Chapter Eighteen

"Does every vampire have the same abilities?" Flick asked, her fingers combing through Paul's hair as he lay across the bed, his head resting in her stomach. He was still getting used to the all the different kinds of intimacy there was to share with his mate, learning that it wasn't just about sex. It was about being comfortable with each other, trusting each other and knowing you had the freedom from judgement when you were together. He'd never in a million fucking years thought he'd be the kinda guy to lay in a chick's lap while she combed her fingers through his hair and talked.

It sounded crazy to him, pointless even.

Yet here he was...

"Kinda – I mean there's certain abilities that we all share like strength, speed, flight and lure but as with humans, some vampire excel in certain area's. We aren't all on the same kinda level."

"What about you and the boys, are you all on the same level?"

"Nah-" Paul shook his head, "-Dwayne excels in strength and lure, Marko excels in speed, David excels in power of the mind and tracking and I'm just cruising on all of em'" he chuckled.

"What's tracking?"

"Basically as it sounds. It's the ability to track something or someone," he explained, pulling himself upright, leaning over Flick's body to rest his weight on the arm that was crossed over her chest.

"Do you think I'll excel at anything?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno babe, we won't know until you make the full transition," he shrugged.

"How enlightening," she smirked teasingly.

"Cheeky shit."

The red rubber ball rocketed towards her at speed and just at the last second, Flick propelled herself into a backwards flip using the wall as leverage causing the ball to miss her face by a mere few inches. She grinned triumphantly, landing on her feet to grab one of the balls rolling across the stone floor and sent it careening across the cavern where it missed Marko's crotch by a hairs-breadth. "Hey! No crotch shots!" he hollered, immediately sending the ball back in her direction and she had to swiftly duck to prevent it from socking her straight in the nose.

"I called no boob shots and that didn't stop you!" Flick yelled back, dodging another ball thrown by Dwyane while rubbing her chest where he boob still stung from the memory alone. "I've got a bruised boob because of you!"

Marko cackled. "I'm sure Paul will be more than happy to kiss it better," he winked.

Out of nowhere a ball sailed across the cavern, hitting Marko directly between the legs. "Ugh. My dick!" he howled, dropping to his knees with his hands cupped over his crotch.

"That's what you get when you don't play by the rules man," Paul smirked, sauntering over to where Flick stood giggling at the sight of Marko's distress while Dwayne guffawed and David stood aside with a smirk.

"How can you do a brother like that man?" Marko winced, pulling himself to his feet. "You fucking know how much crotch shots hurt dude."

Paul shrugged. "Shoulda played nice bro, when my girl says no boob shots then it means no fucking boob shots."

"C'mon man, I didn't mean to hit her tits! It isn't my fault they're such an easy target-" Marko smirked, "-like her arse," he grinned and Flick gawped at him in disbelief.

"You asshole," she pouted, turning into Paul's chest. "He deserves another ball to the balls for that comment," she mumbled against his chest.

Paul chuckled. "Ignore him babe, you know how much I love your ass."

"Yeah?" she peered up at him with a smirk.

"Hell yeah," Paul cocked his eyebrow and her stomach flipped when his eyes flickered with hunger.

"If you two lovebirds have finished tweeting at each other, how about we take another shot at combat?" Dwayne interrupted, bouncing the dodgeball in his hands against the wall.

For the past week, every evening had been an evening of preparation. Flick knew that David had been serious about being prepared but she didn't think he'd be so strict so soon. She'd pretty much mastered flight and she'd become much more graceful when it came to balance, not to mention she was pretty good at dodging balls.

Heh.

But the one thing she wasn't so confident with was combat. When it came down to an actual fight and throwing punches, she was an anxious wreck. She always let her guard down which more often than not ended up in her biting the dirt and earning a lecture from David on how she needed to stop being such a wimp, that she couldn't hurt the boys and even if she did, they healed so fast that it would be forgotten after a few minutes.

"Do we have to?" Flick whined.

"Yes," David replied with a finality that dared her to argue.

She sighed. "Fine."

"This time we're going to try something a little different," David smirked.

"What do you mean?

"I'm going to attack Paul and it's your job to defend him – fight me off," he informed her.

"What? How the hell do you expect me to go up against you?" she gawped.

"You've pitted yourself against Dwayne haven't you? He's by far the biggest of us all," David reminded, cocking his head.

