Bite of Vengeance (Shadows of War #3)

41. Kali

Chapter 41

Kali

A maros barreled toward me, not stopping even when a stray bullet hit him in the leg. Lightning cracked through the sky, revealing the cruel determination in his eyes. I charged forward, aiming the stake at his chest. He knocked my arm away, and I spotted his own wooden weapon before he stabbed it into my thigh. I stumbled forward when he pulled it out and kicked my legs out from under me.

I landed in a heap, defeat crawling through me.

Was everything I read wrong? Keeva and I were supposed to be the ones to keep a balance. Amaros Kane was the one destroying that balance. My strength should rival his—but I was losing .

He caught my wrist when I swung the stake at him, and he ripped it from my grip, a savage smile forming on his lips. His other hand went to my throat, shoving me down into the mud. He cut off my air, and while I knew I couldn’t die this way, it didn’t stop the panic. My lungs ached as I tried sucking in air.

“You should have listened to me when you were on my property,” he growled, pushing the stake into my stomach.

“Never,” I barely choked out, glaring at him as hatred burned through my veins. I would never obey him, no matter what he did.

He broke my skin, slowly pushing in the stake as I writhed under him. My hits did absolutely nothing, and I cursed my power. What good did it do when I wasn’t a match for those who threatened me? He wasn’t going to kill me. Even after all this, he wanted to use me.

“Get off her.”

A body flew at us, crashing into Amaros and knocking him off me. I sucked in choppy breaths, quickly climbing to my feet. Keeva was rolling on the ground with Amaros as they fought for the upper hand. Water rained down on us, and I picked up my stake that Amaros had dropped. I searched the area around me until I spotted Zan. He was surrounded by vampires, but he glanced up as if knowing I was watching him.

Pax was fighting beside him, his sad eyes on Viggo who was next to the vampires. From Viggo’s blank expression, he was still under entrancement. Zan whirled around when two vampires attacked. The Shadows and vampires were still fighting around us, and I caught sight of Rya for a moment before she got swallowed back up in the chaos. PARA soldiers were slowly making their way over, which was going to make things even messier.

Keeva let out a yell, snapping me out of my thoughts. I swallowed the pain, relying on my adrenaline to keep pushing me forward until my body could fully heal. Spinning around, I ran forward as Amaros was throwing her to the ground. He was on her in a second, snatching her hand, and grabbing the stake she was holding. I raced closer, seeing her grimace as he twisted the stake until the sharp edge was aimed at her. The tip touched her chest as I raised my own weapon.

“You can’t sneak up on me.”

His dark voice cut through the rain and mayhem before his head snapped to the side, his free arm coming up to deflect my attack. I let my speed work to my advantage and went to the ground, sliding through the mud. He wasn’t expecting the change, and he moved too slowly to stop me. I shoved the stake into his side, below his ribs, hearing him snarl.

Keeva grasped his arm with both hands, not letting him raise the stake away from her chest as I yanked the wood from his body and plunged it into him again. At this angle I couldn’t reach his heart, and my pulse thundered in my ears as I shifted positions. With a grunt, Amaros tore from Keeva’s hold, whirled around, and slammed into me. I’d been expecting it, and braced for it, but his force still knocked me back.

“It’s too bad,” he drawled, not even out of breath. “You two could have helped me rule this world. But I can do it with only one of you. And unfortunately, Kali, your blood is of no use to me. You destroy my kind. Your sister creates them.”

His fingers wrapped around my throat before he hurled me to the ground, keeping his grip so tight that it was inescapable. Was he really going to kill me? Did he not believe that Keeva and I were connected like the passage stated? He leaned over me, and my eyes darted down to his body. With a cry, I slammed my stake into his heart. Only for the tip to splinter as it bounced away. My lips parted, panic sliding through my limbs as he laughed. There was a vest or something under his shirt that made sure nothing could break his skin. To ensure no one could touch his heart.

“You think I came here without protecting my heart?” he asked tauntingly. “You should have done the same. In more than one way. Love? It makes you weak. Makes my son weak. There is no place in this world for those feelings.”

“I am not weak,” I spat out, hating how his words felt like the truth.

“Only one can rule,” he said quietly. “And it won’t be you.”

With one hand still around my throat, he brought his other down, his nails digging into my chest right above my heart.

