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“We’ve already discussed it and we’ve decided to choose you. I’m going to have to insist on more time before a
His eyes narrowed and his fury washed over me. He knew I’d already made my choice and it wasn’t him. It was over. He and his men weren’t leaving until Chait, Hayden and I were dead.
Not if I had any say about it. Boris’s ignorance of the extent of my abilities would work in my favor… maybe. I had to try. Closing my eyes, I gathered my strength. Another adrenalin rush hit me and I threw up a shield around Chait, Hayden and myself. I stood, interlocking my arms with theirs. We kicked our chairs aside and backed away from Boris.
In an instant, Boris stood in front of us. “What the hell is that?” He pushed out his hand then withdrew when he couldn’t go any further. “Fascinating. Such a shame you won’t need that talent after today. I’m going to give you one last chance. Choose me now and a
When I looked for her presence, I felt her close by. My insides trembled. Putting myself in danger was one thing. Risking Bree’s life was another matter entirely.
“They have orders to kill her if you fight me.” A corner of his mouth lifted.
I could drop my shield from Hayden and Chait, in favor of Bree, but without their help, all four of us would be dead. Maybe there was another way. I couldn’t imagine Boris hurting Bree after what I had to say.
“That would be stupid,” I said. “She’s like me. If you got rid of me, you could gain her trust while she’s young. She’d be loyal and very useful.” I could stall Boris, but how long could I hold up our shield? Beads of sweat formed over my brow.
He kept his expression neutral, but it was obvious by the gleam in his eye that I had him at ‘She’s like me.’ He wouldn’t kill her. But it was too late for me. I’d blown it. Boris would never believe I’d choose him, even if I dropped to my knees and begged forgiveness.
“You make a very compelling argument. I’ll try to keep her alive. However, that depends on you.”
“I don’t get it. You would’ve had me on board if you’d been patient. By pushing, you’re losing me. Why the rush?”
His stance stiffened. “It seems that Her Majesty Jane has disappeared. That troubles me. I’ve known for years that there’s something different about your family. What are you exactly though? Does Jane know? Does it have anything to do with her disappearance? I wasn’t worried about any of that until…” He tapped his chin, still looking at ease, as if completely confident that his ten men could handle one little girl and two young guys.
Pins and needles. If only he’d spit it out.
“Now I’m wondering if your uniqueness and Jane’s disappearance could be related to your sister Zoe digging herself out of her coffin. Strange, huh?” My face must have given me away, because Boris’s brows shot up. He leaned toward me. “You already knew.”
My hand shot out, sending a ball of fiery energy straight into his gut.
He gasped and fell back, clutching at his stomach. “Kill them!”
His men charged, but I strengthened my shield.
Boris popped up, face flushed with rage and twisted into a remnant of its former self. “You stupid little bitch. You’ve just assured your demise,” he scoffed. “While you’re using all your energy, I’ll send a man out for food. When you’re too weak and can’t refuel, which boy will you cut loose first? Hayden? Or Chait?”
“Tessa, let go when you need to,” Hayden said. He and Chait exchanged a nod, then pulled out their knives and struck out, their bubble of safety protecting them while they kicked ass on Boris’s men.
Which left Boris for me to deal with. He’d never let me out of his sight. Not until I was dead. If he suspected Zoe was alive, he’d kill her too. He’d make sure it was done right this time.
I remembered the logs and imagined his heart as a hunk of wood — which wasn’t much of a stretch. In my mind’s eye, the spark grew to a blistering heat. “Bring out the little girl!” he screamed, twitching in pain.
Bree appeared, shaking and sobbing as Kyle held a knife to her throat. My shield went down and Boris lunged, a large knife in his hand. We tumbled to the ground.
“Tessa, don’t worry about us. Protect yourself f—” Hayden stopped mid-sentence but Boris kept me too busy dodging the blade to see what happened. We tussled over the hard laminate floor, my limbs thrashing at him. He trapped me beneath him, grabbed a chunk of my hair with his free hand and smashed my head against the floor. Searing pain speared my skull.
His strength u
I wrenched his hand away and he thrust the dagger at my chest. I clamped a hand onto his wrist while his fist pounded my throat and knocked the breath out of me. As we rolled over, his dagger flew at my neck. I jerked to the side but the metal still grazed my skin.
Boris landed on top again and I recreated my shield. His next hit bounced off. My hands stretched up to choke Boris. He tried to break my hold, but couldn’t pierce through the shield. I couldn’t keep my wall up indefinitely though, not while I fought him too. My power would be depleted before I could kill him.
At superhuman speed, I pulled my knife from my waistband and aimed at Boris’s throat. I thrust the pointed end through his flesh as hard as I could. Blood spurted from his neck. He slowed, but didn’t stop.
I concentrated on my protective bubble again while building a blaze beneath his chest. His face flushed and he shrieked, his eyes bulging. I felt his power wane and took that opportunity to roll us over, pi
A man had Hayden in a headlock, a knife to Hayden’s throat. Protecting him while keeping my own shield intact used too much energy. I sent his attacker a little heat, enough to give Hayden an advantage. Hayden seized the moment, sending his opponent a hard elbow in the face. Hayden followed that with a blow to the groin and a kick in the gut. The guy dropped. Beyond him, Chait retrieved both daggers and took out two guys simultaneously.
With my thighs straddling Boris, I locked his arms against his sides, giving me a huge advantage. Oddly enough, he didn’t resist at all. We remained in a draw — motionless, while I helped Hayden kill another guy and Chait took out two more.
I felt a new surge as power welled within Boris. He’d healed. So that’s why he hadn’t made a move to break free. He’d been recharging while I used valuable energy helping Chait and Hayden. My strength was fading, my shield weakening.
No more waiting. Hayden and Chait were on their own. I dropped my assaults on their enemies and focused on Boris.
Boris smiled as if sensing the shift in energy and welcoming it. In one swift movement, his knee slammed into my back, thrusting me forward. I hadn’t realized my shield had weakened that much or I would have disengaged earlier.
He gripped my wrists, twisting them as though trying to break through the remainder of my shield to snap the bone. Pain threw me and my shield fell entirely. We wrestled, Boris using brute strength as his hands squeezed my throat and I gasped for air. My limbs tingled as my air supply dwindled.
Boris had to be neutralized now. Mustering all my power, I moved the atoms around Boris, faster and faster until the heat became a ball of fire so intense it blinded me. I closed my eyes, then I pushed the flames into his face. He screamed, his hands releasing me as he covered his eyes. I jumped on him, gripping my dagger and pressing it into his neck.