I jumped to my feet, my hand going straight to my outer thigh. My fingers found the leather sheath and pulled the seax free in one smooth motion. The blade caught the light as I settled into a fighting stance, the weight of it familiar and grounding in my palm.
“So you got your speed back,” I said.
“I did. Took years of hard training, but my leg eventually strengthened, and little by little, the speed returned.” She stood across from me, her chest heaving and her eyes flashing.”And to answer your other question, five years. That’s how long I’ve known the truth. The truth about whattheydid to me.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Of knowing what that witch Rayna did to me. I got to know Reed when he was serving out his community service punishment on coastal cleanup. We became friends, then lovers, and that’s when Reed told me the truth. He also told me what Mari discovered, how Rayna added an extra layer to the spell to really mess with me.” Her jaw tightened. “And then how Mari suspected that Rayna used magic to keep me bound so the car would hit me.Shewas the onewho was supposed to be framed for what happened. Rayna is the one who deserves the worst punishment.” A cold, satisfied look crossed her face. “That’s why we used the jute twine from her shop.”
I adjusted my grip on the seax, keeping the blade between us. “How could you have known Rayna wouldn’t have a solid alibi for the time of Mari’s murder?”
Eliza rushed me again.
She came in low this time, fast and precise. I sidestepped the first strike, but she pivoted and threw a roundhouse kick that I barely got the flat of my blade up in time to deflect. The force of it rattled up my arm. She followed with a combination, fists and elbows, each strike coming from a different angle. I blocked and parried, using the seax to redirect her blows rather than slash, keeping her at range when I could, absorbing the impact when I couldn’t.
“You’re pretty good,” Eliza panted.
I snorted. “I’m a Valkyrie. I train like this every day.” I reached out and jabbed the back of my fist into her mouth. “You can’t beat me, Vampire.”
Eliza wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.”Reed went into Rayna’s office that afternoon to discuss the valentine Mari had sent. That’s when she told him they’d have to discuss it later because she had a business meeting from three to four.” Eliza rolled her shoulders and popped her neck. “He said if she was going to be at the marina later, he might stop by. She said she’d be there working until five. We knew we had plenty of time.”
“So you two did this together?” I asked.
“We have him now, Pixie!”Savage cried from somewhere behind me.
“We did,” Eliza said, unaware that Reed was about to be taken down by Link and Savage. “As Mari’s friend, I knew shewas making a special dinner for her husband, so I drove to her house after work, parked a block away, and used my speed to get to the back of the house undetected. Reed docked his boat at her dock, and we went in together.” She snorted, and for a flicker of a second, something almost like genuine sadness crossed her face. “Mari was so surprised. All excited to see us. She was so sweet, asking if we were now dating.” She shrugged. “I really did like her. It was a shame Reed had to kill her.”
My stomach turned. “So what? You just stood there and watched?”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “Yes. Just like they stood there all those years ago.” Her voice rose. “They could have done something. Hell, they could have not made the spell. But they did!” Her eyes narrowed. “They deserve everything coming to them.”
“That was clever to get Mari to make you the trustee of her will.”
She laughed. “That was Hunter’s fault. All I had to do was plant the seed in Mari’s mind that I thought Hunter was seeing someone else. I knew he was because Reed and I have been following their lives closely.”
“Why now?” I asked. “Why did you decide to kill Mari now?”
“‘I went to Mari last week and cried to her. Told her how I was having a hard time with what happened to me in high school. How I just knew there had to be more to the story. I told her I was thinking of going to the sheriff and telling him my suspicions.” Eliza tilted her head. “I had no idea she’d send valentines to everyone in the group, including herself. But when Reed told me that, I knew it was time to finalize the plan we’d spent years perfecting.”
I kept the seax steady between us. “And Reed? You just forgave him?”
Eliza smirked.”Reed served a purpose.”
A scream tore through the air behind us.
We both turned. Reed was on the ground, blood pouring from his body in a dozen places. His mouth was open, his eyes wide with shock, and his legs would never be the same.
Savage stood over him, chest puffed out. Link hovered beside Savage, his tiny wings glowing purple and green.
And I nearly laughed out loud when they bumped fist to paw.
“And now his purpose is done,” Eliza said softly. “Let’s finish this, Valkyrie. I want—”
I reached down and unhooked my Binder and tossed it at her before she even finished the sentence. The magical bubble immediately stripped her of her vampire abilities. It took Eliza a few seconds to realize what I’d done. And when it finallydidpenetrate…she was pissed! She screamed and raged and beat against the bubble.
The truth was, I could have done that at any time, but I also knew I needed her to confess for PADA. I could hear sirens in the distance and knew the fire department was on their way.
“I see I missed all the fun,” Zane said as he stepped inside the kitchen, a handcuffed Rayna by his side.
“I demand to know what’s going on!” Rayna hissed. “Reed came over to my house this morning, grabbed me, and then…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed Reed lying on the floor. “Oh, my goddess! Is he dead?”
I was saved from answering when the front door banged open and firefighters and paramedics came swarming in.
