The Emerald Talisman (30 page)

“No,” I pleaded as I hyperventilated, my head
starting to feel light and limbs tingly.

“I’ll be quick, I promise,” he whispered, his
emotions chock-full with excitement.

I needed to do something quick and trying to
reason with him wasn’t working. Time was of the essence. I had to
think fast. Something sharp pressed against my lower back and I
remembered.

“Just imagine. We’ll be together… perfect...
unstoppable.” His unbridled lust shone in his hungry eyes as he
shot me with a sly smile just before he leaned in closer,
anticipation building.

“Don’t I get some last words or something?” I
gasped out quickly, hoping to get my hands free for a second.

“Last words?” He curled up the corner of his
lip.

“Yeah, I’m going to be dying or whatever. I’d
like to have some last words.”

“Well, actually, you’ll find you’ll be living
for once, but I don’t see why you couldn’t say good-bye to your
humanity or maybe to him.”

He glanced over at Nicholas before releasing
me, chuckling as he bowed with a smirk.

My heart surged as I knew this was the moment
I’d hoped for. I tried to act calm, my body trembling all over.
With shaky fingers, I felt the smooth wood beneath my back. Then I
took a deep breath and stepped towards Phil.

“What I would like to say is–” I peered
seductively into his tenebrous eyes; flashing him with an evil grin
hoping that I’d be able to distract him long enough to do my dirty
deed. “—you can go to hell.” I whispered as I quickly lunged my arm
forward, aiming directly at his heart.

He caught my arm mid stab, swirled me around
and pinned it behind me as he held onto my body, mocking me with a
belly laugh.

“This is why I love you,” he chimed in my
ear. “You’re just so spunky, but it’s not time for me to go to hell
quite yet.”

With a tiny forced twist of my hand, I
released the stake.

Defeated, I slumped in his arms as I heard it
bounce onto the cement floor. I couldn’t believe my plan failed yet
again.

Phil’s appetite was building and I knew it
wouldn’t be long before he took me. I didn’t feel like fighting
anymore. Would it really be that bad to become like him? I wondered
if my eyes would turn crystal blue too, like the other women’s
were. And if I’d become eternally beautiful and ageless. That part
I wouldn’t mind. And maybe, I’d lose my conscience when I became a
ruthless killer. If I didn’t feel the guilt, then it wouldn’t
matter what I had to do to survive.

And it felt good to be wanted. He had
basically made finding and changing me his mission. That in itself
was flattering. And I too, in some weird sick way enjoyed it and
could see myself falling for him as well. I was sure, after I
transformed, the bond would grow stronger until we’d never wanted
to be apart. I just hoped when my body died, my feelings for
Nicholas died too.

I was glad Phil blocked my view of Nicholas
so I didn’t have to see his face when it happened, because at the
moment he spew the most vilest of feelings I’d ever felt from
anyone. I just hoped it would be quick and not very painful.

My eyes instinctively closed when Phil turned
my head to the side and I could feel his breath on my neck, giving
me chills, his excitement unrestrained. I waited and held my breath
for what seemed like an eternity.

. . .

21- SURRENDER

With a wanting groan, Phil put his teeth on
my skin. Suddenly when I expected pain I felt a gust of wind and my
arms became unpinned. Then the pungent acrid odor of smoke filled
my lungs. I choked.

I spun around just in time to hear a small
clink on the pavement beneath my feet. Through the cloud of ash, I
saw Nicholas with his arm awkwardly outstretched; a large grin on
his face.

“That’s what he gets for turning his back to
me,” he stated calmly.

My mind slowly processed what my eyes
witnessed. Phil wasn’t gone, he was dead. Nicholas must have thrown
the stake when Phil turned, too preoccupied with biting me. I
stared into the ashes feeling numb. I was ready to be transformed
and when it didn’t happen, I was strangely disappointed.

Something sizzled and I turned to see what it
was. The cuff binding Nicholas disappeared in thin air.

“What?” I mumbled in confusion.

“Darn. I wanted that,” Nicholas said, but
then he was at my side, holding me up. “What were you thinking?” He
gently pushed back a lock of my hair studying my face with his
charming eyes.

“I… I… didn’t know what to do,” I said. My
thoughts bouncing around like a broken strand of pearls. I couldn’t
stop shaking. “You’re not mad at me?”

