Beautiful Monster-The Exchange (7 page)

Then Lev saw it. The thing Boris had pointed at moments
ago and had threatened to squish between his fingers. It was a tiny golden orb,
and it began to spin. As it spun, it grew larger and larger until it nearly
reached him where he lay. Lev stretched out an arm, trying in vain to touch it.

Boris’s mouth was on his jugular. He sucked and slurped
and groaned with pleasure. A tiny sound came and died in Lev’s throat as his
world began to dim once again. He had to make it to the portal. Boris, he knew,
would stop feeding in time to turn him. Then he’d be nothing more than a lapdog
for this narcissistic demon. He couldn’t let his mind wander to the unending
hell that life with Boris would be. He may look like Alexei, but Boris wouldn’t
let him get away with the things his brother did. Boris would make a devil of
him.

An overturned vase caught Lev’s eye. It lay just inches
away and was smashed to pieces. He slumped down further, an easy task, and
stretched with every ounce of strength he could muster, until his fingers found
a shard. Although it bit into his flesh, he wrapped his hand around it and
brought it up with a burst of energy, catching Boris in the soft spot under his
chin.

The ceramic shiv slid in easily now that Boris’s skin
had changed from thick and leathery to soft and supple. He jerked away and let
out an ear-splitting roar, his eyes catching Lev’s.

The shiv hadn’t done much damage, and Boris would heal
quickly, but it did buy Lev some time—just enough to began his crawl toward the
portal. Its golden light was bright and stung his now-human eyes. The room
whirled like a top. Was it the spinning portal or the blood loss? Lev was less
than a foot away. All he had to do was touch it; even just a fingertip would
do, then he’d be pulled through. Somehow he
knew
this.

A hand wrapped around his ankle like a vise and began to
drag him back. Lev’s heart beat as quickly as a bird’s. It pumped and pumped,
leaving a crimson smear as he was reeled back to Boris. All hope dying as he
saw the portal grow smaller and more distant.

Suddenly, Lev was on his feet, but he was as light as
air. It was as if he had his abilities back, though he knew he didn’t. This was
different. He looked at his hands, but saw only mist in the shape of hands. He
checked what he could, his legs, his arms, his feet—all seemingly made of mist.
The air currents in the room sucked him higher and higher until he hovered near
the ceiling. He watched as Boris tore into the flesh of some poor sod’s neck.
Then a shiver of knowing flooded him—it wasn’t
some
poor sod. It was
him! But where was the panic? Where was the pain?

“This way!” a voice from behind him called. He
recognized it instantly. Now he had eyes to see, and they weren’t the eyes of a
mere mortal. They were the eyes of his soul.

Carly stood in the center of the portal, which slowed
and stretched out in front of him like a tunnel. She held out a hand, and he
hurried to her on feet that seemed to glide. When fingertip touched fingertip,
he was beside her instantly.

“You waited?” he said and gathered her into his arms. He
still had form but it was not made of flesh, bone, and blood.

“I watched and I hoped.” She pointed behind her, deeper
into the tunnel. Lev saw a throng of people, some he recognized, and others
looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place them. “They told me what happened.
Nothing gets past them,” Carly said.

Lev was mystified.

She explained, “They’re our guardians, but I call them
the Watchers.” She smiled and it made Lev smile. Then he kissed her and pulled
her tight.

As the portal began to close, the last thing he saw was
his brother’s face peering at him—bewilderment and disappointment written all
over it.

Death had found Lev after all.

THE END