Here's the last chapter! TT_TT Before I let you read, I wanna say thanks to all my precious reviewers: THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU GUYS, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT YOU READ MY STORY, EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT. THANK YOU!
Disclaimer: It's chapter 15 already, and I still don't own anything from Night World...Love you, LJ Smith! :P
Ash was almost there. Just…a little…farther…
When Ash had walked Mary-Lynnette to work earlier, Café Eternal seemed too close. He'd wished that they had more time to talk and just be together.
Now, the café seemed to be at an unreachable distance, a forever away from him that he never seemed to get closer to. HE glimpsed the shadowy building way ahead of him, but it felt like he couldn't even get there, much less get there in time to save his one and only.
Still, Ash ran.
Finally a (human) lifetime later, Ash reached the door. It was locked and bolted and shuttered but Ash didn't care. He forged on without a second thought.
He ran at full speed into the door, headfirst.
The door fell away like paper, and Ash didn't even register the pain; it was only when a trickle of blood dripped into his eyes that he realized – dimly, as if only his subconscious was aware of it – that he was hurt.
He didn't care. All he could think of at the moment was Mary-Lynnette, Mary-Lynnette, Mary-Lynnette.
Suddenly, he halted. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air.
. . .
Mary-Lynnette heard a crash. She couldn't tell where it was, but she hoped it was Blondie and Adam trying to do something inappropriate but only succeeding in knocking stuff over. Slaphappy with an adrenaline high, she giggled manically. She sounded crazy, even to her own ears, thought her thoughts were too messed up to think about it.
The brawny vamps were a foot way, but they stopped in confusion when they heard her insane laughter. Then they shrugged and continued moving slowly closer to her.
They'd been doing that a while. They circled her, getting closer, stepping back. It was a dance, but they danced alone.
They were playing with her.
Crazy though she may be, Mary-Lynnette wasn't totally helpless. She was not about to wait for her knight in shining armor to rescue her, while she wept elegantly among axe murderers…even though she wanted to.
One vampire got a little too close to Mary-Lynnette, who was sitting on the ground with her hands and feet bound. Luckily, she had gotten her writes slightly looser – loose enough for her to straighten up and jam her elbow, which was neither round nor soft by any stretch of one's imagination, into the closest vamp, who had been bending down a little, probably so he could flaunt his handsomely ugly face.
Her elbow caught him – where else? – right in his "family jewels," and she smirked as she watched him crumple. His face ashen, he clutched at his injured area and gasped for breath. Mary-Lynnette looked on without mercy, because she knew they would not have shown her any.
Hasn't your mother ever told you not to play with your food? Mary-Lynnette thought morbidly as the other vamps froze a backed off a little.
Adrenaline raced through her with Triumph on its back.
But not for long.
Out of the shadows, a dark figure jumped her, covering her mouth and nose with one gigantic hand. She tried to bite him, but his hand was so big that it completely clamped up the whole bottom half of her face.
Mary-Lynnette could feel her chest constricting tighter as she fought unsuccessfully for air.
Another dude came and jerked her hair, pulling her head back as well.
Uh-oh, she thought murkily.
Her neck was completely exposed.
She tried to yank her head back down, but he was too strong and she was already weakened, due to her lack of breath. Not to mention the fact that he had her hair by the roots and tugging even a bit caused her to wince.
"Mistress!" someone called respectfully. "Please, have the first bite."
Mary-Lynnette hazily watched Blondie appear – without Adam, surprisingly. But then Mary-Lynnette noticed that Blondie's fangs were out and covered in blood, along with her mouth and cheeks.
Messy eater, Mary-Lynnette thought. She knew somewhere in her mind that the blood was Adam's, who was most likely dead, and she was shocked to feel a spark of sorrow. Then again, Adam had started out nice to her, before he became a vampiress-loving bastard.
Blondie grinned savagely, even thought it was clear she'd just had a full meal. She stalked closer.
Mary-Lynnette's mind faded into unconsciousness.
. . .
With a roar, Ash burst in to the hidden back room of the café. With one swift glance, he took in the scene: Mary-Lynnette unconscious on the ground with a bunch of vampires holding her captive and one dangerous blonde vampiress leaning over his soulmate, poised to bite.
Not if I have anything to say about it! Ash thought as he growled and leaped.
He knocked Blondie away from Mary-Lynnette and into the henchmen who were restraining her. Immediately, the rest of the vampires were on him.
Ash flew into a rage, each vampire blurring into the next until he found himself fighting air. He stopped breathing hard, as he scanned the ground and saw that he'd knocked out everyone – except Blondie.
"Ash."
He turned. And snarled.
Blondie was behind the unconscious Mary-Lynnette. Her fangs were right on Mary-Lynnette's neck and her evil eyes gleamed at him.
Ash took a step. Blondie pressed her fangs harder against Mary-Lynnette's neck until a bead of blood appeared.
