“These are all blood starved.”
I forgot I have more knowledge of these beasts than him. Not something I’m proud of.
“When they turn someone, the bitten becomes feral just like their sire. They’re like a nasty disease meant to chase the population out of Pine Shore by destroying the food supply for normal immortals. That’s what they were starved for. This plan has been in the works for centuries. One of these assholes turns into hundreds within months.”
He curses, lashing out more and more power. Between the two of us, they don’t stand a chance, but their numbers are fucking horrifying. So many humans. They’re slaughtering them and turning them into monsters.
“That’s why they’re running in packs,” Slade growls. “It’s massive covens; the spawns are hanging out with their motherfucking sires.”
As he works it all out, I dig deep, searching for more power, feeling it build in my core. It continues to mount until it’s ready to explode. I was saving this for him, because I know it’s the only way I can kill him, and it’ll drain me, but these things can’t run free and keep killing.
I don’t warn him what’s about to come. I’m hoping it’ll take him and them out at the same time, even though I doubt I’ll be that lucky. It won’t be concentrated enough to kill him, but maybe it’ll slow him down, giving my smaller bursts of power a chance to do some damage.
The seductive pull of the magic beckons, and I finally let it erupt, bursting out of me like hell’s wrath. My eyes shut as it launches free, and I hear numerous cries of agony.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My quick-paced heartbeat drums in my ears, rivaling the volume of the screams. The wind stirs fiercely, rushing against me as I keep my eyes screwed shut, letting the power do its worst as I concentrate on every presence I feel.
I’ve had every original blood-starved night stalker’s blood, so I feel their spawn just like I feel them. I taste their pain and their death, feel their fears and misery, and I feed off it.
Something wet trickles from my nose, and I know without looking that it’s blood. Too much power. I’m using too much to stay conscious for much longer, but not even one can escape. And I know that even though this state of concentration leaves me vulnerable to Slade’s next attack, I know I can’t stop.
A deafening roar splits the air, tingling all the way down my spine. But I hold still, refusing to lose the hold I have on them as more and more magic flows from me, weakening me to the point it’s hard to stay upright.
“You don’t want to face me, mate,” I hear Slade saying, apparently talking to the mindless beasts. Idiot. They don’t understand him.
Forcing my concentration to remain in place, I tune him out. I tune out everything except for the whispers of the earth as it keeps me balanced. Pain slices through my side, but I just cry out instead of moving, knowing I can’t keep this up much longer.
They die or I die. That’s the only option.
Chapter 26
THAD
My eyes have moved everywhere, seeking and searching. My heart is in my throat, but I haven’t seen even a glimpse of her. Zee’s Hummer comes into sight just off to the side, and I glance over the top of it to see something that stills my heart completely.
Storm clouds have formed, and I watch in disbelief as what’s left of the sunlight disappears, listening to the crackle of thunder that comes out of nowhere. Only something as powerful as Drackus could be doing that.
Zee’s brakes slam on at the same time I do an immediate directional shift. Rain starts pouring down, weighin
g down my wings, but it’s not enough to slow me down. It’s not the storm that has us both racing toward the woods; it’s the light.
Silver light crashes as blue orbs slice through trees, both exploding into the air like a firework show of dominance. It’s loud and wild, and that means that son of a bitch found her.
I’m moving so fast that everything around me turns to a blur, and my vision becomes a tunnel, zeroing in on all the action below. I dive low, moving at warp speed, and start shifting on descent.
By the time I see the chaos around me, my feet are hitting the ground, and I’ve shed my feathers for fur. My wolf’s howl bubbles in the back of my throat, but I hold it back as my eyes widen on the scene.
There are so fucking many of them—blood-starved, psychotic, hungry-as-fuck, mindless night stalkers. And most of them are screaming in pain or vaporizing to nothing, as streaks of silver light up the forest.
Pure silver energy rolls off Roslyn, and it’s almost hypnotizing. More and more of the savage monsters fall, but my eyes are mostly aimed at my girl and the son of a bitch behind her.
Blue surrounds him—acting like a shield—as he shoots out his orbs toward the blood-seeking creatures. When his eyes find mine, they narrow, and I see his intentions before he even makes a move. I move toward him, but one of the silver streaks hits my leg, and a roar of pain tears from my throat.
“You don’t want to face me, mate,” the arrogant asshole says as I side step another streak, careful not to feel the burn again.
It’s like a laser obstacle course that makes this look like a Mission Impossible sort of setup.