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Orrin hit the concrete with a splat that shuddered through the foundations. He groaned for several moments, the smell of burnt flesh heavy in the air.
Finally, Sam took a deep, shuddering breath and pushed upright. Now was the time to run for the stairs, to try to escape. She staggered forward, but Orrin rose. For a moment, he simply stood and watched her. His arm hung by his side, blackened. His eyes were dark, glazed and certainly no longer human. The vampire half of his soul had risen fully to the surface.
There would be no mercy for her now. Nothing but death, long and lingering, if she didn’t get the hell out of here now.
The darkness cloaked him once more, and with a primeval scream of fury, he ran at her. She’d never make the stairs. As the realization hit, she swung away, running for the back door. Energy still tingled at her fingertips, a muted echo of the force she’d unleashed on Orrin. Perhaps it would be enough to shatter the top lock and open the door. She had to get help. She couldn’t survive Orrin without it.
She leapt for the door and slapped a palm high up, fingers barely brushing the lock despite her leap. Fire danced across the bolt. There was a brief report, like gunfire, and then the bolt disintegrated.
Orrin closed in so fast she didn’t have time to get the door open. She leapt sideways and hit the ground instead, thrust an arm against the wall to steady herself, then ran. Away from Orrin. Away from the door.
He gave chase. His steps echoed in her ears, drawing closer with every beat of her heart. Fear surged, as did the fire. It pulsated through her body, burned at her fingertips. But to use it, she’d have to stop, have to let him get close enough to touch her. And that could be fatal.
She neared the stairs again and thought briefly about climbing them. But he’d catch her at the door, and there was no room to fight on the landing itself. Nor could she afford to block the entrance, just in case Stephan or the others came to the rescue.
She ran past the steps, headed once again for the far side of the room. The thump of Orrin’s footsteps drew closer, until it was almost all she could hear.
Wind stirred, a cyclonic force reaching out to grab her. She ducked to the right, felt his fingers tear down her arm, and headed back across the room, knowing she had little time left.
He caught her hair and wrenched her backward. She yelped and fought for balance, but he was far too strong. He threw her backward and she hit the floor with another yelp. Then he was on her, his weight crushing her chest and stomach, his fingers around her neck, squeezing hard.
Desperation burned through her. Her arms were pinned
by his knees. She couldn’t move. She struggled to breathe. Light danced before her eyes—star-bright light that wavered in and out of focus.
She had to free her arms. The fire that burned through her soul was her only chance to live. She began to struggle, bucking her body, trying to shift his bulk enough to free her arm. One would do. One would kill.
He laughed, and the sound crawled across her skin.
“Fight, my pretty. Fight while I watch you die.”
She tried to reply but couldn’t. Her breath was little more than short, sharp gasps. The dancing lights were getting brighter, and the darkness of unconsciousness threatened. She didn’t have much time left.
The door at the top of the stairs opened. Footsteps whispered across the silence. Two sets—two men.
“Sam?”
Gabriel’s voice. Etched with pain, but strong. Relief swam through her. At least he would live.
“Sam, are you here?”
Of course she was here. Couldn’t he see her? Couldn’t he see Orrin? Couldn’t he see that the fucker had her so close to death?
She blinked. No, he couldn’t. Orrin was cloaked in darkness. And perhaps she was, too.
She struggled harder, bucking her body, trying to dislodge the giant’s weight or loosen his fingers. Orrin made no noise, and no acknowledgment of the two men on the landing. Either the bloodlust had made him oblivious to his surroundings or he just didn’t care.
“Sam, I can’t see you, but I know you’re here somewhere. Where’s Orrin?”
“Right here,” she tried to scream, but it came out as little more than a weak gasp. Her lungs burned with the need for air. His fingers were digging deeper and deeper into her flesh. He’d soon crush her larynx. Then he’d drain her, while her goddamn partner stood by and saw nothing but darkness.
The blue-white beam of a laser fire bit through the night, striking the concrete very close to them, and Orrin jerked in surprise. Sam bucked and managed to get one arm free from the weight of his knee.
Overhead, thunder rumbled. Lightning flashed—not only across the night, but right through her soul. Fire scorched through every nerve ending, aching for release.
Another laser beam bit through the darkness, close enough to touch. Orrin swore under his breath. Just for an instant, his fingers relaxed and she sucked in a great gulp of air.
“Gabriel, here!” she screamed, then slapped her hand against Orrin’s thigh.
