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

I saw Owen on the ground several yards away. He was bloodied and incoherent but alive. If I could get to him and make a circle, I could keep him safe.

That was easier said than done. I couldn’t stop the flow of energy that was coursing through me. When I tried to, I realized with great concern that it was running wild on its own accord. It was beyond my control.

It didn’t take long for my physical strength to fade. My body was not meant for a force this strong to last this long. With every vampire I took down I found it harder to focus, harder even to breathe. The wolf inside rebelled, seeking to break out. I fought back the beast, knowing I had no power in that form.

“Alexa, get up.” Jenner’s hand on my arm brought me back to myself. I hadn’t been aware I was on the ground. “It’s not over yet. I need you. Get up.”

He jerked me to my feet where I swayed, fighting to regain a sense of balance. Blood ran from my nose and a blinding pain smashed my skull behind my eyes. This was it. The moment Shya had feared. The power was going to kill me, and he was going to miss it.

A laugh sounded especially loud in my ears. I was vaguely aware that it was me. Jenner’s face swam into focus. He was bleeding from a gash on his forehead but otherwise looked pretty good.

A dizzy spell shook me and suddenly the ground was rushing up to meet me. Jenner kept me from hitting. Shaking me and shouting, he slapped my face. My eyes rolled back in my head, and I struggled to speak.

“Let go of me,” I gasped. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Before I could be sure he’d heard me, a vampire grabbed him from behind, and he was gone, fighting with an impressive command of both body and power. Never had I envied that until now, when my own mortal limitations threatened to kill me.

Arys’s voice echoed in my head. It hurt to have him there, breaking into my already tortured thoughts. His concern was heavy, but I couldn’t form a clear reply. It would take him a good thirty minutes to reach us. I would likely be dead by then.

The next few vampires that dared to come close enough to deliver a blow of any kind met a dusty end. The power went out from me, needing no direction. It was wild and erratic, targeting anyone who sought to harm me.

Unfortunately, for every vampire I destroyed, a piece of myself died too. As the power grew stronger, I grew weaker. The force needed me as a channel, and I was succumbing to the toll it was taking on me. My vision blurred, and my lungs burned. I collapsed heavily on the ground and prayed death would be swift. Anything to free me from this agony. The stabbing pain in my skull was too much.

Despite having kicked some serious ass, I wasn’t going to win this battle. The rebel vampires in their misguided quest had the advantage by having numbers and bodies that were beyond human mortality. Though there were very few of them left, the damage had been done.

I saw him coming. A dark haired, bearded vampire made his way toward me. Picking up my dagger, he smiled. I could only watch as he raised it high above my head. Cringing, I waited for the blow to land, hoping it would be fast.

A dark shape flew past me, hitting the vampire solidly in the chest. He hit the ground hard. A black wolf sat atop him, fangs tearing viciously through skin and tissue.

Raoul? My exhausted and wounded brain was momentarily confused. It was Owen, tearing my attacker’s throat out.

Using the last of my strength, I grabbed the dagger and swung, decapitating the vampire beneath Owen. He whirled to take on the next, but there was no one left standing. It had all happened so fast, and yet it felt like it had taken hours.

Owen came to me, his muzzle going crazy as he sniffed me, seeking out my various injuries. I clutched a handful of his thick, black fur and whimpered as my wolf sought to communicate with him.

We were unknown to one another and yet he had come to my aid. After having the vampires renounce me as an unworthy hybrid, this meant a lot. If I survived to cry in relief about it later, I would.

Owen himself was fine for the most part. I slumped against him, thankful that Dayne could not hold the death of his enforcer against me. That would have blown my entire alliance plan to hell and back.

“Alexa?” Jenner knelt beside me. He took hold of my battered face and forced me to meet his gaze. A shiner outlined his left eye now. “Are you still with me? You’re not looking too hot, girl.”

I tried to speak, but the barest whisper came out. It hurt. I pressed my face into Owen’s fur and focused on his wolfish scent. He wasn’t my wolf, but it was a comfort just the same.

My eyes closed, and I waited for death to come. I was ready now.

‘Don’t you dare give up now.’ Arys’s demand broke through the fog in my head. ‘This isn’t how it ends. Remember?’

I smiled, and my face ached. ‘I remember.’

‘I’m coming for you, my wolf. You are not dying tonight.’

I believed him. Though I was ready for the crushing pain to be over, I knew he was right.