Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) (30 page)

“But,” Strix continued, staring down into Braden’s eyes, “There are so many wonderful ways I can have you tonight. I don’t want to rush
it
.”

3
6

LIZ

It didn’t take long once they parted ways for Theo and Brooke to start asking questions.
She
was happy to answer them a
nd ask a few of her own. The first thin
g Theo wanted to know was Liz’s
relationships status.

“Are you really involved with Braden Murphy?” Theo
asked,
his tone incredulous. “I thought he was some kind of celibate man god. He’s never even looked at the females in
Erris.”

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration,” Liz laughed. “But, yes, we’re together. I fell kind of fast for him. Besides, you’ve seen
him,
it was hard for me not too.”

“I’ve known Braden since I met Cian and he has never had a girlfriend, but neither did Torin before Lexie came to town,” Brooke added. “It must be you girls from Connecticut.”

Who knew how fate preordained things? Even though she was one of the lucky ones, she was clueless to have a guess as to how it all worked.

“I don’
t know,” Liz said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“
But, you and Cian seem hap
py, too. You make a cute couple.”

“Thanks,”
Brooke said. Biting on her lower lip
, she studied
Liz
, wondering if it was okay to open up to a stranger.
“I guess we’re happy. Sometimes I feel like there is something coming between us though, but I don’t know what it is.
One minute, Ci
an is happy and showing
he cares, the next he’s withdrawn and won’t even discuss the future.
”

Trailing his fingers along
the
salmon colored
lockers, Theo turned and said, “
Maybe he’s thinking about you going away to college
? Or, maybe Cian has finally realized he needs to come
out of the closet, because he’s been in love with me all along.”

“
You wish.
Maybe you can convince Teagan now that he’s the only single one left.”
Brooke laughed, but Liz guessed
the teen wasn’t feeling it.

Brooke
was a tiny thing, but looked even shorter with her chin down.
Liz wanted to reassure her that all would be clear in time, but the truth was, it may not be. According to Braden, Cian and Teagan both needed to go through the final phases of the change. It was going to be a hard thing for them.

I hope they don’t end up like Riley…

While passing
through different corridors in the small school, Liz couldn’t get over how different Erris Central High was comp
ared to THS back home. Torrington was a mid-sized city in Connecticut. Even with its technica
l school, it needed a large
high school to accommodate the growing population. Erris, however, had a small town feel.
Signs in the hallways procla
imed the school’s mascot was a “F
ighting Moose.
”

As she focused on Theo’s
jokes and humorous
retelling of Lexie giving Maxim hell at
a
party in the woods, she couldn’t help but feel Braden through their bond. He was definitely concerned, but she assumed he was still thinking about their dream.

The owl and the fountain – she wondered if they were
symbolic. The owl in the stairwell at Sunnydale Rest Home
scared the crap out of her, but she also knew the birds stood for wisdom. The fountain was another thing – it had a small angel, the size of a full grown adult holding some kind of staff in her h
and.
Still, other than fountain’s bringing forth knowledge or springs of life, Liz couldn’t tell what it all meant. All she knew was that Braden made her feel safe in her dream. Regardless of what any of the other details meant, his love and protection were all that mattered.

Lexie didn’t go into detail about
what she and Torin dreamed of together
. Asking felt
incredibly personal, like probing
them about their quie
t moments alone. Even though Lexie told Liz
the instant she had her first kiss with Gabe Brown
,
the relationship she now shared
with Torin was different. It was unique and special, the same way Liz’
s
relationship with Braden was. Alt
hough they were all a family
, some things were meant to stay private. It was an unspoken rule she could se
nse without having to be told.

After checking the classroom wings and the cafeteria, Liz was surprised to learn the school didn’t have an auditorium. The only other place to check in the school was
the
gymnasium. Once passing through the doorway, there were crowds of people, both young and old, sitting on the bleachers, waiting for the memorial service to
begin.
As Liz scanned the rows, she couldn’t see any signs of Ella. The teen’s pale blond hair was normally easy to spot. Hoping Lexie and the guys had better
luck finding her, Liz blew out a
dissatisfied
breath. 

Why can’t it be easy for them?
Just once?

With Ruby recovering
and Lexie obviously improved, it should be time for the family to start looking forward to better times.

Making their way b
ack out in the hall
that smelled of floor wax and dirty sox
, they needed a new plan.

“So, you know Ella, if you were her, where would you go?”
Theo
asked,
“What does she
even
like?”

Liz shook her head. She used to know what Ella liked, but over the summer, things changed. They all changed.
From her last talk with Lexie’s sister
, the teen was focused on Nicolai. Could she be looking for him?

