There were three possible reactions to Pam's blood curdling scream. One. Fall down to the ground and pull Eric down with me. Two. Turn quickly to Eric's other side and face whatever was coming. Three. Stand there like an idiot as a sharp-featured blonde woman dressed entirely in leather hurled herself from a table across the room and flew across the ballroom, teeth bared and aiming for Eric's neck. I did that one.
At the last millisecond I shoved Eric down on to the floor and reached out a perfectly manicured hand and aimed for Malia's throat. I smiled as I imagined the way her throat would feel as my fingernails tore it to shreds, releasing what her body knew as blood on to the marble floor. The warmth felt so beautiful on my fingertips, and I stumbled backwards in to a wall. I had not fallen, I had not been pushed…I had been moved. My hand, still in the grasping position remained in front of me with Amelia's bracelet glowing bright blue, but I was somehow on the balcony of the ballroom looking down on to Malia and Eric, engaged in a battle that did not appear to be in Eric's favor. Her jaws full of teeth- an entire mouth of fangs- snapped at his neck and his face. Eric's hands were wrapped around her throat, pushing her away with the strength of a thousand years and I watched as the Vikings that he considered family circled the fight like a predator might circle his prey.
Tick. Ramses sprinted towards me in a run that was more suited to a jungle cat than something that had once been human. Pam shrieked and sprinted across the floor, digging her nails in to Malia's shoulder and then being slammed in to the floor behind her and Malia's arms returned to Eric's neck. Amelia squealed with delight at her bracelet's success and Jason left her side, slowly slinking down the stairs.
Tock. The Vikings began to circle Eric and Yule, the smallest and fairest of them all jumped on Malia like a starving predator on long-awaited prey. She bit in to Malia's neck but instead of being flung in to the floor like Pam, Malia latched on to her long blonde hair and began ripping out handfuls. Ramses jumped on to the banister and jumped; he flew through the air and landed on to the pile that had formed, knocking Malia to the side and Eric harder in to the marble floor. Malia, seeing that Yule would be easier prey, began to claw after the girl.
Tick. Leif jumped to drag Yule out of the way and ended up with Malia on his own throat. The vampires that had been considering jumping in for the kill were backing away, unsure of what to do. Jason and Sam took the stairs two at a time, Sam's fingers working quickly at the buttons on his tuxedo shirt. Octavia bowed her head and moved her lips quickly, quietly.
Tock. Dracula, who had been keeping a low profile since his grand entrance sprinted up to Malia as she tried to tear out Leif's throat and pulled her off of him with surprising success. She saw Pam, kneeling on the floor offering her own wrist to Eric, and bit hard in to Pam's other wrist.
Tick. Pam's screams were guttural and described pain that could not be imagined except by an explosion of silver sunlight. She threw her head back and did not see as two large black panthers each bit in to one of Malia's arms and dragged her across the floor, leaving Pam and Eric in a weak bleeding mess behind them. Malia flailed her legs and tried to break free of the panthers, but their teeth dug deeper in to her biceps with every squirm. I jumped on to the banister to leap on to the floor below me and a tall blonde that I had not seen before screamed, running straight for Pam.
Tock. She bumped in to William the Archer and stopped. Before he had time to turn and face her she had torn off his crossbow and was aiming one perfect arrow. She closed her large blue eyes and let the arrow go.
The sounds of Malia's screams pierced the night and must have been heard for miles. It was high and inhuman, like a thousand nails scratching a very loud chalkboard at the same time. She flailed harder and one of the panthers threw his large head to the side and almost effortlessly pulled off one of Malia's arms with the certain movement. The other panther mimicked the first and her other arm was ripped off at the elbow. There lay Malia on the floor, her arms several feet away from her body, covered in torn leather and the green liquid that her body had known as blood. Her legs were giving up the fight and she looked around the room in desperation. The tall blonde that had shot the arrow walked towards Malia's almost-corpse, her long black dress swaying with her curvy hips and slender waist, the cap sleeves showcasing a long pale arm that walked by Pam slowly, slightly brushing against Pam's hair as she once again kneeled over Eric. The blonde lifted the bow in front of her with graceful certainty and looked down on the mess that was slipping away in front of her. Her delicate fingers released the string and the arrow landed with a small thug between Malia's eyes. Her lips had been pursed, but she leaned down as Malia took her last breath, deep green eyes looking up to meet the shooter's blues. Her lips took their time as they delivered her message.
"Nobody touches my sister."