Lazarus had that much power?
To attempt to take over the Council, how was that even possible?
Kyden hesitated, seemed to choose his words carefully. “Your mother gave him the elevated power.” At her obvious horrified confusion, he added, “Up until that time, it wasn’t common knowledge that if a vampire drained a witch to death her blood would give him enhanced abilities.”
She sighed. “I can’t believe vampires would do that to innocent witches.”
He nodded with eyes full of sympathy. “A month before her murder, the ability was discovered on an unrelated case, but spread like wildfire through the supernatural community. Many witches died and the Council had their hands full ridding the world of vampires who sought this type of power.”
“I’m guessing it stopped, though?”
“You’re right—it did.” He gave her arch a deep rub. “Witches got smart and kept together to fend off any attackers, and the Council made an example of any vampire who attempted this.” Darkness spread over his features. “I’ll spare you what the punishment looked like, but eventually the appeal faded.”
She pondered, and a curious thought rose. “So, after Lazarus failed in killing the Council, he focused on gaining this type of power?”
“He must’ve realized he’d never succeed without it. The Council is strong. No matter how many he had with him, their powers would destroy him.” Kyden sighed, long and deep, as his fingers swept over her foot. “Once he stole the enhanced power from your mother, he immediately attacked the Otherworld.”
Nexi nibbled her lip, thinking all this over. “All right. That all makes sense. But what doesn’t is why are wolves with him, not vampires? Don’t they seem like the logical choice considering what he’s after?”
Kyden’s head titled, his gaze soft. “You have to understand that rogue wolves have been cast out—abandoned by their packs. They’re in desperate need to belong and when Lazarus came talking of a new life, they were easier to draw into his plan.”
“He offered them a new home, then?”
“Exactly,” he agreed with a nod. “Lazarus gave them a new way of life that declared it didn’t matter that they didn’t belong to a pack. It allowed them a chance to live as they saw fit. Gave them control in a world where they had none.”
She slid her hands through the water, absorbing that knowledge. Power-happy supernaturals weren’t so different than power-hungry humans. “What happened when he attacked the Council, then?”
“He’d grown stronger, but not strong enough to destroy the Council. Blood was shed on the Otherworld grounds in forms that I hope to never see.” Nexi shuddered. If anything made Kyden that horrified, it quadrupled in her. “But as the battle ceased, Lazarus ran like the coward he is and went into hiding.”
“And they never found him?”
“Talon located him twice, but he’d grown stronger and he always got away.” He lowered her foot into the tub, and trailed his fingers over the outside of her thighs. “Truth of the matter is, he wasn’t a problem any longer.”
Nexi regarded him and the concern in his features. She hated where her thoughts took her, since she had somehow landed herself smack-dab in the middle of it. “Now he is, though?”
Kyden hesitated. “Now he is.”
Chapter Sixteen
The next night, Kyden teleported into Salt Lake City, along with Finn. His dark mood fit the atmosphere. The grimy alleyway was littered with trash, and the putrid scents were impossible to evade.
Before he had left the Otherworld, he’d spent a good hour arguing with Nexi about her staying behind. The thought of Lazarus harming her made rage look weak compared to what rushed through his veins.
Lazarus wouldn’t touch her.
Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
Of course, after he gently reminded Nexi of the blood tie she had to Lazarus, she backed down. Certain things were negotiable. Her life wasn’t one of them. He was only too glad Nexi saw it that way, too.
Focusing his thoughts away from Nexi’s safety, Kyden scanned in front of him. The only light came from the streetlight at the curb, but the source of his concern rested behind the dumpster.
Two bodies, drained of their blood, lay like suits loosely covering bones.
Turning to the Salt Lake City tracker, Alazar, he asked, “What happened?”
Dressed in dark cargo pants and a brown T-shirt, the tall, athletic werewolf stared down at the bodies, his sand-colored hair curtaining his triangular face. He finally lifted his head, and his golden eyes were troubled. “I was tracking another assignment when I scented fresh blood in the area. I detoured, arriving to this scene to find two vamps attacking these mortals.” He shook his head, sighing in frustration. “As you can see, I came a minute too late.”
