“No.” I tried to scream the word, but my throat was still tight from the pain in my side.
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. The creature walked toward me, a smirk once again tugging at the undamaged side of his mouth.
Kerry managed to call out, “Savannah, don’t!”
The creature stopped walking and faced Savannah, its lips parting in another wicked smile. It was a scene out of my nightmares. He lifted an arm and I knew exactly what he intended to do. Savannah had no power to protect herself and Rhys was too far away.
Desperate, I screamed and lashed out at the creature with everything I had, but it was too late. The ball of energy left his fingertips and flew toward her. I heard Kerry speaking though I couldn’t understand what she said and felt the spell snap into place a fraction of a second before the crackling electrical bolt hit it.
But Kerry’s magic wasn’t strong enough.
There was a flash of light and I watched in horror as Savannah flew back, her limbs flailing wildly, and her body crashed into the side of the house.
I shrieked again, magic exploding out of my body as shock and horror overtook me. The electrical cage encasing us sizzled and vanished beneath the onslaught of raw power.
Another roar split the air, but this time it was Rhys’ voice I heard. There was a bright flash of light, the sizzle of electricity against magic, and Rhiannon’s creature vanished.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Rhiannon standing at the edge of the yard, her eyes on Macgrath. She didn’t look triumphant or even pleased that she and her creation had wreaked so much havoc on us.
It was anguish that painted her features. Regret and pain. I could read the emotions so easily that I was surprised I hadn’t noticed them before. Rhiannon existed inside a well of pain so deep that it twisted her and drew her farther into the shadows.
Her eyes moved to me and the expression cleared from her face so quickly I briefly wondered if I’d imagined it. Our gazes clashed, a moment of understanding passing between us and I knew I hadn’t misinterpreted what I saw. Beneath the hunger for power, Rhiannon was also a woman who wanted to be loved.
But the one person she desired didn’t want her in return.
I tensed when she lifted her arms, preparing to fight for my life, but as her lips moved, her body shimmered and faded until only a glittering cloud remained. I watched as it moved through the protection wards I’d activated around the house, filtering through the magic in a slow surge forward.
Once the cloud was clear of the wards, it faded away. But I didn’t have the luxury of time to process what her actions meant. Savannah needed my help.
“Ava,” Kerry muttered, dropping to her knees next to me. “Ava.”
I shoved her hands away. “Go see to Savannah,” I demanded. “I’ll heal myself.”
“Your wound is too severe,” she argued.
I twisted my head to glare at her and she stopped speaking. I knew my eyes were glowing with power, the colors within my irises pulsating. The few times I’d looked into the mirror and saw the phenomenon, I thought that I looked somewhat like a vampire without fangs.
“Go,” I commanded, my voice pitched low and filled with my power.
Kerry nodded and jumped to her feet. I watched as she ran over to the porch where Rhys held Savannah’s crumpled form. His shoulders were lowered and rounded as he spoke to her, his hands brushing her hair away from her face.
Groaning, I turned onto my side and put a palm on the ground. I needed to stand up and go over to help Kerry. Savannah was dying, I was certain of it.
Before I could push myself into a sitting position, Macgrath appeared at my side.
“You need to lie still,” he demanded.
I shot him a look that should have melted him to the spot.
He growled and reached for me, his hands hovering near my shoulders when I spoke.
“If you try to make me lie back down, I’m sending you to the Russian steppes. You’ll freeze to death before you can trace back here.”
Instead of pushing me back down, he scooped me up into his arms, his hold gentle. I moaned as the burning sensation in my abdomen shot through the rest of my body, seizing my arms and legs. He rose to his feet, the motion smooth enough not to jar me further. His steps were so light and graceful, I felt as though I were floating through the air as he carried me to the porch. The pain in my stomach lessened with each breath and I wondered if my magic was healing me.
Or maybe I was just going into shock because when I reached down and pressed a finger to the edge of the wound, a fiery lick of pain flared.
“Don’t touch the wound,” Macgrath stated.
