Page 73 of Barely Breathing

Costin blocks several strikes, but her last hit catches him in the ribs with a sickening crack. They grapple out of the open office door. I run to follow them, keeping them in my sight.They smash through a stone column, toppling it. Dust whirls from the ceiling.

“Liar!” She shifts into bat form, darting behind him before materializing to drive her knee into his spine. “I told you exactly what kind of monster he was. I wrote to you, telling you what he was doing to me.”

Costin spins, transforming as he leaps into flight. His larger bat form catches her in its claws, dragging her up toward the ceiling. Elizabeth shifts back to human mid-flight, using the momentum to flip them both. They crash through another column, more stone crumbling around them.

I want to yell at them to stop, but this is a feud I have no authority over.

“He killed me,” Elizabeth snarls, grabbing a chair and smashing it across Costin’s back. “And you let him.”

“And you killed me.” Costin’s voice carries genuine pain as he transforms again, swooping low across the room.

Elizabeth follows. Her smaller bat form is more agile as she chases him through the debris. They play a lethal game of cat and mouse, shifting between forms to attack and dodge. The ceiling cracks from their impacts. Blood rains down from both of them, staining the floor beneath theiraerial battle.

What if Elizabeth kills him?

That very idea petrifies me.

I can’t lose him.

I press myself against the wall as they tear past me back into the office. The hallway looks like a war zone—columns cracked, suits of armor scattered, decorations and blood everywhere. My head still throbs from the recovered memory, making it hard to think past my fear. I poke my head around the doorframe to watch without going back inside.

Elizabeth has materialized directly in front of Costin, and he shifts back to his human form. Her hand finds his throat, pinning him against the wall. A broken chair leg presses against his chest like a wooden stake, ready to end him.

“Elizabeth, don’t,” I beg. I rush into the room, looking for a weapon. I grab the heavy shield and use all my strength to strike her in the side and knock her away. It bounces off her, barely making a dent.

She snarls and leans harder into her brother. “I want to do to your pet what Marcus did to me. And I want you to watch.”

I jump at her, intent on wrapping my arms around her neck to distract her enough to give Costin time to free himself. She swings her free arm, launching me across the room. It’s only by the amulet’s power that I don’t break my bones against the stone wall. I drop to the floor, pantingand sore.

“But I can’t go against our mighty master, can I? It doesn’t matter that I’m your sire and the eldest by vampire right. Only one of us was given actual power,” she continues, still poised with her stake as if I’m not a concern. She tightens her grip, and her knuckles turn white as she drives the wood forward. “The council would never let a woman rule. Especially not a murdered wife who dared to kill her vampire husband.”

Costin doesn’t look at me. He could shift to escape, but something in his eyes tells me he won’t. There’s too much guilt there, too much history.

I need to do something, but my body is still weak. The amulet pulses, but I am no defense against vampiric strength even with it.

Elizabeth’s head snaps toward me, her eyes blazing crimson. “Don’t worry, dear. Once I finish with my brother, you’ll get your turn. Unless...” Her smile turns cruel. “You’d like to make that trade with Thane now? Costin for you.”

I can’t answer. Why isn’t Costin finishing her? Surely he can put up more of a fight.

“Or would you prefer to save Paul?” Elizabeth laughs.

I can’t answer. The choice is impossible. Costin or Paul? It’s like asking to choose between love and an ideal. Or would it be love and guilt? My feelings for Paul are confused. I had been so sure of them atone point and of the mortal, normal life he represents. But that old mantra circles around in my head. Knowing me might cost him everything—his parents, his daughter, his life.

Diana’s face flashes in my mind, and I remember her trusting smile when she showed me her stuffed dog, Mr. Plop. How can I sentence a child to grow up without her father? She’s everything I never had a chance to be—innocent, perfect. I fantasized about being her mother, a real mother, not like the two I have.

“Do you see how she hesitates?” Elizabeth mocks her brother, laughing. “That is how deep her love flows for you. She can’t even choose saving you.”

It’s not true. I open my mouth to say the words but can’t force them out. I can’t do that to Paul and Diana.

The thought of losing Costin makes my chest ache in ways I can’t explain. The amulet pulses against my skin as if Draakmar senses my turmoil and wants to help. The dragon has no answers, only that underlying fury ready to surge.

The truth is, I doubt Elizabeth will keep her word either way. She’s toying with us. This is all a game to her.

Both vampires suddenly tilt their heads in unison, listening to something I can’t hear. A smile curves Elizabeth’s lips, but it’s different than before. The changein her expression is subtle, almost intimate like she’s sharing a private joke with someone far away.

“Well, that’s my cue.” She presses the stake harder against Costin’s chest, drawing blood before stepping back. She drops the makeshift weapon on the floor. “This has been fun. We should play again sometime.”

“Elizabeth,” Costin warns. He lets her pull away and doesn’t try to stop her.

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