The Vampire and the Scorpion (Blood and Venom Saga #1)

24. Twenty-Four

Twenty-Four

T he wall of fire blocked every path through the twisting forest of branches. I scurried from left to right, searching for an opening, but found nothing, until I discovered the narrowest of gaps between the branches and the trench they burned in. I pressed myself to the dirt, flattening my tail, then inched forward. About to squeeze myself into the opening, the small hairs that covered my body singed, sending scorching pulses through me, blinding me with an all-consuming agony. I darted back into the blades of grass for cover, though they, too, were now blackened and smoking.

The burns to my hair impaired my senses, but with all the focus I could muster, I watched the fighters.

Madigan moved like a dragonfly darting through the air, evading Ivan’s lunges before jabbing at the giant. But Ivan took the pummels without even flinching, a fortress within a storm. They played the game of cat and mouse, Madigan a blur as he eluded Ivan’s swinging fists, until the behemoth caught his retaliating strike and wrenched him in close. Ivan seized him by the back of his hair and drove him, face first, into the ground.

Madigan was no longer visible beyond the flames, but I heard him grunt as Ivan’s hammer fist plummeted. Again. And again.

A white-hot rage that burned more brightly than the circle of flames engulfed me, my stinger involuntarily curving into an arc, ready to strike. I had to reach them, and there was only one way: to become human. The pain was a mere inconvenience as I burst free of the scorpion’s restraints, hurtling upward as the chaos before me became crisp and clear, my screams a battle cry.

I was kneeling, lungs filled with smoke, too close to the ring of fire. I scrambled back, coughing, my bare skin raw as the flames licked me with a scalding tongue.

I rose to the sounds of indistinguishable voices, yelling, gasping, swearing.

“Ava! Watch out!”

I whirled on the spot. Dominic charged towards me, his eyes lit by the embers of hell and a demonic grin spread his lips. He pounced. I raised my arms, bracing for the impact, but from nowhere, a gargantuan spider bulled into him, knocking him down. They wrestled in the mud, Dominic grappling with the spider’s front pair of legs as its snapping jaws oozed a clear, sticky liquid into his face.

“Get her!” Dominic’s command was just audible over the commotion. Jacob and Sebastian raced towards me. It was now or never. Protecting my head with my arms and clamping my mouth shut, I propelled myself through the fire. For a second, my body was aflame, incinerated as I passed through the barrier, then hit the hard ground on the other side. My nostrils filled with the stench of burning hair. Torched, I dropped to the dirt, rolling, slapping at my head and a shower of sparks rained down.

Once I’d extinguished my head, I hauled myself to my feet, searching for Madigan, but that one second of distraction was all Ivan needed to bull rush me, sending me flying, the ground shredding the skin from my back clean away.

The back of my head smashed into the ground. The world spun sickeningly. Lights burst in front of my eyes.

A hand clenched around my neck, yanking me upward. I blinked, and through foggy vision, I made out Ivan’s jeering face, his warm, stinking breath washing over my face.

“How nice of you to join us,” he said through bared teeth, his eyes wide with fury, the orange glow of the fire dancing in his pupils.

He lifted me off my feet as I clawed at his hand, but my strength dwindled as he squeezed the life from me. Blood pounded in my ears as the skin on my face grew taut and lips swelled. Even my eyes threatened to burst from their sockets.

And then he dropped me.

My legs gave way as I crumpled to the ground, gasping in thin air, the darkness that shrouded my vision fading.

Ivan was kneeling, fighting with the arm now locked around his neck. Madigan’s arm. Madigan’s already bloodied and swollen face contorted with the strain of holding the giant in place, teeth grit, eyes screwed shut. Without thinking, I staggered to my feet and lurched forward.

Madigan opened one eye, fixing it on me, pleading with me to act. Ivan too had his gaze locked on me as he pried the weaker arm loose, a smile creeping across his face. I trembled, the only idea I had twisting my innards.

I grabbed Ivan’s head and plunged my thumbs into his eyeballs. He tossed his head from side to side, growling in pain, but I gripped onto him harder. And harder. Screaming, I summoned my strength and forced my thumbs in deep, penetrating through the squishy globes with a pop , blood and goo erupting from his sockets. Ivan shrieked, a noise that shook me to my core. With one of his mammoth fists, he lashed out, sending me hurtling. Then, gripping onto Madigan’s arm, he threw himself backward, slamming Madigan into the ground, pinning him beneath his colossal weight. A splatter of blood issued from Madigan’s mouth.

Ivan stood, raising a quivering hand to his eyes, before turning his head in my direction, blind, but still sensing me. He then turned to Madigan, who lay at his feet, groggily stirring.

He’s deciding who to kill first.

“Come on then, you big ugly fucker!” I called, though my voice was raspy from where Ivan had choked me. “Not so tough now, are you? Blinded by a girl !”

With a growl, Ivan advanced, towering above me, his face a horrifying mess as crimson dripped down his cheeks. I took what I believed to be my final breath, saying a silent prayer that I’d bought Madigan enough time to get up.

Ivan grabbed the side of my head in his monstrous hand, and before I could even utter a noise, he hurled me into the ground with a crack that echoed in my ears, something hot and wet pooling beneath the side of my face, the taste of metal and dirt coating my tongue.

Darkness.

I’ve died...

“Ava!”

Weird... That sounds like Madigan... Is he dead, too?

“Ava! Move! Now!” It was definitely Madigan’s voice. I prised my eyes open. Madigan was still on the ground, propped on his elbows, his face just recognisable. “MOVE!”

