Chapter 21 ∣  Apoptosis

-Evicka

"Tell me," Locaine's lips leave Zak's neck, two puncture marks clear as day while a minimal amount of blood trickles from each one, "have you ever successfully turned anyone, Ronan?"

"Of course not! But, I know you have..." Ronan's voice trails off, Zak seemingly excellent as he glares with hatred at him.

I've never bitten a hunter or human, so I have no idea what the firsthand experience is...but my mother told me how it almost killed her...she couldn't move for days...

...how is it that Zak's walking around perfectly fine.

I tilt my head to the side, questioning my father.

"So, feeling confident still?" Locaine crosses his arms and smirks, "Now it's three against one."

"You want a fight?!" Ronan bears his teeth, "Come at me then!"

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Lucca sprints around the perimeter, drawing Ronan's attention away and forcing me to the ground. I watch Locaine and Zak from the other direction, Locaine grabbing onto Zak's forearm and elbow. He locks onto him and swings in a circle before shooting him across the room in the air.

My eyes grow wide, Ronan just realizing that Zak is near him. Zak arches over Ronan, the tip of his dagger catching in between his collarbone and neck. Ronan hisses, pulling in the same direction that Zak is arching toward, stopping him from beheading him.

With his free arm, Ronan catches Zak's arm in the air, bringing him down and face to face with him.

"Fledglings have little power...I'm not scared of you," Ronan growls. Zak just smirks, bringing his knees to his chest and slamming his feet into Ronan's stomach before ripping out of his grip.

That's when I see it...

...Zak had dropped one of his daggers right near my bound wrists.

I quickly take it, flicking the hilt...not as gracefully as Zak, but I manage to bring the blade to Ronan's calf, slicking it and causing him to completely release me in his shock.

Ronan glares at Zak as Zak just waves at him with his hand that's missing a dagger, Ronan putting two and two together. "Bastard!" Ronan roars at Zak while reaching for me. In the next second, Lucca's fist collides with Ronan's jaw, bringing his fight toward him.

A rush of fresh air causes my hair to billow around me before I feel arms lifting me from the ground. Breathing in deeply, in the next second, I find myself twenty or so feet away from the fight that's taking place between Zak, Lucca, and Ronan.

I gaze up into the face of my father. His hard features soften, his fingers undoing the gag that's wrapped around the back of my head. As it comes loose, Locaine pulls the fabric out of my mouth, tossing it to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers to me. I continue to stare at him until I hear a scream coming from Zak. My head snaps in his direction as Locaine's gazes up to see the same thing.

Lucca's movements have stopped, Ronan having twisted both of Zak's arms behind his back, threatening to kill him as he had me.

"Zak!" I cry out, trying to move out of my father's arms.

"Give me your daughter, Locaine, or I'll kill your new fledgling," Ronan's voice is ragged. Lucca and Zak had given him a run for his money, the tiredness emanating from all of them.

Zak shakes his head, warning my father not to give into Ronan's demand. Locaine holds me tightly, afraid to lose me again. I glance up at him, his eyes locking with mine before I breathe out slowly and quietly, "You didn't...I knew it..."

"Evie, no!" Locaine stills me, "Zak knew the price for coming. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save yours."

"But he doesn't have to!" I pull away, but my strength is no match for his own. I yell out to Ronan, "You can have me! Let Zak go!"

"No!" Locaine growls, standing to his feet and holding my beaten body in his arms.

What my father doesn't know, is my body is slowly becoming immune to the blood thinner that Ronan had initially used, figuring it had to be something like what Enock had injected me with. I know my mother's body had never been able to create antibodies against the foreign invasion...but, I must account it to my father's heritage; the pureblood inside of me is manipulating it.

I feel my connection, and even though my vampiric strength was stolen from me, thanks to the undiluted silver and the chains still clamped onto my wrists, I can still fight with the hunter side of me.

I know he's just protecting me...

...but I must defend my little hunter.

Still holding onto the dagger I'd used to wound Ronan, I twist it in my grasp and slice my father's arm. I figure...the blade must be silver. Locaine suddenly releases me in his confusion.

I roll away, getting to my feet and running closer to Ronan and Zak, standing ten feet away.

"Evie, don't!" Locaine cries out, recovering from his shock.

When I blink, Lucca is suddenly behind me, both of his hands lingering on my shoulders as he tells me, "Angel, don't...I'm not going to let him have you."

I lock my sights on Ronan before whispering, "Do you trust me?"

His grip tightens, "I do."

"Then let me save him. Please...he's my responsibility," I plead with Lucca, knowing full well that he can stop me at any moment. He could easily take me away from this, Ronan would kill Zak, and my father would more than likely finish Ronan off.

I'm tired of leaving everything up to fate, a roll of the dice. The control over this situation will be mine.

Lucca removes his hands from my shoulders, but I can still feel his presence lingering. He's keeping a watchful eye, unsure of what I'm planning.

I would be scared if I were him as well.

"Let him go," my voice is low and dangerous.

"You think you can take me down on your own?" Ronan laughs at my seemingly childish antics. I don't see anything funny about it.

If he believes I'm not a threat, why was he stalling?

"Lucca?" I can hear my father questioning Lucca's apparent rash decision to let me be.

"Trust her," Lucca sounds like he's said this to my father once before.

It must be hard, watching his little girl standing up to the traitor who'd brought about everything terrible that's happened to us. Ronan broke our family and almost killed us.

"I'm a man of my word," Ronan shrugs his shoulders, throwing Zak with all his strength toward the perimeter stone wall.

"Zak!" I scream, but before he can hit the wall, Locaine is there, catching him against his chest.

Thank you...

Now...if he believed he could manipulate me...why can't I do the same with my own blood?

