Didn’t feel like it, but I was here, wasn’t I? My back still ached, but Ez had healed the worst of it with the help of his Familiar. Marcus looped an arm under my body and yanked me to my feet. I staggered, trying not to vomit. The pain had dampened, but hadn’t gone away completely. I tried to use my magic to assess what was going on, but I couldn’t make sense of why Kallie and Danny were just standing there. My senses searched for Elf magic and noticed Eddie was on the ground… alive, still, but definitely incapacitated.
Marcus gulped audibly as he took a cautious step back, yanking me toward the tree line with him and Ez. Tahoma followed. The large peryton crouched so low to the ground I could feel his belly scraping the dirt with my Earth magic. He was a healer like Ez and not equipped for battle. Tahoma was terrified.
“What’s going on?” I slurred. Everything felt off kilter.
“Deuce has made some kind of blood ropes that are binding Kallie and Danny,” Marcus said. “I’ve never seen magic like this. Charlie, what do we do?”
My mind went blank. Deuce was so strong now that even Danny couldn’t compel him, and he could break any spell we threw at him. The only way to take him out would be to stake him through the heart like I did with Naya, but we had to get close enough to him to do it.
I fell down to pick up a fragmented piece of wood, clutching it in my hand. Marcus struggled to haul me back up. I have to keep fighting.
Danny grunted while he struggled against his restraints, cursing like a mad man. “I won’t let ye get the better of me, ye fucking arse. I’m gonna find out how you’re controlling this blood like this, and strangle ye with it.”
Deuce chuckled. “Sure, strangle a vampire. See how far that gets you. Though you won’t get far once I snap your neck?—”
A stick broke under Marcus’ weight, capturing Deuce’s attention. He turned away from Danny, and his laughter grew when he saw me back on my feet.
“Looks like the Blind Bandit wants another go! You just won’t die, will you?” Deuce cracked his whip in our direction as he began stalking toward us.
My fingers tightened around my weapon, but Deuce merely laughed at the sight. “What are you going to do with that? Stake me through the heart? It’s going to take a lot more than that to kill me, Bandit.”
Deuce lashed out his whip, and the ends hit their target square. The whip sliced across the back of my hand, causing me to drop the stake I’d been holding. My stomach bottomed out as the sickening strike of the whip touched me once again. I didn’t think I could take it one more time. I’d lose my mind. Ez pressed into me on one side, while Marcus clung to my opposite arm. The three of us reached the tree line and cowered against a thick trunk, clinging to each other. There was nowhere we could go that Deuce wouldn’t follow, and running from him now meant abandoning our friends.
My pulse grew so loud that I was sure Deuce could hear it. The fucker really liked playing with his food. I knew he’d been waiting a long time for this moment. He wouldn’t just kill me. He’d end my life, then feed on me afterward. What a delicious victory that’d be for him.
Deuce could obviously smell my fear, and he let out a satisfied cackle. “Time to end you, Bandit. Say goodnight!”
Deuce drew back his whip, and I winced as I prepared for the killing blow that I was certain would slice my head straight off my shoulders.
Oberi’s wyvern cry rang through the skies as he swooped downward and threw himself between us and Deuce. Ava screamed in revenge, and I felt the wind around her body as she flung herself off Oberi’s back, tumbling out of the skies at top speed in a swift, controlled motion.
She landed on top of Deuce, and a heavy thud sounded as they both crashed to the forest floor. I heard a slick sound and felt the pierce of her arrow sink into the earth beneath the weight of Deuce’s body.
And then… nothing.
Deuce remained unmoving in the dirt. Ava had stabbed the vampire straight through the heart with one of her arrows, claiming his life.
She rolled off of him, then spat on his corpse. “Good fucking night, asshole.”
“Ava!” I fell out of Marcus and Ez’s arms, crawling toward her. Kallie and Danny’s restraints fell away, and our friends ran forward to come to Ava’s aid. I dropped to her side, running my hands over her body in search of injuries.
“Did you really do it?” I choked through tears of relief. “Is he dead?”
Ava cupped my face in her hands. “It’s done, Charlie. You’re safe now. I took care of him.”
Tears cascaded from my eyes, raining upon the bloody ground. “You were so brave,” I rasped as I stroked her hair. “You came into this battle without magic, but you made it your strength.”
“Shh. It’s okay,” Ava pressed, trying to soothe me. “Deuce won’t hurt us anymore.”
Danny kicked Deuce’s head, which lulled in the dirt. “There’s only one way to make sure of that. We’re gonna have to rip apart this fucker’s body and burn the pieces.”
Marcus nearly gagged at the thought. “You’re welcome to do the honors.”
“My pleasure,” Danny said in a delighted tone. “I won’t let this arsehole come back and best me again.”
Danny was obviously butthurt he wasn’t the best vampire demigod around. But worse things had happened today.
“You might as well finish off Naya the same way,” I said. “Her body’s back there in the trees.”
