Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1)(94)

“Who, Kevin?” I asked, blinking at him. “Why the hell does it matter if Kevin knows I’m back?”

“My master,” Dennis hissed, “will gut you like a fish before he will see the Night Lord bonded with his soulmate. Is that what you want, Liv? To die?”

“N-no,” I croaked. Dennis looked absolutely deranged in his fury. He glowered down at me, and the shadows seemed to draw around him, blotting out the sky.

“Then I am your only hope,” he hissed. And then he launched himself at me.

I tried to scramble backward and away, but I wasn’t fast enough. Dennis landed on top of me, pinning me down, and though he was thin, he was freakishly strong.

“Get off me! What are you doing?!” I shrieked. “Help!”

“No one can hear you,” he rasped. “It’s just me and you, Liv. I’ll save you from my master. I’ll make you my mate. He’ll see you don’t belong to the vampire once you carry my mark!”

“Are you insane? I don’t want to be your damn mate! Get your goddamn hands off me!” The last bit I screamed as he put a hand between my legs, feeling for the outline of my sex through my pants.

“You don’t have to want it,” Dennis gritted. His questing hand pulled up higher, ripping at my zipper. “You just have to take it.”

The snap of my jeans breaking sounded like a gunshot in my ears. Unwanted fingers reached inside my pants, touching me—and in a horrible, thick fog of panic, I was transported back into the body of a child. My body. My bed, when my stepdad came for me those late nights.

But I wasn’t helpless. Not anymore.

“No!” I roared, and grabbed at the well of power flooding up from deep within. This time, I recognized the green light as I pulled on its strength and let it explode out of my body in a wave of energy.

Dennis flew off me with a shocked cry, his body flipping through the air until it was smacked hard against the trash containers with a painful-sounding crack.

Gasping, I scrambled to my feet just as Dennis groaned and rolled over. His nose looked like it’d been broken, blood spurting from his wrecked face.

I remembered the wolves, and how little time it’d taken them to renew their attacks.

I ran.

I didn’t pause to look back as I crossed the parking lot, instincts telling me to find a place with lots of people. He wouldn’t be able to attack me again in public without attracting attention from the human population, and psychotic as he might be, I doubted he’d want that. But I couldn’t get into a cab. One lone taxi driver would be too easy for him to dispose of. I glanced frantically at the sky and cussed. The sun hadn’t set—Warin would still be asleep, trapped in his hiding place. Unable to help me.

But Roy wouldn’t be.

I frantically rummaged through my purse until I managed to pull out my old phone. Thank the goddess I’d had the urge to put it in my bag the day after I’d called Warin from Kentucky.

I turned it on and scrolled through to find Roy’s number as I power-walked down the crowded pavement, away from Dark Dreams.

The line rang five times, each buzz in my ear ramping up my anxiety. Come on, Roy, pick up! Please, pick up!

“Yeah?” The gruff voice in my ear might have well belonged to an angel. My heart skipped a beat form pure relief.

“Roy! Roy, it’s me! Liv. Please, I need your help!”

“Liv? Calm down. What’s goin’ on?”

“I’m being chased by an asshole skinwalker and I need you to come pick me up. Please, can you come get me?” I ignored the look that sentence got me from the passersby. I guess I did look pretty insane, with my clothes in wild disarray while talking about skinwalkers.

“Shit. Yeah, just stay ahead of him, ya hear? Where are you?”

“Downtown,“ I said. “Southside.”

“All right. Can you make it to the Union Stock Yard Gate? I’ll be there in fifteen, tops.”

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

He hung up without saying goodbye, but right then, I appreciated speed over manners. Doing my best to breathe evenly, I crossed the street and headed for the agreed upon pickup point.

That was when I saw the raven overhead, circling like a vulture.

“Fuck!” I muttered. Warm energy rose inside of me without my conscious thought, making me gasp. But when I didn’t call for it, it just… hovered inside of me. Waiting.

“Nice time to start working,” I mumbled, but even if my magic had chosen the absolute best possible time to finally function, I couldn’t use it. Not when stuck in the middle of a crowded town center. Like Dennis couldn’t change shape in public, I couldn’t very well start slinging green light at birds, either.

He followed me in his raven form all the way to the square, and to my dread, I saw the crowd of people thinning as the sun slowly set. But before I could panic too much, Roy’s big truck pulled up across the square.

I’d never been so relieved to see my former bodyguard. No longer caring if I drew any attention, I sprinted toward the car and—as he swung open the passenger side door—jumped in.

“Oh my goddess, thank you!” I gasped, flinging myself around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Hello, little lady,” he said peering over my shoulder. “Where’s the skinwalker?”