Bear, I wish you could keep your promise to be with me when I die.
But even as that thought crossed my mind, I locked it down. Hard. I might want to die in the arms of my little ones—just as they’d died in mine—but I wasn’t about to place either Bear or Cat in the middle of a dangerous situation. There were vampires in this world who could feed off energy—even the ectoplasmic energy of ghosts—and there might well be Others capable of doing the same.
Something smashed into my back and sent me tumbling. I landed faceup, staring at the stars—stars that danced in crazy circles across the wide, dark sky. I could barely even breathe, the pain was so great, but I nevertheless felt the approach of the creature. It was in the air and coming straight at me.
And this time it wasn’t invisible.
I raised the guns and fired. It wouldn’t stop the creature—I knew that—but I didn’t have the energy to get up and there was nothing else I could do.
Everything seemed to slip into slow motion. I watched the ripple of air as the bullets cut through it and the creature’s gleaming claws gained length and began to drip with sparks. Saw the creature’s flesh shudder and jerk in rhythmic harmony with the bullets that tore into its body. Saw the ever-growing gleam of determination and fury in its golden eyes. I might not be able to speak its lan
guage, but there were some things that needed no words or explanation. It wanted revenge and it wanted my death, and it didn’t care whether it had to die as long as it took me with it.
I can’t die. There’s still too much I need to do.
But I guess someone else will have to do it.