"Yeah and look how that ended-" she grimaced, "-this is different, you might not be as big as Dwayne but you're definitely more intimidating," she swallowed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"The best way to look at it is not to see it as you fighting David, see it as you wanting to protect your man," Dwayne offered, supportively squeezing her shoulder.

Bloody hell...

Flick watched with her stomach in knots as Paul and David fought. She wasn't even completely sure if Paul was holding back and allowing David to gain the upper-hand or whether David was just that dangerous. David slammed Paul onto the floor and her heart hammered wildly in her chest. It was hurting her watching him being tossed around like a rag doll even if it was all for show. "C'mon girl, are you gonna let him kick your man's ass?" Marko goaded.

David yanked Paul from the floor and held him in rather vicious choke-hold, his fangs bared and primed to sink into Paul's skull. Flick closed her eyes, swallowing around the lump of fear that had lodged itself in her throat and was suddenly hit with a barrage of memories, memories that left an itching sting beneath her skin. Memories of the look in her mom's eyes when she told her she was done with her. Memories of the hatred on Michael's face as he hissed that any who ever told her they loved her had been lying. Memories of the two scumbags that had attacked her, breaking her bones and almost breaking her will. Then, in the fog of hurtful thoughts, Paul's face flickered into the forefront of her mind, his mischievous eyes and warm smile melting her heart and chasing away her demons. Through all her recent torment, Paul had been the one to stand by her side, to be her strength when she was weak. The one who made her believe in herself when she started to slip into the pit of worthlessness.

Her eyes fluttered open, her sights trained on Paul as he struggled against David's hold. It was her turn to save him this time, she wouldn't let anyone hurt him, the tremor in her core telling her she'd die to protect him and even though the thought alone was terrifying it was also somehow freeing. Flick pushed back the niggle of self-doubt and clenched her hands into fists by her side, the hold on the anger she'd constantly tempered and pushed down finally relenting as something in her mind snapped. It was almost as if she'd had a rubber band holding all the emotion in place, stretching and stretching it to capacity causing it to weaken and fray until suddenly – snap.

A feral growl ripped from her chest leaving her lungs burning from the force of the release as she prepared to pounce. All she could focus on was the raw unadulterated rage that she'd kept buried deep within her that had been released, flying in all direction in violent sparks of energy. Flick's gums violently ached as she felt something sharp pierce her lips, another guttural growl ripping from her chest as she sprang forward and with a strength she didn't know she possessed, gripped David's shirt, ripped him away from Paul and swung her arms sending David rocketing across the cavern, his body flailing gracelessly before he slammed mercilessly into the back wall, his body crumpling in a heap on the floor.

"What in the Kentucky fried fuck was that?" Marko gawped as Flick sank to her knees as a wave of exhaustion rolled over her in one big tidal wave.

"Holy shit baby, are you alright?" Paul knelt in front of her, lifting her chin with his finger.

What he'd just witnessed blew his fucking mind. Never in a million fucking years did he expect Flick to possess such strength, such rage - she was like a woman possessed. It had legit startled him and judging by the look on the boys faces, she'd startled them just as much too. Paul drew her into his arms, her body practically vibrating as her chest heaved. "Talk to me babe, are you alright?" he spoke softly, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, her fingers gripping the lapels of his jacket.

"Dave's fine babe, you don't need to be sorry," Paul assured her as he glanced over his shoulder to see David hauling himself to his feet, looking a little ruffled as he leant against the wall, getting the wind back in his sails.

"I was not expecting that," Marko exhaled with a whistle and Paul cautiously pulled Flick to her feet.

"I'm shook," Dwayne shook his head, blowing out a breath as he lit himself a cigarette, offering the pack to the rest of the group.

"Smoke?" Paul offered, earning a timid nod in reply. He lit her a cigarette which she gratefully took between trembling fingers, raising the thin white stick to her lips and took a tentative drag.

"What happened in your head? You looked like you were somewhere else for a second," David questioned as he strolled over to where they all congregated, straightening out his dishevelled clothes.

"I don't know. I just started thinking about all the bullshit that's been happening to me lately and through it all Paul's always been there for me and I guess being reminded of that unlocked something and I wanted to protect him as much as he's protected me-" she explained, "-I feel like I unleashed all this anger that I'd been keeping inside and well... sorry if I took things too far..." she averted her eyes awkwardly.

