Authors: Maya DeLeina
“Enough, Ryan! Anya, do as I said,” Steffan interjected with an undeniable authority.
Anya positioned herself on the ground as Steffan instructed.
Steffan quickly followed, mimicking the same form.
Ryan looked confused as they both appeared to be kneeling in a gesture of surrender. Ryan smiled at the sight.
“What is this? Why the sudden turn of events, Steffan? Giving in so soon?”
No way. He thinks we’re kneeling before him to surrender!
So he doesn’t know about the dangers in the lightning storm for a vampire.
Should we play along?
Yes. Follow my lead.
“I can’t keep this going. She’s too strong. She’s been breaking through the enthrallment ever since she saw you. She’s recalling things from her past too quickly,” Steffan said, his voice cracking at times.
A lightning bolt came striking down to the ground, turning the tundra into a smoldering blackness.
Tuck your head in, Anya!
Ryan was laughing wildly as the thunder growled above them. “You’re afraid of a little lightning and thunder, my love? Don’t be. Thanks to Steffan here, we are immortals. Nothing can kill or harm us. We are invincible!”
Anya looked up at Ryan. His expression was smug. She couldn’t just sit there like Steffan demanded. She needed to do something. “Ryan, I’m starting to recall my feelings for you. But I’m torn between you both. I don’t know what to do!” Anya screamed out in the rain.
Steffan gave her a sidelong look of concern.
It’s the game, Steffan, don’t worry. I have an idea.
“Well, you’re rightfully mine, Anya. We were married in our human life, so he had no right to start a claim on you.”
“But he still has a hold on me, Ryan! He’ll never let go of me. We will never be rid of him even if we try to start our life back together again!” Anya yelled as the rain poured down her face.
Steffan, you need to start acting like a crazed lover.
I think I see where you’re going with this. Let me play it up.
“
No!
You can’t have her, Ryan. She is mine. I completed a full claim on her. If you take her, I will hunt you two down.” Steffan took a quick look at Anya. “You’ll have to kill me first before you even think of taking her from me!”
In an instant, Ryan hurled himself through the air and crashed into Steffan’s body.
Oh my god, Steffan…I didn’t mean for this!
Love, I am all right. Did you see what I was projecting in my mind?
Yes.
I just spotted it. The light bounced off of it from that last strike. It’s to the left of me…about fifty yards away.
I see it!
I’m gonna try to move us near it.
But I can use my kinetics to move it here!
No. Your energy thread is still on it and could harm you if the lightning strikes it. Let me do this.
Anya remained on the ground, her heart breaking as she watched Steffan and Ryan go at it on the open tundra.
The two men rolled down the grade of the mountainside as they held on to each other. Steffan’s back landed against a boulder, stopping their momentum in their tracks.
Ryan was on top of Steffan, growling and grunting, full of rage. “Fucker!” Ryan yelled as he threw a punch.
In response, Steffan moved his head quickly to the opposite side of the punch.
Ryan’s fist carved out a hole in the earth where it landed.
Steffan threw an uppercut, catching Ryan’s chin. Black blood and spit spewed from Ryan’s mouth with the contact.
Ryan splayed his hands over Steffan’s face, forcing his head to sink deep into the ground.
Steffan bit a chunk of flesh from the heel of Ryan’s palm and spit it out.
Ryan screamed in pain, clutching his hand at the wrist as he fell to the ground. Instantly, the black tendrils ignited and traveled to the wound.
Steffan stood up and wiped his mouth of the black blood.
A thunderbolt shot down, splitting off in two, striking the ground once again in synchronicity, and Steffan looked up instinctively to survey the sky.
Without warning, Ryan crashed into Steffan, forcing them to fly through the air.
They landed on a boulder, Ryan on top of Steffan.
“Steffan!” Anya cried and ran toward the men.
Stay there! Don’t come near us! Stay close to the ground!
No! You need my help.
I’m all right. I need to get him closer to it, so he’ll try to use it on me!
What! I thought you wanted it to use on him!
No. Anya, please do what—
Steffan’s inward conversation with Anya was suddenly broken. Ryan lifted Steffan’s head and sent it crashing down to the boulder. Bright-red blood covered the rock.
“Steffan! No!” Anya yelled in horror.
“Steffan? Who in the hell do you want to win here?” Ryan demanded. “I’m doing this all for you!”
Anya stammered her response. “I–I don’t know. I have feelings for you both! I’m confused!”
“Well, I’ll make it simple for you!” Ryan said coldly as he picked up a rock, the edge jagged and sharp, almost triangular in shape. He lifted the stone and came down with force, impaling Steffan in the stomach. The force of the entry caused pieces of the rock to shatter in Ryan’s hand.