I rolled to one side, flopping onto my back as a fist crashed down, right where my head had been, leaving a crater in its wake. I looked up at Ivan, who drew his arm back for a second blow.

He formed a knife hand, then drove it into my stomach, penetrating through my body as a torrent of blood burst from me.

I stared, unable to register what had happened. Ivan’s fist had disappeared. Buried in my navel. Inside me. Up to his wrist. I coughed, a stream of blood dousing my chest.

“I’ll admit it, Ava Monroe,” Ivan said, leaning down so that his lips brushed my ear, “you’ve got guts .”

Ivan wrenched his hand out of me, sending my entrails splattering across the ground, glistening in the firelight.

I laid back, turning to look at Madigan. He was barely visible as the world grew dark. His blood-soaked face tracked with tears, a hand reaching out towards me. I mirrored him, only for Ivan’s boot to come hurtling down onto my arm, shattering the bones. All that remained was a bloody pulp, like a squashed bug.

I failed...

“Ava...” Madigan’s lips were moving, though I couldn’t hear him.

Ivan’s boot was now on my chest, pressing with the slightest force. My ribs bowed, creaking, about to snap. But I just looked at Madigan, determined he’d be the last person I’d see.

I wish I could have saved you... I wish I could try again...

My remaining bones disintegrated, reformed, and pushed themselves to the surface. My surroundings fell away, and I was plunged into darkness. The pain of the transformation merged with my wounds until there was nothing. I had pincers, eight legs, and a stinger, but most importantly, I was whole .

Ivan raised his foot. “What the...?”

He reached down, feeling for a body that was no longer there. He bowed his head, listening, smelling, but unable to detect me. Rising, he turned his head to Madigan. “Where is she?”

Madigan was kneeling, one hand pressed to his ribs, blood soaking through his white shirt, but shakily got to his feet.

“I don’t know,” he said, nose wrinkled into an expression of revulsion as he surveyed his former master. “And if you think I’d tell you, you’re more deranged than Dominic.”

That was all the time I needed. I pounced, attaching myself to Ivan’s boot with my hook-like feet, and charged, climbing up his leg.

Ivan strode up to Madigan, grabbing him by the collar and drew him in close. Madigan bit back a snarl of pain as Ivan jerked him about, and now I sensed that one of his ribs was protruding through a rip in his shirt.

I scrambled up Ivan’s torso.

“I said, where the fuck is she, Leonard!” Ivan shook the smaller man, whose composure finally slipped as he roared in agony.

“Go... fuck... yourself...” Madigan spat blood into Ivan’s face.

I was on Ivan’s neck, and at last, he felt my presence. He released Madigan, and with the back of his fingers, swatted me away. I fell but clung onto the fabric of his shirt before I could drop to the ground.

A bead of sweat rolled down the giant’s neck. “What’s that?” Even through the vibrations of his voice, I could sense his panic.

I charged once more.

“No! Get off!” His fingernails barely scraped my back as I reached his chin. I had to act now. My stinger arched, barb struck, and connected between his upper lip and his nose, pumping venom.

He screamed. For a horrifying moment, I thought I’d fall into his gaping mouth, but he smacked me away, sending me flying into the abyss below. The fall felt like an eternity. I was certain I’d die on impact as the ground raced up to meet me...

I plopped on the ground, and with ease, scrabbled to my feet, feeling no more pain than some slight bruising.

Ivan staggered, his feet moving erratically as I dodged them, his roars of anguish overwhelming my senses, his thundering feet making the ground quake. He’d trample me if I wasn’t careful. It wasn’t safe for me to remain in this state. I wished to become human again, but unlike the previous attempts, nothing happened.

Shit!

Ivan lumbered closer, his enormous foot inches from me. I scuttled away, by no matter how fast I moved, the distance I put between myself and the monster was negligible.

Ivan’s foot was about to come crashing down on top of me. I had to shift!

Please, let me be human! Please!

My body sluggishly responded, quivering for a microsecond before transforming, and I found myself squatting on the floor, limbs aching, head pounding, panting for breath.

Ivan, clutching at his ruined, tortured face, tripped over me, barely missing the ring of fire that still raged around us. Meanwhile, Madigan was still holding the wound to his ribs, but lumbered to my side, standing over Ivan. Steeling himself, he released his hold on his side, seized the monster’s collar with bloody hands, and with a frenzied outcry, dragged Ivan, head first, into the fire, pinning his writhing body to the ground.

I clambered onto Ivan’s legs, not giving him a single chance to make an escape. Ivan screamed, sealing his fate.

I scrunched up my eyes, clinging to his legs as they grew weaker, the scent of burning flesh making me wretch, acid blistering my throat, and it was only now I realised hot, salty tears soaked my face. And still, I clung on, until finally, Ivan twitched, and stopped moving. I raised my head, squinting through the flames, bracing myself for the likes of Dominic or Jacob to come to their master’s aid.

My mouth fell open at the sight of all out carnage. Bodies lying in pools of blood, their limbs spread out at awkward angles, bones protruding out of gaping wounds. Screams filled the air, some shrieks of pain, others the unmistakable wails of loss. A figure ran past, blood-soaked and dirty, almost unrecognisable, her hair matted, lacerations across her face, and the usual glimmer that surrounded her had vanished. Latisha.

“Ivan is dead!” she said in a raised, authoritative voice over the din. “It’s over! Ivan is dead!”