The Dark Vampire: Last True Vampire 3 (41 page)

Her worry nearly sent Bria back to Jenner, to the protection of his hulking body.
No.
She refused to be anything but brave. “It’s okay, Naya.” Bria held out a hand to stay any further argument. “Take Ronan and back away.”

Naya hesitated. Her brow furrowed with concern and Bria turned her gaze away. In the periphery of her vision she watched as Ronan gripped his mate by her upper arm and slowly pulled her away from the epicenter of the danger. The wendigo growled but made no move to pursue them. Bria let out a sigh of relief.
Be brave. Be brave.

She did this for Jenner as much as for herself. If she couldn’t take care of herself—couldn’t protect herself when she needed to—she wouldn’t be a worthy mate for him. She couldn’t remain tethered to him forever knowing that he felt as though she needed his constant protection. She didn’t want to simply be some pathetic creature who needed looking after. Bria wanted to be Jenner’s equal. A mate he could be proud of and stand beside. If she wanted a future with him she had to have faith. To trust that Fate knew what was best.

“I’ll come closer.” Bria infused her voice with confidence she didn’t necessarily feel. “If you give me your word that you won’t harm my mate.”

“Your mate?” Astrid arched a delicate silver brow. “Not simply a vampire, but a
tethered
vampire? I’m almost glad your mother and uncle hid you from me. Your life essence must be brimming with power.”

That was Bria’s hope. She needed every ounce of power she could get right now. She took another step closer to Astrid and paused. “Do I have your word Jenner and the others will be spared? You’ve made no bargains for their lives.”

“True,” Astrid said on a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Your mate and your friends will be spared.” She snapped her fingers and the wendigo came to heel, ignoring Naya and Ronan completely.

Bria studied the creature that had once been her father. She looked past its armored skin, mirrored, milky eyes, and expressionless face for any sign of the male who’d once thrived in that same body. Tears gathered in her eyes as grief welled within her. She’d never been given the chance to know him.

“Father?” The very word sounded foreign in Bria’s ears.

The wendigo studied her, canted its head to one side. A low, sad whimper left its lips and it shied away as though afraid. Afraid of what? Her? Or the evil witch who controlled it?

Was there any small part of the male it once was trapped in that hideous form? Bria bent low until she was at eye level with it. The tether that bound her to Jenner pulled taut and she sensed his distress. With any luck this would all be over soon. “Father,” she said again. “Do you know who I am?”

The wendigo thrashed its head as though trying to dislodge a thought. Astrid’s gaze narrowed and her lip curled back into a sneer. “This”—she grabbed the wendigo’s neck and gave it a rough shake—“belongs to
me
. As you soon will, Bria.”

A snarl tore from the wendigo’s mouth and Astrid increased the pressure on its neck, sending it lower to the ground. It fought against her hold but ultimately went
down at her feet with a low, tortured whine that shredded Bria’s heart. She might not have ever been afforded the chance to know her father, but she was going to make sure that he was set free.

She took another step toward Astrid. Bria’s limbs quaked, her heart raced, and the breath stalled in her chest. Her vision darkened at the periphery and her head swam. Could she do this? Was she capable of saving her own life?
Yes.
The thought resounded with perfect clarity. She wasn’t the same female who’d hung limp in her uncle’s arms mere weeks ago wishing like hell that she’d die. Bria wanted a life! She wanted Jenner! And she’d be damned if anyone stood in the way of her happiness ever again.

The final step that brought her within inches of her worst nightmare felt as though it spanned miles.

Magic pricked at Bria’s skin, the sensation like pins and needles. It increased in intensity until her flesh practically burned and Bria fought the urge to claw at herself. A light blue glow shone from beneath Astrid’s skin, giving her a luminescent quality. Power swirled around Bria. Surrounded her. It pulsed and built until she was cocooned within a force that tightened her skin and caused her heart to thunder in her chest. Astrid flicked her wrist and Bria’s left hand rose as though she were nothing more than a puppet on a string.

Astrid took Bria’s wrist in an iron grip. She brought the sharp, pointed nail of her thumb to Bria’s flesh and made a puncture. Pain sizzled through her and bloomed with the blood that ran in a rivulet down her outstretched arm. Astrid watched the crimson path with fanatic interest, her eyes glued to the sight of Bria’s blood.

