“If we go in there,” Jericho says, his tone grim, “we’ll be sitting ducks. I’m sorry. I’msorryWillow is stuck there, but until I know more, we can’t do a damn thing.”
Kaine’s eyes flash dark gold. Pure hatred seeps from his pores as he stares at Jericho, and it terrifies me. This man, thisvampire,is a loose cannon. He came here looking for one thing and one thing only: to get help for his friend. If we refuse him, what will he do?
Something on the ground begins to move, creeping toward Kaine in slow, steady currents. Grant notices it too, stepping back. “Kaine. Let’s talk about this.”
The movement wraps around Kaine’s ankles, working up his legs to his torso. It takes a moment for me to register that it’swater.He’s creating ribbons of water from nothing. Or from the ground? Looking around, it seems as if Kaine is pulling the water from the earth. But how?
The ribbons twirl and move, creating a twisting coil around Kaine that glitters in the evening sun. A million air bubbles move within, reminding me of the air filter in the fish tank I had as a kid.
Jericho shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Kaine. Truly. I wish there was something we could do for her, but there just isn’t. Not yet.”
Kaine laughs in a way that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Let me make this perfectly clear, vampire.”
In the blink of an eye, the tendrils of water rip out from around Kaine’s torso like violent whips, snaring me around the waist. I grunt in surprise as I’m yanked forward.
Jericho reaches for me, but it’s too late. Kaine has already flown us fifty feet away. When we stop, Kaine turns me around to face the group, pressing my back to his chest. I try to move, but his hold is too strong. I kick against his leg, but I might as well be kicking a brick wall for as much good as it’s doing.
“Fucking vampire,” I mutter. I should’ve seen this coming.
Kaine raises his voice. “I’m not asking you. I’mtellingyou!”
28
JERICHO
“EVAN!” A roar erupts from deep within.
My heart leaps to my throat as Evan disappears across the field in Kaine’s arms. It happens so fast, so unexpectedly, that I barely have time to react.
Kaine turns him around in his arms, using him as a shield against us. It ignites a fire in me like I’ve never known. Every cell in my being burns, and I can only think of one thing:Protect.
Leaping through the air, I prepare to knock Kaine to the ground with a sideways blow. The trees blur as I fly toward them, but without warning, a thin rope of water ties around my feet and throws me to the side in a violent snap. I crash on the ground, rolling a dozen times before coming to a stop. Pain lances up my arm, and I smell blood. I can feel it oozing from a cut on my shoulder.
Asshole. I liked this sweatshirt, and now it’s sliced into pieces.
“I won’t hurt him!” Kaine says. “I just want your word—”
“You really think this is going to convince us that you’re on our side?” Grant shouts, his voice hot with anger. The two wolves nearest him snap their jaws, ready to pounce. “That’s one of our pack mates! Release him nowor—”
“Or what? You’ll come at me?” Kaine taunts. “Go ahead and try, wolf. I’ll just throw you aside too.”
“Fucking asshole!” Evan shouts, his face red. He attempts to kick Kaine, but the vamp’s hold is too strong for him. He can barely move.
Why doesn’t he shoot Kaine?
Shit, where’s his gun?
I look across the field, my stomach sinking when I see the silver handgun glinting in the grass.
Evan is so helpless right now. Somortal.Fear clenches me, making me see red.If Kaine does anything, I will rip his head off.
Grant shifts back into a wolf and takes off toward Kaine, the other wolves follow close on his heels. I watch in disbelief as Kaine creates a rope of water across the ground that trips all four of them. Sage falls with a loudooft,crashing into a tree fifteen feet from me. Jasmine shakes her head, as if to clear it. Did she hit it on something?
For a hot second, I am frozen in place, stunned by what Kaine can do, yet confused too. How is he controlling the water like that? It’s something I’ve only ever seen in movies or on TV. Never in real life.
Can I control the fire the same way?
Grant leaps for Kaine again, but Kaine dodges him, taking Evan another twenty feet back. Thirty more and they’ll be at the edge of the clearing.
