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Satisfaction is the main feelingI have as I suck the life out of Henry. He’s been nothing but trouble since I met him, and the darker part of me has always craved this moment. His soul is delicious. He’s an ancient vampire and a master. His life force is particularly strong. As I take it from him, I feel vitalized in a way I never have before. I’ve never felt so powerful.
When there’s nothing left, not a single drop of life, I let him go, and he crumbles to the floor beside me. His eyes, glassed over and vacant, will never compel me again. Gasps go off around the room and are followed by agonized cries and rage-filled screams. His vampires feel the loss of their master. It makes me laugh. I know they will all come for me now, and that excites me. With Henry’s energy in me and my darkness controlling my mind, I’m ready for the fight. I crave it. I will kill them all.
The mood in the room changes. Desperation and anguish fill the air as the vampires turn their attention to me. Those who’ve not been destroyed by my men fight their way toward me. My smile grows from ear to ear. Let them come.
“Nora, look out!”
I’m not sure who called to me, but a large vampire jumps at me with his clawed hands ready to rip my head off. “Stop,” I say.
I shiver as his pupils swell, and I waste no time sucking the life out of him. When he’s dead, he falls to the floor on top of Henry. I can’t wait to add more to the pile. My thirst for death and vengeance escalates with every kill.
A small circle has been formed around me as my men protect me from vampires. The numbers are dwindling, but I can take those down by half. I release my song and ensnare the will of every last one of Henry’s male vampires. I lick my lips as I begin to pull their energy from them.
I cry out in ecstasy as power fills me. My body begins to tremble, and I release a crazed laugh. I thought I was invincible before, but now I am truly unstoppable. I will take these men, and then I will take every man in this room, and I will not stop there. I will never stop.
Bodies drop all around me, and for a moment there is nothing but stunned silence. The remaining female vampires start to lose their minds. In their grief, they attack, but their numbers are so few they are easily eradicated. Wolves and fey stop and look around the room, chests heaving and weapons still drawn. There is no one left to oppose them. They are bloodied and exhausted, and slowly they look around. The bodies of the largest vampire clan in Michigan litter the floor.
I practically purr with elation. All of the devastation thrills me.
“Nora!”
A man with the most striking violet eyes, covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, drops to his knees and takes my face in his. When he smashes his mouth on mine, my body ignites with a new energy. His thoughts flood me, and one thing becomes very clear. This man adores me. Worships me. He is mine, and I will take him. I will take them all.
As I kiss him back, I slide my hand up his chest. I hum with desire and place my hand over his heart. “Mine,” I whisper against his lips.
He growls in response and plunges his tongue deep in my mouth. I take his offering, and then I start to take his life force. He gasps and falls back. He clutches his chest, and an agonized cry rips from his lungs.
Men around me all jump to action trying to separate me from my fey. I hiss at all of them and scoop my fey possessively to me. He is mine. They will not take him from me.
The men shout more and more, so much so that I can feel the panic in the air. I ignore them all and continue to take what I want from my faerie. He’s so old, so powerful. And he will be with me for eternity once I absorb his life force.
A large wolf tackles me, knocking me away from my faerie and breaking my connection to him. With a hiss, my fingers become claws and scratch at the man as I reach for the wolf’s conscience. “Stop,” I sing.
The wolf stops. He makes a whiny noise that, for some reason, calls to my heart. My chest aches for this wolf, as if my soul calls to his. Something flashes in my mind, images of me with a man, biting one another, fusing ourselves together to make us one soul. I shake my head, confused by the thought, and in my moment of hesitation, two females tackle me and pin me to the ground. One is more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen. The other has red-orange hair and eyes that dance like flames.
“Nora!” the redhead shouts.
I hiss again and try to claw at the woman, but she’s too strong for me and I get a slap across my face for my efforts. “Fight it!” she shouts. I get slapped again, and I can hear growls behind me. “Relax, boys,” the woman grumbles, glaring at whoever is behind me. She looks down at me again. “You are not your darkness. Snap out of it!” I get slapped a third time, and this time it jars my concentration. I shake my head, trying to clear it as I stare at the women holding me down. I recognize both their faces. I know these women. They’re my…friends. Again, I flinch with another moment of clarity. Cecile. Kat. I don’t want to hurt them.
In a flash of light, my tail is replaced with legs—naked legs. My scales and claws disappear, and my skin returns to its normal shade. I’ve shifted back to my human form.
My siren rages inside my head, and for the first time in I don’t know how long, she feels separate from me. With my mind cleared of the darkness, everything clicks into place. Henry’s compulsions are gone, and my memory is fully restored.
Illren is lying on the ground, passed out beside me, and dread fills me. “Illren!” I shout, panicked. Pushing Cecile and Kat out of the way, I crawl over to him and shake his shoulders. When his only response is a weak moan, I start sobbing. I wrap my arms around him, crying harder than I’ve ever cried before. “Illren, I’m so sorry! So, so sorry! Please be okay!”
Hands come down on my shoulders and back, but I don’t look up to see who’s trying to comfort me. I don’t want the comfort. I deserve the devastation and guilt that is currently drowning me. I’m horrible. I nearly killed one of the men I love.
Love?I pause, stunned by the thought. I sniffle and hiccup as I realize that yes, Illren terrifies me, but I love him. I love them all.
“Nora,” a soft voice murmurs. “Let go so I can have a look at him.”
I glance up at Enzo through watery eyes. He’s kneeling across Illren’s body from me. His hands are settled over the fey’s chest. He gives me a reassuring smile, then turns his attention to Illren. He closes his eyes in concentration and runs his hands over Illren’s body. After a few moments, he sits back and shakes his head. I explode with panic. “Why are you shaking your head? What does that mean? Can’t you fix him?”
Enzo’s face falls, and his shoulders droop. “I am sorry. I can’t do anything for him. He is not physically injured. His essence has been drained. I cannot replace it.”
“He’s going todie?” I screech. My tears come back with a vengeance, and I start sobbing hysterically. I throw myself over Illren, kissing his mouth and face and running my hands through his hair. “Illren. No. You can’t.”
“I don’t believe he will die,” Enzo says. “I believe his essence will replenish itself. It will just take a little time.”
