AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jack, no!” I shouted, scrambling to my feet again. My knees threatened to give out on me, but I stayed upright long enough to see Jackson’s body go flying into the side of a parked pickup truck. His back hit the metal box on the side of the bed with a loud crack and he dropped to the ground, unmoving.
“Jack!” I gasped, lurching forward.
The doppelganger stepped between us. “I told you once that you were a curse on this world. Viktor died because of you. Nadia died because of you. Your parents—”
“Shut up!” I shouted. “Just leave us alone.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to kill your precious husband,” the doppelganger said as red energy rippled over its face. The body blurred and shrunk. Its clothes shifted into the same black outfit I had on, and its face resolved into a mirror image of my own. Except she was smiling. “You don’t deserve the life you have. So, I’m gonna take it.”
“He’ll know you’re not me,” I said, flexing my fingers, desperate for some magic.
“Oh, you’d be surprised at what I can do,” she said, chuckling in a perfect approximation of my voice. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve imagined killing you. I’ve thought of a thousand and one spells to put you through absolute hell.”
My eyes shifted to the ground where Jackson still lay unmoving. “Fine. Give it your best shot.”
“It’s funny you should say that, because I realized a couple days ago that I don’t want to use magic to kill you. Not exactly.” She pulled a gun from her waistband and leveled it at me. “I want you to die like a human.”
I blinked and she pulled the trigger.
16
Three Strikes
Three things happened simultaneously. The doppelganger fired her gun, Jackson grabbed her wrist, throwing himself in front of the bullet, and lightning cracked across the sky.
The shot rang in my ears. An icy shard of panic pierced my heart, and the world fell into slow motion as Jackson’s knees gave out and he started to fall. The doppelganger pulled away and fired a second shot into his chest.
A scream ripped from my throat, “No!”
The rain fell and another lightning bolt shot across the sky. But instead of disappearing, it froze like a jagged neon scar across the clouds. My hands lifted, my fingers flexed, and magic surged through my body with explosive strength. It erupted from my chest and slammed into the doppelganger’s hand.
The metal of the gun turned bright red and burst into a thousand bloody silver shards sparkling like glitter across the road. My energy ricocheted off the buildings, and Jackson was pushed to the ground by the shockwave.
Time snapped back into place and the doppelganger hissed. “You bitch, how did you do that?”
“I’ll kill you for hurting him!” The storm raged inside me and across the sky.
Her eyes widened and she took a step back, cradling her hand against her chest. “Maybe so, but for now this is enough.”
The doppelganger made a quick gesture through the air beside her and a new, bright red teleportation rift split open. She stepped sideways and disappeared in a flash of light.
The moment she vanished, my energy dropped drastically, and my knees wobbled. The muted sound of blood rushing through my ears blotted out the rain, but I could still hear one name running on repeat through my mind: Jackson.
I staggered back to where he laid limp on the ground and collapsed at his side. The sight of his pale face and closed eyes made my heart stop.“Jack! Jack, look at me, open your eyes.”
He didn’t stir.
“Come on, Jack. Stay with me,” I whimpered, smacking him on the cheeks. Twin patches of blood had spread across his shirt.
“Rebekah,” he groaned. “You have to save Ingrid.”
I shook my head and shrugged off my jacket. The rain poured over my shoulders,soaking into the fabric as I wadded it against his wounds.“She’s dead. You’re more important. You’re alive. You, I can save, just stay with me.”
“You can’t touch me. Your visions,” he grunted trying to sit up.
“No, no, stay put. If you move, you’ll make it worse.” I squinted around us in the darkness. We were so close to Bourbon Street, but the rain had driven everyone inside. “I…I…I can shield us long enough for you to heal.”
“I’m not healing, Bex. They’re silver bullets. I can feel it,” he said. His voice was barely audible over the rain.