"No harm done-" David shrugged, "-I'm actually a little impressed," he grinned wolfishly.

"Treasure that compliment Flick, you won't hear them often," Dwayne smirked.

"Dude, I've got a fucking rush on... I need a neck," Marko exhaled.

"Count me in," Dwayne smirked.

"Me too – I need to recharge," David chuckled.

"What about you?" Flick asked Paul innocently.

"I'm fine babe, I'm good to hang back – you look kinda beat," he smiled, nudging her lips.

"No you should go, you need to feed – I'll be fine to stay back and chill for awhile."

"You sure?" Paul frowned.

"Yeah – bring me back a pizza," she smiled.

David tossed the french frie making his fingers greasy back into the basket with a sigh, slumping back against the padded leather seat of the booth as he distractedly drank his beer, his brows knitted in a frown.

"You seem distracted, is everything OK?" Sophia broke the heavy silence that had fallen between them, chewing her lip anxiously.

"Peachy keen," he forced a smile, finding a sense of calm in her sparkling hazel eyes.

"Are you sure? You've been a little off all week and well... there's only a few days left of my vacation and I guess I totally understand if you're bored or whatever... I get it, I can amuse myself-"

David cut her off, his finger pressed gently against her lips. "-Believe me, you're the highlight of my night right now..."

As difficult as he found being affectionate, he found himself wanting to be honest with the hazel eyed beauty beside him. She'd honestly kept him calm and level-headed during their time together and he was a little disappointed that she was going home in a few days. If he could keep her here with him he would but that would only pose yet another complication and he already had enough to contend with without adding another addition to the pack...

Sophia's face lit up in a pretty smile and he beckoned her closer, capturing her soft, plump lips in a lingering kiss. With her doubts seemingly eased, Sophia returned her attention back to her food while David's eyes drifted to the polished bay windows fronting the diner, his lip curling into a snarl when he spotted a familiar brunette duo making their way toward the diner. He tempered his anger, forcing himself to keep his composure despite the instinctual urge to rip out the traitorous bitches throat along with her arrogant, snake of a boyfriend.

He silently praised Sophia's decision to take one of the back booths where the bright fluorescent lights didn't quite reach leaving him hidden amongst the shadows -easy to miss if you weren't looking- and lucky for him, neither Star nor Michael were paying much attention to their surroundings, they were more concerned with groping one another. Sickening really... David toyed with the ends of Sophia's hair, feigning a lack of interest in the commotion around him but secretly in tune with the latest additions to the diner.

"So where is it your ex lives? You never told me..."

David's head snapped up, unable to stifle his surprise at hearing that he, himself was the subject of their conversation. Though it was good to know that Dwayne's ability to control minds was still as strong as ever...

"David?" Sophia's voice brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, did you say something?" he smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"I asked if you wanted to go for a walk, it's a nice night, seems a shame to waste it," she returned his smile albeit shyly. Christ she was fucking adorable...

"Sure, I'll finish my beer and we can head out," he agreed, tuning back into the conversation between Star and Michael.

"Michael are you sure you want to do this? If the boys are there-"

"-What are you so afraid of? Do you still have feelings for your ex or something?"

"What, no! Of course I don't – I hate him..."

The feeling was definitely mutual, David scowled.

"Then what's the big deal? If the boys are there then we'll hold off but you wanna know what happened to your brother don't you? Only Flick can give us answers."

"But what if she covers for them? What if she doesn't tell us anything?"

"I told you, I'll beat the truth out of her."

"What if it goes too far?" Star's voice lowered.

"Then there's a cliff right by your exes place right? No one will ever find the body."

David almost choked on the mouthful of beer he was in the process of swallowing while his chest tightened with rage. Flick might be new to the pack and still on the borders of fully fledged family but she was family nonetheless and even more so, she was his friends mate and David knew how much it would kill Paul if anything happened to her.

He couldn't sit back and do nothing, he'd been way too merciful with the little weasels and as far as he was concerned, the time for mercy had come to a very abrupt end.

David drained the last dregs of flat beer and rose to his feet, tossing a bundle of cash on the table to cover the bill. "Shall we?" he offered Sophia his hand and lead her out of the diner, ensuring that neither Star or Michael noticed him. Once outside David drew Sophia into his arms, using the moment of affection to connect with his pack.

