Of Blood and Downfall

Chapter 48.

Mavis's POV:

Maximus goes crashing to the floor, debris and dust from the caved wall falling onto him. Sam rushes to me, wiping blood off my nose and running a hand down my cheek.

"I'm sorry, Mav." He mutters, removing clumps of wet hair from my face. I glance over his shoulder to Maximus's body stirring awake.

"Sam, unbind the rope please." I beg, twirling my wrists in pain. My arms and shoulders have gone completely numb, ache buzzing through my nerves.

"I can't until it's done." I freeze, eyes blurred and heavy.

"Until what?"

"You little worm—" Maximus growls, dusting debris off him.

"Aria told me about the photos. I located them and took them." Completely still, I stared at him with burning hate.

"The photos I took of Aria?"

He nodded, indecisiveness lingering in his gaze.

"I'm going to post them."

"Post them? What—" I pause, hearing rustling but I'm too busy to find out what he's doing. "Where Sam!" I scream, my aching body responding to the rage.

Maximus bolts to us but there's a bang and two bodies fall to the ground. I gasp, both bodies crashing on the table and the glass top completely shattering.

Sam covers my body and we fall back. When I turn my head, tousled brown hair and a large body is on top of Maximus. Then his face appears from the corner and Karden's heavy lidded eyes are full of fury.

Someone pulls Sam off me and suddenly a pair of gentle eyes and a soft, worried face blurs in front of me.

"Mavis," Issy says, voice reassuring that everything will be okay. Sam throws the person on him through the air and across the kitchen with invisible power.

Damien hits the floor with a crash. Relief washes over me that I could almost cry. Glancing over her shoulder and towards my room, my heart beats nervously. Sam wipes blood off his nose and catches his tiresome breath. Maximus flips around and pins Karden down until Karden bares his fangs and sinks them into his palm. Maximus roars.

"Issy...my-my laptop. You have to turn it off."

She furrows her brows, "What?"

"Too late, Mavis!" Sam yells, completely gone from being the good guy.

"He's going to post photos of Aria on City Central, the newspaper company." I gasp for breath, "It's going to spread to every cellular device that has the app."

"It'll expose all vampires." Sam says, feeling determined to finish what he has started.

Damien stands, brushing off whatever stained his shirt.

"That'll expose you too, dibshit." He says, running to Sam but he raises a hand and freezes his mid run.

Blood sprays over Issy and Karden rips Maximus's flesh off the top of his hand he's been clenching. I gag when his hand is pried open to muscle and bone. Issy tries to undo the binding behind my back, forehead beaded with sweat and face pale.

I don't even bother asking how they came here so quickly.

"Issy hurry!" I scream, hearing a ding from my room. My heart is hammering so hard, blood slushing in my ears until there's a wet gargle and a gut wrenching noise.

The bond stiffens and I fear for my life Karden is gone. Until Issy growls impatiently, undoing her side bag and a little fire sprite comes out. Caleb's fire sprite.

"Please burn the rope." Issy begs and the sprite runs down my arm and crawls behind my back.

Issy stands and runs to my room but the door shuts and a barrier stops her from entering. I watch as Sam's face pales as both hands are held up. One at Damien who is struggling against his restraint and the other towards the door loading the photos.

In front of me, Karden holds Maximus down, a thick, blood dripping organ in his fist. A hole is pried open from his chest, eyes glassy and expression still. Blood runs down Karden's mouth and drips off his chin. Eventually, he collapses beside Maximus's body, completely drained and famished from the tackle. Blood poured down Sam's nostrils, ears and eyes.

Suddenly, the smell of smoke lifted in the air and the bind loosened behind my back. I pried them apart and the fire sprite jumped on the couch. Lights flicker in the loft and bulbs burst from Sam's power.

"Let it go, Sam!" I scream, watching him grow weak. "Don't destroy lives."

"What lives, Mavis? They're killers."

"It'll destroy the world." Issy tells him, fighting her shoulder into the door but it doesn't budge. There's another ding.

The halfway mark.

Sam's hand shakes when Damien screams, fighting the barrier holding him back from attacking. Karden slowly crawls his way to me, hand outstretched to my foot.

"Mavis—"

"Don't." I inform him, knowing he won't be able to do anything against Sam in the state he's in. His head hits the floor.

Issy slowly turns to Sam, eyes darkening in rage. I know what she'll do to end all of this and it will destroy me and her. Sam nervously watches as she tilts her head to the side and observes him, fangs slowly lengthening between her parted lips.

"Don't move, little ones." Sam says, face pale and red freckled.

Issy smiles, "You think you can hold me back?"

"I'll do anything." He responds, gasping for breath. Damien takes a step closer to him.

"No one hurts me." Issy ushers out, dropping an octave. "And no one hurts my family."

The fire sprite runs behind a pillow as if it can sense what she can do. Sam's eyes widen when Issy screams and reaches her hand out to him. Suddenly, the barrier between the door and Damien weakens. Sam clenches his chest and caves in, body collapsing on his knees.

Then his body slowly misted into nothing while all the windows around the lost disburse into power, shards of glass falling off the building and to the ground.
~*~
Issy is so badass.
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