Page 88 of Barely Breathing

The glass dome shatters, raining crystallineshards that catch the moon’s blood-red light. I automatically curl into a ball as they break around me. A sharp pain shoots across my leg as a piece lodges into my thigh.

I hold my leg and can’t pick myself up from the floor. The last of my strength is pouring out of the wound. Without the amulet’s protection, every breath is agony. That vital part has been carved out of me. My body is empty. But through the pain, I see Diana standing in a column of light.

Paul wraps his arms around his daughter. The amulet settles against the child’s chest, its magic transforming from a protective barrier into something gentler. The chain shortens to fit her small frame as if it had always been meant for her. Her eyes open, and for a moment, they shine with golden fire. It’s not the destructive rage I felt coming from the dragon, but the ancient finally finding peace.

“What have you done?” In a fury, Elizabeth pushes to her feet. Her perfect façade cracks, showing the terrible monster beneath. “You stupid mortal bitch!”

She launches herself at me, fangs bared. I try to roll away, but my body won’t respond. This is it. This is how I die.

I’m not scared. Not anymore. Diana and Paul are safe. I did what I was meant to do.

Elizabeth comes over me, but a massive blackmass slams into her, driving her back. Blood drips from the wound in his chest and neck, but Thane isn’t dead yet. His jaw snaps at her throat as they crash through a marble column.

More wolves pour in from the tunnel into the old bank, drawn by their Alpha’s pain. The chamber dissolves once more into chaos as supernatural forces clash. Any alliance between the vampires and werewolves is shattered.

Through the mayhem, I see Costin fighting desperately to reach me. Elizabeth’s vampires block his path, sacrificing themselves to slow him down. Even with his supernatural strength, there are too many. Each time he tears through one attacker, two more take their place. His clothes are soaked with battle as he fights his way toward me with increasing desperation.

“Tamara!” His voice carries to me. I see the horror in his eyes as he realizes he won’t make it in time. He knows exactly how vulnerable I am without the amulet’s protection.

A werewolf catches him from behind, massive claws tearing into his back. Costin spins with inhuman speed, but more of Elizabeth’s vampires surge forward. They’re not able to kill him, but they’re keeping him occupied, wearing him down. Even a master vampire has limits.

Through the fray, I see Diana. The amulet’sgolden light wraps around her and Paul like a cocoon. Draakmar’s power protects them as the battle rages. Her innocent eyes meet mine, and in them, I see what we’re all fighting for—not power or prophecies or ancient magics, but the right to choose our own fate. Diana never chose this world, just like I never chose to be born mortal into a magical family. But we can choose what we do with the hand we’re dealt. Her innocence reminds me why some prices are worth paying.

I know my sacrifice is worth it. Worth everything.

I hear a deadly growl and feel hot breath on my neck. Thane towers over me with lips pulled back to reveal gleaming fangs. Without the amulet, there’s nothing to stop him from?—

Pain explodes through my shoulder as teeth tear into my flesh. The stories I’ve heard of werewolf bites have nothing on the actual feeling of the hot venom injecting into my blood. It could be I’m raw after the ritual stripped me of my protection, or maybe there’s something more powerful about an Alpha’s bite.

I scream, the sound raw and primal. The wolf shakes me like a rag doll, flinging me back and forth on the marble floor. I hear my muscle tear from bone. Blood streaks across the marble floor. The physical pain is beyond anythingI’ve ever felt—beyond the labyrinth trials, beyond having Draakmar’s power ripped away.

The wolf releases me, and I’m a crumpled mass on the floor. My blood feels like fire in my veins. The bite of a werewolf is usually fatal to humans. I’ve always known this. But this is worse. The magic pulled from me has left me hollow, and now wolf venom races through my empty channels, burning everything in its path.

“No!” Costin’s roar shakes the chamber. He tears through the last of his attackers, leaving a trail of ash in his wake. But Elizabeth appears between us, her perfect face twisted with hate. She weaves on her feet. The magic she tried to steal has left her. The ritual was not completed.

“You can’t save her, brother.” She gives a cruel laugh even in her defeat. “Now you will know what it is like to lose everything. Your precious mortal who hates what we are, who’s fought so hard to stay human. She’s either going to turn or die. Which do you think would be worse? Loving a feral wolf the council won’t let you touch, or loving a corpse? I must admit, seeing your agony either way will be delicious.”

Thane pants, each breath an angry rumble. He lunges at Elizabeth, but this time she’s ready. She bares her fangs, and her nails plunge into his neck. The Alpha howls in agony.

I can’t focus. The werewolf venom burns through me like acid. Someone lifts my head. I know it’s Costin before I see him. His cool touch is heaven against my fevered skin.

“Stay with me,” he begs. “Don’t leave me, Tamara. Don’t leave me.”

I try to speak but, instead, cough up blood. I see him eyeing his wrist and weakly shake my head, wanting him to remember what I said to him. I don’t want to be a werewolf or a vampire. That brief moment floating in white light felt so safe. If that is what comes in the afterlife, I’m not scared of that fate.

The world starts to fade at the edges. This is real. Final.

“I can try to save you.” His voice breaks as he lifts his wrist to his mouth. “I have to save you.”

I understand what he’s offering, but he can’t know if it will work. I’ve never heard of a victim surviving both werewolf and vampire bites. Even if vampire blood could stop the transformation and keep me from dying, what would be the cost? I would not remain the same. The dark curse changes people. Young vampires are said to be the worst. They’re often feral, hungry, needy creatures. They’re monsters without control.

The choice I’ve always feared is here, and I can barely think through the pain to make it.

I lift my hand to swat his wrist away from where it hesitates next to his mouth. The effort is weak, but he knows what I’m telling him.

Behind him, Thane’s body hits the floor. The remaining wolves howl in mourning for their Alpha. They begin to scatter, disappearing into the tunnel.

“It won’t work, brother,” Elizabeth taunts. Her eyes gleam with dark fascination. “We both know what happens when you give vampire blood to a werewolf. But maybe it will be different this time. Maybe she’ll survive. Let’s try it and see what happens. It’ll be fun. The venom of an Alpha mixed with the blood of a master vampire...”

---