“Lexie’s mom hasn’t been feeling well since Dragos left. She’s been staying with Torin’s family until she’s on her feet.
Lexie and Torin went
to
check out
the
old
manor house
, but maybe she just wanted to be with her mom
.”

“I
t
won’t hurt to look,” Theo said thoughtfully.

Rounding the hallway, another tug from the bond she shared with Braden yanked through her. This time, it wasn’t a gentle reminder of his love and affection. The feeling sent heat u
p
to her face, drying her throat and making her stomach hurt.

It’s not just fear, he’s in trouble…

The realization hit
her so hard she froze in her steps.
Not knowing how or
why, the more she focused in on him, the clearer the idea became.
It unfurled in her consciousness, urging her to take action.

Braden’s in trouble…

Liz needed to go, but to where? Images of the fountain kept pushing through her mind
. Just the thought of it made
her stomach
clench. As her body instinctually began preparing for a fight,
nausea
built until her mouth tasted like metal
.

“I know this is strange,” Liz could barely form the words, “but
I saw a
fountain in town
.
The big kind, like
over in Europe, with an angel on it?
Have you been there?
”

While Theo just shook his head, Brooke stared at her. The mistrust from earlier radiated from her tight expression. Finally, the blonde answered, “Yeah, in Cian’s back yard. I
t’s a cherub. I
’ve only seen it once though. I’m not really welcomed at his parent’s house
so I’
m curious as to why you were allowed over there
?
”

Despite the urge to bolt, Liz forced herself to remain calm.
Wishing she had her phone to call Torin
and his cousins, she couldn’t waist time trying to console Brooke about her intentions.

Liz’s hands were shaking and her knees felt funny. She had to get moving. “Listen, I need you to call Cian and have
him
and Teagan meet me there. Call Lexie too and tell her to send Torin only.”

“Wh
y, do you think Ella might be
there?” Theo asked
,
“at Cian’s house?
We could come with you.
”

“Maybe,”
Liz said, “And no. I need to go alone.”

As she turned her back on them
and began racing
towards the school’s exit
, she knew she wasn’t making the best first impression
. Liz didn’t have time to
stand around making excuses.
She didn’t know wh
ere Ella was and it sucked that Brooke questioned why Liz was welcome
d into her boyfriend’s
family and she wasn’t, but all the drama had to
wait.

Braden was in trouble. Nothing else mattered.

37

BRADEN

Braden’s temples were poundin
g. His blood had rushed to his h
ead. He needed to get out from beneath the vampire,
but couldn’t let go of his hold
on
Strix’s
forearms without being strangled. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would give Strix a chance to tear a whole in his chest.
Bucking against him, h
e tried using his feet to dig into the ground, but with the patio brick beneath him, his feet just slid on the loose pieces of stone.

Although the vampire was a good head shorter, hi
s age made him wickedly strong
. Braden tried remembering what Donovan had taught him and Torin about evaluating your opponent. As
Strix’s
snapping
mouth tried reaching his, Braden let go of the vampire’s arms and clawed his chin with one hand and the old creature’s ear with the other.
Pulling
his right leg
up while keeping
his
foot firmly on the ground
, he managed to get one knee
bent.
It was just enough to gain
some leverage.
With a quick succession of movements, Braden
raised his side
in the
air while dragging
Strix’s
head
along with him. Disrupting the vampi
re’s balance, Braden flipped
Strix
over his shoulder.

Springing to his feet, Braden scanned the ground for anything
he could find.
Without fire, he was limited on options.
Draugr were like damphyrs, they could only be killed so many ways. He
could
run his heart through with something
or behead him. If he didn’t manage to
kill Strix now
, then it was his life and possibly the rest of the
covens at stake.

And Liz, I have to keep her safe.

Just the thought of her coming home and looking for him, only to discover Stri
x in his place was enough to fe
e
d
his rage. The power that brought them together was fueling their bond and after almost dying in Vancouver, he sure in hell wouldn’t give up without a fight.

Strix charged ahead twenty feet
before blasting
through the air and sinking his teeth deeply into the Braden’
s shoulder, ripping and tearing
chunks of his flesh. The pain was immediate, causing blood to pour down his shirt. 

Reaching up, Braden delivered a punch, st
raight into the
draugr’s
face.
Lifting him in the air, Braden hurled Strix as hard as he could against the remains of the patio grill. The vampire hit the stove with an audible thunk, quickly stood and
launched
himself right back at Braden again. With each swipe of the
vampire’s claws,
Braden jumped backwards, deflecting the blow.

Seeing the crumbled statue that once made the centerpiece of
Fianna’s
ch
erished fountain, Braden dove
forward, reaching it before Strix.
So
mersaulting to the side, he evaded the vampire’s lunge while still managing to land on his feet.