Page 111 of Twisted
“My god, you love to yap.”I throw out my hand.“Somnum.”
Larissa staggers back, head drooping for a second but then recovers.“Hah.I knew you’d try that.”She flashes her trademark smug smile and pulls a necklace from inside her shirt.“Funny how such a little hagstone can stop the big, bad witch.Guess we have to go about this the old fashioned way.”
“Fine,” I say and push my shoulders back.“Bring it.”
Larissa runs forward.She’s a good fighter, maybe even a tad better than me with some moves.It’s all she has since she can’t use magic.I duck out of the way, missing her punch.I grab her arm and go to throw her down.I need to get the necklace off her.As pissed as I am, I don’t want to hurt her—badly.I won’t lose sleep over a few cuts or bruises.
She counters my move and knocks me off balance.We both go down and I forgo defending myself to try and make a grab at the necklace.She knees me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
“You’ve gotten weak,” she taunts and I grit my teeth and quickly get to my feet.I can’t cast a spell on her, but I can still shove her back telekinetically, which is exactly what I do.Energy manipulation is something else the Russos discouraged.Anything more than conjuring balls of energy was discouraged for being “too dangerous”.But something has changed within me since seeing my parents’ graves.It’s almost as if they’re here, whispering in my ear, telling me to reach down inside and unlock the powers I’ve been forced to repress.
“What the fuck!”Larissa screams as she’s knocked off her feet.Terror flashes across her face.I couldn’t do that before and it was unexpected.She scrambles up and pulls a knife from her belt.“Using magic.It’s cheating and you know you can’t beat me without it.”
“It’s exactly who I am.And maybe you should have thought about it before you challenged me.It must kill you that even at my weakest, I’m still stronger than you.”
Larissa’s eyes narrow and she looks at me with so much hatred it could burn a hole in my heart.“Mom and Dad should have listened to me and killed you the second you started showing your powers.”
“Their loss, I guess?”I shrug and send another pulse of energy at her, taking the knife out of her hand.“If your problem is with me, then let her go.She hasn’t done anything to you.Or anyone.”
“She’s a fucking vampire and I don’t care if she’s a mother fucking saint.You will pay for the lives you and your twisted vampire husband took.”She turns her head and yells to Dale and Randall.“Shoot her!”
CHAPTER45
“Seriously?”I give Larissa an incredulous look.“We’re not related by blood, but you’ve always been my sister.”
“You’ve never been mine.”
I hate that her words still cut deep.
“Leo and Antonio are naive,” Larissa says.“They think maybe the vampires have figured out a way to hold you spellbound and you’re not acting on your own accord.But I see you for exactly who you are.”
“And who am I?”I ask, taking in a slow breath to try and keep control of my emotions.Larissa has never made his disdain for me secret, but to stand here and order my death?Who’s the twisted one?It’s not me.
“A witch-bitch with no loyalty to anyone but herself.”
Larissa’s words make me laugh.I could snap off a million comebacks, telling her she’s wrong, but I just shake my head.“Tell yourself whatever you need to.I know who I am and I have no need to defend myself.Just leave me alone and we’ll leave you alone.”
“I’m not letting either of you walk out of here alive.”
“Good thing one of us is already dead.”I shrug and conjure a small energy ball, throwing it right at the hagstone.Larissa screams in pain and I grimace, but I had to do it.The string around the stone burns off and the stone clatters to the ground.Larissa’s eyes widen in fear and she lunges toward me.
“Somnum,” I say, and cast the sleep spell on her, letting her body thud to the floor.I step over her and make it a few paces down the hall before coming to a complete stop.Dale is standing there, an ivory-handled pistol raised and aimed right at me.There is something absolutely terrifying about staring down the barrel of a gun.You don’t realize how cowardly a weapon it is until it’s being pointed right at you.The person holding it just has to squeeze a trigger and can cause so much death and destruction without getting their hands dirty.They can take your life while standing in one spot.
“If you’re going to shoot me, then fucking shoot me,” I say through gritted teeth.Dale squares his shoulders but I don’t take any chances.I throw a wave of energy at him, forcing his hands up.He fires, and the bullet hits one of the lights above us, raining down shattered glass.I create a magical shield, protecting myself and also keeping Dale from firing at me again.
The magic domes above me like a giant umbrella.I take a few steps forward, struggling to move while holding the shield.Randall runs to his friend, glass crunching under his feet.He has a syringe in his hand and if I can stop him from giving Mabel her next dose of drugs, she’ll wake up and can get herself out of here.
“Your turn?”I ask Randall, wincing under the weight of the shield.Reaching deep inside, I throw out my other hand, opening the freezer’s door.Randall makes a mad dash for it, but I hit him with the shield and send him flying back.The needle falls out of his hand and he crashes into Dale.They clunk heads with a thud so loud it makes my stomach twist, but it’s all the time I need to take another step forward.
“Mabel!”I call and drop the shield completely so I can run.She’s tied to a chair in the middle of the freezer.It smells like old, rotten meat in here, and there is a pile of something moldy in the corner.She’s hooked up to an IV, keeping her drugged and under control.Her head has fallen completely forward and she looks dead.
“Mabel,” I repeat and pull the IV from her arm.“Come on, wake up!”I turn, hearing the hunters outside.I don’t want to get locked in here and Dale is right by the door.Panic rises in me and I make the last second decision to spring forward, calling on all the energy I have left to create another shield.This time, the wall of magic glows with each pulse of my heart beat.
“Wren?”Mabel asks groggily.Yes!The drugs are wearing off already.“Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me!Can you free yourself?”I step forward, standing in the threshold of the door.Dale has his gun pointed at me but doesn’t know what would happen if he shoots at a wall of magic.I don’t either, but something tells me the bullet will bounce right back at him.
“I think so,” she says and I look beyond Dale and see Randall trying to wake Larissa.
