Page 66 of Last Shot at Love

Oh, wait. He wasn’t screaming, it just sounded like it thanks to the pain jack-hammering my skull.

I hadn’t been hungover like this since my college graduation. No one had shown up, and I’d watched my classmates take photos with their parents and exchange warm embraces. They’d all left to eat, and I’d retreated to my dorm room to drink tequila and cry myself to sleep.

So why had I decided to get drunk this time?

“Dad, I think she’s waking up.” Voice number one sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it…

“Really? Then we better hurry. You cracked her skull open. It should’ve taken her longer to heal an injury like that. I didn’t know she could heal as fast as a full vampire.” Voice two sounded impressed, which annoyed me, but I didn’t know why.

Something cool wrapped around my ankles and wrists, and the sound of metal chains hitting metal vibrated through me.

My head felt as though it was being torn in half. If they didn’t quiet down, they were going to kill me.

“Once we drop her, how long will it take for her to drown?”

Oh crap!

They were trying to kill me.

Adrenaline surged through my body, sweeping away the last of my mental fog.

“She will have about fifteen minutes. Maybe less. She lost a lot of blood from that blow. Alright, I’ve got her hands and feet wrapped. You’re going to have to help me throw the weights over, Stefan.”

Shock froze the blood in my veins. My father and brother were going to kill me. I’d stupidly believed they could never hate me enough to kill me, and I’d turned my back to them.

My chest tightened with panic and I fought back tears. This week had been so perfect, and I’d thought it was the beginning of a new life with Cerulean. And it was about to be taken from me.

I pulled at the chains around my wrists, trying to free myself, but they wouldn’t budge.

“What’s wrong, sister? I thought you liked being bound?” Stefan laughed, watching my struggles. “You won’t be able to break those, Beryl. They are pure silver.”

Ignoring him, I yanked harder, using my full strength in my effort to free my wrists. If I could get my hands free, I just might have a chance of surviving this.

“Why? Why would you do this to me?” I met their cold eyes.

“Because your husband is right. When word of your marriage gets out, you’ll be the most sought-after investment firm in Boston. With you gone, I can offer assistance to your clients. I’ll finally get the success I deserve.”

Stefan was willing to kill me for his greed, and my father was willing to go along with it to keep the image of his successful son intact.

Their greed and pride were going to cost me my life. The unfairness of it all tore at my insides. This couldn’t be the end of my story. It just couldn’t be.

“Any last words?” Stefan squatted in front of me.

I wished I had something meaningful to say, but at that moment, I didn’t feel particularly inspirational. I felt furious.

“Go gargle garlic,” I snarled.

Garlic might not bother us, but the insult was still a wonderfully low blow.

Lunging forward, I sank my fangs into the hand that rested on his knee. Stefan screamed in pain and sent a retaliatory kick into my stomach.

I doubled over the best I could while confined by chains, but refused to cry out. Watching the blood pouring from his hand made the pain worth it.

The two vampires bent and slowly lifted the cement block. Two chains led from it to me.

“The witch wasn’t joking about her spell making it heavy,” Stefan hissed.

“I’m relieved the full spell doesn’t activate until it hits the water. Otherwise, it would have sunk our boat,” my father groaned.

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