A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(4)

She held her shoulder as if in pain and jumped over a thick, empty tree trunk.

A grotesque creature reached out from behind her and clawed at her leg mid-jump.

She screamed and fell forward, rolling into the water.

Shadows moved quickly between the trees. Wails erupted from the darkness of the jungle, the sadistic squeals of animals enjoying the hunt. The woman was the prey.

“We have to do something,” I said, my chest heaving.

She struggled to get out of the swamp, seemingly stuck. Her frustrated grunts fused with pain as she desperately fought to free herself from whatever had her trapped.

“Once we’re past the shield, we’re vulnerable to whatever’s coming after her.” Phoenix said.

My lid blew off instantly. “So what do we do? Let her die?”

The creature emerged from behind the trunk, hairless and hideous.

We both froze.

It moved swiftly along the patches of dirt in the brown waters on its knuckles and feet. Its fangs were sharp and white, and strips of muscle held the jaw in place.

More screams shot from the woods, adding layer upon layer of raw pain and horror. The other two women were being torn to shreds, and I couldn’t let that happen to the one left standing. I just couldn’t.

I looked at Phoenix. “Sorry,” I mumbled and ran straight for the woman stuck in the swamp.

“Don’t! Jovi!” he shouted.

I couldn’t watch her get ripped apart by shape-shifters. Eritopia wasn’t my favorite place, and I had no intention of standing back and letting its psychotic nature ruin another life. I sprinted, jumping over the mounds and boulders scattered across the patch of land beyond the shield.

“Hey!” I shouted, hoping to distract the beast. It was closer to the wounded woman now. She turned her head and saw me. Her eyes widened and I was struck by their peculiar shades of green and gold.

The creature saw me and rose to its feet. The closer I got, the uglier it looked with bones poking out in all the wrong places and translucent skin stretching and then rippling over raw muscle. The beast suddenly morphed into me.

The realization of what I was facing stopped me in my tracks. I was looking at a very disturbing version of myself.

“That’s just…sick,” I said.

I shook the thought off. I had to save the woman. I wasn’t ready to hear her screams as shape-shifters ripped her apart.

I darted toward her and leaped into the murky waters.





Phoenix





[Hazel & Tejus’s son]





My heart jumped into my throat as Jovi plunged into the swamp. I cursed under my breath and ran after him. His chivalry was about to get him killed, and I couldn’t stand back and watch that happen. The safety of the protective shield be damned!

I reached them just as the shape-shifter was about to jump in after Jovi and the woman. I shouted at it, hoping to distract the creature long enough for Jovi to get the woman out of there. Diversion was our only hope.

The beast looked at me, and I was genuinely creeped out by its resemblance to Jovi. Its skin rippled once more, and before I could blink I was looking at myself—the same black hair, dark eyes, and athletic build, but there was something feral, something inherently evil, about my lookalike. It hissed and bared its fangs at me, ready for a fight.

“Get her out of there, Jovi!” I shouted at my reckless, knight-in-shining-armor friend. Jovi jerked at the underwater vine the woman had gotten tangled in.

“Believe it or not, I’m trying!” he yelled back. He drew a lungful of air and dove to the bottom, leaving me to face off with the monstrous copy of myself.

I resumed my focus on the shape-shifter. Diversion. Right.

I trained my energy on the shape-shifter and reached out to its mind. My eyes burned as I tried to capture its will and force it into submission, but I hit a black wall. The creature’s mind was either blank or impossible to infiltrate.

Damn. Mind control won’t work.

It hissed at me and took a few steps forward. Its stride was arrogant, and it sneered at my inability to subdue it, like it expected me to crumble after one failed attempt.

I stood my ground, ready to syphon it to its knees. I wasn’t in top shape after the previous day and night, and I had to work harder to aim and capture the shape-shifter’s energy, but I opened myself up and focused with all that I had.

The creature faltered.

It’s working.

A rancid heat slipped into my temples, and bile burned the back of my throat. Whatever I was syphoning out of the creature was incredibly toxic. I had to stop. The shape-shifter cackled, as if aware of what it was doing to me.

I looked over at Jovi, who still struggled to get the woman out.

I spotted a dozen more shape-shifters coming out of the jungle, leaning on their knuckles, their disgusting faces smeared with what looked like silver paint.

“Damn.”

They crept closer, unfurling their bodies at their waists and transforming into a dozen creepy versions of myself. It seemed to be their favorite game, using their ability to draw out unsuspecting prey and confuse their opponent.

My chest burned with fear. What were my choices?

The creatures swiftly formed an arch before me. Their hissing clouded my ears, and their eyes glinted. They could tear me apart in seconds.

I pushed a barrier of energy out, but the toxic syphoning had taken its toll. My sentry game was weak. I drew a deep breath and pushed again, sourcing every ounce of energy I had left. But the pulse barely nudged them. My barrier building wasn’t going to get us out of this.