Kyden regarded the ripped apart bodies. This wasn’t a bloodlust gone wrong. The vamps had intended to kill these humans as brutally as possible. Fang marks littered their bodies, as if the vamps enjoyed the pain the humans endured. However, it also explained why the Council told him Haven wasn’t needed on the assignment. Alazar already knew what had transpired, and he’d seen the accused.
Finn stepped toward the female victim, squatted, and examined her. “What of the vamps? Did you destroy them?”
“One ran off while the other attacked me.” Alazar’s eyebrows drew together with his frown, and he shifted on his feet. “I know this is unbelievable, but what I’m about to tell you is the truth. The vamp put up a damn good fight, and then he vanished.”
Kyden’s muscles tensed. “Vanished, how?”
Alazar clenched his fist, then flicked out his fingers. “Poof. Gone. One second the vamp did his best to kill me, the next he was nowhere in sight, and his scent had evaporated.”
“That sounds familiar,” Finn stated.
Alazar’s eyes widened. “You’ve come across this before?”
Kyden nodded, not liking the sound of this. By all appearances, Lazarus now used Salt Lake City as his personal hunting grounds. “We’ve got ourselves a vamp hopped up on witch blood.”
Alazar’s wide eyes now went huge. “Big trouble, then?”
“As big as it gets,” Kyden muttered.
Last night he had explained to Nexi that Lazarus thought mortals were nothing more than food, and apparently, since Lazarus had feed twice now in this manner, his opinion hadn’t changed.
With that in mind, Kyden turned to Alazar. “Did you track the other vampire?”
The shock faded from Alazar’s eyes with his nod. “Once the vamp vanished, I called in another tracker and had him trace the bloodsucker. He’s at a house on Old Temple Street, a few blocks from downtown.”
Kyden drew his sword and stepped in next to the bodies, then he pierced the mortals’ stomachs with his blade. In a blink, both had slash wounds across their throats, a pool of blood surrounding them. He had no doubt the mortal police would consider this a mugging, a case that would remain unsolved, even if Kyden sought justice on the mortals’ behalf. He sheathed his sword, turning to Alazar. “How far away is the house?”
“Three blocks, that way.” Alazar pointed to his right.
“Let’s go by foot.” Kyden strode forward, Finn falling into step beside him with Alazar to his left.
The streets were quiet and the only sound in the night came from their boots on the pavement. The houses were dark as mortals slept, unaware that killer vampires were on the loose.
Once they arrived at the third intersection, Kyden spotted the street sign. Old Temple Street. To the left, the street lay empty. To the right, a werewolf leaned against the light post, staring at a historic red brick estate.
“The tracker, Daryen,” Alazar said, quickening his steps. “Is the vamp still in there?”
Daryen, a rugged werewolf with cropped dark hair and shadowy eyes, pushed away from the street post. “It’s the strangest thing—” His voice held a thick southern accent. “But yeah, he’s in there.”
Reaching the wo
lf, Kyden asked, “He hasn’t tried to leave?”
“Not once,” Daryen said, folding his arms over his plaid shirt. “The vamp even looked at me through the window…twice. But yet, he ain’t running.”
Kyden exhaled, knowing when something didn’t make sense, it meant trouble. “Any others in the area?”
Daryen glanced at the house, then shook his head. “The Salt Lake pack’s headquarters is only a block away, so you’ve got some wolves in the area. But no one else has gone in or come from the house.”
“Good,” Finn muttered.
“I’ll spread word of this vampire to the other trackers,” Alazar said. “We’ll be in contact if any discoveries are made.”
Kyden doubted any further discoveries would be made, other than more dead bodies. Concern for the mortals who lived in Salt Lake City, and were defenseless against the danger in the night, engulfed him. He turned to Finn. “Ready?”
Finn grinned and his eyes shone with excitement. “Always.”
With Daryen and Alazar heading down the street, Kyden strode toward the house with Finn at his back. The upstairs windows were all dark, but the porch light was on and the bay window to his right sent a warm glow into the night.
