Page 34 of Awakened Light

The man lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder. Every nerve in my body fired, and I prepared to fly out of the car to her side. Then I heard her voice.

“I’ve got it.”

A second later, I saw the sparks flicker in her hand, and she spun around and placed it on his chest. The force of the shock sent the man flying backward, and he landed on his arse with a pained cry.

Even though she couldn’t see me, she still looked in my direction. I saw the proud smirk start on her lips as she stared at my car.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” I laughed as she took a step closer to the man.

“Do not touch,” she said, pausing between each word for added effect before turning and sauntering away.

My phone rang, and I pressed the button and put it up to my ear.

“Anything?” Aiden whispered.

“Yes. She’s passing in front of the building now. She said Annella is in there.”

“Good. Get her out of there before something happens and then let’s make a plan to get Annella out.”

I snorted. “Something already happened, but she’s fine.”

“What happened?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern. “Is she okay?”

“She’s okay, but the dude she just laid out with a lightning bolt may not be.” I laughed.

“What?”

“Some stupid horny human tried to lay hands on her. She lit him up.”

“You’re sure he’s human?” Aiden asked.

“If he was a vampire, he’d already be up and ready to... oh shit.”

The man leaped back to his feet with stealth no human could possess. In less than a second, three more vampires appeared at his side.

There was no way to keep up our plan of a stealth rescue mission now that Catrain was in danger.

“Vampires! Move in!” I shouted and dropped the phone on my seat.

I arrived at Catrain’s side before the vampire she’d assaulted could finish the grab he’d made for her hair. She shrieked when I snagged her around the waist, and as she spun around, her eyes widened at the sight of the four vampires who’d appeared behind her.

“Get behind me!” I shouted as I shoved her back, then popped my fangs and snarled.

The vampires standing across from me looked shocked to see me standing there, but only for a second. Their stunned expressions twisted into anger as they glared.

“Thorne,” the tallest one growled.

It took me a second to remember his name, but I recalled seeing him at clan meetings in the past.

“Hello, Brodric,” I said on a snarl. “I’d think long and hard about your next move. This won’t end well for any of you if you don’t back the fuck up and tell me where Annella is.”

I could see him contemplating his decision... weighing the options between disobeying Leith or fighting an original vampire. It was well known in vampire circles that Clan Mackay, the original vampires, possessed significantly more strength and speed than vampires turned by others. With each following generation of vampires, their strength and speed decreased... the magic inside them diluting. And there wasn’t a vampire on the planet who didn’t know my reputation for being Lothaire’s enforcer and my famous and lethal skills. I hoped that he’d remember my undefeated status and run for his life while he still could.

My hair blew in a sharp breeze, and my family appeared at my side.

“Think long and very fucking hard,” Lothaire said as he stepped forward, going nose to nose with Brodric. “Your next move may be your last if it’s not the right one.”

The energy surged between us as the tension rose. I could hear Catrain’s quick breathing behind me, and I hated that I’d brought her into this dangerous situation. Part of me wanted to run her off to safety and return to fight, but the other part of me knew not to let her out of my sight. Even though she was a capable warrior, and obviously her magic had some effect on vampires, it was still too risky to leave her unattended.