“Mad?”

“Because I kissed him–” I turned away.

Nicholas tensed up and his jealousy surfaced.
I closed my eyes, dreading what he’d say next, expecting him to
hate me.

“Yes, but you tried to kill him too.” He
gently lifted my chin up and greeted me with understanding eyes.
“It’s been a busy day.”

I couldn’t believe he wasn’t angry and to be
so easily forgiven shocked me. And then the jealousy? Could it be
that he actually cared deeper for me? His arms enveloped me and I
stopped worrying, knowing my feelings were always for Nicholas and
never Phil. Though I was tempted, Phil and I could never have what
Nicholas and I shared.

“But we don’t have much time. I need you to
be strong for just a little bit longer,” he said earnestly as he
gently squared my shoulders to face him. I gulped as I looked into
his tender eyes. “Can you do that?”

“What do we need to do?” I asked, my voice
quivering.

“Whoever sired Phil knows he’s dead and they
are going to come after us. I actually want them to come but I
don’t have time to get you someplace safe, so I want you to wear
this–” He unlatched the chain to his beautiful medallion and held
it towards me. In the light, the stone shimmered and almost seemed
to sing as I watched it change from its vibrant green to a bloody
crimson.

“How?” I started to ask but stopped as he put
the medallion into my palm. It was feather light and icy to the
touch, but then it warmed up turning an electrifying blue.

“Good, it likes you,” he said quickly before
placing his cell phone in my hand.

I stood confused holding both the necklace
and the cell phone wondering what his plan was going to be against
the vampires and how these feeble objects could possibly protect
me.

“Put on the necklace, Julia,” he prompted,
noticing my frozen stature.

“I don’t understand,” I finally said.

“I’ll explain everything later. Just put the
talisman on and don’t take if off for anyone or any reason. And if
something happens to me, call my dad. Just press two then
send.”

I obeyed and put on the necklace. It was hot
against my skin. I lightly touched the edge of the stone that now
adorned my neck. It sparkled brilliantly as I looked down at it,
but seemed smaller, more feminine. It was the most exquisite piece
of jewelry I’d ever seen.

Before I could say anything more, Nicholas
ushered me to a dark corner in the room and hid me behind some
boxes.

“Just stay here. Don’t move and keep hidden,”
he said, his voice tense.

“Yes, but won’t they know I’m here.”

“No. Not anymore, but I’ll explain that
later.”

“Okay,” I gulped and then felt the hunger
feelings swoop down upon the building like a sudden hail storm.

“They’re here,” he said, looking up at the
roof. He straightened up, flipped a stake off the ground with the
toe of his boot and caught in his hand while he walked to the
middle of the room.

My heart started thumping loudly in my ears
while I crouched down in the corner, scanning the doorway for their
appearance. The chilling quiet sent ice up my spine as we waited,
watching. It wouldn’t have been that bad if Nicholas was confident
like he always had been, but for the first time I sensed fear, real
formidable fear.

Instantly they appeared in the room, their
black shark-like eyes darting about with Bettina’s lone blue eyes
shining like beacons in a sea of darkness. She was accompanied by
Toth, Justin and four others I didn’t know.

A woman with Bettina’s likeness stepped away
from the crowd flanking Bettina’s right side, same sable hair, high
cheek bones, petite nose but with obsidian eyes – an identical
twin. My breath caught in my throat. The fact that someone chose to
make both girls vampires was disturbing. On her right stood a
stocky brunette male with a square face and hard charcoal eyes,
locked on Nicholas.

Toth’s smirk hid his tension as he puffed his
chest out, standing guard at Bettina’s right. Behind him stood the
dark haired boy from the beach and a waiflike platinum blonde with
maroon highlights in the lower half of her hair; deep sultry eyes
peered out from within her bangs. Justin hovered behind Toth. They
stood tightly together, uneasy.

“Where is he?” Bettina barked out, glaring at
Nicholas.

“Jealous you didn’t get an invitation?”
Nicholas said, sounding very cynical. “You should know or do I need
to spell it out.”

