September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)

I drew harder on my link to the vampires while grabbing hold of the spark of light that made me twin to Arys’s dark. It was all I had to fight with.

Blood didn’t just drip from my nose. It ran. Maintaining the flow of so much power was quickly taking its toll. Never before had I tried something so immense. It was breaking me fast.

Arys grabbed my hand and kept me on my feet. Together we channeled more power than any being should ever know. It kept Shya at bay though it didn’t appear to do much harm.

All we needed was a window of opportunity. Just enough time for Arys to bleed me. I would beat him into it if I had to. There would be no backing out. We had to see this through.

Shya’s laughter had stopped. The black mist clouded him once again, and I watched eagerly, hopeful it was a sign that he was weakening. Because I sure as hell was.

When the mist cleared he stood there in his human form with wings spread for balance. He had underestimated what a Hound could do. His outrage was written all over his face.

A surge of hope and renewal convinced me that I had him. If I could just keep it up a little longer, just maybe he would be forced to vacate.

“I can hold out longer than you can,” Shya called. “You’ll kill your vampires as well as yourself before you beat me.”

“Arys,” I tried to say, but my voice failed me.

Still he heard me. He squeezed my hand, trying to strengthen me. But it was no longer enough. Too many times, too much power, my mortal body was unable to take anymore.

Blood filled my eyes before sliding down my cheeks. Struggling for breath, I coughed, producing more blood. I’d killed several vampires like this. A forced power overload that results in the bursting of the heart. I supposed it was fitting that I would die the same way.

“Alexa, stop,” Arys pleaded. “You have to stop. Now.”

I wiped the blood from my eyes and lips with the back of my hand, doing little more than smearing it around my face. “You have to finish this, Arys.”

Shya was on his knees when I collapsed face first into the dirt and dry grass. So close. I’d come so close to driving him off. I had called more power than ever before, and it still wasn’t enough.

My vision swam as I struggled to look around. Jenner had collapsed near the trees. I couldn’t see Kale, but Jez’s shouts at me to stop rang in my ears. The only one still standing was Gabriel who emanated an unholy power much darker than our bloodline alone.

He had left Shaz unconscious, a pile of white fur amidst the dark of night. Jez rushed to my fallen wolf with a silver dagger in each hand, ready to protect him from further damage.

My grip on the flow of power faltered, and I was forced to let go of my connection to the others. It was just as well. I didn’t want to take them with me.

Gabriel put himself between me and Shya. In a desperate move, I reached out to grab hold of his energy. If I’d been able to bind him to me during Shya’s party it would have been easy to manipulate him now.

“Give it up, Alexa,” Gabriel said. “You’ve got nothing on me.”

I screamed when, with a snap of his fingers, my body was racked with pain. It felt like I was slowly being torn apart. It was obvious that he was buying Shya time to recover. It wouldn’t take long.

Arys seemed reluctant to leave my side, but at the sound of my shriek he launched himself at Gabriel. The two of them became a mass of fists and fury. Though the fledgling vampire thrummed with black magic, Arys had centuries of experience and power. They were evenly matched, throwing one another violently about.

There was no one left standing between me and Shya. His red eyes gleamed with delight. Using the very last of my strength, I pushed to my feet. In my peripheral vision, I saw Willow do the same.

“I enjoy you,” Shya proclaimed. With a flap of wings, he was standing again. “Really, I do. No mortal has ever given me a fight this good. It feels…pretty damn great. What do you say, Alexa? Do you have one more round left in you?”

The fact that I was on my feet was nothing short of a miracle. Breathing was a feat in itself. There was no way I could go another round with the demon. I was done. It was over.

“Don’t die on me now,” he continued, each step bringing him closer. “Not until I have the scroll. How many times have I saved your pathetic life now? Soon the darkness will claim you, and then you will belong to me.”

I staggered like a drunk but didn’t fall. If only I would just die and rob him of his precious fucking scroll.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Willow was just suddenly there, feeding Shya a series of punches clearly fueled by pure hatred. “You took Christina from me, but you will never have Alexa. I am taking her darkness.”

Surprise crossed Shya’s sharp features. “You would sacrifice yourself for the Hound?”

“That’s right.” Projecting his voice toward the sky, Willow shouted. “Do you hear me? I willingly take Alexa’s darkness.”