chapter 22
Liam froze in the middle of the crowd. The people dancing bumped and jostled into him but he didn’t notice. He spotted Mike making his way back toward where Liam had left Sera. David was cutting across the floor toward him.
“Excuse me.”
Liam ignored the young girl as his eyes snapped toward where Sera had been. His heart leapt into his throat as an all consuming sense of urgency enveloped him. He shoved through the crowd, ignoring the startled cries and angry looks shot his way. “Where is she?” he demanded.
Mike and David turned toward him in surprise. “She was here with Jack,” Mike said.
“Where is she now!?” he spat.
“Hey Liam, calm down...”
He spun away from David and opened himself to her presence. Nothing but darkness encompassed him. Panic sent his heart racing as the beast burst forth. “Holy shit!” Mike yelled. “Not here Liam! Not here!”
He shook off their hands as he shoved his way through the crowd. He could smell her blood. He knocked someone to the ground in his haste. “Hey!” they shouted.
Liam burst out of the crowd as he followed the scent of her blood to the sunroom. “Jack!”
Mike and David shoved past him as they ran to Jack’s side. They grabbed hold of his arms and shook him forcefully. Liam stepped out of the shattered windows and into the snowy night. His eyes rapidly scanned the horizon as he searched for any sign of her presence. There was no movement within the shadows of the still forest, but he could still feel her.
“Get Doug!” he hissed over his shoulder before disappearing into the night.
***
Sera woke slowly, her head ached unbelievably and there was an awful metallic taste in her mouth. She swallowed heavily. Her jaw and cheek hurt, but it was nothing compared to the stabbing pain in her skull. She moaned softly as she rolled onto her side.
“Sleeping beauty’s awake.”
Sera stifled a groan as she recognized the haunting, cold voice. A hand brushed over her forehead and stroked her hair away. She scuttled away from the touch as her eyes flew open. Agony shot through her battered skull as she blinked against the dim light. Beth knelt before her, a small, hate filled smile on her beautiful, blurry face.
“I see my boys were a little too rough on you. I’m sorry about that.”
Sera swallowed heavily as she closed her eyes. The pain was slowly beginning to subside. She put her hands beneath her and shoved herself into a sitting position; a small moan escaped her as she fell backward. Thankfully, a cool, hard wall braced her. She slumped against it, breathing shallowly as she allowed the chill of the wall to ease the fierce pain in her head.
She opened her eyes again. They were in a small cave with jagged rock walls. A small fire danced in the center of the cave; Beth sat on the other side of it, studying her with a bemused smile. Sera’s gaze drifted past her to the long tunnel that led out. Even with her enhanced vision, she couldn’t see the end of it.
The three men behind Beth were half hidden in the shadows that played across the walls. Their arms were folded over their chests as they stared at her with reddened eyes. “Can we keep her?” one asked.
Sera’s heart leapt painfully as a lump of fear formed in her throat. “Maybe,” Beth replied absently. She knew that no matter what, Beth was not going to let her leave this cave alive. She tilted her chin defiantly as she met Beth’s hostile gaze. Beth smiled chillingly as her eyes flashed with hatred. “Maybe not.”
“She would be fun to play with,” another said.
“Oh trust me boys, we will be playing,” Beth assured. “But not yet. First we have to wait for lover boy.”
Fury suffused Sera; it burned through her veins and gave her the strength to move. She climbed unsteadily to her feet, her gaze locked upon Beth’s as she leaned against the wall. “That’s part of the reason why I went back for him, why I changed him. One of the best I ever had. Then, he left me.”
“Do you blame him?” Sera managed to grate out.
Beth’s eyes flashed as a cruel smile twisted her face. “Then, he found you. I’ve always heard about the soul mate thing, I personally never believed in it, but I guess it is true. Do you know that if you die, he dies? If he dies, you die?”
Sera tilted her chin defiantly as Beth moved slowly around the fire. “You go insane if you do not immediately die,” she continued. “I wonder what happens when you witness the death of the other?”
Some of Sera’s defiance melted as a wave of cold terror washed through her. Her heart seemed to stop beating as her chest constricted. She couldn’t bear to have anything happen to Liam. Her legs began to tremble, and it was only sheer willpower that kept them beneath her. Beth’s eyes were gleaming as she stopped before Sera.
“Maybe I’ll just keep you alive, and make him do whatever I want in order to keep you that way.”
“I would rather be dead,” Sera hissed.
Beth’s laugh was chilling as she reached out to stroke Sera’s cheek. Sera glared hatefully down at her as she jerked her face away. “I could probably even force him to make love to me, and make you watch.”
