Smashing her palm against the side of his head, she delivered a swift kick to his stomach, sending him to the ground with a grunt. Lazarus rolled to his feet, and she sprang forward. Thought ceased to exist. All that remained was the need to inflict justice. To pay retribution for every life he had taken, for every tear she’d shed, and for the loved ones he’d stolen from her life.
Her hits were hard and fast, absolutely ruthless. He stumbled around, trying to keep his balance as she attacked him with a vengeance. Drawing on every skill Kyden had taught her, she unleashed the full weight of her power on the vampire who deserved death.
With her final hit to his chest, he flew backward to land hard on the grass with a loud thud. He flipped over and crawled away on all fours. “Look at you.” She stalked forward, breathless with a rage she couldn’t control. “You’re such a f**king coward.”
Nexi pulled her sword from her scabbard as Lazarus continued to move away spinelessly. Hairs raised on hers arms and adrenaline pumped through her veins. Revenge now belonged to her.
As she stood over him, Lazarus flipped over and she saw a distinct fear in his eyes. Proud of herself for putting it there, she lifted her sword in the air. With a battle roar that mirrored the pain in her heart, she swung.
The blade hit air before the tip of her sword buried itself in the dirt below.
She cursed, spun and discovered Lazarus on other side of the yard, wearing a shit-eating grin. “You’ve only begun to discover your powers, and look at that, you were almost able to defeat me.” The open gashes on his cheek sealed before her eyes. “Your blood will give me everything I have ever wanted—and needed—to finally set into motion a new world.”
Over his shoulder, eyes glowed in the darkness by the trees and scratching sounds drew near. Fear held Nexi frozen as too many wolves to count emerged out of the shadows, all snarling at her. Awareness filled her and she felt foolish that she hadn’t considered more werewolves than the two out front would be at the house, that Lazarus would have protecting him.
A slow horror settled over her. Lazarus she could kill. A pack of wolves, she could not. Not even the magic flowing through her had the power to stop the force of this many wolves intent to kill.
“Nexi.” Kyden had the same urgency and worry dripping from his voice. “Now.”
Turning on a gasp, she ran as fast as her legs would take her, and, with a swipe of her sword, sparks flew through the air as the chains broke free. Kyden latched onto her wrist and shoved her behind him so they stood back to back when the wolves pounced with teeth exposed.
Nexi raised her sword and waited for the attack. It came a second later when the first wolf reached her. She stepped away, sinking the blade deep into his side, then twisted it savagely. The wolf dropped to the grass on a loud howl, as another wolf took a bite into her arm. She slammed the blade into his heart and as he released her arm, he took what had to be a quart of her blood with him.
“Get to the tree,” Kyden shouted.
She saw his motivation and understood his plan—they couldn’t let the wolves circle around them. If that happened, it’d be game over. She pressed her back against the rough bark as a wolf dove toward her, with another following behind. She dodged the first wolf, but was unable to steer free from the second.
He hit with a hard impact and knocked her to the grass. She kicked out, pushed against his shoulder, and forced him away. In a flash, the wolf returned and his teeth snapped viciously, his razor sharp incisors only millimeters from her throat.
With a battle roar drawing on her strength, she slashed the wolf’s neck, drowning herself in his blood. The pungent scent of his rich, thick blood filled the air around him, and she shoved him off as another wolf dove toward her, snarling and spitting, disgusting her.
So repulsive in fact, she jumped to her feet and cut off his head with a quick swipe of her sword, putting an end to that bit of nonsense. Breathless and shaking from the adrenaline, she waited for another wolf to attack, only to discover they had retreated.
For a split second, she reveled in the notion the wolves had withdrawn their attack, but she knew better. They weren’t stupid. They were changing their approach. The dire situation she and Kyden now faced engulfed her mind. The wolves were about to attack en masse.
Horror caught Nexi’s breath and fear erased the adrenaline. There was no way the wolves would succeed if they came at them individually, but together, Kyden’s effort and hers would be useless.
More than six wolves lay dead at her feet, before half of them vanished under the magic of her sword. Pride filled her that Kyden had killed three wolves with nothing other than his bare hands—powerful fingers currently reaching for hers.
