Angels and Hunters (Stoker Sisters 2) (20 page)

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Her heart stopped. Just as sure as if Skars had staked her, drained her of her blood and left her to turn to dust. Every fiber of her being died as Sadie watched Ashwin give his heart, so easily, so freely, so completely to Delilah. His love for her was undeniable and definitely not that of siblings.

“Sadie,” Keegan said again. “You okay?”

She couldn’t even bring herself to nod. She’d been just moments from giving him everything in those few passionate embraces. She’d envisioned a life with him, in his manor, and now his embraces were meant for another.

She wanted to hate Delilah, but couldn’t. After all, what man could truly resist such a phenomenal woman?

Keegan pulled her into his arms, helping to push the pain back of Ashwin’s betrayal. Yes, she thought with consolation, she had Keegan’s love and that was something she could cling to.

“I’m here for you, Sadie,” Keegan went on. “I’ll always be here for you.”

He gave her a tight squeeze and set a gentle kiss to her temple.

Sadie wanted to shake the pain away; wanted to embrace Keegan’s word of reassurance, but she simply wasn’t ready for that yet. Give me a moment, she wanted to tell him. Give me a minute to allow all that has happened to sink in.

Sadie sunk her face into Keegan’s chest, willing the painful image of Ashwin’s passionate kiss of Delilah to disappear. Gideon the Destroyer… yet here he was being gentler and more loving than she’d ever seen him. It was too much to bear.

“It’s okay, my sweet Sadie,” Keegan hushed into her hair. “Lean on me.”

Her arms snaked around him and she finally found the strength to squeeze him back. “I can’t believe I was so stupid,” she muttered, feeling all the more idiotic as the words spilled from her tongue. Stupid, stupid, stupid, that’s what she was.

“You’re beautifully innocent and enchantingly naïve, but far, far from stupid.” Keegan pushed her away and held her at arms’ length. “You're a loving and compassionate woman who allowed herself to be taken in by a man who some believe to be the original Casanova. He played you artfully and you were at his mercy. Don’t hate yourself for that. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“And what of your intentions,” Sadie said, her voice quick to take on an accusatory tone as Alexis came into view. “Ashwin played us against the other, and you’ve done no better.”

Fresh blood still drizzled off the end of the stake Alexis held in her hand. Pride played in her eyes, while a curious gaze took in the happenings.

“Sadie,” Keegan said quietly. “I love you both, differently. I came to know both of you at the same time, and while I’ll admit to a few moments of doubt and confusion, I know my heart truly lies in your hands. It is you that I think about all the time; you that I so terribly want to be with every moment of every day.”

“You say that now…”

“Yes, now because I realized, from the moment I saw you in Ashwin’s arms, just how much I love you. You mean more to me than my own life. Doesn’t the fact that I’m out here tonight prove that? I put my hatred of vampires aside and found myself fighting alongside your sister and mentor.”

Beyond everything, in that moment Sadie needed to believe him. She pulled in closer and clung to him as she reached up to capture his lips with hers. “I knew it was you I was meant to be with all along,” she whispered. Her lips were aflame as she kissed him more passionately, realizing just how true those words were. “I tried to bury the pain of your love for Alexis by convincing myself I belonged with Ashwin, but it was always you… You in the back of my mind, you in my heart.”

Keegan let out a gentle groan as he heated the embrace by deepening his kiss.

“What the…?” Alexis shouted.

Sadie glanced at her sister. The pride has disappeared and was taken over by complete confusion and anger. “I just risked my life for you and you turn around and…”

It was easy to recognize just how furious Alexis was. Her fists were white, her eyes red and her lips pulled back baring her teeth. “You’ve never care about me, Sadie, just yourself. Take Ashwin. Take Keegan. For crying out loud, why don’t you just take my life while you're at it?”

Before Sadie could say a word, Alexis turned her gaze to Ashwin and Delilah. A distinctive look of disgust played over her features as she looked upon her fallen mentor. The disgust turned to disdain when her eyes then settled on Ashwin.

“You’re all a bunch of pathetic losers,” she muttered. “The Ancients are nothing but an older and more tired generation of vampires. Delilah’s dead? Well, isn’t that just as it should be? If she was too weak to fight… To hell with all of you.”

Chapter 19

A
s Alexis took in the dismal turn of events, she noticed a shadow lurking not far away, preparing to turn the night even deadlier. So caught up in their cozy embraces, both couples hardly noticed the danger they suddenly found themselves in.

Before Alexis could shout out a warning, Skars swooped down on Keegan. His head clearly not on another battle, Keegan fell easily to the ground. But what really sparked Alexis’ anger was seeing Sadie fall roughly to the sand.

“It’s time you paid for your treason, Hunter,” Skars spat. He reared his head and roared into the night. “You dare defy me after all I’ve done, after I’ve granted you immortality. You owe your very life to me, yet you spit on the opportunity to serve the strongest vampire who ever walked the earth. I might come to comprehend Ashwin and Delilah’s betrayal, but you? You made a pact, Hunter, an ironclad pact.”