The new demon inside her burst instantly free as she lunged forward. Sera managed to hook her fingers into Beth’s shirt and claw into her skin as a haze of red clouded her vision. Beth snarled viciously and ripped free of Sera’s grasp as hands seized her throat. Sera choked and struggled violently as she was hauled against a solid chest.
Beth panted heavily as one of the men cradled her throat within his firm grasp. “You are so lucky that I want you alive for this!” Beth spat.
Sera went limp in the man’s hold, but he didn’t release her. She panted heavily as she tried to think of a way that she could get herself out of this mess before Liam arrived. She had no doubt that he would come for her, but she couldn’t risk losing him, and these monsters were so much stronger than he was, so much crueler.
Fear suddenly surged through her. Her breath froze in her lungs as her head jerked up. “No,” she breathed.
Beth flashed a grin as she turned around. “He’s here.”
Sera kicked and spit furiously as she renewed her struggle. “Stay still little girl!” her captor hissed in her ear. “Or I’ll snap you like a twig.”
“Liam no!” Sera screamed.
A blast of fury ripped into her skull. Sera went limp as Liam’s presence invaded her mind, and soul. She whimpered as panic, and rage, chilled her from the inside out. Tears instantly began to slide down her cheeks. He was alone, she knew that. He had come alone, and he was going to die. He couldn’t beat them. Not alone.
Please go away, she pleaded silently. Please.
He didn’t go away, but appeared within the tunnel of the cave. Her heart leapt into her throat as his gaze fell upon her, red and livid. For a moment, his eyes flickered, and the brilliant green of them blazed forth. His eyes returned to a vibrant ruby color as they landed upon the man that held her. His face twisted into a furious snarl, and a vein in his forehead jumped forth as his jaw clenched fiercely.
“Hello lover,” Beth taunted.
Anger rushed through her as possessiveness swept her like a tsunami. She stiffened in the man’s grasp. His hand dug tighter into her neck as his claws pierced her skin. She bit back a cry of pain.
Slowly he turned from her to look at Beth, and the other two men. “Beth,” he growled.
Beth’s smile was slow and taunting as she moved gracefully around the fire. Everything inside of him was screaming at him to destroy and kill everyone here. It was only the thought of Sera that kept him at bay. If he attacked Beth now, he knew the man holding Sera would kill her easily.
“Did you come alone? Not smart lover, not smart,” Beth continued to taunt as she stopped before him.
He glared hatefully at her, but every sense he had was focused upon Sera. Her fear and anger beat at him as she remained still within the man’s grasp. Her silent plea for him to leave was the only thought that he could clearly register from her.
Beth’s eyes sparkled with malice as she took a step forward. “What exactly do you plan to do?” she asked sweetly.
“I plan to kill you,” he grated.
Sera couldn’t suppress a whimper as the hand dug deeper into her throat. The man holding her lifted her so that her toes just barely touched the ground. Liam’s eyes flashed violently. The men in the shadows moved slightly forward. “She’ll be dead before you can move,” Beth said laughingly. “It really makes you mad that he’s touching her, doesn’t it? Holding her? Stroking her?”
Sera whimpered again as the hand tightened upon her and the man nuzzled her neck as he seemed to take some sort of cue from Beth. “She smells sweet,” the man said huskily.
Sera tried to twist her head away, but he held her firmly as he slowly licked her face. She couldn’t see past the red haze clouding her vision as Liam’s rage slammed into her skull. “That really does upset you,” Beth whispered. “Just think about what they’ll do to her when you’re gone.”
His last thread of control snapped. He lunged furiously at Beth. For a moment her eyes widened in surprise, and then fury surged through them as he seized hold of her. She struggled within his grasp, hissing and spitting as he pulled her against him. His hands ripped into her arms, causing blood to flow as she struggled within his grasp.
“Let her go!” he hissed at the man holding Sera as his hand wrapped tightly around Beth’s throat.
The man holding Sera laughed as the other two crept steadily forward. “You’re not going to kill her as long as I have this one. We can survive without Beth, can you say the same?”
Liam dug deeper into Beth’s throat, he wanted to rip her throat out, destroy her; tear her apart. Sera’s eyes were wide and haunting as they fell on him. Her silent plea beat at him, her fear wrapped into him.
His took in the air around him. He could sense his friends. They were coming, but they weren’t close enough. “If I were you, I would let her go before I rip out your girlfriend’s neck,” the man holding Sera warned.