“Very funny,” she said sarcastically, darting
her blue eyes to the others, as if to give secret instructions. One
by one they began to fan out in v-formation. “I don’t know what
kind of secret powers you have, but today will be the last day
you’ll kill any more of our kind. You’ve met your match bounty
hunter,” she said with gritted teeth.

“I prefer Nicholas frankly… but you didn’t
say the magic word.”

Before anyone anticipated, the dark haired
boy from the beach burned up in a puff of smoke. Nicholas wasted no
time, intending to stake the brunette behemoth, but since he moved
aside, the unsuspecting dark haired vampire behind him took the hit
instead. Then the blonde cried out as she burned up too.

“Excellent. Two in one.” Nicholas said in a
jeer, the group still in horror.

Bettina’s twin erupted in furry, screaming
obscenities, calling for Nicholas’ death; she crouched down like a
tiger, ready to spring, but Bettina restrained her.

“Angelia, get control of yourself. We need
him alive,” Bettina snapped quietly. The hair on my neck stood up
feeling the woman’s scorn.

“But Adrian was wearing his armor…” Angelia
cried out in confusion, turning towards Nicholas, eyes full of
hate. “You’ll pay for that.”

Nicholas clicked his tongue twice. “Well,
they should’ve been paying attention, now shouldn’t they?”

From deep within Angelia’s chest came an
unearthly growl. But a surge in Justin’s courage sent him sprawling
forward to strike first, trying to pin Nicholas’ arms. Nicholas
laughed and flung him to the other side of the room. Justin’s body
hit the wall head first, shaking the rafters. He amazingly pulled
his head out of the wall, stood up unfazed, shook his head and
charged at Nicholas again.

Nicholas, without a thought, launched Justin
across the room again, but in my direction. I gasped and saw a
flash of panic in Nicholas’ eye when he noticed he’d disturbed my
hiding place, but I just tucked myself in further and no one
noticed.

I watched Justin through a crack between the
boxes. He sat up but stayed put, appearing to reassess his plan. I
studied the nerdy boy I used to know and marveled at the
transformation; no more acne, glasses or goofy grin. It saddened me
to think what would have happened differently if I
was
his
date instead. Could it have prevented all of this? Now he was
another casualty at our school. But his beady eyes turned and
locked on mine. My heart dropped as his upper lip snarled back to
reveal his long, pointed teeth. He wasn’t angelic, he was a
killer

“Is this all you got?” I heard Nicholas cry
out from across the room, taunting them further. I wanted to scream
and get his attention as Justin watched me quietly, his hunger
growing with each second, but Nicholas was busy.

Then I heard a female let out a
blood-curdling scream as I caught a glimpse of Toth being consumed
in a silent fire, another stake bouncing on the ground. It came
from Bettina. Her anger was much more intense than when the others
were killed – the apparent death of her man. Both girls, now on a
warpath from their losses, took out silver iridescent whips and
cracked them at the same time.

I looked around for something to defend
myself, as I knew Nicholas needed to spend all of his attention on
them.

“Hmmmm… kinky,” I heard Nicholas say.

They cackled and the whips cracked again
followed by the thunderous sound of something heavy colliding, but
I couldn’t watch. Justin had moved and stood over me now, his teeth
bared, appetite ravenous.

“Leave me alone,” I whispered quietly.

“Or what? You’re going to get your boyfriend
to hurt me?” He mocked, looking pleased with my predicament, odds
stacked in his favor.

“No,” I said while crawling backwards like a
crab until I hit the wall behind me, trapped in a corner.

“You know, I’ve always liked you—,” he said
with a smile, but his feelings behind his confession made me
nauseous. “—and with Phil out of the picture, you could be mine.”
He reached out and brushed my cheek. I slapped his hand away,
giving him a dirty look.

Two in one day? I didn’t think I could handle
it anymore. What was it about me that made every vampire I met
desired me?

“Don’t touch me,” I said, trying to sound
like a ferocious tiger, but my voice came out like a tiny
kitten.

He laughed and advanced closer.

Why can’t these vampires take no for an
answer?

I blindly felt the ground around me, wishing
my hands would come in contact with something I could stab him
with, but I found nothing but a dirty floor.

“You have no scent to you. I wonder if you’ll
taste any good,” he said in curiosity. But I couldn’t worry about
his comment as he hovered over me, ready to strike.