Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(64)

“Stay here until Shaz comes back for you,” I reminded them one last time. “We’ll clear a path out of the warehouse.”

I met Shaz’s calm green eyes. He inclined his head in a wolfish nod, and I slowly eased the door open. I could see half of the lengthy table from the tiny crack in the door. Just one vampire sat there. He was engrossed in whatever was on his smartphone screen. A few others lingered near the door. It creaked as I opened it, and they turned to catch me sneaking up on them.

So much for a sneak attack. I flung the door wide, hands crackling with power. Shaz raced past me, lunging at the closest vampire. Hitting him full in the chest, Shaz took him down with a snarl, tearing the guy’s throat out with a vicious snap of jaws.

I hit the others with a fiery blast that engulfed them all. An exhilarating rush of power flowed from me, seeking and finding its target. It was a relief to rid myself of the angelic force. It didn’t belong to me, and I needed it out of my head.

A shout rang out from the one at the table. I threw a flaming psi ball at his head, and it hit with an uncanny precision and strength. His head burst into flames, the rest of him was quick to follow. The smartphone clattered to the floor.

My last experience with angel blood hadn’t gone quite this smooth. Either this was dumb luck or my control was improving. Considering how bad it had once been, this was nice. I could get used to the power.

With the Dragon Claw, I finished off the one with his throat splayed open. Shaz and I turned to find half a dozen or so blocking the main exit. We could handle those odds.

With every shot of Falon’s power that I used, the pressure in my head subsided. I hit the entire group of them with a blast that almost winded me. They all went down in a flaming pile. I didn’t doubt for a moment that Falon could throw fire. However, I’d never witnessed it myself. I was a little bummed that it wasn’t one of my abilities. It was damn handy.

“Go, get them out of here,” I told Shaz, turning to find a few more vamps heading in from the back of the building. “I’ve got these guys.”

The newcomers got hit with a face full of fire. One of them fell against the couch, and the flames began to spread. I expected more and found the brief reprieve to be unsettling. Was that all Linden had for manpower here?

I wiped my bleeding nose with the back of my hand. When I became a vampire, I would never miss that side effect of a mortal using immortal power.

Shaz led the captives in a steady line to the front exit. They ran for their lives, following the white wolf that promised them freedom.

Smoke was beginning to fill the warehouse. I coughed and tried to limit my breaths. My eyes burned and began to water. The fire consumed the couch and jumped to the next flammable thing in its path.

I ran back to the prison room to confirm that everyone was out. It was empty. I ran back to the dirty little bathroom to double check. Empty. Relief crushed me.

I turned and fled the room, intent on the exit. Linden stepped out in front of me, and I had to jerk to a halt to avoid colliding with him. On his face was a giant, shit-eating grin, and in his arms was a struggling child.

“Well done, Alexa.” The flames cast Linden in a macabre light. “I don’t know how you did it, but you certainly are adept at playing the heroine. But you’ve forgotten one thing. You can’t save them all.”

The young boy wailed, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. It was the same kid who had asked me if I was one of the good guys. I didn’t give Linden a chance to follow through with his intent or his bad-guy dialogue. I threw myself at him, taking him and the child down to the ground. Landing between us, the kid was fine, just terribly frightened.

Wrapping my hands around Linden’s throat, I slammed his skull against the hard floor repeatedly until he released his hold on the boy. Shaz appeared and dragged the kid away by the back of his shirt.

The smoke thickened, making it difficult to see. Every breath made my chest ache. My wolf recoiled, instinctively demanding that we flee the burning building. Letting Linden go to save myself would be a favor to nobody. He would only be free to start anew, in a new building with a new batch of victims. Perhaps he was just one of many involved in this sick business. All it took to send a message to the rest was the right hit. I had to hope Linden was it.

“You should never have let me know you exist,” I snarled, slamming his head one more time. Blood stained the floor beneath him.

I set my sights on his heart and reached with my power to destroy it. The flow of energy was smooth and on target, yet it fell flat. Like hitting a psychic wall, my power hit an impenetrable block.

Linden stared up into my confused face and nodded. His voice was strained from my grip on his throat when he croaked, “You’re not the only rare breed walking around out there, you know.”

Before I could draw the dagger, he slammed a heavy fist into the side of my head. It dazed me, allowing him to roll me to his side. He hit me with a smattering of blows that caused a bright light to flash behind my eyes. I kicked out in his general direction, connecting with his knee. A crack followed by a shriek was always good news.

The sound of the Dragon Claw sliding from its sheath sent a surge of panic through me. I rolled away from Linden and pushed to my feet, but not before my own dagger tasted my blood. It pierced my side, a flesh wound, thanks to quick reflexes. Warm, wet blood seeped through my shirt. Ignoring it, I danced back out of reach as Linden swung the dagger again.