Blood Wars, Book 4 - Alternate Ending

ALTERNATE ENDING - CHP ELEVEN - JULIA

CHAPTER ELEVEN - JULIA

“Julia? Julia!”

Someone shook my shoulders. I sucked in a startled breath and opened my eyes. Phil’s smile brightened my view as he tucked something in his pocket. “Phil?”

He grabbed his chest and sighed in relief. “Oh, thank God.”

I jerked upright and fell over, my limbs weak like spaghetti. My entire body shook, though I wasn’t cold. The same dingy walls surrounded me, choking me. We hadn’t started over like when I’d killed Cain. We were still here, still in the middle of the nightmare. I clutched at my neck, gasping for air though I technically didn’t need to breathe.

“Whoa there, Parker. Take your time. I have no idea how long you’ve been out.”

The odor of singed vampire flooded my nose, and I canvased the dusty scene. Several piles of ash littered the floor. Mimi was leaning over one of the piles. In her hands was Alora’s talisman.

“Put that down,” I hissed.

The chain tumbled free from her fingers and sunk into the ash, not making a sound.

Then I remembered Luke. Rolling to my knees, I scoured the floor for my brother. Ash covered the floor everywhere, but Luke wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“No!” I shrieked, struggling to stand.

Phil knelt down next to me and propped his arm under mine.

“What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I tried to stand, holding onto Phil’s body to get to my feet. “My brother is missing,” or dead.

“I’m right here.” Luke limped over, his eyes wide. He had huge gashes in his neck where Nicholas had bit him. “I think.”

I stumbled forward and hugged him. His delicious scent hit my stomach, but I didn’t listen to my hunger. He was alive and safe. Then, I pulled away from him. “Wait… why aren’t you a vampire?”

“A what?” He slid his hand over his neck and pulled his bloodied hand away.

I tried to back away when a splitting headache hit and the scene changed before my eyes. Alora stood over my unconscious body as she clutched her necklace while Nicholas drank hungrily from my brother’s neck. Everything inside me fought to reach out and stop Nicholas. He let of Luke and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I’ve never tasted anything better,” he said, his eyes growing glassy.

“Let me try.” Katie walked over with a gleam in her eye.

“No!” Nicholas wedged himself between them, then clung to his throat. His eyes clouded over with greyish smoke. “What the—?” Fire erupted from his skin, running fast along his toned arms.

Oblivious, Katie hungrily moved to catch Luke, then gasped, her eyes widening. “What did you do?”

She stared down at her smoldering hands. Like magic, her skin caught on fire and began to flake off her bones. They both shrieked, then simultaneously shredded into twin piles of ash.

“No,” Alora called out, reaching for Nicholas. “Hold on, Son! Hold on!”

She pulled the wooden knife from her cleavage, and ran to snatch up my limp arm, slicing into it. Blood dripped off of me, pouring onto the ground.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!”

She tugged me, dragging my limp body across the floor when a stake flew through the air, dissolving into a pile of dust upon impact. Alora swiveled around, locking eyes with Scarlett.