Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

in contact with something I could stab him with, but I found nothing but a dirty floor.
    “You have no scent to you. I wonder if you’ll taste any good,” he said in curiosity. But I couldn’t worry about his comment as he hovered over me, ready to strike.
    “Nicho—” I screamed, but Justin lunged towards me. I threw up my arms to protect myself, closing my eyes hoping it would be quick. But instead he brushed up against my neck and recoiled, howling in pain.
    I opened my eyes and gasped. Justin writhed in front of me, screaming out obscenities.
    “You witch,” he shrieked, holding his arm.
    I sat there, dumbfounded when he attacked again. I winced, but he withdrew with smoke coming off his hand. Perplexed, I tried to figure out what happened.
    “How are you doing that?” he demanded, overwrought with frustration.
    “What?”
    “Burning me like that?”
    “I’m not doing anything,” I said honestly.
    “You’re doing something.”
    He sat across from me with fretful eyes. I returned his dirty look just the same, but his frustration suddenly turned to fear and he started to get up.
    “Where are you going?”
    “Nowhere,” he said in a lie.
    Courage surged through my veins as I sat up realizing he couldn’t hurt me. He was actually terrified of me —a feeble human. And as if fate intervened, there was a stake magically placed right at my feet. I grabbed it with confidence, held it firmly in my hand and stood up. It felt very heavy in my palm, heavier than the one I had made.
    Justin took one look at me and his eyes grew big as saucers.
    “You should have been nicer to me,” I said, now feeling invincible.
    “What are you going to do?”
    Terror spread across his face.
    “I’m going to make some wrongs right,” I said, but as I spoke, he disappeared in an instant.
    Without thinking, I blindly flung the stake forward in his general direction. I held my breath and watched, knowing it was a million to one shot. And as if the stake was a heart-seeking missile, it hit him squarely in the chest. Justin turned with a look of surprise, then pain, and melted in a puff of smoke.
    I watched the stake drop to the floor with that familiar clink and the reality of what I’d done hit hard. Justin was the second personal tragedy fulfilling the psychic’s prediction that I would rid the world of them . Even though this was the only way to stop them, I hated the final outcome. Vampires or not, Phil’s and Justin’s mothers would hopelessly wait for their sons to come home. And just like my mother, it would never happen.
    Suddenly, something rocked the ceiling. The crater-sized hole in the side of the building told me everything. I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice they’d crashed through, but I was a little bit busy with Justin threatening my life.
    I picked up the stake out of Justin’s ashes and ran over to the hole to peer out. They were close, but I couldn’t see them. I carefully crawled over the broken cement pieces and stepped outside.
    My success with Justin proved the talisman was more than just a beautiful piece of jewelry, but I didn’t know the extent of its power. My hand grew sweaty under the stake as I gripped it tighter. Something told me Nicholas needed my help, and even if it meant my life, I had to try.
    My feet miraculously didn’t make a sound when I walked around the building and hid behind a garbage dumpster. I was positive they’d hear me when I accidentally pulled the air into my lungs a little too sharply after I saw Nicholas trapped by the whips just a few feet in front of me. But they didn’t.
    The twins stood on either side of Nicholas, pulling the glowing silvery strands of rope taunt, a pile of ash at their feet. The two were the only ones left. Nicholas struggled against the restraints while spewing threats.
    “Call her,” I heard Bettina say in elation to Angelia.
    I was pretty sure when Bettina mentioned her , she meant Alora. I’d suspected Alora had sent her lackeys to fetch Nicolas after she discovered Phil was unsuccessful. But if Alora came, it would be all over for us. With Nicholas pinned with these unearthly weapons, adding her wickedness to the mix would be all they would need to kill him.
    This was my only chance to stop them.
    “No!” I screamed.
    Startled, Angelia flipped closed her phone and turned towards me.
    “Where did you come from?”
    With full force, I chucked my stake right at Angelia’s heart, hoping to hit her like I did Justin,