TWISTED FATES BOOK 1: The First Twist

Sammie

I noticed Dasha seemed to be tensing up even more than I would have expected. She stepped away, and to the untrained eye, it would have appeared that she was just standing there in silence. But I could tell she was, in fact, communicating with someone telepathically.

The question was, who?

Not that it actually mattered, considering I had more pressing issues to contend with at the moment. Like, how the fuck was I going to get out of the confines of these fucking chains. I know normally, Jareth and I would have been able to communicate, but mass quantities of Vervain were weakening me significantly. The bitch apparently thought of everything. My wrists were both slashed just enough so that there was a slow continuous flow seeping from both of their wounds. To make matters worse, an IV needle was inserted into my arterial vein, slowly pumping Vervain through my circulatory system.

Not trying to sound like a Debbie Downer, but currently, my situation wasn’t looking so good. Honestly, if things continued this way for much longer, my survival chances seemed poorer and poorer.

Ish...

“So, tell me, Dasha ... is this all you got planned for me? Because gotta say, not that impressed. I mean, I expected something more, I dunno ... imaginative. But I guess someone who has to make-believe that they’re a cheaper version of me, in order to attract some guy clearly lacks in imagin- ”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Dasha shrieked as she punched me in the mouth, sending my head reeling against the rooftop’s concrete barrier.

I admit not the smartest thing to piss her off even more than she already was. But hey, what can I say? I refused to let the bitch know she had the upper hand.

I began laughing hysterically as I lolled my head to the side. My vision was getting a bit blurry too. But I’ll be damned I could still see that bright red hair.

I always knew that color popped.

Found Waldo!

I know even in a deadly sitch, I’m still a nerd.

I noticed something gleaming in Dasha’s hand. She knelt in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat from her stink breath as she spoke.

“You know Sammie. I’ll admit I could have done something with a little more pizzazz, but honestly, when you’ve done this as many times as I have, it just gets kind of boring, you know?”

“W-what?” I looked at her inquisitively.

A small chuckle escaped her lips. “Oh, come ON, Sammie! Do you honestly think this is the first time I have done this? Oh, sweetie.” She laughed like the cackling hyena she is. “You really don’t get who you’re fucking with, do you? I’ve been around for an exceptionally long time, you silly child.”

“But how can that be? I mean, yeah, your breath may reek like dirty old socks, but you look fairly young.” I interjected.

Dasha stood back up, huffed, and continued, of course not until after she slapped my cheek for being interrupted and the whole socks thing.

Whatever.

Bitch.

“As I was saying before being rudely interrupted.”

Jesus, someone liked to hear themselves talk, I see.

“In all honesty, I am over a century old. I have been finding stupid women such as yourself,” eye roll here please. “and I seduce their men for my own pleasure, of course. I coax these idiots into making a deal using magics. And as usual, no one ever actually pays attention to the fine print.”

See what’d I say about reading the fine print, people.

“All you foolish women were wallowing so deep in your stupid self-pity that you never even bothered to pay attention to the fact that you all forfeited your lives to me. Every forfeited life span was added to mine, allowing me to maintain my youth. But then YOU had to go and fuck it all up! You and that damn vampire. Which, by the way, what are the odds that he would show up and save your sorry ass? Pretty sure that’s a discussion I’ll need to have with Maleyna once I’m done with you...”

Holy shit! She just keeps rambling on and on. At this point, I’m earnestly begging for someone to put me out of my misery.

“... so, any last requests?”

“Huh...did you say something?” I yawned, then looked up at Dasha, feigning utter boredom.

The scowl on her face looks like she figured out her repugnant rambling fell on deaf ears.

Ha hah!

It’s the little things…

**********************************************************

Dasha rolled her eyes and began walking over to a black leather bag a few feet away. She knelt down and reached in until her hand clasped tightly around her coveted item, an ornate silver stake.

The calculating woman stood up and turned to face Sammie. Dasha tossed the silver stake up in the air and caught it repeatedly. She giggled to herself as if playing a game.

Sammie leaned her head back against the cold concrete wall of the roof and smiled. “So, what? Is this your big bad weapon Dasha? This is how you plan to kill me? Newsflash, Dasha, I’m a friggin’ vampire. It’ll take a bit more than a stake to do that, you know.”

Dasha cackled. “Now see, this is why you should have been listening to me, Sammie.” She pointed the stake in Sammie’s direction. “I told you this isn’t an ordinary stake. Nope, this one is special. It was crafted by the first coven and was used to kill the first vampire. So, trust me when I say it’ll work just fine, my pet. Besides, this whole banter thing of yours is giving me a headache. So what’s say we get this show on the road, shall we?”

“That’s fine with me. You’re a shitty hostess anyway, and I’m bored with your whole Dr. Evil plotty thing already. Oh, and before I forget my pet,” Sammie countered, “reality called and wanted me to tell you that it will be you that dies tonight. NOT me.”

The two women stilled in silence, glaring at each other; Dasha’s grip tightened around the silver stake until her knuckles turned almost white.

Suddenly the thunderous crash of a metal door exploding off its hinges and being hurled across the rooftop breached the stillness. Immediately four men emerged. Devon was flanked by his Beta and Gamma and then Jareth at the forefront. The four men stood ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Jareth bared his fangs as a warning to Dasha, whereas a low powerful growl erupted from Devon’s chest.

A sneer snaked across Dasha’s lips as she glanced over at Devon. “Seeing that you’re here to join the party, I suppose it’s safe to assume we’re breaking up, huh, Dev baby?”

Aiden and Michael tried to hold in their laughter. This bitch was clearly off her rocker.

“Let her go, Dasha, don’t make me kill you,” Devon growled through gritted teeth.

Dasha sighed, then returned her gaze to Sammie. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

Devon’s eyes looked at Sammie’s for a split second, and she was able to discern what he was feeling at that moment - sadness, regret, pain, and loss.

He remembered.

Instantly Dasha’s stance shifted as she began to chant in the direction of the silver stake which rested in her palms.

Once it became apparent what Dasha was planning to do, the four men sprang into action at lightning speed. But for Sammie, it was as if time had slowed to a frightening pace, where she was able to witness the events that were occurring around her.

Devon leaped at Dasha, shifting in mid-air, followed by his pack members. He lunged towards Dasha with such force that the two suddenly ended up falling over the edge of the rooftop, sending them plummeting twenty-four stories to the ground below.

During that time, the stake which Dasha had been holding had already been propelled in Sammie’s direction. Instantaneously Jareth dashed in front of Sammie, intercepting the deadly weapon.

Jareth’s body stood motionless for a brief moment, causing Sammie to gaze up at his back. She caught sight of the pointed end of a sharp silver tip protruding around a slowly forming dark stain. Soon after, Jareth collapsed at Sammie’s feet.