At the front door, Kyden wrapped his hand around the brass handle, and to his surprise, it opened. He thought it odd that not only had the vampire allowed them entrance, but that he presently wasn’t defending himself.
Finn’s eyebrows were drawn together, and clearly he’d come to the same conclusion.
Kyden entered the home, facing a grand wooden staircase straight ahead of him. To his left was a dining room with a large wooden table that of course was for decorative purposes, since vampires drank blood and didn’t sit down for dinner. To his right was another room.
With Finn guarding his back, Kyden stepped into the large living room. He immediately skidded to a halt, shocked by the view, and arched an eyebrow. “Comfortable?”
“Quite.” The vampire smirked, one arm draped over his Victorian-style couch, his ankle resting on his knee. His round face was lit up with amusement, his dark eyes shimmering, and the color of his skin held a pinkish hue from a nice meal.
Twice now, Kyden had seen vampires who lacked fear in the presence of the Council’s Guard. He didn’t like the look of it. In fact, it made him thirst to teach this vampire how bad a decision he had made. “What’s your name?”
The vampire picked lint off his pants, flicking it onto the hardwood floor. “Warin Henry Maxwell the Fifth.”
Kyden snorted at the vamp’s regal air. As if his standing within any society had bearing on what Kyden thought of him, or would hold any weight regarding his death sentence. “You know why we’re here.”
Warin’s smile widened. “I’m fully aware of the reasons, yes.”
Finn stepped in next to Kyden and snarled, “And you hold no remorse?”
“I don’t need to have guilt.” Warin shrugged. “The mortals are mine to drink from, and I relished draining their lives.”
For the first time, Kyden got a good look at what the Earthworld would look like if Lazarus succeeded in his plans. The future looked about as dismissal as one could dream up, and only confirmed the importance of stopping Lazarus, not only for Nexi, but for all of humankind. “By whose authority do you think you hold this right?”
“Mine.”
Kyden spun on his heel to face the hallway, and as he stared into dark, cruel eyes, he smiled. He’d craved to settle the chaos around Nexi, and to erase the dangers from her life. In the face of all this mayhem, she handled herself with grace, but Kyden wanted to pave a safe path for her to travel.
It so happened Nexi’s biggest threat stood right in front of him.
…
Nexi ran along the Guardians’ House hallway, her stomach clenched with dread as Zia matched her stride, gripping her hand. That had been the only thing Zia had done since she’d yanked Nexi out of her apartment. Zia hadn’t said a single word to her. She simply dragged Nexi down the hallway.
Breathless, Nexi asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Kyden.”
Nexi’s muscles tensed, causing her to run stiffly. The blood heating her body from exertion suddenly became ice-cold, which only intensified as they stormed into the Council’s Foyer and Nexi spotted Finn. His cautious eyes told her something was very, very wrong. Haven, who stood next to him, had tears streaking down her face, and her soul sister’s deep-rooted concern inflamed Nexi’s panic through the bond.
Icy fingertips crawled up her spine.
Near the portal’s door, Talon glanced over his shoulder at Nexi, and his eyes blazed. “I told you to leave her.”
Squeezing Nexi’s hand tightly, Zia rushed forward. “She deserves to be there.”
Acting without thought now, Nexi followed Zia through the portal, along with the others at her back. She kept her mind blank as the bright light hit, carrying her off to an unknown place Zia imagined in her mind.
A heartbeat later, Nexi opened her eyes to a fancy living room with all the antique fixings. Although the expensive furniture was completely in shambles—everything had been broken into fine pieces, even the big sturdy couch.
Nexi watched Talon run into the foyer before she turned to Finn. “Where’s Kyden?”
“He was fighting Lazarus,” Finn said, rushing forward into the kitchen, and he called from inside the room, “I killed another vamp that lives here, but then Kyden demanded I get the Council.” He tore back into the room, and she’d never seen Finn’s eyes so wild in fear. “I left him alone for only minutes.”
