Page 36 of Justice

She was nearly begging now, the sludge rising higher around us, the wind getting stronger, the sand grittier. “I don’t know how. I just do it. I pull from my center and push outward.”

Her brows scrunched together for a moment, and as much as I wanted to concentrate on helping her, I knew I couldn’t. Finding out how to work her magic had to be something she did herself. Add to the fact that the elements were getting more aggressive and my bolts of lightning weaker, less effective, and well, I couldn’t help her. I could only concentrate on trying to delay the monster, trying to save her, trying to buy her enough time to meet her destiny.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few sparks leave her, sputtering out before they even made it to their destination, and I held my breath, knowing she had more in her, knowing she was the secret to our survival. It didn’t take long for her sparks to grow in strength. Soon a single spark began a streamer of energy. The streamer became a bolt. And just when I felt I could pull no more magic from my core, a blinding light grew next to me before leaving Liberty’s hand and crashing into the monster.

In an instant, shards of glass were showering down upon us. The wind stopped. The sand in the air dropped down, and the sludgy water that was holding us down seeped away into the sand below our feet until it disappeared completely. The clouds evaporated like they were never there, and in their wake, they left a stream of sun that reflected off the enormous glass structure in front of us.

“Shit,” Sterling mumbled, “Do we break it?”

Did we? I know I fucking wanted to. I wanted to destroy the remains of the monster that put us at risk, that tried to take Liberty from me. But, a look at her now jolted me from the thought. She looked weak, tired, and her whole body swayed.

“Are you –” The words never finished leaving my mouth before her whole body crumbled, and I caught her moments before she hit the ground.

Chapter 18

LIBERTY

One moment,I was following Oak’s instructions and pushing power out from my core; the next, I opened my eyes into a bedroom I’d never seen before. I blinked again, sure I was seeing things, trying to decipher this strange area. Did it work? Are we alive? Where was everybody?

I leaned forward and started to sit, only to be pushed down. “Not so fast; you’ve been out for two days, you’re weak.”

Two days? It had been two days since the sand grew a monster in front of us that tried to wipe us out. Two days? “Did we win?”

Oak laughed. “Mo chuisle, one blast from you turned him instantly to glass. They will be cleaning up glass and shards for weeks out there.”

Relief filled my stomach, the knot in the center slowly releasing at that. “Everyone is okay?”

“A few pups are injured, but everyone lived,” Sterling answered.

I snorted. Justice must not be here if Sterling said that. Ellis cleared his throat. “Sterling healed what he could, but I suspect you will be sore for a few days. Are you hungry?”

Hungry? Ravenous. The thought of blood had me salivating, which was definitely new. “Who is on the menu?”

All wrists came at me at once, hovering over my lips, their faint pulses giving the occasional strong thump making me nearly drool. I didn’t look to see whose wrist I grabbed, only reached for one, taking it into my mouth and letting my incisors do the rest as it pierced the skin and blood flowed into me. Ellis. Home.

I groaned around the mouthful of blood. Unknowingly my hands reached out and grabbed Ellis’ shirt, pulling his body close to mine as I savored the taste. His whole body shivered as I pulled at his life force. Maybe I shouldn’t accept this so quickly, accept that I drink blood, but the thrill I got when I had them weak for me, offering themselves as a whole on a platter before me, was an excitement I never wanted to lose.

They accepted me.

They wanted me.

They would do anything for me.

And what was a greater turn-on than that? The strongest, bravest men I’d ever met thought I was worthy enough of their desire. And maybe I hadn’t earned it yet, perhaps I never would. Perhaps I would never be good enough for these immortal beauties, but no one told them this fact, and I sure as hell wouldn’t break it to them.

Fingers gripped my hair and yanked my head back seconds before lips crashed into mine. Teeth nipped my lips before a tongue swooped in, dueling against my own. Oak broke the kiss. “You fucking did it, mo chuisle.”

Sterling grabbed my jaw and tilted it in his direction. “Yeah, she did.” When he leaned in for a kiss, he was gentler, slower than Oak, but each showed ownership. He pulled back. “You need real food, though.”

I wanted to argue because, damn it, plans with them seemed way more appealing, but my stomach picked that exact moment to growl, reminding me that I may be vampire, but I also had a strong human side. I flung my legs over the side of the bed before standing slowly, appreciating that they were hovering around me to help if needed, but also wondering if they realized that I wasn’t as fucking fragile as they thought I was. Of course, I guess it would be hard to argue my fragility when I just woke from being passed out for two days.

I walked a few feet to the nearby bathroom because fuck, I had to pee. Then they helped me into a nearby chair that sat next to a little table with an array of food. It wasn’t an elegant or elaborate spread, but it was perfect for me and my needs. I grabbed a grape and popped it in my mouth, slowly chewing. “So, what next?”

“Can you just oh, I don’t know, be for five fucking minutes without planning the next leg of our journey?” Ellis asked.

“In other words, you don’t know. Am a right?”

“Correct,” Oak sighed. “The book doesn’t give us any hints, though the new attack does appear on its page.”