Ash became a statue.
"Don't move. Another step and I'll tear her throat our," Blondie threatened.
He didn't doubt her for a nanosecond.
Instead, he calmed himself, slowing his breathing, and said, "Let her go. You're trying to get to me, right? Let her go and I promise I'll do whatever you want."
Blondie laughed harshly. "Yeah, right. You also promised you'd come back for me, but that didn't happen either."
Confused, Ash asked, "Wait…Do I know you?"
With a cry of shock, she out, "Know me? You…we…you…you told me you loved me!"
"Really?" Ash scratched his head. "Uh, when was this?"
"Three years ago!" she wailed. "You…I can't believe…you forgot me?"
Ash sighed. "I'm so glad Mary-Lynnette isn't awake to hear this. She'd kill me." Taking a deep breath, he looked at Blondie and apologized in a bored tone, "Sorry. I'm reformed now, but three years ago, I wasn't. Yes, I forgot you because you were probably just a toy to me. Sorry. If it make you feel any better, you're not the only one."
"So," Blondie's voice hitting the next octave as she screeched, "you didn't love me?"
"Nope. Sorry."
"Agghhh!" She forgot about Mary-Lynnette and soared over at him, jaw snapping, fingers scratching.
Ash kicked her in the gut with his right leg. She crashed into the wall on his left, denting it severely.
He strolled over to her, who was now on the ground, clawing for air. He squatted down next to her and looked at her gorgeous, hate-filled eyes.
Shrugging, he complimented, "You're hot and you know it. I know it. But we just aren't meant to be."
Ash stood and started toward Mary-Lynnette, but a claw-like hand grabbed his ankle. Not even turning back, he kicked his foot behind him and felt it connect with the vampiress. Her cry of agony chot through him, but he didn't turn. He just kept going until he was right next to Mary-Lynnette.
He untied her and let her lay a little longer. He hunted around for a phone and found one sitting in Adam's office.
Ash was pretty sure Adam was dead, but he only pitied the human. Against the vampiress, Adam never stood a chance. He was dead the second he met her.
Ash dialed and waited. Someone picked up. "Hello?"
"Rowan, it's Ash. There's a mess and I need help cleaning up…."
. . .
"ASH!" Mary-Lynnette shot up in bed – In bed? How'd I get here? – then groaned and clutched her head as her vision fizzed and her head pounded.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, I'm here," cooed Ash, who was sitting in a chair by her bed.
When Mary-Lynnette's head and eyes cleared, she looked over at her precious soulmate, her perfect match – her knight in shining armor.
Ash was gazing at her adoringly, with a dopey smile on his handsome face. "I love you so much," he murmured. "Thank the Goddess you're alive." He cradled her face in his warm hands.
"I love you too," she whispered back. They sat like that awhile, oblivious to the world.
Then Mary-Lynnette realized she was in her comfiest pajamas. She looked down at herself, then back up at Ash, blushing red as a tomato. "Um, my clothes…you…"
Grinning, Ash leaned back in his chair, letting go of her face, and chuckled. "Nah, Rowan wouldn't let me. But don't worry. One day you'll let me see it all."
"Ash!" Mary-Lynnette threw her pillow at him. Embarrassingly, her stomach growled ferociously right as she threw.
He caught it easily and set it back on the bed, laughing.
"Are you hungry? I'll go make you something," he smirked at her. HE got up to go.
"Wait, I'll go with you. And don't make fun of me!" Mary-Lynnette struggled to get up. Her legs felt like jelly after being unused for so long and she slipped.
Ash caught her.
Just as she knew he would.
Instead of guiding her back to bed, he swung her up into his arms.
The world spun before Mary-Lynnette's eyes. "Eek! What are you doing?"
"I'm going to kiss you now," he warned softly.
"Okay…"
Their lips came together in a sweet kiss that quickly turned heated. Mary-Lynnette's arms squeezed around Ash's neck; she clung to him, trying to get closer. Ash's strong arms tightened around her.
When they broke apart, he whispered, "You're mine. I'll never let you go."
"And you're mine," she smiled back, "forever."
Happy, Ash turned and carried her down the stairs.
"Oh, and Ash? We're going on our first date tomorrow. Surprise."
"Yes, ma'am."
-fin-
Sniffle...I'm tearing up!The story's done...Hope you all liked it! :'D These are tears of happiness, people, happiness! ^.^
Don't worry - I'll probably start a new story soon...probably. Hehe. Well, then, I guess you should all review and tell me what you want me to write for next! 'Cause I'm brain-dead.
Oh! And check out Fictionpress, sister site of Fanfiction. It's basically the same as FF, except - miracle of miracles - you create you OWN characters and ideas and everything! Cool, huh? Anyways, I think I'll have something up there within a week. I've got the same name.
Well...It's time to part. But only temporarily! PM me, I love getting messages! :D
Write on. Read on. That's my motto. :D
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