My plan is formulating, Ronan noticing my sudden tension on the dagger I'm still holding onto for dear life.

My eyes dart from each of Ronan's wounds. There's the one on his calf that Zak had provided me with, as well as smaller scraps and cuts. I need something more substantial, just like Ronan had done to me. I glance down at my upper arm, the slash beginning to heal as the connection to my blood magic grows stronger.

The antigens are no longer foreign substances within my bloodstream. I take a long breath in, bending the blood to my will as the clotting process accelerates. It isn't as fast as my innate vampire regeneration, but it's much faster than a hunter or human's.

Ronan doesn't wait any longer, taking long strides to me before spinning around and kicking me in the face. I hit the ground hard, the dagger flying from my hands. I'm still not as fast as him, and the pain the radiates through my body only elevates as he picks me up by my upper arm, tossing me over his head and slamming me down on my back.

I cry out as the air is forced from my lungs, my skull ricocheting off the hard-stone floor. My vision crosses briefly before Ronan yanks me to my feet again. I take my opening, my fangs elongating and sinking deeply into his forearm. He recoils, dropping me to the ground. I land on my knees, flipping onto my side and swiping Ronan's feet out from underneath him.

Ronan lands flat on his back, recovering from the surprise bite. My bound hands push off the stone, leaping onto his body and attempting to pin him down. It's a struggle, but I manage to stay on top. With both of my hands, I slam them onto his face. His fangs bite into his lower lip, causing blood to fall from his deep wound.

Now's my chance.

My eyes shift, Ronan's and my own black rose irises meet each other as I sink my fangs into the palm of my hand, wrapping my hand quickly around the bite on his forearm. I hold onto him for dear life, feeling my blood leave me and sink into his wound.

Ronan pitches me over his head, but I won't let my grip leave his arm, my other hand holding on as well. He rolls from his back, onto his knees while glaring at me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ronan attempts to yank his arm out of my clutches again. I scream, my body colliding with his solid chest. Yet, I do not falter.

I can see Lucca and my father just barely restraining themselves. Zak recovers, walking around to the opposite side of the perimeter, facing Lucca and my father.

"Ah!" I wince, Ronan, lifting his arm and prying my hands with his free hand off him. His nails dig into my skin, finally loosening my grip. I feel the pulse within his body. Ronan throws me at the wall, but Lucca catches me in his arms, sandalwood shrouding me in a protective aura. Glancing down at me he's pained by my ragged breathing, fighting with every bit of strength I have left.

"Evie-"

"It's done," I sigh, my body relaxing for a moment into his arms. Lucca shakes his head in confusion, looking to Locaine for understanding. His face reflects the same expression, confused by my words.

Ronan roars with such anger, "It's not over, come and fight me you little bitch!"

My eyes grow heavy, my chest tightens as I try to breathe evenly. I lift my hand up, bringing my thumb and index finger together, before letting out a deafening snap. My blood is outlandish to Ronan's body, traveling his veins fast and beginning apoptosis.

Ronan grimaces in pain, my cells becoming shards within his veins moving quickly along his bloodstream, slicing through every artery. I can see him striving to heal himself, barely managing to stay out of the bitterness that aches his entire body.

"Help," my voice breathlessly echoes, Locaine not hesitating as he rushes at Ronan.

In his weakened state, he's no match for my father. He brutally punches him in the face; the sound of bones shattering resonates off the stone walls. Ronan ventures out, throwing a right hook at my father, but he ducks under his arm. His fist makes contact under Ronan's chin, throwing him back onto the floor.

Ronan's body ceases healing, the high volumes of blood cells slicing through him are more than he can handle. He begins to bleed from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth...blood flowing down his flesh.

I see Zak approach my father from his side. They both glance at each other before Zak holds open his palm, offering his blade to my father. He takes it without a word, placing it on the side of Ronan's neck.

"Y-y-you c-can't ki-kill me," Ronan sputters, the blood gurgling in his esophagus, "y-you nee-need me. T-the hun-hunters-"

"We will deal with them...without you," my father states boldly, his words cutting Ronan, before he drags the blade unceremoniously and viciously across his neck, severing it from his body. The blood pools around his body, flowing around Zak and my father's boots.

"Zak!" I cry out, "You, you weren't?"

Zak walks toward me and grins, revealing the puncture marks on his neck as he says, "I was bitten by a rogue when we arrived. It was your father's idea to trick Ronan. Taking a chance that he had never turned anyone and wouldn't know how the process was with a pureblood. It worked like a charm."

"Angel," Lucca startles me, placing a gentle finger under my chin and lifting my eyes to meet his loving hazel irises, "you are something else..."

"I'm sorry..." my words fade from my lips.

"For what?" Lucca questions me, watching the tears slide from the corners of my eyes.

I sigh, "For leaving you."

A smile creeps onto Lucca's face as he lifts me to my feet, removing his long dark trench coat and wrapping it around my fragile frame. Before I can question anything else, my father appears beside me, holding a key in his hand.

I turn to him, holding my bound wrists out. His hands are gentle, unlocking me from the shackles that restrain me. The metal clatters to the floor as Lucca helps my arms through the sleeves, zipping and buttoning the front up.

"You trusted me?" I gaze into my father's eyes, scanning for any doubt.

There is none.

"Yes," my father replies, "I love you, Evicka."

Everything that I've been holding onto and bottling up is finally falling away. I have my father, and he was willing to do anything and everything to protect me.

The tears fall freely from my eyes as I jump at my father, throwing my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest. He smells of a soothing peppermint, calming my senses from everything that'd happened. His arms wrap around my back, holding me close to his heart.

"I love you...dad."

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The Pureblood Vampire Huntress by K. A. Young.

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