Languish (11 page)

Solange only smiled. Her eyes were veined in red, like an autumn leaf. “I'm still thirsty,” she murmured.

I scowled, trying to remember the Solange I knew, covered in clay and only wanting to be left alone. “Too bad,” I said through my teeth, which weren't nearly as impressive as hers. Her fangs gleamed when her smile widened. Bats flew in a whirlwind over her head. “Go away, Sol.”

“Mmm, I don't think so.” She shrugged one shoulder. “You can run if you like. I'm going to start with Kieran first. You'd only taste like lemons and ash. I can smell your anger.” She wrinkled her nose as if I were spoiled meat. “It doesn't enhance you, not like the others.”

“Gee, I'm so sorry that the fact that I want to punch you right in your princess nose might ruin your palate. We're not bottles of wine.”

She just shrugged again.

And then she was pressing me into the van, so close I could see the blue under her skin, hear the flap of bat wings and the crackle they left in the air. I couldn't be sure she wouldn't snap my neck just to get to Kieran, slowly bleeding himself into a coma behind me.

So I did the only thing I could think to do.

I Tasered my best friend.

I wasn't sure if it was the jolts of electricity running through her or the proximity of the dawn, but she fell backward onto the grass. I didn't even have time to make sure she was all right. Technically, she was already dead, so a little shock wouldn't hurt her for long. Okay, 1500 volts, whatever. She'd survive, but Kieran needed help now.

I paused.

She'd survive being Tasered, but not the dawn.

I'd have to bring her with me.

“Shit,” I said. “This is just the worst night ever.”

I approached her carefully, nudging her with the toe of my boot. She lay still, pale and slight. “If you bite me, I'm biting you back,” I muttered, crouching down to lift her up. When she didn't open her eyes and try to eat me, I felt marginally better. I dragged her awkwardly toward the van and stuffed her into the front seat. “If you wake up cranky, I'm so Tasering you again.” I ran around to the driver's seat. “I've already blown up a town tonight, so don't think I won't.”

The bats, angered, dive-bombed me. I tucked my head into my collar and ran faster, hollering. The screaming didn't scare the bats
off but it made me feel better. I felt one catch in my hair, then bounce off my shoulder.

“I really hate everybody right now,” I said, diving into the front seat. I yanked the door handle just as another bat hit the glass. Solange was slumped next to me. I kept the Taser in my right hand, contorting to start the van with my left. Kieran shifted in the backseat. “Don't die,” I told him sternly.

He tried to chuckle but it turned into a wet gurgle. I hit the gas pedal and peeled out of the field, kicking up clods of dirt and grass.

“Don't wake up,” I chanted at Solange. “Don't wake up.”

The bats followed us like a black, leathery cloud. Their eyes were red when they dipped down into the spear of the headlights.

“Don't wake up,” I said again. “And don't be such a stereotype.
Bats.
God.”

They were so thick now, it was hard to see. I prayed really hard that I wouldn't drive us right into a tree. I craned my neck. The Taser was heavy, making my wrist ache. A bat hit the windshield, cracking it like a rock. Blood smeared the glass.

“I'm sorry!” I yelled. “Get out of my way, you stupid flying rodents.”

Another hit, and another. A crack snaked through the windshield. Fur and blood matted in the fissure. Bile burned the back of my throat.

Solange stirred.

I jabbed the Taser at her but she was faster. She dodged out of the way. The van wobbled precariously as I fought to keep hold of
the steering wheel. Kieran was passed out in his own blood. Solange glanced back at him and licked her lips. It was a tiny moment of distraction and likely the last one I'd get. I stabbed the Taser at her again. It glanced off her shoulder, but it was enough to freeze her, her face contorting.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” I repeated over and over as I slammed on the brakes. She flew into the dashboard. I reached over her while she was still stunned and opened the passenger door.

Then I shoved her out as hard as I could into the grass.

She sprawled, bats circling overhead like vultures. I sped away with the door still open, banging against tree branches. The smell of pine and cedar mixed with Kieran's blood. I looked into the rearview mirror. Solange sat up slowly.

I hit the gas harder.

ALYXANDRA HARVEY is the author of The Drake Chronicles—
Hearts at Stake, Blood Feud, Out for Blood, Bleeding Hearts
, and
Blood Moon
—as well as two stand-alone novels,
Haunting Violet
and
Stolen Away
. She studied creative writing and literature at York University and has had her poetry published in magazines. Alyx likes medieval dresses and tattoos and has been accused of being born in the wrong century—except that she really likes running water, women's rights, and ice cream. She lives in an old Victorian farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, their dogs, and a few resident ghosts.

www.alyxandraharvey.com

www.thedrakechronicles.com

www.facebook.com/thedrakechronicles

The Drake Chronicles

Hearts at Stake

Blood Feud

Out for Blood

Bleeding Hearts

Blood Moon

Ruling Passion
(Bind-up of
Hearts at Stake, Blood Feud
, and
Out for Blood
)

• • •

Haunting Violet

Stolen Away

“The requisite Victorian romance [is] here, complete with furtive meetings in the garden and love letters bound with elaborate ribbons.” —
VOYA

“Harvey … delivers a fun adventure in the form of a Victorian mystery novel that captures the feel (and the flaws) of the age.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Violet reminds me of a Jane Austen heroine, had Austen ever decided to write novels about the paranormal.
Haunting Violet
is a witty, suspenseful novel of the supernatural that I highly recommend.” —
Curledup.com

“Fans of paranormal fiction with romantic overtones will enjoy this young adult novel with its quirky heroine, colorful sidekicks, and compelling story.” —City Book Review

“Witty, sly, and never disappointing…. Fun, funny, and a relief from Twilight wannabes.”
—Booklist
on
Hearts at Stake

“An action-packed story full of intrigue, suspense, and romance with a great cast of characters.”
—School Library Journal
on
Blood Feud

“Will keep readers entertained from start to finish…. Fast-paced and engaging.”
—VOYA
on
Out for Blood

“Alyxandra Harvey is the consummate storyteller…. It's a rare treat to be involved in a book that is new and can hold my rapt attention in this genre after 40 years of reading about vampires!” —A Bookish Libraria on
Bleeding Hearts

Ruling Passion—includes Hearts at Stake, Blood Feud, and Out for Blood

The passion continues with three original e-novellas featuring your favorite characters from the DRAKE CHRONICLES …