I gave her a curious look. She spun, and lifted the sword.
Her red dress flared out like a red tulip.
Christopher made a choking sound.
In less than a second, Sharra faced me again.
The chanting,
Lips red as rubies
Hair dark as night
Drink your true love's blood
Become the Vampire, Snow White... continued.
I realized it was the Worker vampires. They were saying the words. Repeating them in a low, almost ghost-like voice.
Sharra grinned. "You must consume his heart. Do it while it's still warm."
Chapter 10
In that instant my brain comprehended what Sharra had done. A red line, like a tight choker, circled the Hunter's neck. Christopher fell to his knees and his head toppled to the floor.
My stomach turned. Before I could utter a sound, she used his sword to open his chest. Like a bass drum, Christopher's heart beat in my ears. My body twitched in fear. I wanted to run, escape before she did that to me. She'd been so quick. I was nothing against her.
Worst of all, the vampire in me wanted Christopher's heart. My fangs grew. I opened my mouth, allowing them to extend. The scent caused my mouth to water. Stepping over Dorian, I lowered myself next to Christopher's body.
"That's right," Sharra cooed, encouraging.
I barely heard her. Every inch of my body longed for... craved the heart of my Hunter.
With a slight pop, I pulled the heart from Christopher's body. It still beat. Fast. Erratic. Mine joined his. I turned away from his body, sickened at seeing him so broken. Whether he loved me or not, I'd loved him.
My body wanted one thing. To do what Sharra wanted. Consume his heart. The rational part of my brain kept telling me to stop. That I was falling into the Vampire Queen's trap.
But the rest of me didn't care. As in my vision, the heart was all I could see, all I wanted. Slowly, I moved the heart closer to my mouth. The warmth, and scent nearly pushed me into a frenzy.
Suddenly, my eyes caught hold of Dorian's. Tears tinged his lashes. His mouth was twisted with words I couldn't hear. His arms reached out to me. I felt my head tilt. And I paused, waiting. Christopher's heart only millimeters from my mouth.
Images of Dorian rushed through my mind.
His smile.
His mischievous comments.
The way he always watched out for me.
He'd told me he loved me the last time I saw him.
And he'd kissed me.
Not the kiss of a friend, but one of pure love.
My heart lurched at the pictures, at the way my soul burned with comprehension.
Dorian wasn't dead.
And though I thought I loved Christopher, that love was nothing compared to what I felt for Dorian.
Where Christopher's love had been pretend, fake, and superficial, Dorian's was deep, real, and everlasting.
I realized I needed to ask Dorian why he never told me how he felt. Why he'd waited until we were both about to die to reveal his true feelings. Without a doubt I wanted to spend however long it took to deserve the kind of love he had for me.
"Dorian," I whispered.
"That's right, Snow. I love you. Forever, and alw..." His voice cut off as a needle and thread sewed his lips shut.
Fury I didn't know I possessed rose inside, and without completely realizing what I was doing, I reached out a hand toward Sharra. My only aspiration, in that moment, was to crush her. Destroy her. Make her disappear so she wouldn't hurt those I loved ever again.
A red light shot into Sharra. Disbelief and pain crossed Sharra's face, and she clutched her chest.
"What are you doing?" She fell back, tripping over dead bodies.
I quickly placed Christopher's heart back in his chest. Professor Pops said that to kill a Drone vampire, the head had to be severed, but Christopher wasn't a Drone. He was a Hunter, and I'd already healed him once with the power of the Seal. Picking up Christopher's head, I set it next to his body.
"Pocahontas, come to me child," I heard Sharra say.
From the corner of my eye, I watched the Marked step over and around the dead girls, and kneel next to Sharra.
"Nooooo," I screamed, and a pulse of red shot from my hands, and into the girl. She tumbled back.
Sharra's eyes were wide with shock. "Either do what I want, or I promise you this." Her voice shook with fear, and rage. "I will spend every waking moment making your life a living Hell. I won't rest until every last person, creature, and being you've ever loved or cared about is destroyed."
I stepped toward her. The Vampire Queen's threats were only that though-threats.
"The only way you can harm me is if I allow you to continue to live as you are. And that isn't going to happen." I lifted both hands in front of me.
"Wait. Don't," she pleaded. "If you kill me, you'll be no better than I am."
One of the words Abernathy said, rehabilitation struck a chord, and found resonance. I hesitated, and allowed a triumphant smile to spread across my face.
"You're right, Sharra. I'm not going to kill you." I shifted my feelings. Instead of thinking of hate, I thought of forgiveness, pity, and mercy. This time, the light that pulsed from my hands wasn't red, as it had been in the past, when I was angry. This time it was black.
All colors combined. The seven magics, I thought.
Sharra screamed as the power of the Seal pulsed through her. Her body writhed on the floor.
A black smoke surrounded her, consumed her...
The smoke dissipated. My breathing came rapidly, as though I'd been running.
The Vampire Queen was gone.
Not a body.
Not a speck of dust.
Nothing.
Where her body had been, there was only emptiness.
Had I killed her, after all?
Chapter 11
A collective sigh of relief came from the Worker vampires, and the Marked. The magical bonds, which held the girls, dissipated. They scrambled from their prison, stepping over the dead girls. Some hugged each other, like they were friends. And I wondered how long Sharra had them.
Several of the girls came forward.
"Thank you."
"You saved us."
"How can we ever repay you?"
They patted me on the shoulder, grabbed my hands, and pulled me into hugs.
I let them, unable to respond. Their words didn't register.
Was it over, I thought struggling to believe Sharra was gone. Like gone, gone.
I turned toward the Worker vampires. Some were hugging, seemingly excited. Others weren't sure what to do. And others appeared angry.