"Paul, your mates in danger..." he warned.

"What?" Paul's voice sounded in his mind almost instantly.

"I just overheard a conversation in the diner between Michael and Star, apparently he plans to beat information out of Flick. He's even planned out what he's going to do if it goes too far..."

"Fuck this, I'm done with playing nice, that son-of-a-bitch dies," Paul deadpanned.

"Agreed-" David confirmed, "-Marko, Dwayne, I need you to make sure they get to the usual spot alive and Paul, go get Flick."

"I'm guessing we're gonna need a fire?" Marko chimed.

"You guessed right."

"Wait, why do I need to get Flick, aren't we going to take care of it?" Paul asked, his voice uncertain.

"We're going to give her the choice – either she kills them, or we do."

"Shit..." Dwayne sighed before David's connection with the boys faded.

David sighed heavily, inhaling the scent of the woman in his arms. "Sophia, I'm sorry but I just remember I have something I need to take care of," he explained apologetically.

"Oh..." she frowned, a look of disappointment flickering in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that Sophia-" he exhaled, resting his forehead against her brow, "-I'm not a man that often feels guilt but that look is killing me."

"Are you going to be busy all night?" she asked, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"No-" he replied, his thumb grazing her jaw, "-how about I join you at the hotel when I've finished?"

"I'm starting to think you only want me for my body," she joked and David chuckled.

"You're bodies just a bonus-" he smirked, "-room 206?"

"Mmhmm..." she smiled, kissing him softly.

He couldn't help but wonder if she'd still be so willing to invite him to her hotel room if she knew what he was about to go and do.

Paul braced his hands against the rocks lining the entrance to the cave and exhaled slowly, his stomach twisted in one hard knot. He didn't know how he was going to give Flick the ultimatum David had presented him with – either she kills her own brother, or she watches us do it...

"Fuck..." Paul muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. He'd usually fight David on a decision like this but this time he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Flick's brother was willing to kill Flick for his girlfriend, how could he let that slide? Michael deserved to die, just like Star and a part of him not so secretly wanted Flick to be the one to do it. He wanted her to take back her worth. He wanted her to refuse to let anyone even think about hurting her, let alone giving them the opportunity to physically do it. Paul steeled himself against the urge to spare his mates feelings and made his way down the incline, all the while thinking about how exactly he was going to word David's request.

He stepped down into the cavern to find Flick slumped on the sofa, absentmindedly toying with the release button on his switchblade. He silently watched as she pricked the tip of her finger, her eyes trained on the small bead of blood that gathered on the surface, her expression morphing into one of awe as she watched the surface wound slowly knit close. His chest flooded warmth as he observed the bordering on innocent display only for his core to ache with the knowledge that he was about to erase every last iota of that innocence along with the humanity she had left with what he was about to ask of her.

"Having fun?" he chimed, grinning when Flick raised her head, greeting him with a warm smile.

"Time of my life actually-" she countered with a smirk, "-hey, where's my pizza?"

Paul's good humour swiftly faded as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, finding it difficult to keep eye contact. "Babe I need you to come with me," he swallowed, beckoning her over.

"Why, where we going?" she frowned, obediently rising to her feet.

"I-" the words danced on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't get his voice to work. Violence and death were second nature to him at this point but looking at Flick's naïve, innocent face and listening to the sound of her care-free heart beating rhythmically in her chest, knowing how much she'd suffered in the past few weeks rendered him a coward and he couldn't bring himself to tell her what was about to happen. "-David's asked us to meet him somewhere..." he answered vaguely, kicking himself for being such a little bitch.

Paul's bike came to a skidding stop in the sand and Flick scoped the deserted beach with a frown, spotting the dancing flames of a lone bonfire a little further down from where they sat where three familiar figures stood, staring down at something in the sand. Flick thought she could hear muffled voices but the sound of the wind and crashing waves rendered her temporarily deaf.

"C'mon, the boys are waiting for us," Paul gave her an awkward smile, his usual cocky grin nowhere in sight.

Flick's frown deepened as they neared the others while an invisible rock settled itself in the pit of her stomach when she picked up on the tense atmosphere, the air so heavy that she felt like if she reached out that she could touch it, coating her skin like melted wax. Paul came to stop flanking Marko while he gently nudged her forward gesturing for her to continue upfront. "Paul what's-" her words morphed into a gasp of surprise when she almost tripped over the two bound and gagged figures sat hunched over in the sand.

