If he was stunned by the show I was producing, he didn’t show it, because I didn’t even see him move. Suddenly, there was a blast of dark and seductive Vampire power I had never felt before, slamming into me from behind, and I grunted heavily, muttering, “Oh, dear God.” My knees weakened, and I stumbled forward, hearing him shout a curse when he tried to break through my wall that moved with me. Another blast of power hit me, and I stumbled, placing a hand on the mat, hearing him purr in song, “Come out, come out, and play with me.”
I shook my head hard, keeping my eyes at mat level, not about to glance into his orbs and get trapped any worse than I was. I inhaled heavily and rolled, grabbing a fireball and chucking it at him. And God, I breathed free for a moment as he fell to his knees cursing up a blue streak from the fireball that had hit his leg. I hadn’t made them deadly, but it was aimed to debilitate. And I instantly started throwing more at him, his power level heady and quickly recovering. I needed him weak, otherwise nothing I did would work, his power overriding mine.
Two more hit him before he wised up and started moving in blurring speed around me, actually hovering off the damn floor, crooning on a quiet hiss, “Come out, little spirit. Come out and play.”
I swayed inside the swirling stars that were beginning to dim as a breeze of green started to infiltrate my mind, and before I fell I quickly floated into the cosmos, floating, searching, and praying I had enough power, never having attempted this before. I let the dimming stars floating around me lash out all at once…and one hit him.
My power caught him.
And from a distance as I fell to my knees protection vanished around me, I grabbed onto his black and red tether, hastily reaching for it a few feet away from me in the cosmos, gripped it and pulled it to my lips, whispering, “Be at peace.”
I only had a second, I knew that much as I came back to myself, King Zeller stopping in a breeze not even an inch from me, and I inhaled heavily, jerking upright, and slammed my palm against his chest as he swayed, eyes closed. I grunted heavily, thrusting a bolt of stars fire out of my palm just as he opened his eyes, fangs—long fucking fangs—bared, eyes glowing fiercely. He flew backward with the force, stars exploding like a shower between us, hitting the rock wall hard, slipping limply to the ground, but as he landed he was already shaking his head, waking and his Vampire growling deeply in his chest.
I slammed my hands together hastily, the ground shaking under us, settling him off balance, the room vibrating as I shouted, floating in the cosmos, pulling on the closest stars power, blinding white light erupting between my palms, growing, cascading in a shimmering globe, and I breathed into it at the last second for peace, my legs buckling under the power I held as he flew at me. Fangs pierced my throat as he gripped my head. I bowed backward, screaming as agony such as I had never known erupted in an intoxicating cascade, just as I smashed my hands together, the power I wielded exploding between us against our bodies.
The lights went out.
“Wha’z hap’nen?” I mumbled as someone shook my shoulders. “Mu’z sleep.”
“Caro! Wake up!” King Collins shouted loudly.
“Ezra!” Queen Ruckler’s voice was frantic next to me. “Open your damn eyes or I’m going to kill you myself!”
I rubbed my eyes, blinking them open in a hurry, hearing multiple shouts around me, and a vibration on the soft, but cold, ground I lay on. I stared up into the worried faces of multiple different Mysticals, Royals who hovered over me, but I tried focusing on King Collins face, smiling at him sloppily, asking, “What’s wrong?”
He blinked. “Are you alright?”
I laughed giddily, waving an absent hand from where I lay, patting his cheek. “It’s all good.”
Another blink. “Caro?”
“It’s like she’s drunk,” Elder Venclaire murmured, his head cocking oddly as he stared at my neck. “She’s still bleeding. Maybe he took too much.”
“Ezra!” Queen Ruckler shouted next to me.
“I think he’s alright,” Elder Zeller muttered, also, to the side of me. “His heartbeat and Core are operating like he’s sleeping.”
I giggled when Elder Venclaire blurred down, stopping my head from turning to see what the hullabaloo was about, wiping his tongue over my neck, and I slapped at his head. “That tickles. Stop it.”
Elder Merrick slammed a hand down on Elder Venclaire’s shoulder, yanking him back up, his tone gravelly, but sharp. “She said stop.”
Elder Venclaire licked his lips, brushing Elder Merrick’s hand off his shoulder. “I was just healing the wound.” He licked his lips again, blue eyes glowing dimly. “But,” he hummed softly, “she tastes fantastic.”
I waggled my finger at him. “No bets. No licks.” More waggling. “Got it, mister?”
King Collins muttered a curse under his breath, and then gently grabbed my shoulders, helping me to sit up straight.
The room spun a bit, and I put a hand to my forehead. “What happened?” I wiggled my shoulders a bit. “I feel great.”
“Get her over here to fix him,” Queen Ruckler shouted, her wolf growling loudly.
“There was a…boom…when King Zeller bit you,” Elder Farrar stated steadily, bending to stare me in the eyes. “And you both went down.”
“A boom?” I smiled, but rubbed my forehead, trying to remember. My head cocked, and I tilted my head to King Zeller where he lay on his back, eyes closed, appearing content to the world, even though he wasn’t waking as Bindi and Queen Ruckler tried to revive him. “Oh…yes.” I snickered, and patted my neck. “He’s got quite a bite.”
“Yes,” Elder Farrar rubbed at his ear, “and you have a pair of lungs that could rival warlords.” He pointed a finger at my hands. “And quite the…boom…or whatever the hell that was that knocked us all back against our seats.”
My shoulders bounced as I grinned merrily, joy suffusing my system. “Thanks.” My eyes teetered to Elder Merrick. “I don’t hate you right now.” In fact, he looked damn good. Curls dangling around his face, navy blue eyes fierce down on me, pouty red lips pursed in irritation. Kind of good enough to gobble up. Slowly…then in much larger portions.