A wave of intense panic made the world spin around her, and she barely managed a whisper from her tight throat, “Where’s Kyden?”
“I don’t know, Nexi.” Finn shook his head slowly. “I just don’t know.”
Unable to move away from the center of the living room, Nexi stared at Haven, who continued to sob near the stairs. Nexi’s chest constricted as a thick cold blanket of despair washed over her.
No…
Talon returned not a minute later. “The house is empty. Haven, show me what happened.”
Haven raised her hands to the ceiling, and only a split second after that the fistfight appeared. Finn hadn’t been wrong. Kyden had fought Lazarus. Most of the furniture in the living room hadn’t been smashed yet, except for the chair in the corner.
Looking back to the fight, she winced as Lazarus delivered a hard punch across Kyden’s cheek. He went soaring into the wall behind him, and the plaster from the hole his body made drifted onto him as he landed on the hardwood floor.
“You won’t win against me, guardian,” Lazarus stated.
“So you say.” Kyden charged, stabbing his sword forward and digging the tip of the blade into Lazarus’s stomach.
Lazarus chuckled. “You’ll have to do better than that.” He pulled the sword from his stomach and threw it to the ground.
Nexi’s head spun and she tried to find a solid place to land. Why was Kyden fighting Lazarus? Why was he not running out of this house? Why was he not simply defending himself to stay alive until Finn could return? Kyden didn’t look like a guardian trying to stay alive. He looked like a guardian who planned to fight to his death.
She watched in horror as the fight continued, and no seconds had ever been soon long. She immediately realized that Kyden had held back when he fought against her. Now she witnessed his remarkable strength, and he was amazing.
At the same time, she had firsthand knowledge of how Tillie’s blood enhanced Lazarus’s abilities. He fought much harder than Zade had. If Nexi battled him, she doubted she’d last long. Now she also understood why the Council had failed to destroy him. Lazarus had them all beat. Tillie’s blood made him near unstoppable.
Through the fight, Nexi witnessed the fierce and raw rage in Kyden’s expression. With that, she grasped why he didn’t run. This fight had become about her. Kyden defended her honor. She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She did
n’t want this. She didn’t need him to kill Lazarus. She wanted him safe.
“Run,” she screamed at him, knowing he couldn’t hear her, that it was all over now.
Seconds drew on as if they were a lifetime. Although, it became increasingly obvious Kyden had gained the upper hand. Lazarus was powerful, but Kyden possessed something Lazarus didn’t: the hunger to protect his woman.
Throwing a hard punch, Kyden connected with Lazarus’s jaw, sending him airborne to crash against the coffee table. Not giving Lazarus the chance to recover from the blow, Kyden pounced, but Lazarus vanished, reappearing on the other side of the room by the big bay window.
“I’ve had enough,” Lazarus sneered. “Wolves, deal with this.”
A frigid horror seeped into Nexi’s soul and she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Run. Kyden. Run.” Her body froze in pure terror as she watched more than ten wolves enter the living room.
No.
They stalked Kyden, circled him while they closed in, as he backed up toward the wall near the fireplace. Kyden glanced toward the front door, and even Nexi knew he’d never make it outside. He closed his eyes, and she ached to reach out to him to show him he wasn’t alone.
One of the wolves took a step toward him and Kyden slowly opened his eyes again, as if he stared right at her. His face was desolate, eyes defeated, as if he accepted his fate. Tears rushed down her face and they were so cold against her fevered skin. She could barely think, move, or make sense out of any of this. All she wanted to do was stop the wolves, but she remained helpless.
The wolves lunged and attacked, with intent to kill.
“No,” she cried.
Dropping to her knees, she squeezed her eyes shut tight. Kyden would die right in front of her and she couldn’t stop it. Her breath caught in her throat and she hugged herself, praying for a miracle.
This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be the end. This couldn’t be happening.
The sound of the wolves breaking his bones, tearing into his flesh, and hearing him scream out, engulfed her with dread. Her skin flushed hot with panic and grief, her stomach churned, and sickness overtook her.
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