The Best Way to Kill Your Boyfriend

Broken

Lyla was a good fighter, I would give her that. I could fend off her attacks, but was having a hard time landing any blows of my own. We battled in the center of the throne room, with a crowd of vampires lingering by the walls. Anna and Asher were struggling furiously against the muzzles and collars, but Jake was almost as still as one of my kind. From his expression, he was terrified. I wished I could tell him it was ok. I wished it would be ok. But right now, I couldn't afford to be distracted. I was fighting for my life.

I was losing ground, and Lyla was driving me towards the fire. One of the few ways to kill vampires was with flames... I darted quickly to the side when she lunged at me, hoping she would fall into the fire. No such luck. Lyla managed to ricochet off the mantelpiece and came flying at me again. We continued like this, neither of us managing to gain an advantage. I knew if Lyla had her full powers, I would be dead already, having killed myself without knowing. Or, more likely, I'd be her slave, not even aware of what I would be doing. 

Lyla scowled when I dodged her next blow, baring her teeth at me. She threw me against the far wall. I broke straight through it, sending debris everywhere. It didn't hurt me - vampire skin was like diamond - but I pretended to be stunned. Lyla drew closer, and my hand, hidden behind a chunk of wood, grasped for something I could use to tip the odds in my favor. My hand closed around the handle of a battle-axe, and I threw it at Lyla, trying to distract her. She flinched as it bounced off her skin, but a moment was all I needed. I kicked her feet out from underneath her, and she fell to the floor. I restrained her with one hand, and grabbed a burning stick from the fire with the other. 

Just as I was about to finish it off, someone in the crowd shouted my name. I turned. Stupid move. While my back was turned, Lyla got up and went in for the kill in one sudden, brutal move. I was too slow.

"NO!"

I looked back, and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion just so I could see every horrible moment of it. 

Jake had somehow gotten free of his guards and thrown himself in front of me. Lyla's hand hit his chest with enough force to break the neck of a dragon (oh, yeah, those were real). The crack of his spine breaking echoed through the air. I knew it was high enough to kill someone - even if the blow hadn't been delivered by a vampire. 

I shoved Lyla away from him, so hard that she went flying into the fangs of the werewolves. Anna wrenched off her and her mate's muzzles, and they dragged her to the fireplace. I didn't care.

The sound of Jake's spine snapping had broken me. It had cut something deep in my soul, and now the rest of me was shattering with each rasping breath Jake took, knowing one of them would be his last.

No.

He wouldn't die. He couldn't. I had promised that I would protect him from everything that might harm him, even death. I would fight Death itself for his life if I had to. I would drag his ghost back into his body. I realised I was shaking, holding him in my arms, screaming. 

I knew there was only one way to save him. But did Jake deserve to be doomed to the eternal, bloody life of a vampire? 

His breath rattled in his chest, then stopped. No. Jake was not going to die.

Not entirely knowing what I was doing, just knowing I had to save him, I leant forwards and bit him.