Page 102 of Fire Dancer

On the other hand, my sisters were on the ranch. And if they’d sensed my emergency…

They had, I realized. And they were helping — somehow.

You can do it,I sensed Abby telling me.

I pictured her leaning against one of the secret vortexes back on the ranch, straining to funnel its power toward me.

I didn’t have the brain space to work out how that was possible. I just kept on fighting, because even with that boost, Jananovich was a hell of an opponent. His powers worked on my mind, casting a fog over everything.

I wiggled my fingers, coaxing the smoke toward his feet. It wound around his shoes, then climbed around his ankles.

Yes,I murmured.More…

The smoke wound around his legs like a vine. Or even better, twin pythons.

The smoke thickened, and Jananovich looked down, alarmed.

“Hey!” he protested, like I’d broken the rules or something.

Ha. If he didn’t play nice, neither would I.

Still, that was just smoke. I needed fire.

The scary thing was Ireallyneeded it. Fire was my drug, and I craved it.

Wow. Dad hadn’t been kidding about the power complex.

Meanwhile, Ingo was fighting hard but flagging. His opponent seemed just as strong as ever. So strong, I feared he was toying with Ingo. But my faithful wolf refused to back down, and that only made me angrier.

I raised my arms, redoubling my efforts.

In the distance, sirens wailed. People shouted. Smoke poured into the room from every edge of the door. Ingo and Gregor whirled, kick, and bit. And somewhere in the increasingly dim chaos of the room, something else moved.

It was Delaney, creeping along the wall. Trying to escape? I sure hoped so.

Then I spotted the stake in her hand and the fury in her eyes.

She wasn’t trying to escape. She was seeing this through, as I should.

And just like that, I released my inner brakes and unleashed my full fury.

Jananovich was a manipulator and a killer. He was worse than a bloodthirsty vampire — he was a bloodthirsty businessman with no boundaries or morals. Whatever suited him, he did. Whatever — or whoever — didn’t, he cast brutally aside.

Like Stacy. Like Janet. Like so many others.

A loud crack sounded, and fire joined the smoke pouring in around the edges of the door. The smoke around Jananovich’s legs thickened, miring him in his own movements.

“Stop that!” Jananovich batted at it.

No. No, I wouldn’t.

I shaped the smoke with my hands, building a ghostly figure as tall as the vampire. Vague at first, then more and more lifelike.

“Stacy?” His eyes went wide.

It was just smoke, not a ghost, but hey. Let him tremble. I shaped the air, making Stacy bigger, meaner, and angrier than she’d been in real life. More vengeful. I let her stare at Jananovich long and hard while I plucked fire from the edge of the door and added that to the smoky image. It flickered around the edges of her body, illuminating her like an angel.

“Leave me alone!” Jananovich shouted.