Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(53)

I pulled out my phone, using the camera on the front so I could see my reflection. I gasped and dropped the phone, unable to take a closer look. My eyes were indeed the same pale silver as Falon’s. The pupils were dilated, a wide and drowning black. Blood stained my lips.

A soft murmur of what sounded like a hundred voices all talking at once began inside my head. It steadily grew louder until it was just a cacophony of noise, each voice seeking to be the loudest. With my hands on each side of my head, I gave a frustrated cry. The power shifted inside me, and the voices fell silent.

My hands shook, and I had to sit down on the end of the bed. “Should be fine? What exactly does that mean?”

Willow looked from me to Jez and back again. With an awkward shrug, he said, “Either you manage to ride it out, or it drives you absolutely crazy.”

Chapter Fourteen

Crazy was putting it lightly. It all hit me at once. The shaky unease gave way to a resurgence of stamina and strength that made me feel like I could scale a mountain. My awareness of every creature in the building, both human and supernatural, was heightened.

“It feels like everyone in the city is inside my head. I can hear them. Ugh.”

“You can hear the freely given thoughts. The more attention you pay them, the worse it gets. I know it’s hard, but try not to listen.” Willow put a hand on my arm. He looked worried. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go into the circle.”

“No, it’s my fault. I underestimated him.” I took a deep breath and tried to silence the voices again. “This isn’t going to stop me from finding Lilah.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jez thoughtfully chewed a long fingernail. “He forced his power into you. So, can’t you use it for your own purpose as long as you have it?”

Willow nodded. “In theory, yes. If it can be controlled.”

“So why not just go into the club and pick through the thoughts of the vampires in there? Someone will know where she is.”

Jez had a good point. I was glad one of us was still able to think straight. After locking up Harley’s room, we headed for the heart of the club. My feet touched the floor, but if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought I walked on air.

I shoved open the door that divided the club from the back hall, and it burst into flames. I shrieked and panicked. Willow waved a hand, and the fire went out.

“Careful,” he warned. “Fire is just one of many things we can manipulate.”

I ducked into the bathroom to clean up quickly. Jez hovered close, a watchful eye always upon me. I avoided looking at myself in the mirror. It was impossible to get used to the force trapped inside me. It felt foreign, immense and frightening.

Falon’s blood might have easily been wiped from my face, but it was running hot through my veins. I wouldn’t forget the taste for a very long time, if ever. Even as his power drove my wolf nuts and held me prisoner in my own body, I wanted to taste him again.

Returning to the club, I kept my hands close to my body as I walked through the crowd. As I passed each vampire present, an onslaught of thoughts and feelings swarmed me. They were all thinking about blood and sex, some more than others. I searched for Lilah in each of them. I found nothing until I passed a lone vampire standing near the door watching the rest of us.

Lilah was strong in his mind. She’d sent him to watch the place. Where was she? I turned my silver gaze on him and pinned him with a deadly stare.

I was suddenly there before him with no recollection of having moved. Before he could react, I placed both hands on his head and saw everything so clearly. Lilah was staying in a heavily guarded house on the south side of the city. It was a ritzy neighborhood in a private area. Both vampires and demons patrolled the premises. However, they weren’t watching for Shya or me.

The vampire reached to throw me off. The power went out from me, and his head exploded into flames. I jerked my hands back in time to be covered with the ash and dust of his corpse.

Everyone around me stopped dancing, grinding and drinking. A few shrieks rang out from the human patrons. The vampires watched, waiting to see if I’d come for one of them next.

“Alexa, did you get anything?” Jez asked, watching me with uncertainty.

“I know where she is. We have to go in just before sunrise. She has too many guards.”

The voices started up again, all fighting to be the loudest. The pressure swelled in my head, and blood dripped from my nose. I turned to leave, and the candle burning on the nearest table burst into a giant flame.

I frantically looked around for Willow who was at the bar with an upended bottle in hand. He came to my rescue without spilling a drop. Jez pressed a tissue into my hand. I dabbed my nose and swore. I couldn’t take much more of this.

“How long is this going to last?” I clutched Willow’s arm with more force than intended. My claws drew blood, and I jerked back, gushing a series of apologies.

“It’s hard to say for sure. Either until you burn it off, or it burns you out.” Willow swigged from the bottle of scotch.

He gave the impression he was just a regular guy with a drinking problem. With Falon’s power commanding my senses, I could feel Willow’s power in ways I never had before. It was vast and deep. He was ready to do damage if anyone gave him a reason.

I stared at my hands, willing the wolf to back down. For the first time in years, I couldn’t repress the fangs and claws; too much power was wreaking havoc inside me. Thinking about the wolf made me think about losing it. Grabbing the bottle from Willow’s hand, I downed a few good swallows. It didn’t help.