“There’s so much power in blood,” Astrid mused. “Aside from witches, I suppose vampires and dhampirs are the only other creatures in the world who realize it.
The blood of an innocent is the most potent, which is why I wanted yours to begin with. But a mated female . . .” Her gaze shifted to Jenner, still suspended by her magic. “Do you love him, Bria? Nothing is more powerful than a selfless love.”

“I love him,” Bria said loud enough for Jenner to hear. She slowly brought her right hand down to her side and let it wander behind her back to where she’d sheathed the trio of short knives. “More than anything or anyone else in this world.”

Astrid bestowed upon Bria a slow, indulgent smile. “I’m so glad to hear it. And what about you, vampire?” Her shrewd gaze went to Jenner. “Would you sacrifice yourself for her? There’s power in sacrifice as well.”

“I would,” Jenner said. “Anything for her.”

His words punched through Bria and caused her chest to ache with a swell of emotion. Astrid bent over Bria’s wrist, her mouth poised to latch over the puncture she’d made. Bria seized one of the knives from its sheath and brought her arm around whip quick. With a forceful upward stab she speared the witch’s throat. Astrid took a stumbling step back, clawing at the knife still protruding from her skin. Bria retrieved a second knife and in a blur of motion drove it into Astrid’s chest.

“I love Jenner,” Bria snarled close to the necromancer’s astonished face. “And not you or anyone else is
ever
going to take me from him.”

The
force that held Jenner immobile released him the second Bria ran her petite blade into Astrid’s chest. Though the witch was momentarily stunned, she was far from impotent and still had the wendigo at her command. Bria . . . his brave, clever mate had bought him the distraction that he needed to end this once and for all. Jenner wasn’t about to let her moment of bravery go to waste.

Within seconds Jenner was surrounded by activity. Bria held her last knife out in front of her as though the blade would deter the wendigo from attacking. Ronan rushed forward, gun drawn and a long dagger in his opposite hand. Naya remained behind him, but magic gathered in her palm and her own dagger was held aloft. No longer at a disadvantage, Jenner was more than ready to put the necromancer down once and for all.

Astrid let out an enraged shriek. She plucked the blade from her throat. Blood welled from her mouth as she coughed and spluttered. Jenner didn’t waste a second throwing his body over hers, pinning her to the pavement. The wendigo let out a tortured bellow and lurched for
ward, but Naya managed to keep the thing immobile through the use of her own magic so it couldn’t get to Jenner.

“Father, please,” Bria urged. “Be still. This will all be over soon.”

The wendigo turned toward Bria, its baleful eyes almost sad. Astrid struggled against Jenner, clawed with the sharp tips of her nails until blood ran from the wounds and down his forearms. He remembered what she’d said about the power that blood contained. If she managed to ingest it, to draw on its power somehow, they’d all be fucked.

Without hesitation Jenner stabbed down into the witch’s chest. Power exploded from her, nearly knocking him from her body. The sensation of knives piercing his skin, of flames blistering him with their heat, seized him, but Jenner fought against the blinding pain and stabbed down again, harder, until he’d opened her up. Gods, he hoped that Bria looked away, that she’d shielded her eyes from the sheer violence of this moment. This wasn’t what Jenner wanted for her, but he wouldn’t shy from what had to be done to protect her.

“Father, no!” Bria reached out and caught the wendigo round the neck as it lunged once again for Jenner.

“Gods-damn it, Bria! Run! Get the hell out of here!” If the creature bit her, managed to give her even a scratch, it would surely kill her.

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

The desperation of her tone sent chills down Jenner’s spine. He cut down again and again, his stomach turning with every downward stroke until nothing stood between him and the witch’s beating heart. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Bria.
Nothing.
He severed the organ from Astrid’s body in a single forceful stroke and tossed it away with disgust.

Jenner watched as Naya pushed forward despite the grip Ronan had on her wrist. She took the strange citrine dagger and ran it through the witch’s discarded heart. Another blast of power exploded around them, this time knocking them all to the ground. Jenner landed a good ten feet from the witch’s still body and watched as her heart shriveled into a blackened mass and then crumbled into a pile of ash.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Her body soon followed. Her alabaster skin darkened and charred. The fine strands of her silver hair turned to midnight black and then stark white. Her bright eyes dulled with lifelessness and sank away as her body disintegrated and crumbled into nothing but black bits of ash.