Sera’s gasp snapped his attention back to her. The blood trickling down her throat was a vibrant splash of red against the paleness of her skin. The sight of it tore at him as it clawed into his gut. His hold on Beth involuntarily tightened as his fingers dug into her flesh. Beth spat furiously as Sera gasped loudly and flung herself backward.
The resounding crack that followed momentarily filled her with satisfaction as the brute’s nose gave way beneath the force of her skull. He howled and released her as he reached up to grasp his shattered nose. Sera twisted wildly, braced her feet against his legs, and shoved forward. For a moment he grabbed her again, but then his grasp slipped and she plummeted to the cave floor. Her hands and knees stung from the impact, but she launched herself back to her feet.
Liam had only a moment to react as the other two rushed toward her. He ripped his hand across Beth’s throat. Blood spurted forth, it poured across his hand as she gurgled in horror and her hands flew to her torn windpipe. He shoved Beth aside and leapt over the fire as Sera jumped to her feet.
He grasped hold of her arms and shoved her backwards as one of them reached for her. Sera cried out in surprise as her back connected with the rock wall. She didn’t have time to register anything before Liam was shoved against her. The two monsters were on top of him, clawing and hissing viciously. The one she had wounded had recovered and was coming at them again.
Sera screamed as one of them reached out and slashed at Liam. Blood spurted from his arm and splashed across her face. She struggled to get away so that she could help him, but Liam kept her pinned against the wall as they slashed, and spit, and hissed with fury.
Claws tore at her as the one she had injured reached Liam’s side. She cried out as they ripped through her clothes, tore through her skin, and sliced across her ribcage. Liam howled with fury as he seized hold of the arm and ripped it back. Claws tore into the side of his face, slashing him to the cheekbone; he didn’t seem to notice it as he snapped the arm within his grasp.
A scream of pain echoed through the cavern as the man stumbled back. Liam turned toward the other two, but they were on him. Their teeth snapped as one grasped his neck. Liam seized hold of the hand as the man tried to rip him away from Sera. He clung tightly to the arm as claws sank deep into his throat.
Reaching up, he seized hold of the man’s throat. Blood spurted forth beneath his long claws and poured down his arm. The man left jagged tears across his neck as he jerked back. Blinking against the pain that suffused him, Liam drove a fist straight into his nose and knocked him back a few feet.
Behind him Sera struggled to get free, but he couldn’t let her out. These men would destroy her if he did. The other man reached behind him and seized hold of Sera’s arm. Rage tore through him as he swung back with his free arm and shoved her forcefully into the wall. Sera tore free of the grasp.
Her eyes widened as they landed upon the man clinging to Liam. Fury tore though her. They were going to kill him, she knew it. No matter how fueled he was by anger and love, they were going to kill him. They were too strong, and too many. Something tore inside of her, and a primitive force burst free. She launched herself over Liam’s back as she swung out wildly. She caught the one holding him across the lower jaw and sliced him to the bone.
Liam tried to push her back, but she clung to his shoulder, refusing to back down. If he died, then she died, but she was not going without a fight. Without warning the one holding Liam was ripped away. Sera caught only a glimpse of Mike’s twisted face before his back was turned. David and Doug were suddenly beside her as they pulled the others away. Jack was holding the throat of the one with the broken arm and shattered nose.
Sera slumped forward; relief flowed through her as Liam straightened. She could feel the fury that still raced through his body. His eyes were still ablaze as they settled upon her. A cry of horror escaped as she reached out to stroke his sliced cheek and torn neck. He seized hold of her hand, halting her from touching him.
He released her hand and it fell limply back to her side. His gaze drifted over her, a snarl curved his mouth as his eyes landed upon her torn side. His hands convulsed as he turned away. She knew there would be no reaching him now, not now.
Sera slumped against the wall, her head bent as she inhaled a shuddery breath. Her whole body hurt. Her fingers clutched at the ragged wound in her side. Blood coated her fingers, but beneath that she could feel muscle, and bone. Nausea and weakness rolled through her as she slid to the ground, tired and drained. Black swarmed across her eyes, but she forced it back as she lifted her head to gaze dully at Liam.
He was holding Beth above the ground. She struggled weakly in his grasp as blood soaked her shirt. His claws dug deep as he ripped through flesh and sinew as he tore the life from her. He threw her body aside and turned toward his friends. Their gazes held the same bloodlust that he felt as they stood over the remains of the men.
“Liam.”
Sera’s weak voice dimmed the fury in him as he turned toward her. She was staring at him, her face bloodless and her lips nearly white. Her eyes were dim as she lifted her blood coated hands. His heart froze in his chest as her hands fell to her sides, and she slumped lifelessly to the floor.