“It won’t work. We can’t be sure she won’t cause a scene. And if she does, other people will get hurt.” Evelyn takes several steps back, heading toward the cliffs we just came from. “We have to eliminate the possibility of collateral damage. Which means we have to run. Now.”
There’s no time to argue. Not when Lizzie is heading in our direction, her long legs eating up the distance. Even the crowd isn’t enough to slow her down. People scatter in front of her, minnows before a shark.
I’m right on Evelyn’s heels as we race out of town. This feels like a mistake, but she’s right. We can’t afford a massacre. Both for the loss of life, and for the attention it would attract from both local authorities and the C?n Annwn. The problem is that I am nowhere near full strength; not magically, and sure as fuck not physically.
Lizzie almost killed me last time. As much as I would like to blame that fight on a similar level of exhaustion, the truth is that the more I think about it, the more I am certain that she could take me even at full strength. Her concentration is too good, and her powers are too fearsome.
If she can take me, then she will certainly kill Evelyn.
We careen around the corner, breaking the line of sight. I hook Evelyn around the waist and steer her toward a narrow canyon that’s almost invisible from this angle. “Go in there. Hide. Create a shield. I’ll lead her off and handle this.”
Her breath comes just as harshly as mine. We haven’t even run that long, but after the fight yesterday and the long trek to town today, our stamina is at an all-time low. That doesn’t stop Evelyn from glaring at me fiercely enough that I actually take a step back. She points a finger in my direction. “You did not give me all those honorable speeches last night and this morning only to kill yourself by way of my ex-girlfriend.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
Her jaw drops. “Of all the silly, useless things to focus on right now. I swear to the gods, Bowen—”
She never gets a chance to finish that sentence. A wave of agony hits me so hard that I stagger. It doesn’t stop. Instead my body lifts and flies several feet to slam against the cliff wall. I grunt in pain as I crumple to the ground.
“No more running, Evelyn.” The vampire is barely out of breath, and even in my current state, I have the presence of mind to wonder if she has to breathe at all. I suppose it doesn’t matter; she doesn’t need breath to kill me. She’s doing a damn good job of it.
“Stop it, Lizzie!”
I can’t make my eyes focus. I get the sense of movement and when the vampire speaks next, she’s significantly closer. “That’s not going to protect you. You’re wasting your time.”
“It’s not to protect me, you stubborn bitch.” Evelyn snarls out several words and her magic snaps around me. Between one beat and the next, she breaks Lizzie’s hold on me. The pain fades to a horrible throbbing, but at least it’s no longer acute. A shield. My brilliant witch put up a shield to protect us. But when I roll onto my side, my relief drains away into horror. She put up a shield, all right.
Around me. Only me.
On the other side of her pulsing magic, Evelyn climbs slowly to her feet and walks to meet the vampire.
CHAPTER 31
Evelyn
I’VE DONE A LOT OF FOOLISH THINGS SINCE ARRIVING AT Threshold, but this has to top the list. I can’t take Lizzie in a fair fight, and I probably can’t even take her in a dirty fight. She’s too fucking powerful.
And the worst part is that she’s never looked better than she does right now.
Back in our realm, the only time she let down her hair, figuratively and otherwise, was in bed. The rest of the time she was perfectly polished and put together. Not so right now. She’s wearing tight leather breeches and a shirt that clings to her lean form. Her dark hair, normally pulled back from her face, whips around her in the wind coming off the sea.
“This ends here.”
She shrugs off her rifle and tosses it to the ground next to her. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t skin you alive and carve you up into little pieces.”
Fear shorts out what little logical thought I have. It’s the only explanation for running my mouth at a time like this. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I was the best sex you’ve ever had. Maybe because the main reason you’re so pissed right now is because I left you, instead of the other way around. How about that?”
She makes a sound like an angry teakettle and then her power is in my blood, freezing me in place as she stalks closer. She stops a few inches away and her dark gaze flicks over my shoulder to where Bowen is yelling something incomprehensible. “Maybe I won’t kill you. Perhaps I’ll just finish the job I started with that little worm. And then you can live the rest of your life knowing that you’re the reason he’s dead. You have too much heart for that not to eat you alive.”
I have no idea why she hasn’t killed me yet. It doesn’t make any fucking sense, and my bravado once again has me speaking without thinking. “Oh, baby, are you jealous? It’s not like you wanted to keep me when you had me.”
She grabs my chin, her grip so tight that I make a pained sound before I can stop myself. She doesn’t relent. Of course she doesn’t relent; Lizzie has never been one to show mercy. Her nails prick my skin. “Where are my jewels, Evelyn?”
Right. She hasn’t killed me because she still needs me around. Her vengeance matters less to her than retrieving the things I stole. There’s absolutely no reason for that to sting as much as it does. It’s nothing more than I expected. But, damn it, it does sting. “Did the missing heirlooms anger Mommy dearest? Poor thing. Always dancing to her tune. I should’ve known that being in another realm entirely wouldn’t be enough to break the leash she has on you.”
Lizzie gives me a shake that makes my spine scream in protest. “Always. So. Difficult.”
Honestly, it’s kind of amazing that she hasn’t broken my jaw with her hand. I know she’s capable of it. Her hold hurts, but it’s not doing permanent damage. I’m a fool for letting that knowledge feed my bravado. “What can I say? You bring out my perverse side. You used to like that about me.”
She snarls in my face, more animalistic than I’ve ever seen her. “I will fucking rip your heart out and eat it, Evelyn. Don’t test me.”
I almost point out that she’s very nearly quoting one of my favorite movies, but she’s distracted and I’m not going to get another chance like this again. I slice my nail across my palm and slap it to my chest. She barely has a chance to tense when I snap out the words to trigger the spell.