Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)

They reacted instantly, rushing at him with a deafening roar. She shoved the stake through her belt and followed him out. Two dead men charged at her, bony hands outstretched like claws. She swung and smashed a booted foot into the face of one. The other she hit kinetically, thrusting him back into the pack attacking Ethan, knocking down three of them.

The zombie whose nose she had mashed roared and swung a fist. She swayed out the way, then dropped, sweeping with one leg, knocking the creature off his feet. Then she hit him kinetically, twisting his neck until there was an audible snap. The madmen in her head did a weird little dance, making her eyes water. She blinked away tears and rolled out from under the rush of two more zombies. She jumped to her feet and lashed out at one, her hand smacking into its face. The zombie grunted and bit her palm, teeth tearing at her skin like a dog gnawing a bone. She yelped and punched him hard in the gut with her free hand, but didn’t get any response.

The back of her neck tingled a warning. She twisted, kicking out at the dead man reaching to grab her hair. Her blow cracked against his knee but seemed to do very little damage. She swore and hit him kinetically, wrapping the energy around his neck, pulling until bone snapped and the zombie dropped.

Which still left the one gnawing on her hand. She reached again for kinetic energy, but it felt as if the madmen were shoving red-hot needles into her brain and all she wanted to do was throw up. And that certainly wouldn’t get rid of the zombie clinging to her flesh. She hit it again, then with as much force as she could muster, lifted her knee and buried it deep in the zombie’s groin. It might be dead but it had once been a man, and its reaction was still instinctive.

The zombie yelled, clutched itself, and dropped like a stone to its knees. She wrapped an arm around its neck and twisted hard. Bone snapped. She released it and swung around.

Ethan stood in a pile of the dead. There were scratches on his face and his shirt was torn, but otherwise, he looked unhurt. She sighed in relief.

His expression was grim when his gaze met hers. “Didn’t you say the soul-sucker will sense their deaths?”

“Yep.” She dragged the stake free of her belt. “And I think you were right before. I think we’re better off getting out of here.”

It was one thing being sore and cold when they had the element of surprise, quite another now that the advantage had slipped the soul-sucker’s way.

He stepped over the dead bodies and held out his hand. “If she’s around, we’ll have to make her believe we don’t think the kids are here.”

She nodded. “We couldn’t fight her in this condition anyway.”

“Especially given the fact you can’t use your kinetic abilities right now.”

She slipped her fingers into his. They felt so warm and solid and right against her own that she felt

like hanging on and never letting go. But let go she would when the time came and he still refused to admit the emotions she could see in his eyes.

“How do you know I can’t use kinetic energy?” she asked as he led her into another tunnel that sloped gently downward.

“From the fact that you killed the last zombie with your bare hands.” He hesitated. “And because I can feel just how bad the pain in your head is.”

So the emotion sensing was a two-way deal. She wondered if he realized just how rare it was for two non-telepaths to connect so intimately. Wondered if he’d been able to feel Jacinta’s emotions or read her thoughts. But she couldn’t ask because she’d promised not to, so she simply said, “I’ll be all right once I rest with my herbal pack for a few hours.”

He nodded. The tunnel came to a junction. He hesitated, looking right. She followed his gaze, staring into the darkness and feeling the wisp of evil stirring the air. The soul-sucker was in the shadows, watching them. If they stepped her way, she’d attack. And she wasn’t alone. There was another dead man with her, not a zombie but a vampire, and something else as well.

She squeezed Ethan’s hand, and he looked at her. The grim set of his mouth told her he was aware of those waiting in the darkness.

“The fresh air is coming from this tunnel,” he said, and she knew it was more for the benefit of the watchers than for her.

“Great,” she muttered. “I’ve just about had enough of wet tunnels.”

“There was nothing here to find anyway.”

“No.”

He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged lightly. If the soul-sucker bought their retreat, then good. If it didn’t, well, hopefully they’d return fast enough that it wouldn’t really matter. And when they came back here, they’d be coming back armed to the teeth. The only problem was the time they were giving the mara to set more traps.

They retreated. Light began filtering into the tunnels, but it got no warmer. Thunder could be heard rumbling and an icy wind whisked around their legs.

They came out of the tunnel onto a ledge. Trees surrounded them, giving little hint as to their location. She shivered and glanced at the sky. The clouds were low, almost seeming to caress the treetops.

“Either we’re about to be hit by the mother of all storms or we’ve come out near the top of the mountain,” she said. “I didn’t think we walked that far.”

“The darkness can be deceiving. I just hope we get down to the car before the storm breaks.”

She grunted in agreement and glanced behind her, staring at the tunnel’s entrance as Ethan led her away. Fear rose, threatening to engulf her. Evil was gathering its forces in the darkness. If they got down this mountain without being attacked, they’d be lucky.

If they survived until night, it would be a damn miracle.