Prelude: Piazza di San Pietro

(Page 8 of 20)

Demetrius soon grew frustrated and thrust forward in an attempt to tackle the woman. Samantha leaped into an inhumanly high sauté, pushing the beast under her in a leap-frog motion. Immediately the creature turned, claw slicing the air as Samantha dived to the ground. Rolling on her back, she promptly pushed her body weight onto her arms, springing herself to her feet.

Too late, she realized Demetrius was behind her. His cold breath on her neck. In desperation she twisted to send an elbow up toward his jaw. Something in her arm made a cracking noise upon connection.

Unexpectedly, Demetrius fell to his knees, having lost all balance. He wanted to say something sarcastic and cruel, but it seemed he forgot how to speak. The world blurred in his right eye, and he could hear little apart from the ringing. Then the scent of roasted acorns filled his nostrils, and a warmth flowed across the back of his neck. Surely, the smell was nothing more than an illusion brought on by the damage caused from the bullet lodged deep within his cranium.

Manon choked, more blood spilling from the wound on her neck. A wound already sealing itself shut as she passed into unconsciousness, dropping the still-smoking revolver. A tear welled in Samantha’s eye as she looked at her unconscious partner, at last breaking her glare from the prey. He poisoned her with his bite, leaving Samantha but moments to get the girl back to Nuovo Pellegrini before the taint of corruption made its way to Manon soul. If that were to happen, she would be no more human than Demetrius, and Samantha would be forced to….

With an elegant coupe jeté en tourant, Samantha made a three-quarter turn in the air, giving an unsympathetic strike to the side of Demetrius’ head as the grand jeté en avant completed the turn. He fell into a comatose heap upon the ground.

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