by Lila Kane
I reach out. The man snaps at my fingers.
“Shit.” Logan glances at me. “You okay?”
I swallow as the smell of blood hits me. Logan turns his head away, but not before I see the flash of teeth. The tendons on his neck stand out as he strains to the side.
“Take a minute,” I tell him.
He grimaces, but doesn’t seem to have a choice. He stands and steps away. Myra sets a hand on his arm but doesn’t say anything. I notice she keeps her distance, too.
“It looks like…” I peer closer, trying to see through the blood. “Oh my God.”
Cheyenne crouches next to me. “What?”
I look up, my eyes meeting Logan’s. “Teeth marks. A bite.”
“What kind?” James asks.
“Vampire.”
I stand, the smell of blood overwhelming me. Logan walks over, gripping my hand and pulling me to him. He mouths something to Ryan over my shoulder.
“What?” Myra asks. I glance back at her. She’s shaking her head. “No. No. Willow can do something.”
“He’s dying,” Ryan tells her.
“It’s not his fault this is happening,” she argues. “He probably had no idea what he was agreeing to when he decided to work with Kane. Ask James. He knows.”
“Wait, what did you say?” I ask Logan.
He starts to shake his head.
“Tell me,” I demand.
“He’s hurt,” Ryan answers for him, pointing to the form on the ground. “We need to…”
“Put him out of his misery?” Myra asks. She flashes her teeth at Ryan. “Is that what you’d want someone to do to you?”
“If I was bitten by a vampire?” Ryan scratches his jaw. “This conversation isn’t going to end well.”
“Well, you’d better figure it out quick,” James says, backing up a step, “because his wounds are healing.”
We all look to the man. He’s writhing on the ground, whipping back and forth, and bucking like he’s in pain. Another sound rips from his throat, and then it stops. He’s still like he’s finally passed on.
Our circle is tight around him. Around us, it’s deathly quiet. Either no one else is coming for the border or they’re waiting until we’re gone. Either way, we need to do something soon.
Suddenly, the man sits up. Logan tenses next to me. Ryan has his hand on Myra’s arm. The man shakes his head slowly, like he’s trying to clear it.
“Hey,” Cheyenne says, taking a step closer. “You okay?’
He looks up at her, opening his eyes. They’re wide and dark in the night. Then he flashes his teeth and springs at Cheyenne. She’s fast, but he still gets a hold of her leg. She topples to the ground. In an instant, Ryan and Logan are on him.
He snaps his teeth together, snarling and jerking back and forth. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”
“What do we do?” Ryan grunts, trying to hold the man down.
“He’s a vampire,” James says over the scuffle. “He’ll kill people if we let him go.”
The man breaks free from Ryan’s hold and jumps on Logan. Logan shoves at his neck, and I panic. Will he get hurt if the other vampire bites him? Rips his throat?
Summoning the fire to my fingertips, I hold them out, gathering a ball of blue light. With a push of my hands, the light zooms to the vampire, hitting him in the chest.
He freezes and jerks, like he’s been shocked. Then he catches on fire. Logan scrambles to his feet, getting out of the way, and I slap a hand to my mouth.
The vampire screams in agony, spinning around to try to put out the fire.
“Oh God, oh no…” I look at Cheyenne. “I’m–he’s–”
Logan pulls me to him. “There’s nothing else you could have done.”
“He’s dying! Put the fire out!”
When I start for the flames, Logan holds me back. “Willow–”
“Let go! I can’t–”
Myra touches my shoulder. “Willow, he’s right. There’s nothing else to do.”
In a puff of smoke, the vampire explodes. Ash billows out, then floats lazily to the ground, where some dry grass is still on fire.
I killed a man. I stare at my hands. I’d only meant to stop him. But now he’s dead. I shake my head slowly. “No, this isn’t…”
“We should go,” Cheyenne says.
James walks over and stomps on the grass, putting out the stray fire.
“But…” I look up at Logan, mind reeling with what just happened. My voice catches when I ask, “What about the border?” I ask.
Logan’s eyes meet mine. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do about that right now.”
“He’s right,” Myra says again. “Come on, Willow. Let’s go.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I murmur.
“I know.” Logan kisses my temple, and urges me to come with him.
“I just wanted to stop him from hurting you.”
Logan grips my chin softly, forcing me to look in his eyes. “Willow, we understand. You did what you had to do.”
“We can go to my place,” Cheyenne says. “It’s probably smart if we stick together tonight.”
We all separate and walk back to our cars. As we near Logan’s, I see my mother’s shadow in the back seat. She saw the whole thing. The vampire, the fire.
And me killing someone.
About the Author
Lila Kane is a full-time author who thrives on steamy scenes and hot insta-love. She lives in the Rocky Mountains where the views are picturesque and inspire stories of alpha men and feisty heroines.
For scorching reads and happily ever afters, dive into a Lila Kane book. And for new release information, don’t forget to check out her website at www.authorlilakane.wordpress.com and sign up for her mailing list.