I swung my fists at him before trying to grab his wrist to pull him away, but my strength wasn’t enough. He met my eyes, the evil gleam in his making my stomach turn. He pressed harder, pain engulfing me as he dug his fingers into my chest. I screamed in agony, flailing as I tried to escape his hold.

“No,” Zan roared from somewhere near me, his voice thick with panic.

I turned my head to see him running toward me. His gaze locked with mine, the fear etched on his face causing my heart to ache. Amaros plunged his hand deeper into my chest, the excruciating anguish ripping through every part of my body. Zan let out a snarl when Viggo rammed into him, sending them both flying into the muddy ground.

“History repeating itself.” Amaros’s cruel words had my eyes snapping to his. “This is how I killed your mother.”

A different kind of anguish tore through me for the mother I never knew. Amaros chuckled, and I realized my emotions were probably sprawled on my face.

“She refused to bow to me, which was why I killed her. No matter what I did, she wouldn’t bend.” He leaned closer. “Unlike you, she was born with black blood. Not to be the light or dark, but to create it. The Shadows still listened to her, though not like they do with you and your twin.”

Another hoarse scream tore from my lips when my ribs snapped as he pushed through them. His other hand tightened around my throat, cutting off my air as he pushed deeper to reach my heart.

“You chose wrong, Kali. Your strength will never beat mine.”

Amaros’s words only had anger melding with the pain. I kept my eyes on Zan as he wrapped his arms around Viggo’s neck. I refused to give Amaros the satisfaction of looking at him. He would not be the last face I saw. I choked out a cry when his fingers touched my heart, my instinct to survive flooding through me. My grip on his wrists was only prolonging the inevitable. I couldn’t break his hold.

A tear slid down my cheek, mixing with the rain. All of this was for nothing. Working with Clovers. Freeing the cities. It meant nothing if Amaros built his army. Or if PARA created theirs. The world would never see peace. Freedom would be a word that humans only read about in books.

Amaros suddenly jerked, and my gaze darted to where Keeva was standing. She shot another bullet into Amaros, and he gritted his teeth as he fought against my hold to wrap his fingers around my heart. With a groan, I yanked on his wrist, shock flaring when this time he moved. Clenching my jaw, I pulled again, hearing him curse as I forced his arm upward. Pain burned through my chest, and I sucked in a lungful of air when his fingers were finally out of me. I rolled to the side, clutching my chest as my body worked hard to heal. My heart was literally throbbing as I lay there, willing my strength to come back.

“It’s her blood in that bullet,” Keeva sneered.

Amaros let out a forced chuckle. “You think that’s enough for me. Pax was right earlier. You’ll need a lot more than that.”

Maybe it wasn’t enough for him to change, but it clearly weakened him. I slowly climbed to my knees, hearing Keeva shoot again. Pain radiated everywhere, my wound still open from where he buried his fingers into my chest. The bones were still broken, and I could feel them mending back in place.

I raised my head in time to see Amaros charging at Keeva as she ran out of bullets and tossed the gun away. I got to my feet, stumbling a few steps as I wiped the mud from my face, letting the rain wash the rest away. The splintered stake was on the ground next to me, and I grabbed it. Zan was still fighting with Viggo and two other vampires, with Pax nowhere in sight.

Sucking in deep, pained breaths, I staggered closer to Amaros and Keeva as they fought. My chest felt like it was on fire, and each step was an endeavor. I craved blood, knowing I needed it to heal. But the only humans near me were PARA, who had uniforms to make it difficult for me to feed from them. And there was no time. Keeva was already on her knees, her face flashing with unease as Amaros loomed over her.

Upping my speed, I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pain. With the stake in my grip, I moved closer, trying to be as silent as possible. But he either heard or sensed me, because he spun around just as I got within arm’s reach of him. It didn’t take much energy from him to rip the wooden weapon from my hand.

I didn’t have the strength to dodge when he raised his arm and aimed the stake right at my heart. Keeva leaped up, grabbing his wrist as he plunged it into me, hitting me right under my heart. My bones splintered again, and I swallowed my scream as my chest burned with renewed pain.

