and looked at what little remained of my handiwork, but couldn’t find a shred of pity for her.

I became suddenly aware of Will’s presence, and turned as he softly said my name.

With a cry of joy, I ran to him and literally jumped up into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

He winced slightly, and I remembered he must be badly hurt. He lowered me to the floor until I stood within the safety of his arms. I looked up into familiar green eyes, and felt my own fill with tears.

He looked at me with his familiar mocking expression. ‘I thought I told you to stay in the car?’