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“She’s dead,” Kole mutters, but his eyes have darkened.

Nova whirls around. Flames dance in her eyes and her hands.

Miranda steps behind her, and takes my hand.

Kole stretches out his hands. The ground begins to rumble.

And just as Zephyra comes into view, it erupts.

Weeds turn into vines and explode from the floor. They snake toward Zephyra and the vampires following behind her, but she leaps over them and clings to the wall like a reptile. Her eyes are burning, dark pools of pure onyx.

And there is a metal stake protruding from her chest.

When she drops to the floor again, she straightens up and yanks it free, tossing it to the ground.

Her hands go to the collar around her neck.

Miranda pushes past me and holds up the remote. How they swapped places, I have no idea.

“Go on.” Zephyra tilts her head. “Press it, witch. I dare you.”

She has barely finished speaking when Miranda presses the button in the center of the remote.

There is a sharp clicking sound. Zephyra’s eyes widen. And the spikes are driven into her throat.

29

NOVA

For a moment, Zephyra simply stands there, spike impaling her throat, inky blood trickling down toward her chest.

Then she smiles.

She shakes her head as if there is no pain, just a little bit of discomfort, and continues to stalk toward us.

“That’s it,” I mutter, casting a glance at Kole. “I’m ending her the way I ended the others.”

I lock eyes with Zephyra and let the heat travel from my body to hers.

She flexes her limbs and looks down at them quizzically. Then she looks at Kim instead of at me. “You know if I’m gone, you’ll never get your answer,” she says.

Kim shakes his head. “I don’t give a shit. You can’t use that against me anymore. I’m done.”

“Are you sure?” she asks. Her skin is smoking now. A piece of flesh sizzles and peels off her forearm, dropping to the floor and disintegrating.

It is harder than it was with the others.

She is fighting back somehow.

Or she is harder to burn.

I focus more energy and move closer.

“Are you sure you want to give up on the chance to avenge the love of your life?” Zephyra cocks her head then clicks her fingers.

There is a noise from somewhere behind us, like a grate being forced open.

Large, heavy footsteps pound the ground.