Rip places a foot on his back, pressing hard, and Justice cries out. Dammit, kid. Shift!
He needs help.
Rip sees me watching and slants his head. “How pathetic. You actually care for the shifter.”
I take a step to the left, hoping to lure the vampire away, but Rip doesn’t move, tracking me with his eyes.
“What’s pathetic is hurting innocent people,” I say.
Rip gives me a wicked smile. “Yes. Tell me, Jericho, how’s poor ol’ Evelyn doing? She was in quite a tizzy when she got home.”
My vision goes red. “You hadnoright threateningher!”
He merely shrugs as if Evelyn’s life means nothing. “All means to an end.”
I lunge for Rip, fury sparking through me like lightning. My hand closes around his throat. To my surprise, he grins. Like he’d won.
Within seconds, thick gray smoke swirls around us.What the fuck?I let go when embers of gold and yellow begin to float through the air, burning whatever they touch.
He’s going to burn me.
Rip seems amused, cackling loudly. “Still haven’t figured it out, have you? Oh, I’m going to havesomuch fun.”
He raises a hand to the left, casting a ball of fire straight through the air. I jump out of the way before it lands at my feet, dissolving into ash and flame.Fuck!
This doesn’t make any sense! Fire is supposed to kill vampires, yet he can wield it?
Rip throws another one in the opposite direction. It nearly hits Justice in the shoulder. Circling around, I step forward, trying to draw Rip’s attention away from the teen. He launches three more fireballs, laughing maniacally. It makes me shiver.
Gray plumes of smoke flow on the ground around us, burning my senses and making it difficult to see. My lungs begin to burn, and fear—deep, unbridled fear—freezes me in place. In my mind, walls are crumbling to ash and windows shatter.
Mom’s panicked cry pierces the air. “GO! GET OUT OF HERE, JERICHO!”
I shake my head, refusing to relive the memory.
Focus.
I step to the left again, and to my relief, Rip follows, eyes wild. He drags his arms through the air like a crazed magician and a ring of fire appears from nothing. It encloses us.
No! This can’t be happening. I’m trapped. Caged in with this sadistic asshole.
Leaping skyward, I somersault over the flames and land just outside. A few inches closer and I’d be a goner.
Rip laughs. “Oh, come on, Jericho! You aren’t actually afraid, are you? I mean, what’s a little fire to aphoenix?”
He throws two more fireballs, igniting a tree in the middle of a clearing. When it erupts into a crackling fire, he claps his hands together with glee.
“Oh, this isfun!” he coos, watching flames dance at the tips of his fingers. “Like playing with death. No wonder Foxx wants—”
Without warning, Rip trips over the other vampire’s leg and falls on top of him. The fire on his fingers dies instantly.
Rip snarls in frustration, getting to his feet and clenching his hands. “NO!”
I tilt my head. One second he could do fire, the next…
That’s when it hits me.
He lost the ability the moment he touched the other vampire.
