Hunt the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #11)(53)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

Levet scurried toward the open door, his tail whipping around his feet in agitation.

“They are coming.”

Roke held her gaze. “Sally?”

“Fine.” She gave a jerky nod, a rising panic making it difficult to breathe. “Let’s get this over with.”

His arms tightened, his expression warning of dire consequences for anyone stupid enough to try to stand in his path. Then, gesturing for Levet to go first, they headed out of the shack at a speed that made her eyes water.

Wrapping her arms around Roke’s neck, she glanced over his shoulder.

Oh . . . crap.

As fast as Roke might be, he was weakened and forced to carry her while his clansmen were obviously fresh as freaking daisies.

“They’re gaining on us,” she forced past the lump in her throat.

Roke’s pace never slowed, but his head turned toward Levet who had taken to the air to keep up.

“Gargoyle, if you have any magic, now is the time to use it,” he growled.

“Oui.”

Turning midflight, Levet pointed his finger toward the pursuing vampires, muttering a spell in an ancient language. The air prickled with a surge of magic, making sparks twirl around the gargoyle’s hand before it was shooting straight toward the vampires.

Peering over Roke’s shoulders, Sally prayed for the desert floor to split open to consume the pursuers. Or at least for a massive explosion that would slow them down.

Instead, what she got was a sputtering shower of sparks that was about as lethal as a firecracker.

“That’s it?” Roke rasped in disbelief.

“It is more than you can do,” Levet muttered in sullen tones.

“Shit.” Coming to a halt, Roke lowered Sally to her feet and stepped in front of her.

Sally pressed a hand to her thundering heart, sweat trickling down her spine despite the chill in the air. There were few things more frightening than watching a half-dozen vampires circle her.

But while she could literally taste the fear racing through her, she fiercely refused to panic.

Not this time.

Grimly, she focused her surge of emotions on the magic that bubbled deep inside her.

She wasn’t going to be taken without a fight.

Thankfully ignoring her, the tiny blond-haired vampire strolled toward Roke, her gaze flicking toward Levet with blatant disdain.

“I wondered how you escaped your lair.”

Roke folded his arms over his chest, his silver eyes slowly meeting the gaze of a nearby clansman, waiting for him to lower his head in a sign of submission before moving to the next. He continued the process until each of them had silently conceded his alpha status before shifting his attention to the woman who refused to back down.

“You left our lairs unprotected?” he asked, the dark accusation meant as much for the warriors as for Zoe.

Still, it was the female who answered. “No, Dyson remained behind to make sure this wasn’t a distraction to leave the clan vulnerable to an ambush.”

“At least someone is thinking clearly.”

Zoe tilted her chin, her expression defiant. “Just as you will be thinking clearly once we’ve broken the witch’s hold on you.”

The earth trembled beneath their feet as Roke released a tendril of his power.

“I don’t want to fight, Zoe, but I will.”

She spared a brief, hate-filled glare toward Sally before she took a step toward Roke, her hand held out in a gesture of peace.

“Please, Roke,” she pleaded. “You know you can trust me.”

Roke’s eyes were hard and cold as diamonds, his face looking as if it’d been carved from granite.

Sally gave a small shiver. She and Roke had been growling and fighting since they’d first laid eyes on each other, but he’d never, ever looked at her like that.

She hoped to God he never did.

“I’m taking Sally away from here.” His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the lethal intent. “If you try to stop me you’ll be hurt. End of story.”

Zoe flinched, but her determination never faltered. Sally might have admired the female’s courage if she didn’t suspect it stemmed from Zoe’s intense desire to claim Roke as her own.

Bitch.

“We can discuss this back at my lair,” Zoe said.

“No.” There was another mini-earthquake. “Let us go.”

“We can’t. You know that.” Zoe pointed toward Sally, although her gaze never shifted from Roke. “So long as the witch has you in her power, you’re in danger.”

“In my power?” Sally muttered beneath her breath. “Yeah, right.”

Of course the vampire heard her. “Shut up, witch.”

Roke growled low in his throat, the sound making Sally’s hair stand on end.

“You will speak to her with respect.”

“Roke . . . this isn’t you. You would never choose a woman over your clan. And certainly never a witch,” Zoe tried to soothe, while Sally took a step away.

It didn’t take a genius to know that the shit was about to hit the fan. She needed to be prepared.

Returning her concentration to her magic, she frowned as she felt a heat spreading across her stomach. What on earth? Cautiously she held the blanket out just far enough that she could peek down to discover what was causing the strange sensation.

She hastily swallowed her gasp at the golden glow that surrounded the music box clutched in her hand.

This was different from the shimmer that outlined the glyphs.

This light encompassed the entire box and was pulsing like a heartbeat . . . God almighty, it was pulsing in time to her heartbeat.

Which meant that whatever magic was happening was directly connected to her.

But what did it mean?

Would the box help to amplify a spell?

Or would it actually interfere?

Only one way to find out, she abruptly decided, lifting her head as Roke’s argument with Zoe reached its inevitable conclusion.

“Sally is my mate,” Roke was snarling, his hands lifting as the vampires began to press closer. “My loyalty is to her.”

Zoe grimaced. “I’m sorry, Roke, but someday you’ll thank me.” She gave a wave of her hand. “Take them.”

It was now or never.

Sally closed her eyes, speaking the words for a stun spell. She’d never tried to use it against vampires, but it was the only offensive spell she would work against such a large number of enemies.

If she could plait the air into a tight enough weave before releasing it, the explosion should be able to stun the vampires long enough for them to try to make another stab at escape.