Page 33 of Halfblood Deceived

Micah laughed at her. “I’m going to make you beg on your knees for forgiveness like the whore you are.”

Bile crawled up Aella’s throat, but she swung at him. She had no idea what she was doing, but the volatile mix of rage, shame, guilt, and disgust turning her blood into fire didn’t let her fear.

Micah hissed and stepped back as Aella sliced at his arm. His eyes flashed with incredulity for a second, then blazed with fury as he struck at her.

Aella parried, losing ground, knowing she would go down without saving the child. She hated that she couldn’t turn into a stone monster and be an equal menace to Micah.

He sent his sword to slice at her neck and she let herself fall to her knees, turning and slashing at his back.

Micah growled, producing that metallic sound that had always made Aella shiver. He turned in a flash, aiming a palm at her. “I’ve had enough of you.” A ball of red energy blazed in his hand and flew straight at her.

Instinctively, Aella blocked the flash of offensive raw magic with her sword and stepped back to maintain balance. Micah growled and sent yet another flash of crackling magic at her, and she wasn’t fast enough to dodge or parry a second time.

The blast hit her chest and sent her off her feet. She crashed against the hardwood floor on her back but didn’t feel it. All she could feel was the electric pain carving agony into her every nerve. She couldn’t breathe, much less move. She could do nothing but watch Micah kick the sword out of her hand and then impale his blade into the left side of her stomach.

It burned.

The acidic pain of the stab was even worse than the malignant energy. Aella let out a soundless, breathless cry that broke into a choking sound as Micah pulled out the blade.

“No!” Isaiah cried, then spat curses at Micah.

The vampire girl screamed as well.

You have to stand, Aella ordered herself, but her body didn’t respond.

“Eli, take her back to the mansion before she bleeds to death,” Micah ordered.

No, Aella wanted to protest, but she couldn’t form words or muster a scream.

“You three take the traitor back to the church and ask for reinforcements,” Micah barked at the other gargoyles. “I’ll kill and burn the leeches.”

A strangled sound came out of Aella’s throat. She braced her hands on the floor, half moving her upper body, but Eli was there, clamping his hand around her neck.

“You are going nowhere, whore,” he mocked, lifting her as if she were weightless and dragging her outside.

“NO! DADDY!” the vampire child screamed.

Aella whimpered, trying to plant her feet against the gravel to pry Eli’s hand away.

The child’s screams rang louder. “NO! PLEASE! DADDY! NO!”

No, no, no. God no. Please! Aella begged, but no one listened.

She raked her nails down Eli’s neck.

He hissed, lifting his fist and sending it to her face—

* * *

Aella woke up with a jolt, feeling her body shake.

It took her a few seconds to orient herself.

She was face down in the backseat of a moving vehicle.

Eli’s horrible voice rang loudly as he sang an old song he was blasting on the radio.

Aella swallowed hard, keeping her breathing controlled so he wouldn’t be alerted to her waking up.

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