Chapter 45: Marco’s Last Stand

Sonia picked Arabella up, holding her to her chest. She glanced at Isaac and Marco, still grappling each other in the center of the room.

“Promise me,” Sonia said. “Promise me that when this inevitably gets out of control, you will run.”

“I can’t promise that,” said Lavinia sadly. “Now go.”

Sonia nodded and stood up. She darted out the archway and her footsteps disappeared down the hall. Lavinia stayed where she was, still gripping the fireplace poker. Neither Isaac nor Marco was looking at her. Quickly, she pulled herself towards the fire pit.

Lavinia ripped the ribbon from her neck and pulled off Isaac’s ring. She pressed it on to the tip of the poker, twisting it until it stuck fast. She thrust it into the middle of the flames.

“Come on, come on” she watched the ring start to change color, starting to change shape around the poker. The fire was superheated, enchanted from the spattering of Rosie’s blood. She looked back to the ongoing fight. Marco had pressed Isaac up against the stone wall, his remaining clawed hand digging into his throat. Black blood spilled over Marco’s fingers, seeping into Isaac’s shirt and saturating the front of it.

The fire sputtered as the ring started to melt, dripping molten silver into the embers. Lavinia tilted the poker up, letting the silver spill down its length. She crept to the other side of the room, trying to move as quietly as possible. She had one shot, and she needed to make it count. It coated the poker, cooling in the air. She twirled it in her hand, testing to see if it had hardened.

Satisfied that the silver was cool and that she was as close as she could get, she wound up, stabbing the poker into Marco’s back, stopping when she heard Isaac grunt in pain as the bright silver tip pressed into his chest. Marco roared in pain, dropping Isaac, who slid down the wall, pressing his knees to his chest. Lavinia ripped the poker out of Marco. He staggered back, growling. His hand went to the point in his back where Lavinia had impaled him.

“That was more than I expected from you, Lavinia,” he glared at her, trying to straighten up. Between his gushing wrist and spasming back, he could not. “Clever trick with the silver. It really-” he winced. “Burns.”

“Good. It’s what you deserve,” she hissed. Lavinia swung the poker, keeping Marco at bay. “We’re leaving.”

Marco chuckled darkly. “Oh, I don’t think so.” He shivered, his body twitching as the silver coursed through him. His mouth twisted into a grim smile, his teeth elongating. Lavinia knew he was about to transform.

Isaac started to push himself up. “Back off, Marco.”

“Izzy, we’ve got to stop doing this,” he crooned mockingly. “With you, it’s all empty threats and no action.”

“If you don’t get away from her, that will change very quickly.” Isaac swayed on his feet. His shirt was completely stained, blood blossoming from scratches through his torso and the wound from the coated poker.

“Well come on then,” Marco teased. “Act quickly. She’ll be easy to take care of.” Marco stepped forward, rushing at Lavinia. He pressed her back and she tripped, stumbling over the firepit. The edge of her dress started smoldering. She could feel the heat on her ankles, burning her as it brushed against her. He pulled the poker out of her hand and tossed it aside. It skittered across the floor, scraping on the stone, the silver coming off in flakes.

Marco lowered his mouth to Lavinia’s throat, his teeth sinking into the joint between her shoulder and her neck. She screamed, feeling the pain deep in her muscle. She felt a tugging pain, as his teeth pulled backward without letting go. His teeth left tracks as they were ripped away, Marco’s head yanked back by his hair. Isaac held him fast, making his massive frame look small and weak in his grip. In his outstretched hand, he held the discarded poker.

“Lavinia, go,” Isaac said quietly.

“But-”

“I don’t want you to see this.”

Lavinia backed away fast, the seriousness in Isaac’s voice sending a chill down her spine. She ran into the hallway, leaving Isaac and Marco alone in the ritual room. As she tore down the corridor she could feel the heat on her dress fading. A piercing howl echoed down the hall. Lavinia could hear the pain in the sound. It cut off in a choking cry. She tried not to think about what that meant. Though she had no sympathy for Marco Brogan, the residual pain that lingered in the air made her feel sick and her legs weak.

She pushed through the doors that lead to the amphitheater, finding Sonia and Arabella up on the podium. Arabella was hunched over Rosie’s body, Sonia holding back her hair. When Lavinia entered, she quickly sat up, her mouth smeared with blood.

She wiped her face. “I’m sorry-”

“It’s going to help her heal faster, Vini. Rosie is already dead. She-” Sonia cut off at the look on Lavinia’s face. “Where is Isaac?”

“With your brother.”

“That scream. Was that…”

Lavinia nodded. “I didn’t see what happened. I’m sorry, Sonia. There was nothing I could do.”

Sonia took a deep, shaky breath.

“You knew this might happen,” Lavinia said. “You knew when you helped us that this could happen.”

Before Sonia could answer, Isaac limped through the double doors. His entire front was soaked in a mix of black and red blood. His hair was slick and stained and he was dragging his left ankle. “We have to go. Now.”