Steffan cried out in agony.
I can’t take this, Steffan! You told me not to worry, that you couldn’t get hurt! You need help!
No, Anya! Yes, all right, it hurts. But he can’t permanently damage me. Please, do as I say and stay back.
* * * *
Steffan’s repair mechanisms were on high alert, expelling pieces of the rock from his body and mending the puncture wound in his stomach.
Ryan growled with frustration. “Why can’t you just die!”
Ryan punched Steffan in the face with a series of rapid blows. All his efforts merely marred Steffan’s face temporarily as his repair mechanisms responded to each tear, puncture, and bone break.
“Goddamnit!” Ryan yelled, breathless, tiring from his expended energy.
This was exactly the moment Steffan had waited for.
With one hand, Steffan wrapped his fingers tightly around Ryan’s neck, lifting him off of his body and straight in the air. A growl rumbled in the pit of Steffan’s stomach, his eyes burning deep crimson. He looked Ryan deep in the eyes as he held him over his body by the neck.
Ryan was panicked, punching Steffan’s arm and desperately trying to pry open his fingers. Steffan thought about all the times he’d made love to Anya as Ryan watched quietly in the corner and the rumble in his body turned into a menacing roar. In one swift move, Steffan threw Ryan’s flailing body, aiming for a boulder clear across the tundra.
The move mimicked a quarterback throwing a Hail Mary pass.
Ryan flew through the air, the back of his head taking the brunt of the impact against the boulder, shattering his skull. Ryan lay motionless, allowing the tendrils to work their magic on the extensive injury.
Steffan took to the air and landed on Ryan’s chest, slicing a deep gash in the crevice of his neck with his razor-sharp, clawlike fingernail.
Anya took to the air and stayed at a safe distance, landing behind a large boulder.
Steffan stood over Ryan, a fountain of black blood cresting from his neck. Ryan scrambled to gather his saliva to mend the puncture wound.
A lightning bolt struck, the closest strike yet, and shook the earth below her feet.
Steffan backed off of Ryan and moved his attention in search for Anya.
Anya! Stay down! Tuck your head
!
Ryan kicked up, his foot landing squarely on Steffan’s chest.
Steffan flew backward, landing on his back on the smoldering tundra.
Ryan ran to Steffan, intent on continuing his attack.
Steffan outstretched his legs, tripping Ryan. He fell against a rock, puncturing his temple and crushing his eye socket.
A lightning bolt touched down again, mere inches from where Anya stood.
Anya screamed and tucked her head.
Steffan stood frantically to see if Anya was all right.
Anya, I do need your help. He still doesn’t see it and this lightning is too bad to continue on
.
All right, I can do it.
Do it quick
!
Ryan crawled toward Steffan and grabbed his ankles, pulling him to the ground.
* * * *
Anya watched Ryan’s attack on Steffan.
He was completely healed, his eye carefully tucked back into his socket. But he looked tired and worn, as if he couldn’t fight anymore.
And she couldn’t take watching them fight any longer.
She needed to end this.
She fixed her gaze on the object that Steffan projected in his mind. It was a metal stake that sat planted in the ground. The metal stake looked like it had either been carelessly left behind by campers in the area or been used as a marker of some sort. Either way, Anya focused her energy on the stake as Steffan and Ryan wrestled each other.
It’s coming loose, Steffan. It’s working!
Hurry and move it toward him. Coax him to use it on me. I’ve been counting the minutes between the lightning strikes, and it’s due any time now.
Anya applied that last ounce of energy she had to the stake, and the earth released its steady hold. Anya set it down gently near Ryan.
Do it now, Anya!
“Ryan, the stake! Kill him so we can be free!” Anya yelled frantically as Ryan looked around for the object she was referring to, inconspicuously there at his feet.
Here we go, shield your eyes, Anya!
Ryan punched Steffan in the face.
Steffan remained motionless, coaxing Ryan to start his fury.
Ryan got up off of Steffan and reached for the metal stake.
He took his place, a perfect stance over Steffan’s motionless body. Standing over Steffan, he held on to the long, sharp piece of metal, slowly raising it above his head. He screamed with a deep ferocity as he pulled the weapon back with every intent to lunge it deep into Steffan’s body.
The lightning bolt crashed down on cue, catching the metal stake and piercing through Ryan. The stake sent shards of lightning to bounce in every direction. Steffan rolled out from underneath Ryan’s shaking body and took his position close to the ground. Ryan wailed in pain as the sparks lit up the darkened mountaintop like fireworks on the Fourth of July.