Page 55 of Before We Burn

“They loved you until your time expired. Now choose to let it go, or we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

I press the knife harder into her throat, a trickle of warm blood sliding down my knife onto my hand. But she doesn’t stop, doesn’t even flinch. She just keeps talking.

“You’re more powerful than other vampires, right? The sun doesn’t hurt you like it does Constantine and Bunny. UV bullets don't affect you the same way. You can go an extremely long time without feeding and don’t feel weak. How else do you think you’ve been surviving on nothing but those small blood bags?”

For a quick moment I have a lapse in judgement. I lean backward slightly, moving the knife away from her neck and allowing her a chance to escape. She never moves though, staying there, her face calm while I go through my memories. I search for just one to prove her wrong.

“Let go,” she says one more time, but letting go would mean I have to accept that my family allowed this to happen to me. That they gave me up like I meant nothing—like I was nothing.

I tighten my grip on the knife, rage fueling me completely. I put my knife back to her throat and grip her hair at the root, drawing more blood until words I’ve never heard before—in a language I don’t know—echo in my head.

My head spins, and I feel like I’m suddenly falling. Nothing but darkness surrounds me until I stand in the middle of a dark room. It looks like a bedroom that belongs to a teenage girl, boasting broken trinkets, pictures lining the walls, a desk with an old computer, and a bed filled with decorative pillows and stuffed animals.

Lightning strikes outside, illuminating the room. Nadiya stands across from me, her face riddled with sadness as her eyes travel over the belongings discarded here.

“You were so young—too young.” Nadiya’s voice comes out in a hushed whisper.

I swallow deeply as I move to the desk, picking up a picture of what looks like me and an older woman. Birthday cards stand next to it, all of them wishing me a Happy Eighteenth Birthday. I shake my head; I can’t be one of the ones turned too young. I refuse to believe it.

Nadiya steps closer to me, seeming apologetic. “I’m sorry, Marzana. You’re very strong, and I’m going to give this everything I have. Brace yourself, because this is going to hurt.”

I’m about to object, but before I know it, Nadiya bites so deep into my neck I scream out in pain, knowing there is no one coming to save me.

22

KNOCKING ON DEATHS DOOR

EVERETT

One second Marz was there, the next she was gone. My reaction was delayed, because I didn’t think what I saw was real. Vampires usually can’t shift like that—there is usually a warning or a smell beforehand—but when Nadiya did it, it seemed as effortless as blinking.

“Bring her back,” I say, gently at first. The shock of what happened caused me to seem calmer than I feel. But when everyone just stands there holding their dicks, I scream, “Bring her back. Now!”

A laugh cuts through the agonizing silence, and I follow the sound to an arrogant Ciro. His arms are spread over the top of the couch, his body relaxed. “She’s fine, human. Nadiya wouldn’t hurt any of her kin. It’s honestly one of her biggest flaws, if I’m honest. I think slaughtering all of them would be very beneficial for her mental health.” He pauses for a moment, reaching for his drink and sipping the red liquid. “Well, they’re all already dead. It’s really just Marzana, now.”

I don’t like his tone, and I don’t like being laughed at. I slip my hands into my pockets and wiggle my fingers into the silver brass knuckles I found at that safe house. Once they’re secure on my fingers, I charge him.

He must’ve thought I wasn’t a threat, because I’m able to spring on him fast enough to punch him about eight times before Benny, and some deathly pale guy I hadn’t seen yet, appears and pulls us apart.

I smile at Ciro, who morphed into his vampiric form. His fangs hang low, and his face is being consumed by black veins protruding from his face. I did a number on him. The Argentium Silver had burned flesh from his bones, exposing the muscles in his cheeks. My hands are covered in his blood as I wave at him.

“You fucking humans! Always knocking on death’s door.” Ciro spits blood onto the floor as the pale guy sits down with a huff and Gray joins him.

“Where’s Marz? If someone doesn’t give me an answer, the other pretty boy is next.” I point to the pale one sitting next to Gray.

He doesn’t seem to take the threat seriously and laughs. “Hey, easy. I’m Malcolm, and I’m also sick of Ciro’s shit.”

I furrow my brows, confused why this was all being taken so lightly. I want to fucking kill Ciro. I want to take all of his arrogance and shove it down his throat until he’s begging me to stop.

I try to charge again, but Benny throws me backward with a warning look. “Relax, Ev. You’re not going to get answers if you keep trying to kill everyone.”

I want to scream at him, at everyone. No one is worried, only me. Gray stands again, her beauty enchanting but not enough to distract me from the fact that my fucking girl was taken.

“If you don’t calm down, the first one to die is Benny.” Gray says it so casually I know she doesn’t want to kill anyone, but will.

Benny groans and grabs me by my shoulders, excusing us as everyone else relaxes. Bunny is giggling in a corner, so I doubt I would’ve successfully killed anyone, and that pisses me off even more. We walk past tables full of vampires, their eyes tracking us, and I can’t help the cocky grin that spreads across my face. I’m looking for a fight, and what better way than to bait easy prey. They don’t budge, though some of them bare their teeth while others hiss. Once we are far enough away from the group, Benny stands awkwardly by me, his eyes judgemental but understanding. I can tell there’s something he wants to say, but we were never good at talking. We were always told words mean nothing if the man in front of you doesn’t respect you.

I pace back and forth, my mind wandering into a deep abyss of anger. Marz is gone, Benny is being a dick, and Ciro—fucking Ciro.