She stared down at her brother, her eyes focused on the trickle of blood running down his jaw from the jagged cut beneath his eyebrow. The heady scent of jasmine intermixed with leather and pungent spices made her nostrils flair as her ears were suddenly left ringing with the rapid thump of two separate heartbeats while her stomach cramped and her throat itched from the building thirst.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." Marko made a crack at levity but not even Paul cracked a smile, the air felt too tense, too thick, almost charged with volatile energy.

David motioned towards Star and Michael and Dwayne strode forward, roughly ripping the gags from their mouths. He tossed the tatty rags into the fire before moving back to flank David, his dark eyes predatory. "What's happening?" Flick asked no one in particular, attempting to shake off the carnal urge to taste the blood that suddenly smelt so appetising.

"Your fag of a boyfriend sent his hitmen to do the job he isn't man enough to do," Michael snarled eliciting a growl of anger from Paul as he sent a cascade of sand into Michael's face, leaving him temporarily blinded as he coughed and spluttered.

"Eat shit asshole," Paul scowled.

David sighed. "You didn't tell her, did you?" he addressed Paul with a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Paul shook his head guiltily.

"Once again it's up to me to play the bad guy," David mumbled before turning his attention to Flick, his face an emotionless mask. "What's happening Felicity, is I'm going to give you an ultimatum, there's no thinking about it, there's no time to mull it over, it's a choice you have to make now."

"I don't understand..." she stammered, meeting Star's terrified eyes.

"Allow me to break it down for you," David stepped forward, moving to stand behind her brother and his girlfriend. "She-" he gripped Star's hair in his fist and yanked her head back eliciting a startled scream.

"-Let her go you son-of-a-bitch, pick on someone your own size," Michael yelled, struggling against his binds.

David grabbed Michael's hair in the other hand, pulling so hard that Michael ended up on his knees, his eyes watering from the way the angry immortal was tugging at his scalp. "Happy now?" David sneered, sending Michael careening sideways, leaving him and Star to bump heads and become tangled in a heap in the sand. "As I was saying-" he continued, "-I happened to overhear these two planning to storm our home, catch you on your own and beat the truth about what happened to the scumbags who attacked you out of you and if it just so happened that brother dearest took his beatings too far, then he planned to through you off the cliffside – apparently no-one would ever find your body..."

Flick felt her eyes mist with tears while a lump of emotion became lodged in her throat. "Is that true?" she asked Michael, not doubting David's word for a moment but needing to hear it from her brother himself.

"Yeah – untie me and I'll get it over with, one-on-one just me and you, sis," he retorted coldly and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dwayne holding Paul back.

David ignored Michael's challenge and kept his focus trained solely on her, the way he was looking at her with the predatory glint in his eyes was making her skin prickle. "Unfortunately I can no longer let this dipshit and his whore continue to threaten those within my pack which now, subsequently includes you and as such, the threat to those amongst our ranks must be eradicated-" David explained emotionlessly, "-meaning that either you kill them, or we do."

"What?" Flick's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You knew about this?" she turned to Paul who averted his eyes guiltily.

"It ends now Flick," Dwayne spoke up.

"He keeps hurting you Flick, how can I let him keep hurting you?-" Paul implored, "-take your worth back, prove how fucking strong you are."

Michael scoffed. "You've all lost your fucking mind, who do you think you are? The mafia? You don't get to decide who lives and who dies."

"But you do?" Marko countered icily and Michael scowled.

"You know what, go ahead Flick, take your best shot-" Michael invited while Star silently wept beside him, "-I dare you."

Flick felt everyone's eyes on her and found herself frozen to the spot until Michael's bitter laughter brought her out of her state of shock. "You don't have the fucking guts to even fucking look at me never mind kill me you worthless sack of shit. No wonder mom couldn't wait to wash her hands of you, you didn't bring anything to the family but misery. We're all better off without you..."

As Michael's hateful tirade picked up tempo, Flick felt the same red mist of rage that she'd experienced earlier back at the cave start to bubble within her. The itch in her throat grew stronger along with the sound of a pounding heart in her ears leaving her wondering if it was in fact her own. Her skin felt overly hot while her skin prickled, the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck standing on end as liquid fire swam through her veins. Her gums started to ache beneath the strain of wanting to phase as not only her rage but her carnal thirst for blood begun overwhelm her.

