Forbidden

A Deal

Van

"Vanessa? Vanessa!"

Van jolted as her father's voice blasted her eardrums. She stood in front of him, still screaming as she had before passing out. At least, she thought she'd passed out. Throat raw, she ceased her yelling and rubbed her temples to ease the thrumming pain that grew with every passing second.

"You look pale. You ought to sit," Abe said the perfect picture of fatherly concern as he guided her back to the pew.

She looked at the women bound on the floor, hoods covering their heads as they had been before everything went blank. In fact, the other guard stood in the same spot and position as before, as if no time at all had passed, which meant she still had time to save Livy.

And then the strangest thing happened. Her vision split so that everything had a ghostly echo clinging to it. One that raced ahead in time. The phantom Slayer at her side reacted to a sound she didn't hear, his hand going to the weapon on his hip as he spun toward the entrance. One door remained shut, while its pale twin swung open. A black panther ran inside. His white teeth were bared and his lips twisted in an angry snarl. Hailey, Luce, and Scott followed behind, drawing their weapons and shouting wordlessly.

"Vanessa?" Abe questioned as she rose on unsteady feet. Deja vu washed over her, and she knew who would come through that door next. Isaiah's twisted face filled with wicked glee as he pulled the trigger on his gun, the bullet whizzing through the air and striking Luca between the shoulder blades.

"No," Van wailed as the enormous cat stumbled, blood pooling beneath him as he fell.

Side burning, she broke free of her father's grasp just as the echoes merged with reality. One step- the Slayer spun. Two steps, the door burst open. Three steps- her friends entered. Five steps- Luca rushed toward her, but she pressed forward, ignoring his strangled growl as she dove at Isaiah.

His gun and the stoppered vial of elixir clattered to the floor, and Van and Isaiah hit the ground with a thump. She found her balance as she rolled to her knees, and she came up swinging, landing a hit on his jaw. His head snapped back, but he recovered quickly. Cackling, he wiped blood from his lip before he lashed out. With a still surprising spurt of speed, she dodged the punch, delivering a swift uppercut that sent him flying backward. Luca let out a roar of approval.

Van felt a little smug as the boy struggled to his feet, but it fled when he whipped his leg out, catching her off guard and bringing her to the ground. In a fluid movement, he had her pinned and his hands around her throat. She pressed her chin down as she tried to force her fingers beneath grip. Spittle sprayed across her face as he increased his effort until she worried she would die from damage before she died from lack of oxygen.

"I imagined us in this position so many times," Isaiah hissed, picking her up and slamming her head against the floor. "Of course, you were enjoying yourself more than you are now, but I think I prefer this."

She clawed until his skin stuck beneath her nails, and every time she bucked her hips, his grin grew wider and the fever in his eyes raged stronger.

"Where's that Blessing now, Helsing?" he said, easing up his hold. She drew in a shuddering breath of air, but he wasn't finished with her yet. He dragged her to her feet and turned her so she could see the fight. His arm slipped around her bruised neck, and from her training with Trixie, Van knew one shift in his stance would break her neck.

Chaos reigned in the chapel, and Van knew that outnumbering her father didn't ensure victory. The other Slayer was wounded, but he stood in front of his Supreme, prepared to die. Abe didn't look the least bit concerned as he held Livy in a hold similar to the one Isaiah had Van in. Luca twitched and took a step toward the entrance.