Chapter 2 #2
Another of my commands forced the Nebulas to wrap their powerful arms around the stocky necks of the hellhounds. They squeezed. The Limuses’ black claws sparked against stone as they thrashed, their agonized wails rising above the chaos as bone shards erupted through flesh.
Something snapped inside me. I crashed to my knees.
Voices shouted, but my sluggish heartbeat drowned them out. My awareness slipped. Then numbness spread throughout my body. No more pain. Only unfeeling bliss. But I couldn’t stop now.
Just hold the magic. Save everyone.
Focus.
I redirected the Ignises’ power toward the remaining Stalkers. Fissures split the ground, belching smoke. Their screams reached me through the haze, but none were familiar.
Red dripped from the corners of my eyes, and the last thing I saw before squeezing them closed again were geysers of lava devouring the monsters.
Voices argued behind me.
Selena’s angry pitch raised above all. “Let her finish! No, don’t touch her. She needs to feed—move away.” Footsteps withdrew. “I swear to Derzelas, Sabin, if you don’t let me down, I’m going to kill you!”
A laugh caught in my throat and emerged as a bloody cough. I found myself on my hands and knees, heaving. The bloodlust cleaved at my sanity. My mind frayed like old rope.
Fire erupted in my veins as another drop of blood fell from my nose. Claws ripped through me. My insides contracted, withering, rearranging beneath my ribs. My spine snapped and cracked as my body folded inward. The scream that tore from my throat sounded wrong, incomplete, unnatural.
Darkness called to me once more.
When awareness returned, a pair of dark boots filled my vision. I tried to blink away the red haze, but my eyes were too dry to close.
I tried to speak, to warn him, but my throat was scorched sand. My trembling hand waved weakly. Run, save yourself.
He remained still.
With my last coherent thought, I sent one final command to the Ignises in my grasp.
Just like the monster who killed my father, I willed them to lengthen their fingers into razor claws and tear their own throats. Quick. Clean.
The ground shook with their falling bodies, and the pressure in my head lifted. I heaved a euphoric sigh, forgetting that empty lungs would draw in the scent of fresh blood.
Decay and humidity hit first. Someone grabbed my elbow, hauling me up. Ozone and rain wafting from him hit next. My mouth watered.
“Remind me to never piss you off again, Projector. Captain, did you see this?”
Something screamed danger in my fogged brain, but his thundering pulse drowned all reason.
I turned, drinking in the bleeding gashes across his lean body with my gaze.
Most had healed, but deep cuts still soaked his shirt.
Blood dripped over dense lashes and high cheekbones, drawing my attention to his generous smile—white teeth, sharp fangs.
Hunger exploded through me, rattling my bones.
“Fuck, your eyes,” he backed away, hands raised.
Too late.
The hunter awakened. My head fell back as I took a long breath. Scents intensified. Reds shifted, glowing vividly against living flesh. One mortal perched on a rooftop a hundred yards away, another flying from the opposite direction—both honey-sweet.
Rocks crunched nearby. I snapped toward the sound, filtering through rot for prey. Two mortals within reach. Others lingered but too far to be worth it.
I seized the first one’s mind. He tried to flee, light-colored wings flapping, but my magic held him in a vice. He crashed to one knee, veins bulging as he fought my invisible leash. Something in my chest purred at his fear. It poured out of him in sharp waves and licked at my skin, calling to me.
I commanded his essence forward. Step by step, his heart raced like a wild horse. He shook his head, causing his curls to bounce against his cheeks.
“Guys, something’s wrong with the projector!”
I crushed his airway. I didn’t need him talking.
“Aurora, stop!” Someone—another predator—launched at me. I twisted away, her sharp nails grazing my neck as I ducked.
Unyielding bands wrapped around my chest from behind, lifting me. I snarled at the interruption. No one stood between me and food.
“Let Hummingbird go. You don’t want to hurt him.” The voice was barrel-deep and raspy.
I gripped the strong arm curled around my throat, threw my weight forward, and hurled him over my shoulder. He crashed somewhere with a loud crunch, but my winged prey drew all focus.
I stalked toward him. My gums ached as his scent filled my lungs. Just a few steps remained.
A dark, smoking knot materialized between us, writhing and growing. Shadows arched and smoked until they formed an impenetrable wall. Lightning bolts zigzagged within, converging at a distant point and carving out a tunnel that stretched endlessly.
Cold air rushed past me, carrying whispers from nowhere and everywhere at once.
A tantalizing scent rose above all else: coffee and roses. I forgot all about my trapped prey and loosened my bonds.
From the darkness, a figure emerged, and my blood magic slammed against steel barriers a foot thick.
He stepped through easily, tearing away his blood-soaked shirt to reveal golden skin marred by fresh battle wounds. Fury sizzled around him. The scowl twisting his features promised violence.
The predator in me purred.
I craned my neck to meet eyes that blazed like twin suns. Fangs flashed behind his snarl. This was the prey my monster craved. My stomach knotted into a spiked ball, thrashing against my ribs in desperation for the ultimate hunt.
“Take flight, Hummingbird,” he commanded, voice like thunder. Platinum hair fell across his forehead, shadowing eyes that burned into mine with lethal focus.
It would bring untold satisfaction to take down such a strong specimen. My muscles tensed as I rose onto the balls of my feet. Everything faded except the steady drum of his pulse. Mine to claim. To draw life from.
The mortal’s hesitant voice barely registered. “But—Will you be alright?”
The dangerous creature drew his blade, inch by inch, the metal singing against its sheath. Without breaking our stare, he pressed the tip to his chest. My nostrils flared at the promise of blood.
“NOW!” His roar echoed as he carved a deep line into solid muscle.