He’s less than nothing. An insect beneath your shoe.
I twisted free and reached for the doorknob. The hands came back, stronger this time, trying to turn me. The bear babbled something about vampires and bonds and fighting, but his voice was just noise.
Annoyance flickered through me. He was in my way.
Hurry.
Rage exploded in my mind like fireworks in a black sky. Turning, I shoved him.
He stumbled backward, surprise flashing across his face. The master was waiting.
Swinging back to the door, I yanked it open and stepped into the hallway. Moonlight streamed over me as I walked to the stairs.
Footsteps pounded at my back. “Charlotte, stop!”
I rushed down the stairs, my bare feet silent on the wood.
The bear caught up to me in the foyer. He moved in front of the door and spread his arms wide.
“I can’t let you go to him,” he said, a vein throbbing in his throat.
Come to me.
“Please, Charlotte. I love you. Fight this.”
Love. The word tumbled in my head. A spark flared, its glow warming my mind.
The snake rushed up and down well-worn paths, its tongue stabbing at the air.
He doesn’t love you. He wants to control you. He’ll use you to rebuild his species and then he’ll cast you aside. He’ll leave you alone, just like everyone else. I’m the only one who never left. I’m the only one who truly cares for you.
Yes. Of course. The master loved me. He’d always loved me.
“Charlotte…” the bear gasped, his eyes as silver as the moon in the window next to the door.
Come to me.
I grabbed the bear’s shoulder and flung him aside. He crashed against the wall, and I opened the door and rushed onto the porch.
The bear followed. “Charlotte, please listen to me!”
I ran down the steps. Snow crunched under my bare feet but the cold didn’t matter. Evergreens were spiky silhouettes against an inky sky speckled with stars. The moon was a warm, round disk.
Hurry.
Yes. I had to hurry. I couldn’t keep the master waiting.
Footsteps crunched behind me. A hand caught my arm and spun me around.
“I’m sorry,” the bear said. A length of rope dangled from his fist. “I’m so sorry, but I won’t let him?—”
The fireworks exploded again, the burst of light brighter than before.
BOOM.
I drew my fist back and swung.
BOOM.
