Chapter 58
Eris’s eyes narrow, and a soft growl rumbles in her throat. The wind picks up, whipping my hair back from my face. I gather my strength and focus on the energy pulsing beneath my skin.
Then the wolf lunges.
She’s fast—faster than any creature I’ve fought. The world slows down as she leaps through the air toward me, teeth bared and golden eyes ablaze.
But I’m ready.
With a swift movement of my hand, I’m able to slow her aggression.
The power starts in my chest—a low, humming vibration, like the strike of a tuning fork against my ribs. The air around me thickens, charged with my invisible force.
My pulse slows, speeds, slows again, caught between two rhythms—the steady twist of my human emotions and the dark pull of my vampire half. They war for dominance, twisting together, coiling deep in my core. They fight for power until they blend together as one.
Then the fire ignites.
A current of power crawls through my veins, spreading, reaching. My skin tightens, stretches. My fingers tingle, cold at the tips, hot as lava at the palms. The magic winds through me, wrapping around my bones, threading through my muscles, pulling at everything I am.
My fangs ache, my vision sharpens, the ether tilts—brighter, darker, all at once. The air smells different, thick with energy—like copper and tin and gold and silver.
And then—release.
Magic spills from my hands and arches through the space around me, bending reality to my will. For one perfect moment, I am untouchable.
I conjure a barrier between us—an invisible wall shimmering with power. Eris collides with it and is thrown back onto the ground. Her golden eyes widen but then narrow again in rage and determination. She howls, the sound reverberating across the ether.
I raise my hand again, but the magic is weaker this time.
I used too much too quickly.
Damn.
This time when Eris lunges, she sweeps through my barrier and lands on me, tackling me to the hard ground.
Pain explodes in my side as her weight slams into me, her growls echoing in my ears, teeth flashing close to my throat. My pulse hammers, a stark reminder of both my mortality and her demonic force.
Fear.
Adrenaline.
But I can’t panic.
Instead, I let the fear fuel me, let it become the coil in my body where it transforms into anger.
Not anger at Eris.
At myself, for underestimating her, for wielding all my power to quickly.
Eris’s snarling face still hovers above me, her breath hot against my cheek.
And I can’t help myself.
I inhale.
Blood.
The blood of the wolf.
And the blood of the demon.
My fangs snap down with a painful jolt.
Fuck.
I should have fed from Rogan before I left. What was I thinking?
I must fight this wolf-demon, but right now all I can think about is her rapid heartbeat, the whoosh of her animal blood surging through her veins.
Instinct takes over. My hands shake as I grip Eris’s sides, not to push her away but to pull her closer. She snarls and snaps at my face, but then she freezes, tilts her head.
The scent of her blood is intoxicating. It clouds my thoughts, drowns out all reason. And it scares me.
Because I want it.
My fangs ache with a primal need to sink into her flesh and drink. I fight against the urge, the raw hunger growing stronger with every passing second. I am not just a vampire. I am half-human, pregnant, a mother.
I’m everything.
But now, in this moment, I am nothing more than a predator craving its sustenance.
I bite down on my own tongue, tasting the tang of my own blood. The taste distracts me, and I stare into Eris’s eyes. Her growls subside to a low rumble.
She doesn't move away. Instead, she watches me, her gaze sharp and attentive.
She knows what I am, knows what I thirst for.
She’s daring me.
Daring me to take what I crave.
I could take it so easily. Sink my fangs through her coat and into her flesh, drawing what I desire from her body. Let her give me her own strength to defeat her.
And then it clicks.
This is the test.
My stepfather’s test.
I can hear him inside my head, jeering at me, mocking my blood lust, my thirst for wolf blood.
I won’t give him the satisfaction.
With raw, unfiltered power—no magic this time—I summon every ounce of strength in my body. A guttural roar tears from my throat as I throw Eris off me and hurl her to the ground with soul-shaking force. My muscles burn, my breath heaves, but I don’t hesitate.
I stand tall.
Unyielding.
I don’t need Eris’s blood.
I don’t even need Alara’s training.
I need only what I possess inside.
This will be a purely physical fight.
And I will fucking win.