Tugging on her, he backed her up against the tree trunk, putting himself between her and the stalking wolves. He gathered her other hand, holding both of hers against his chest, and warmth slid around her.
Nexi prayed for a miracle, and she hoped that Valor and Briggs, and the Council, would show up in time to stop the horrific fate looming over them. She looked to Kyden, discovering he was gazing at her intently. His intense stare usually made her melt, but now sent despair washing over her.
No fear was held in the depths of his piercing eyes, only heartbreak. There, in his pained expression, she saw their fate: the werewolves would kill Kyden, then Lazarus would drain her dry.
The gravity of the situation overwhelmed her and with the cruelness she faced now, all her sadness washed away to blistering hot wrath. How could this be? Her hands trembled as fury shook her right to her bones. How could Lazarus win? Her mind swirled with the daunting situation, uncontrollable rage consuming every molecule in her body.
Drake couldn’t have been wrong. Life couldn’t have been that unfair. Fate couldn’t take away so much, and make them face death brutally. Kyden couldn’t die tonight. She wouldn’t allow this. Not tonight. Not now. Not ever.
“You can’t take his life,” she screamed at the wolves closing in. To Lazarus she yelled, “You will not take mine.” The warmth of her magic turned red-hot as it coursed through her blood, her muscles tightening, breath sharpening.
Over Kyden’s shoulder, the family home in which happy memories were made and in which she was loved became hazy—a large white blob of sorts. Her chest tightened as the warmth concentrated there. Her body quaked as hate for Lazarus enveloped her with a need to detonate.
A sudden breeze wrapped around her, startling her. She blinked, forcing her cloudy vision to focus. Looking up to the starry sky, she saw no storm clouds, meaning no thunderstorm had suddenly drifted over them.
Firm hands hugged her face and she turned, captured by Kyden’s tight expression. His voice sounded far away. “You need to calm…”
Glancing over Kyden’s shoulder to the wolves, she noticed they weren’t advancing, and their eyes were wide in fear. Looking to her right, she discovered Lazarus stood motionless too, and to her utter shock, his expression mirrored the wolves.
Why was he afraid?
The rigid blast of air increased, tearing around the yard, sending the trees to sway as if a tornado were closing in. The wolves’ fur fluttered in the wind, their loud howls echoing through the yard.
Confused, Nexi allowed Kyden to turn her head to him again, and his eyes were wild. Her lips parted to yell at him through the loud roar, but she discovered she couldn’t speak. The wind became too strong and it rumbled in her ears. The strength of the powerful air pushed her forward and she had to step one foot out to brace herself.
Heat raced through her, burning hotter as the seconds drew on. Until suddenly, the pain became unfathomable and it spiraled down into her chest. She screamed against the torture and she fought the flames, not on the outside, but blazing her on the inside.
The wind, the wolves and Lazarus, it all vanished around her as the flickers of fire coursed through her body, until a loud whoosh doused the flames inside. She snapped her eyes open, breathless and terrified.
Kyden stood in front of her while the wolves were on their bellies, shaking with fear. His fierce stare on her showed concern, but she discovered thick emotion that she’d never witnessed in him—raw and potent. “Breath, Nexi. Calm down.”
She was breathing—wasn’t she?
Before she had the chance to declare as much, the earth below her rumbled—a soft quake sending light vibrations to shudder beneath her boots. She glanced down at the grass still soaked with Kyden’s blood and the rattle grew angry, causing the branches from the trees to tumble to the ground. Leaves and dirt flew through the air as the house in front shook against its beams.
Unable to stand against the intense quake, Kyden dropped to the grass, as the wolves braced themselves against the trembling earth. Which also was the exact moment Nexi realized she was the only one not moving. Standing firmly in place, Nexi watched the world fall apart around her, then she realized she heard a sound that cut through her backyard.
Her blood-curdling scream.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nexi would’ve bet money she smelled smoke lingering in the air, and she’d bet even more money that it was the leftovers of her insides that had been scorched beyond repair. The pain, which had rendered her incapacitated, slowly eased, the fire blessedly extinguishing.