Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Fifty-One

“I find it quite ironic,” Jacobi muttered bitterly, watching that corpse without emotion rather than the pang of grief I felt within him. “She was born a vampire and found death as a mortal. We’ll come back for her… she deserves a proper resting place.” I couldn’t bear to brave a peek at her form, afraid the scene would only prove another stamp of trauma I wouldn’t be able to handle.

Jacobi moved to where the door of the room was and waited for me. I hesitated, but remembered that Xander was mindless and Aveline was in pain. I had to do something. I clinched my hands in fists, turning towards the door determinedly. Before I could truly understand my mindset, I had crashed through the locked door, knocking it out of the wall with unrecognizable force.

I didn’t allow myself to wonder about this newfound strength that the absorbed souls had given my true form. Instead, I pushed aside the claws of those pained spirits which begged to drag me into the darkened depths with them and moved down the blindingly bright halls with Jacobi close behind me. We didn’t have to go far. Only a bit away, the glass wall to Xander and Aveline’s containment stood untouched.

Aveline was motionless on the metallic slab. Either she had fallen unconscious or was in her own type of mindless state now that she was no longer connected to Xander. It was eerie to see her so quiet after the haunting wails I still could hear in my mind. Xander was tense on his vertical slab, breathing harshly with his head hung low. I preferred not to see those feral eyes again, but I knew I would have to.

I smashed my fist through the glass without thinking, not having any other idea of where the door to this room would be. Aveline didn’t move, despite the disturbance. Xander, on the other hand, lifted his head sharply like a wild animal that caught the scent of blood. I glanced back at Jacobi, who stood darkly behind me, his eyes angry as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Elysia,” I heard Corentine’s voice call from down the hall. I paused, tearing my eyes from Jacobi to where Corentine stood. Her blonde hair was untamed from fighting. She appeared furious, or just riled up, as she caught my gaze. She was only ahead of the coterie by moments. Wyatt Callum appeared behind her, only pausing a moment before approaching us carefully. Corentine followed quickly, brushing her hand over my arm almost soothingly once she reached me. She sighed, “You’re safe.”

“No need to hump her leg about it, Cor,” Wyatt cracked and Corentine’s sharply intended reply was cut short when they both glanced at the room where Aveline and Xander were still contained. More members were appearing as they broke through the battle with the remaining hunters. I took a step back, placing my body between them and Jacobi, though I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to. They were his coterie, so it wasn’t as if they’d harm their weakened Master.

I felt Jacobi’s hand on my waist, catching my attention.

“Can you still do it with witnesses? Or do they need to be gone?” He asked me determinedly. I honestly didn’t know the answer. I wasn’t even sure I could bring Xander back. I looked at Corentine, who was watching me with confusion written on her face. The only thing I knew was that she had attacked me, tasted my blood, and I had felt an opening to the spirit within her. Somehow, by some instinct, I had drawn that cold spirit to me. It sounded simple in theory.

“I can try, but if it doesn’t work we should ask for privacy,” I responded uncertainly. When I turned to the room, intended on continuing my task, I froze. In the time that the coterie had found their fellow members restrained, they had worked fast. There was a separate opened door on the opposite side of the room, where some of the members must have disappeared into. They were quick to release their captive comrades. Both Aveline and Xander’s bindings sprung apart, allowing them to move freely should they wish.