The Birch House

Chapter Fifteen

I didn't even see Alex move; he was that quick. Until that moment I'd thought he was just a normal guy, really... okay, one who disappeared into mist during the day. But nobody moved that fast. Nobody human.

And nobody was that strong, either. Alex grabbed Martin by the shoulders, lifted him into the air, and launched him headfirst down the hall to crash into the far wall. I dived out of the way. So did Chase, and Alyssa, although Alyssa was diving towards Martin, not away. Chase got hold of her ankle and dragged her backward, kicking and screaming.

Alex went after Martin. As the vampire was rolling to his feet, Alex smashed into him. Martin was strong, and fast, but in this house Alex was unstoppable, and he was really, really angry.

"You fool!" Martin screamed at him. "Do you not understand what I said? Evie has the book!"

"I don't care!"

"You have to care! If you don't give it over, they'll rip all of you apart to get it! I'm trying to save you!"

Alex slammed his fist into his face two or three times, quicker than I could blink. Martin went down again, scrabbling at the floor, then rolled over and stared furiously through tangled greying hair up at us. Vampires bled, after all, but it didn't quite look right - not red enough, and too thick. It trickled from the corners of Martin's mouth as he snarled, fangs down, and tried to drag Alex close enough to bite. Alex hit him so hard that one of the fangs broke off and skittered away across the floor like an ivory dagger. Martin shouted in surprise and pain and rolled, trying to protect himself.

"Lyss!" Alex yelled, and dragged him by one foot down the hallway towards the door. "Revoke the invitation! Do it!" Martin was fighting him wildly now, ripping long raw scratches in the wooden floor with his fingernails, snarling and twisting to get free. "Lyss!"

Chase lunged for Alyssa, pulling her to her feet, and shook her hard. That didn't work. She just stared right past him, her face still and dead.

I moved him out of the way and slapped Alyssa hard.

Alyssa yelped, clapped  a hand to her wounded cheek, and blinked. "Hey! What the hell...?" And then she looked past me to the furious battle going on in the hallway, lips parted in amazement.

"Lyss!" Alex yelled again. "The invitation! You have to withdraw it now!"

"But I didn't-" Alyssa didn't waste time arguing. "Hey! Martin! Get the hell out of our house!"

Martin went still. Completely still, like a dead man. Alex picked him up by an arm and a leg, and threw him out into the dark. I heard the vampire hit the pavement outside and curse as he rolled back to his feet and came back to the door.

He bounced off a solid cushion of air in the doorway.

"You're not welcome," Alex grated. He had a cut on his face, bleeding a thick thread down the side of his neck, and he was breathing hard. "And by the way? Lyss quits."

He slammed the door in Martin's snarling face, and collapsed against it, shaking. He didn't look all-powerful anymore. He looked terrified. "Alex?" Alyssa asked, breathless. "You okay?"

"Peachy," he said, and got it together. "Lyss, stay away from the door. He got to you once; maybe he can do it again. Evie! You, too. Stay away from the door." He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down the hall - which was a mess, wow, the floor all ripped up, the walls scraped and scratched - and shoved me down to a sitting position on the couch. "Evie."

"Um...yes?" Things were moving too fast. I didn't know what he was waiting to hear.

"The book?"