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Ozone, char, and under it, fresh earth and—cinnamon?
All I knew was the scent was raw, angry, and pulsing in the space around us. And even though my heart was about to pound out of my chest, I didn't hate the aroma.
Kye still paced on the other side of the shack, probably working out how to keep me from taking the mysterious magical item from the barrel.
“Focus, dipshit,” I hissed to myself but from the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Kye as he lunged.
With a roar, he slammed into me.
We grappled over the jar, but I kept my hold on it, which surprised Kye. He never tried to understand my abilities before, so there was no point in explaining since I found it, the jar and its contents wanted to stay with me.
That's my gift, talent, or whatever the fuck my power is.
The more magical an item is, the more powerful the pull, which means whatever is glowing darkly to me is incredibly powerful. That was only one more reason, as if I needed to add another, not to let Kye get his slimy claws on it.
He flipped me off him, and I rolled and tucked the jar into my chest as sharp bits of debris bit into my back and ass through my clothes.
“Back the fuck off, Kye. I have what I came for, and we both know this isn't yours.” The energy inside the jar reverberated through my chest, and I refused to let him have it.
He growled at me, his eyes changing as he struggled to maintain control of his temper. “You're messing around where you shouldn't. Especially without the ability to shift or defend yourself.”
“Try me, asshole. You'd be surprised at the damage I can do when necessary.” I watched him as he crouched and jumped back when he swung out with an arm that didn't look quite human anymore. “Kye. Don't escalate this, I won't back down. Now tell me why you're really here. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
He flinched and looked like he was going to say something, but instead, he raised his head and sniffed the air.
A shadow covered the moon, dropping darkness into the shack like someone had tossed a thick tarp over the holes in the roof, sinking us into inky blackness.
It was far worse for me than for Kye, who had even sharper night vision than I did... but maybe he wouldn't see me scoot to my left and begin circling the room as far as I could. I hoped. The pressing sensation from the Mason jar grew, nearly pushing me to the floor. I braced my free hand against the wall, taking my eyes off the shadowy silhouette of my ex-mate for the briefest moment. It was enough of a gap in my focus. Kye collided with me as I pushed away from the wall, my legs so shaky that we tumbled to the floor, and the jar fell with us. Glass flew, and an object rolled toward a patch of missing floorboards in the center of the room.
As I hit the ground, I looked up to see an unfamiliar shadow emerge—a man or almost man, whose eyes glowed gold, his sharp teeth bared and glinting faintly in his snarling face. Kye stiffened and jumped back from me, his back pressed to the wall as Mr. Big and Bad growled so low I felt it in my stomach before I even heard a sound. Both flew past me, clawing and snapping at each other, and the shadow rolled closer to the hole.
Shit.
I combat-crawled over the rough surface, splaying myself out to limit the pressure I leveraged on the fragile flooring. Ignoring the splinters embedding in my stomach, I worked my way across the ground as my jacket pushed up and exposed more of my abdomen. I wouldn't let Kye take another thing from me. Not even this. I reached for the shattered jar and the black lump of something that rested on the edge of the ragged hole.
I wasn't near enough to secure a solid hold on it, but I wasn't sure the boards would support my weight as I inched closer. Crashing through the floor into whatever mess of swamp snakes, bayou spiders, and probably fucking alligators lived in the underside of the cabin didn't appeal to me, so I studied the object, still tucked in a portion of the jar.
The black thingy took the shape of a small hand with the fingers outstretched. But, no, it was too small to be a real hand, and it glowed like the night sky. I wanted it, and I bet Kye felt the same need to possess it as well. He had to. Why else would he be here?
First, he took my home.
Then he stole my dignity.
Now that bastard dared to take my only source of income? Yeah right.
The cloak of darkness passed over us, and the moonlight returned, and with it, I could finally see the creature fighting Kye on the far side of the shack.
Kye got in a shot that sent his opponent flying backward. Ignoring me, he lunged for the broken jar and scooped the ragged muck-encrusted glass, cradling the talisman into his arms.
“What in the fuck are you doing?” I screeched. He would not make off with my payday. I probably resembled a rabid squirrel flying at him, but I didn't care.
We tumbled, and I grabbed the jar free, jagged glass biting my palm. I grappled with him, then sunk my teeth into Kye’s arm.
Suddenly I was tumbling headfirst, falling into the warm, murky water under the shack. My face scraped along the swamp bottom as my fingers found the object again, invisible in the inky, muddy water but hotter than the tepid bayou water. And the damn thingcalledme.
I clutched it as it pulsed in my hand like a living heart. I tried to turn myself right side up, but before I could kick to the surface, the oblong black crystal burst into a thousand stars, shining brighter than the sun, and slammed into the center of my chest.
I gasped, stunned, and sunk into the ebony water as the brilliance sunk into the spot between my breasts, lighting me up like a fucking star.
