“What are you going to do about Cristian?” Anna asked. “Pedro said that he was talking to Pearson.” Sage took a breath. “But Cristian told us himself that Pearson spoke to him,” she said still wanting to give him the benefit of doubt. “What happened tonight?” Anna asked.
“He wants me to turn him,” Sage replied shaking her head. “And you don’t want to,” Anna said.
“Cristian knows all the pop culture of a vampire, but he doesn’t truly understand what being a vampire entails,” Sage said. “He doesn’t get it.” Anna nudged her shoulder. “Then you made the right decision,” she said with a tiny smile.
Rafael added the last of the holy water into the water gun, placing it into the duffle bag. He looked at John who seemed a bit nervous. “Once you’ve killed a vampire, you get used to it,” he said tapping his shoulder. “Anyway, they’re not human, so it’s not a person you’re killing—it’s a creature,” he said. He drew him close. “Just a word of warning,” he said in a hushed tone.
“The vampire queen is very beautiful, and she uses it as a weapon to ensnare those who succumb to it.” John swallowed hard. “Stay focused on the task at hand and don’t be swayed by her beauty.” He threw back his duffle bag. “Let’s go kill these bloodsuckers.”
The taxis arrived to pick up the coven. As they began to put their luggage into the trunk, another taxi carrying Cristian pulled up to the curb. “What’s going on?” he asked, getting out as the coven ignored him and continued loading up the trunk. He saw Anna come out of the door.
“Anna, what’s going on?” he asked. She looked at him with scarlet eyes and fangs snarled.
“What are you doing here?” she asked angrily.
“I’m here to speak to Sage,” he said.
Anna glided over to him. “Rubbish.” She doesn’t want to speak to you,” she said with pursed lips.
“But it’s important,” Cristian stammered. “I found out something that she needs to…“
“Where are you, vampire?” Rafael said, coming up from the shadows with his crossbow in hand, surprising them. Anna looked at Cristian with anger in her eyes. “Bollocks!” “You set her up,” she said. “You bloody led that hunter to her.” She lifted up her hand to strike him, but Rafael shot holy water at her from his water gun, causing her to recoil in pain, screaming.
“You need to get out of the way,” he said, pushing Cristian aside, flashing a smile. He looked at John who was shaking like a leaf on a tree.
Frightened, the taxi cab drivers fled from the cars as the street became a battleground between the vampires and the vampire hunter. Rafael shot a stake at Billy but missed. He looked at John who was frozen in place. “Don’t just stand there!” he yelled. “Help me out.”
John ran up to Daniel and tried to stake him, but he grabbed the wooden stake from him and crushed it to pieces. John, the seat of his pants damp from urinating in them, backed away slowly from Daniel.
Lisa ran up on Rafael, but he squirted holy water in her face and she went down screaming. He lifted up the stake to drive it into her heart, but Cody shoved him with force, causing him to fall against the taxi onto the street. Undeterred, he stood up.
“Where’s the vampire queen?” he yelled, blood dripping from his mouth. “I’m right here,” she said, scaling down the brick wall, her voice bellowing in the air.
Cristian went to run to her, but Anna stopped him, jerking him back.
“Don’t distract her,” she snarled. John squirted her with holy water as she glided onto the street, but it had no effect. Cristian remembered what Sage had mentioned about if there was no faith, there was no power.
Sage smirked staring at John who took off running.
Cristian watched as Sage and Rafael stood facing each other as if they were in a duel. Her eyes like a flame of fire, fangs bared and menacing. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” Rafael said cracking his knuckles. “You can’t escape your doom, just like your parents couldn’t.”
Cristian saw Sage flinch slightly at his words as if it cut her.
“Nothing personal,” Rafael said grinning. “But you need to die.”
“Wanker,” Anna snarled.
Cristian noticed how the coven looked at Sage with trepidation in their eyes. Rafael whipped out the crossbow that was hanging from his side and aimed it. Sage changed her form into fog as he shot the silver stake and missed. Cristian’s mouth dropped in astonishment.
Rafael laughed. “I knew you were powerful, but I had never seen it firsthand.”
The fog then shifted into the form of a wolf, and Sage lunged for Rafael, biting his arm. He screamed in agony as she bit down harder, drawing blood as he managed to reach for the holy water in his pocket and throw it in her face.
She yelped in pain, shifted her form into a wasp, and flew toward Cristian who couldn’t believe all he was seeing. She then flew toward Cody, went behind him taking her normal form, and gave out a shout causing the heavens to burst forth rain like a fountain.
Undaunted, Rafael aimed his crossbow again, but Cristian ran in front of him blocking his aim. “Get out of my way!” Rafael yelled.
“Why do you want to kill her?” Cristian asked.
Rafael stared at him blankly. “She’s a vampire, haven’t you noticed” he snapped.
Cristian took a step back, holding his nose. “Dude, two words: toothbrush and toothpaste.”
Rafael shoved Cristian who shoved him back, and they began to fight.
Sage came from behind Cody, surprised at the scene as the others looked on.
Pedro appeared from nowhere and grabbed Cristian, causing him to let go of his grip on Rafael. Anna ran over to Sage to help her into the taxi.
“Let me go,” Cristian yelled. While he and Pedro were scuffling, Rafael grabbed the silver stake, placing it on the crossbow, and aimed it at Sage who was about to enter into the cab, and fired it. She felt a searing pain in her flesh as the stake drove deep inside her chest barely inches from her heart.
“Sage!” Anna screamed. “I missed her heart,” Rafael said fuming. He ran toward her, taking out a silver hunting knife, sidestepping through Samuel, Cody, and Daniel who tried to stop him from finishing the job.
Before he could reach her, she flung him with her arm, using what was left of her strength, with such force that he slammed against the pavement and lay unconscious.
She fell down writhing on the pavement screaming. “No!” Lisa screamed. “Queen V!” Pedro yelled.
Cristian’s face turned white as a sheet as he stared at Sage lying on the pavement in the rain screaming a piercing cry of an agonizing impending death.