Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Her dark eyes snap to mine. “There you are.” She sounds so horrifically normal. “I thought I was going to have to hunt you down. This is simpler.” She swings the rifle around in a smooth, practiced motion, aims down the sight, and pulls the trigger.
CHAPTER 22
Bowen
THERE’S NO TIME TO THINK. I MOVE ON INSTINCT, THROWING up a shield with my power. Even so, it’s barely in time. The bullet stops close enough for me to see the size of it in perfect detail. If I hadn’t shielded, she would have blown off my fucking head. “I take it this is Lizzie.”
“Yep.” Evelyn sounds strained, and she’s not quite huddled against my back, but it’s a near thing. “This is bad. We should run.”
With my shield in place, I take a moment to study this new enemy. She’s lean in the way good predators are, every bit of her geared toward taking down prey in the most efficient way possible. Even if Evelyn hadn’t told me she was a vampire, I likely would have guessed. The few vampires I’ve had cause to meet all have a strange, otherworldly feeling to them. It’s too complicated to call it beauty; it’s more an energy that draws people—prey—in. Even in the middle of shooting at us, Lizzie has that draw.
She came into Threshold, which means by the law, she should either join the Cŵn Annwn or die. Considering she just tried to kill me, I’m not overly inclined to give her a choice. Except … she might be murderous, but she meant something to Evelyn. I can’t kill her ex.
How quickly the laws fall apart for me now that I’ve started questioning them.
I hold up a hand. “Go back to where you came from and we’ll pretend this never happened.”
Lizzie’s face has no expression. No fury. No contempt. No fear. “Cute.” She studies me. “Telekinetic. What a pain.” Her dark gaze flicks to Evelyn. “He won’t be able to save you. Where are my jewels?”
“Funny story—”
“I don’t want your story, Evelyn.” She pulls the trigger again. Again, I stop the bullet well before it can cause damage. I can’t tell if she’s honestly trying to murder us or if she’s just reminding us that she can. She shifts the rifle to point at Evelyn, raising her brows when I mirror the movement to get between her and the woman at my back.
Evelyn, for her part, is damn near babbling. “I didn’t think. You know I don’t think when I get mad, Lizzie. You were going to let your mother murder me. I just grabbed them and ran.”
“Evelyn.”
She grabs the back of my cloak. I can feel her shaking even through the thick fabric. Evelyn clears her throat. “Your jewels are on the Crimson Hag. Which is a problem because the ship sailed off with them when the crew left us here.”
Lizzie slowly lowers her gun. She looks up at the tree branches overhead. “That’s very irritating.”
“I’m sorry.” Evelyn sounds so small, I want to level this entire forest out of sheer rage.
“Yeah, me too.” Lizzie’s eyes go crimson.
It’s the only warning I get before it feels like every vein in my body rebels. Pain unlike any I’ve ever known scores through me, sending me to my knees. “Oh fuck.” I’ve felt something similar when I fought a water elemental a while back. She tried to force the water in my body out. I was able to deflect that. This is a thousand times stronger. I reach for my power, but it slides through my fingers, my control nonexistent when I can barely draw breath into my shrieking lungs.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Evelyn grabs my shoulders, but her touch is nothing compared to the agony inside me. “Lizzie, stop it!”
Lizzie doesn’t stop. If anything, her eyes glow brighter. She reaches out and closes her fist and my whole body jerks forward several feet. I have to do something. She’s focusing on me only because she’s decided I’m the bigger threat. If she incapacitates me, she’ll kill Evelyn.
That thought has my instincts taking over. I don’t think. There’s no time or energy for finesse. I send out a massive half circle of power. It hits Lizzie and the trees in a wave I can actually see, causing chaos in its wake as she goes flying.
Her control doesn’t snap, but the pain eases the tiniest bit. I fall to my hands and knees. “Run.”
“Absolutely not. She’s going to kill you.” Evelyn drops down next to me, her fingers digging into the soft dirt beneath us. “This is all my fault. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I open my mouth to reply but the pain flares harsher and I can only grunt. Evelyn isn’t running and she’s not going to listen to me and fuck, I don’t know how to fix this.