The wendigo crumpled not far from Bria. It let out a series of painful whines before it brought its head up and howled. Bria threw herself on top of its body as mournful sobs racked her. Her grief broke Jenner’s heart into myriad shards. Her pain was his own and it cut him to the bone.

He went to his mate’s side. Gently, he put his arms around her and urged her away. Despite her feelings, despite the hurt she felt, she was still in harm’s way and Jenner had to keep her safe even if that meant taking her away from a father she’d never gotten the chance to meet.

“No, Jenner.” Bria’s refusal of him carried little weight as she relaxed against him. “No!”

He slumped back and pulled Bria tight against him. His arms came around her and he rocked her as he whispered words of reassurance and love in her ear. “I know, love. I know. I’ve got you, Bria. Everything’s going to be okay. I love you. I love you so much.”

The wendigo brought its milky gaze to Bria. For the briefest moment its eyes lit with recognition and affection. A peaceful calm settled over William’s expression,
and with one last chuff of breath its body disintegrated into ash.

Two centuries of vengeance, pain, and fear dissipated in the cool midnight breeze, swirling about their bodies in a morbid cloud of dark particles. Bria turned in Jenner’s embrace and clung to him as her tears flowed freely. Powerful sobs shook her and with each one Jenner held her a little tighter, as though his love for her could single-handedly banish the pain that she endured.

“I love you, Bria.” The words tumbled from Jenner’s mouth in a whisper. He’d never loved anything as much as he did this brave female in his arms. “I love you.” She clutched at him, holding on as though her life depended on it. “I love you.”

It shouldn’t have hurt so much. She’d never known her father. Hadn’t even known the truth of what had become of him until a few short weeks ago. And yet the pain of losing him, of realizing that she’d never get to know this male who was worth her mother’s rash sacrifices, was almost more than Bria could bear.

“I love you, Bria. I love you. I love you.”

Jenner’s softly spoken endearments washed over in a rush of warmth. She’d done what she’d set out to do. She’d
survived
. Her future no longer loomed bleak and frightening before her. Threats no longer hung over her head. Bria was finally
free
.

“I love you, too.” The words pushed past the thickness of emotion that clogged her throat. “I’m so sorry I left, Jenner. I’ll never do it again.”

“That’s good.” The slightest lilt of humor accented Jenner’s gruff voice. “Because if you do, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth. You scared the shit out of me,
viaton.
Don’t ever scare me again.”

Viaton.
Bria used to think that when Jenner called her that he insinuated that her innocence made her weak. Now she knew better. When called her
viaton,
his dark voice so full of emotion, she felt
cherished
. “I won’t,” she promised. “As long as you promise me the same.”

“I promise. And no life-or-death situations. For now at least.”

She knew avoiding danger was a promise neither of them could keep. The future was an uncertain thing and Fate could be fickle. Still Bria could accept
for now
. “As long as we’re together,” she murmured against his strong chest, “nothing else matters.”

“Nothing,” Jenner agreed.

Bria’s life couldn’t be more perfect. Whatever else happened, she was loved.

The sound of footsteps approaching drew Bria’s attention. She looked up through the blur of tears to see Ronan and Naya stop close to where she and Jenner sat. Ronan surveyed their surroundings and let out a slow breath. “That shit was
intense,
” he said. “Everyone all right?”

Bria nodded.

“Yeah,” Jenner rasped. “You?”

“We’re all good.”

“Thank you,” Bria managed to say through a fresh bout of tears. “I
don’t think we would have managed without your help.”

“Yeah, well, you obviously didn’t need me,” Ronan remarked. “Naya is the real badass in this situation. Though”—he turned to his mate—“I think we’re going to have a nice long talk about
not
running balls out into dangerous situations from here on out.”

“Please,” Naya scoffed. “Jenner and Bria did all of the heavy lifting. I’m just glad I was here to absorb the residual magic in the necromancer’s heart. It’s dark as hell. I need to get home and discharge it from my dagger. I don’t want it contained in the blade for any longer than necessary.”