He released the stake, leaving it in my chest as he focused on Keeva. She refused to let go of his arm and attempted to kick his legs out from under him. I threw my weight into him when she did it again, he went down, and I fell into the mud next to him. He landed on his side and was already scrambling to get up when Keeva’s fist collided with his jaw. She jumped on top of him, practically sitting on one of his arms.

I crawled over him, snatching his other wrist before he could touch Keeva. He yanked and my hold nearly slipped. With a growl, Keeva’s fangs slid down, and she ripped into his throat. He roared in pain as he shoved her head away from him. She was still on his arm, and I released his other one to grab the stake that was still buried in my ribs. My hand shook as I pulled it out, pain crippling me. The end of the stake was black, dripping with my blood.

I stared at it for a second before twisting around and plunging it into his stomach. His body locked up, and he blinked as if trying to figure out why the pain was different while he yanked it out. Keeva let out a yell when he managed to pull free of her hold on his arm. Frantic voices had my eyes snapping up to see a wave of vampires trying to reach us to help Amaros. Zan, Pax, and the Shadows were refusing to let any of them get close.

Amaros rolled, throwing me away from him. But his moves were slower than before. My blood was working. But it wasn’t enough. I met Keeva’s eyes, and she nodded tightly before diving back onto him, not letting him leave the ground.

“Our strength rivals our greatest enemy.” I echoed the words I’d read. “Not mine alone. Ours .”

“You are nothing,” Amaros snarled, ripping from Keeva’s grip.

I lunged forward, landing on top of him while Keeva snatched his arm again, holding it down. I threw my fist into his cheek, and his head snapped to the side. I hit him again until his free arm came up and grasped my throat.

“Not this time,” I choked out.

With Keeva keeping his other arm imprisoned, I used both of my hands to pry his hold off my throat. He bucked under me, trying to get the upper hand again. Even though only a small amount of blood was in his veins, it was helping. I managed to stay on top of him, knowing if I failed this, I was dead. I wrenched his arm at an awkward angle, not stopping until the crack of his bone filled my ears when his elbow snapped.

He sucked in a pained breath, his eyes bright with fury and disbelief. Raising my wrist, I bit into it, tearing my skin open. Black blood dripped from the wound, and Amaros’s eyes widened when he realized what I was doing. He tried to move his broken arm up to knock me away, but I was faster. Grasping his jaw, I forced his mouth open before shoving my wrist over his open mouth.

“Yes,” Keeva whispered gleefully. “Give him more, Kali.”

Amaros tore his head from my grip, my blood staining his lips. “I will kill you?—”

Biting into my wrist again, I opened the wound more before slamming it against his mouth again. Keeva sat on his arm, and scooted closer to hold his jaw, not letting him close his mouth. He choked, attempting not to swallow. But his body was weakening. He wasn’t fighting as hard anymore. I was vaguely aware that it was growing quiet around us. The rain was still coming down, and there were shots from the distance, but I didn’t hear the vampires fighting anymore. I kept my eyes on his, unable to stop the smirk growing on my lips.

“You are nothing,” I murmured, repeating his words. “You will never fucking rule this world.”

When I felt the wound closing up, I lifted my arm from his mouth only to bite it again to reopen it. He was still struggling against us, but it wasn’t enough anymore. We had him. I pressed my wrist to his mouth again as Keeva tightened her hold on his jaw.

His body began trembling, and he squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn’t trying to get away now. I watched, transfixed as the monster I had nightmares about shrunk before my eyes. He shook his head back and forth, pain crossing his face. Keeva stood up, pulling me with her as he curled up, letting out an anguished groan.

“We did it,” she murmured, shock and satisfaction mixing in her voice. “Amaros Kane is no more.”

“We don’t know that yet,” I muttered.

She crouched down, and grabbed his arm, dragging her sharp nail over his skin. Red blood dribbled out, and Amaros’s eyes flew open. I stared at the injury, counting the seconds.

“He’s not healing.” Keeva laughed. “It worked. He’s human.”

I almost didn’t believe it. He had been the enemy even before I met Zan. The vampire who started this terrible war. Now, he was lying in front of me with barely a pulse. Voices buzzed around us, and I finally tore my eyes from Amaros.

“Kali, run.”

Zan’s hushed words came from behind me, and I whirled around, my heart leaping into my throat. Surrounding him and the vampires were PARA soldiers.

Hundreds of them.