Keegan got to his feet and wiped the sand from his mouth with the back of his hand. Anger and determination splashed across his face. “Is that what brought you to kill Dr. Franz? Did you deliberately make it look like some amateur vampire job, when all along it was you?”

Skars sneered.

“Why?”

“He took too much space in your life and I needed your loyalty to me to be absolute. He had to go.”

“You're a selfish and conceited…”

“Yes. I don’t expect you to understand the intricacies of vampire domination. That is why you are the Hunter and I’m the Gatherer, which is why I also have to remove the two rather charming Stoker sisters from your life. While their distraction is quite understandable, it is not acceptable.”

“How dare you,” Keegan shouted, his anger taking control.

“You need to be reminded who you are pledged to, Hunter,” Skars shouted with fervor.

Keegan charged Skars, his eyes bulging with rage, his fists tightly secured about two stakes. He managed to thrust one deep into Skars’ left arm, rendering the vampire temporarily incapacitated, but the reprieve was short lived.

Skars returned to throw Keegan to the ground, shoving his face deep into the sand. 

Spitting and struggling to keep his eyes open, Keegan fought to stay atop the increasingly violent battle.  Skars refused to relent, kicking Keegan in the belly, ensuring the young hunter remained on the ground.

“I’ll make an example of you and the world will know not to turn their back on Agar the Gatherer.” Easily overpowering Keegan, Skars pinned him to the ground, grinned in victory and sunk his fangs deep into Keegan’s vulnerable neck.

By the time Alexis reached him, Sadie close at her side, much of Keegan’s blood had been drained and his life hung by a thread. Sadie quickly wrapped her arm around Skars’ neck, choking him while Alexis punched and kicked him.

Only once Alexis had Skars secured and in control did Sadie leave him to go to Keegan’s aid. Was she too late?

Chapter 20

T
hough fighting off Skars was vital, Alexis wanted desperately to be the one holding Keegan, bringing him back to life. Seeing him at death’s door made the love she felt for him all the more evident. She needed him and would do anything to save him.

For a brief moment, she let her guard down as she watched her sister, Keegan’s head in her lap. That brief moment was enough to allow Skars a serious blow to the back of her head. The stars in the sky paled in comparison to the stars that now played before her eyes.

If Skars had been able to get the best of Delilah, as trained, experienced and strong as she was, it was no wonder he now came to her so easily. He struck her with a vengeance, sending more stars swirling about her head. With difficulty, she shook off the wave of dizziness that tried to gain control and found the strength to fight again.

As she fought, thoughts of her mentor plagued her. For all she relished being the rebel, she did care about Delilah. Could Skars have taken the life of the woman who’d meant so much to her for so long, the woman who seemed indestructible?

She struck Skars with a stiff blow to his jaw, her peripheral focus entirely on Ashwin as he struggled to bring Delilah back to life. Despite his diligent feeding of his blood through her lax lips, Delilah still showed no sign of life.

Alexis’ anger spurred on even more, she threw all her weight, as slight as it might be, onto Skars’ back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck while raising her stake high. She would kill him, she thought with bloodlust. She had to kill him once and for all.

As determined as she was, she still couldn’t maintain a strong hold of him and he threw her off his back with ease.

Alexis, what do I do?

The voice was distant, vague and weak. The voice was coming through…like Delilah’s had, penetrating through all thoughts.

Alexis, help me. He’ll die…

She finally realized the plaintive and helpless voice was that of Sadie. She glanced back, saw the deathly white pallor of his face and knew Sadie contemplated turning him.

What do I do?  I can’t just let him go…

Alexis didn’t know what to do either. Her heart wanted to tell Sadie to save him at all costs, but…

Before she could respond to Sadie’s cry for help, Alexis was torn from the earth and jerked high into the air. The cold, clammy hand of Skars held her tight while his acrid breath filled her ears.

Sadie was too preoccupied with Keegan to help. Her mentor was at death’s door. No one could help her and Alexis knew there was little she could do to battle the strength of this Ancient.

“I love you, Sadie,” she whispered just seconds before her world disappeared and she was teleported to a whole other sphere with Skars.

Epilogue

“
L
et go of me, you idiot leech,” Alexis shouted into the vacuum that seemed to envelope her.

“You know that will never happen,” Skars said, his voice sure and confident. “I know you all too well. With Sadie so preoccupied with Keegan, and Delilah, whether dead or alive, entrenched far into the heart of Ashwin, there is no place for you in that mortal’s world. I know of the heartache you now suffer. I know of the pain you’ve endured. And I know that I am the one who can deliver you from that pain and suffering.”

“You have no idea what I’m about. And what do you know of pain other than ensuring everyone around you aches and suffers at your hand?”

“You’ve allowed a few unfortunate rumors to sully your opinion of me. Seems not so long ago you were all too eager to become one with me.”

“You're sadly mistaken. I may have once fantasized escaping the dull routine and drudgery of vampirism in California, but my place is not with you, not then and not now. Release me now and let me get back to where I belong.”