She hated him. She hated Michael with every fibre of her being. He was going to kill her, his own blood sister for the sake of some cheap tart he'd known a matter of weeks. He'd always been a hateful asshole and he'd only gotten worse. More arrogant, more self-centred, more hurtful. She'd be doing the world a favour if she were to kill him. Another vindictive, abusive asshole off the streets.

Her eyes drifted from Star's terrified face to Michael's vicious sneer, drifting up to meet David's stormy stare. She silently watched as he slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket, producing a switchblade identical to the one she'd pilfered from Paul. He wordlessly held out the knife, his head cocked as he silently urged her to make her choice.

"Your boyfriends using you, you'll end up coked up, walking the streets looking for your next fix and a fuck while he rakes in the cash from selling your ass," Michael's voice screamed in her mind and the rage became almost unbearable.

The rage that was simmering inside her came to a roaring heart pounding climax. "Fuck you!" she screamed, grabbing the knife. Everything after that moment was a blur of bloodcurdling screams, feral growls, tearing flesh and gurgled pleas all interspersed with the crashing waves and the buzzing drone in her mind.

Flick collapsed onto her knees, her hands splayed out in the sand in front of her as her chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath. As the hazy mist of rage cleared and the fog that had made her vision blur faded, she found herself staring down at her hands – hands that were stained crimson, beneath her nails black from a build up of crusting dried blood. She swallowed, tasting an unfamiliar coppery metallic tang and the buzzing in her mind built in crescendo as her head snapped up, leaving her staring at the mangled corpse of her big brother and his girlfriend.

"Oh God..." she stammered as the buzzing grew so loud that it was like a swarm of vicious angry wasps swarming her head. Her stomach roiled and lurched, so much so that the bitter taste of bile mingled with the metallic tang of blood. Her breath descended to short, ragged pants as an invisible thumb pressed down on her windpipe. Tears born of horror burned her eyes while black spots danced in front of her vision. She tried to suck in a lungful of air but instead inhaled a lungful of needles.

"Babe, you need to breathe..." Paul's voice echoed through the darkness she could feel consuming her.

"Paul..." she panted, desperately gripping his wrists as he knelt in the sand in front of her.

"I'm here with you Flick just concentrate on breathing, OK?"

She could hear movement around her along with familiar muffled voices but she couldn't bring herself to focus on anything but the rising panic threatening to swallow her whole.

"I can't, it hurts," she shook her head as her chest painfully tightened.

"I know babe but you need to trust me – yeah?"

Flick dragged air into her burning lungs.

"Good, now exhale slowly."

She followed his orders, the pressure on her windpipe alleviating slightly.

"You're doing so good baby, keep going until you feel calm, OK?"

Flick nodded and inhaled deeply, gasping and choking before exhaling slowly, repeating the process a few more times until the heavy weight on her chest started to lift. "That's my girl," Paul whispered, kissing her temple.

Just as Flick started to calm, floating between the hazy realm between zen and spaced, her eyes once again drifted to the her hands that bore the evidence of what she'd done along with her arms, her jeans and her t-shirt. The sight of so much blood made her feel queasy but what really did it, what really set reality sinking in was when she was hit with the acrid scent of burning flesh that seemed to linger despite the breeze blowing in from the ocean. It was then she understood the purpose of the fire – it was to destroy the evidence. Her stomach churned in warning of its distress while her cheeks began to tingle as a build-up of saliva overflowed in her mouth. She swallowed and her gag-reflex threw a fit, pushing back the mouthful of spit with force.

Flick clamped her hand over her mouth and scrabbled to her feet, staggering and stumbling in the sand as she made a bee-line for the ocean, managing to reach the shore before she unleashed a putrid stream of blood and bile into the ebbing waves while her stomach constricted. "I told you she couldn't fucking handle it man," Paul's voice cut through the sound of her own retching sobs.

"Like you were so fucking composed after your first kill McCarter, get down off your fucking high-horse. What's done is done – she's one of us now," David's voice followed and Flick gave another forceful lurch, unloading the contents of her stomach.

She was one of them now...