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Barden shook his head. “You think to surrender yourself to us, child? We will not show you mercy for offering your blood.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” Julia said, and she grabbed her arm, smearing blood across her skin.
The younger vampire grinned and grabbed her arm.
“I saw it in a movie,” Julia said, looking at Cara, and then she screamed as he sank his teeth into her arm.
Barden laughed. “Then you will die because of a movie.”
Quinn was on her feet again, clutching her body like something was broken. “We won’t die here.”
“Why not?” Barden said.
Quinn pointed to Cara, and Barden turned as she got to her feet.
Cara threw out her arms and twin streams of fire shot towards him. He dodged, but the flames caught his sleeve, and he stumbled away, trying to put out the fire. Cara rushed at the vampire clinging to Julia, and she grabbed his shirt, pouring magic through her hand.
Fire exploded and he was thrown back, and she lifted her hands. The flames expanded and consumed him. He screamed and fell to the floor, writhing and slapping at his skin, but the supernatural fire refused to be extinguished, and Cara poured her power into them until he stopped moving.
Barden ripped off his jacket and hurled it away from himself, and the smouldering fabric landed on the floor.
He turned to Cara and rushed her. He moved in a blur, faster than any vampire she had ever seen, and Cara let it happen. He was too old, too powerful, and she couldn’t fight him like the others. The stakes were useless now, and throwing a fireball wouldn’t save her.
He collided with her like a train and her bones broke. She didn’t even know which ones. Healing magic flooded her, keeping her alive, and he slammed her against the stone floor. More pain, more damage, and she pulled on the deepest recesses of her power. She had to live because she had to win. Her friends needed her.
His teeth flashed as he bared his fangs to bite. She didn’t pull away. She grabbed him and flooded her skin with magic. She had healed herself hundreds of times, but this time, she didn’t heal.
Fire consumed her, covering her skin, and they both screamed. Her magic healed her while she burned, but he kept burning. His body was stronger than most vampires, but she gave all her strength to the flames, and his screams got louder. Her fire swept over his skin and his clothes, burning through his hair and his body.
He finally pushed her off, and he hurled her across the room. She hit something hard and pain lanced through her body. Barden flailed and screamed, but her fire was stronger than his healing, and he was on his knees, still screaming.
The flames died as he went silent, and she didn’t look at him. She knew he was gone. Warmth spread through her body, and the pain in her back slowly faded, replaced by that familiar stiffness that always followed a healing.
Cara slowly lifted her head, and she saw the pile of ash. They continued to smoulder quietly, and pale smoke rose from them. When it was over, there was nothing but silence and the smell of burnt ash in the air.
***
Chapter 67 - Nick
Nick tried to stand, but his body wasn’t listening to him. His neck was wet and warm, and he didn’t look down. He pushed himself across the floor towards Brett.
“That’s a lot of blood,” Brett said. He was pressed up against some kind of invisible barrier, the perimeter of the rune prison he was trapped in.
Nick tried to reply, but his words failed, and he could barely manage a sound.
“Nick? Talk to me, man. Say something.”
Nick groaned.
“Don’t think that was an actual word, but I’ll take it.”
Nick dragged himself to the edge of the ward circle surrounding Brett.
“You can’t die, Nick. I can’t lose you.”
Nick reached out with one blood-covered hand, and energy flowed into his skin until the runes went dark. He felt a boost in his strength, but it didn’t do much to help the pain in his body.
Brett dropped to his knees and pulled Nick against him. Nick groaned his protest, but Brett ignored him.
