Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(96)

Trading power blows wasn’t going to work. Arys said I was reckless, and what I was about to do might be just that, but I was going to do it anyway.

When just ten feet separated us, I dropped my shield and hit her with a blast of power. I had no intent to harm her, merely to stun her. Lilah cocked her head in confusion, wondering why I didn’t really let her have it. I held up both hands and gestured for her to bring it on.

Suspicion shone in her black eyes. Still, she took the shot. Instead of attempting to block the writhing mass of energy she threw, I grasped it and pulled it into me. Lilah’s power wasn’t so different from mine. The strange combination of demon and vampire roiled about like a small tornado as it swept through me. The vampire energy I could feel and touch as if it were my own. I grasped it tightly, bending it to my will.

I had no command over the demon magic slamming through my core. Lord, how it burned. The limitation of her curse was all that kept me alive right then. I focused hard on the link between Lilah and me. I drew on the stream of energy, intent on maintaining the connection between us.

I knew how to force the power into someone until they overloaded and their heart burst. Since I wasn’t able to kill Lilah, I opted to try the opposite. I decided to pull it into myself until, with any luck, she had nothing left to give, just as Shya suggested. Even a demon trapped in a physical form would need rest at some point. The tricky part was to channel it through me and back out, straight into the earth, before it killed me, something I had yet to try on such a grand scale.

My heart thundered in my ears; everything sounded muffled and far away. I struggled to align my energy with hers so I could keep it flowing between us; it took everything I had.

The fire began in the pit of my stomach and spread throughout my limbs. I stumbled but kept moving toward her. Closer proximity made it easier to maintain my grip on the energy. When I was almost touching her, she jerked back, realization settling in.

“No way,” she hissed. “You won’t do it. It’s suicide.” She tried to cut the link between us, to stop the stream of power flowing from her. I held tight, refusing to let her wrench it from me.

I could barely breathe for fear that taking a breath would break my precarious hold on her power. My voice was low, barely audible. “If I die, I’m taking you with me. I’ll be back as a vampire. And, you’ll be a prisoner of angels. I still win.”

It became a metaphysical tug of war as we each sought to gain and keep control. When Lilah failed to tear her power back, she shoved it into me with a fierce intensity that dropped me to the ground.

I knelt on the cool grass, gasping for air. The roiling mass of vampire and demon energy filled me to capacity. The pressure inside me grew unbearable, and I shrieked. I channeled the massive force through me, forcing it into the earth. Simultaneously, I continued to draw Lilah’s power in, cycling it through me despite the growing sensation of being on fire.

Arys drew near and the pain dimmed. A resurgence of strength filled me. Sucking in a deep breath, I knew it was do or die. I jerked hard on the line between us, causing her to stagger. An immense wave of raw energy pounded through me, and I fought to push it into the earth beneath me. There was a rumble, and the ground seemed to move. Lilah lost her balance, falling on her ass with a dazed expression.

The connection between us broke. It was all I could do to keep the flow moving through me until I’d driven it all into the earth. My chest ached and my vision blurred. Blood dripped steadily from my nose. The pain in my head was enormous. Maybe I had failed. Maybe it had killed me after all.

I was vaguely aware of Shya’s dark form swooping in. Latin spewed from his lips, words and phrases unknown to me. The murky sensation of pure demon power rolled over me, and the dragon on my wrist itched. Arys reached for me, asking questions a mile a minute. I couldn’t focus on any one thing.

Now that I was weakened and free of my vampire side, the wolf saw its opportunity and took it. I tugged at my clothing to no avail. The change took me, a split second of gut-wrenching pain, and then, bliss, I was wolf.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I fled Shya’s backyard as if the flames of Hell licked at my heels. I cleared the perimeter of his property and continued through the neighboring farmer’s field. Shya’s rural location had likely been chosen for privacy during unsavory events, but it was my saving grace just then.

The wolf was in charge. After fighting it off all night, it felt wonderful to let go and just run. I raised my voice to the night and cried out to the moon. The unfamiliar smells reminded me that I didn’t belong here. And, I was alone. I ached for Shaz.

‘Come back to me, my wolf.’ Arys’s smooth as velvet voice danced through my mind. ‘Never have I feared so much for you.’

‘How was that for reckless?’ I couldn’t resist goading him. I trotted along through the field until I came across a rabbit carcass left behind by the coyotes.

‘Reckless is putting it lightly, but it was a smart move. You did it. You weakened her so Shya could bind her.’ He couldn’t hide the swell of pride in his thoughts.

‘I didn’t do it alone. I would have burst into flames if you hadn’t been there.’

‘That’s not what I want to hear right now. Come back, Alexa. It’s not over yet.’

No, it certainly wasn’t. I still had Shya to deal with. The evil bastard had been willing to use me for his own gain. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was a demon. It’s what they do. Kale, the dreamwalker, and me: we were all expendable to Shya and others like him.