shimmer appeared between us and them, right as Raphael’s eyes turned red and black. He couldn’t break the bindings, though, his muscles bulging.
“Damn it!” Cassius snapped. “He threw up a field.” He kept firing, unloading all his ammo into the shimmering wall between them.
“Cassius, shadow step!” I yelled. “Now!”
“I can’t!” he roared. “I can’t go through light magic with dark magic!”
I cursed and started running, holstering my Beretta. Beyond the shimmering wall, I saw Sinclair catch Raphael’s gaze and grin. Raphael sagged.
I pulled my talwar out and sliced the shimmering wall just as Sinclair struck, sinking his fangs into Raphael’s neck . The iron of my blade broke the wall, leaving Cassius able to move.
“Get Raphael!” I screamed, running for the pair. Light bindings grabbed my ankles, sending me to the ground, and I sliced them off with my sword, glaring at the fae as I stood. A roar filled the night, and I turned to see what had happened, fae already forgotten.
Raphael slumped to the ground, pale and weak. Sinclair stood over him, his eyes now looking like Raphael’s, black ink filling his veins and taking over his face and neck. His fangs were longer than I had ever seen, coming down nearly an inch, and his other teeth were razor points as well.
“This is power,” the vampire murmured, clenching his fist.
I dropped my sword and lifted my Beretta again. I fired the entire magazine into the vampire, who only smiled as the wounds healed, and the bullets fell harmlessly to the ground.
When Sinclair started walking for me, I backpedaled, making sure to grab my talwar as I tried to keep the space between us. Behind him, I saw Cassius erupted into vision in a pop of black smoke. He grabbed Raphael, saying something as he took one step, holding him, disappearing in another small pop of black smoke—shadow stepping.
“So, this was the plan, huh?” I asked Sinclair. “You vampires get stronger when you feed off supernaturals, but it’s not allowed. You wanted to feed off him and see what kind of power he gave you.”
“Oh, I knew what kind of power he would give me. There were some things Mygi told me over the phone, not in writing. No chance of it leaking to other vampires and having to fight too many for the privilege,” Sinclair explained. He wasn’t running at me, still going at a normal, vampire walking pace. That meant I was still the fastest person around and could outrun him. I kept trying to back up to the ride, though. I could hear Cassius and Carter arguing about whether to leave me or not. Who was on which side, I didn’t know.
“That was nice of them. You know, I thought when vampires fed off supernaturals, you didn’t get the powers of those you fed off of.”
“Raphael is different, special. I intend on keeping him. You’re not leaving with him, Kaliya.”
“But I am,” I said, turning and starting to run. That’s when I saw the light bindings raise up and grab the SUV. Cursing, I hauled ass and sliced them. One grabbed my ankle, and this time, I couldn’t catch the fall, landing hard on the ground, face meeting rocks.
The very satisfied roar behind me sent chills down my spine. Someone reached down and grabbed the back of my shirt, yanking me up to my feet. I saw Cassius, his eyes a swirling mix of white and black—light and dark. His lineage was the stuff of legend, even though he wasn’t as powerful as his parents. Turning, I saw that he summoned dark bindings, and they grabbed both Sinclair and the fae.
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” I demanded.
“Because it’s hard for my kind of fae to use our big abilities in this world,” he reminded me, sounding tired. I looked at his face and saw it looked a little washed out. “There’s no human blood in me to anchor me here like Clan fae. Those won’t last long. Get in.”
I nodded as the last of the light bindings broke off our ride. Cassius jumped behind the wheel and hit the gas before I could even close my door.
I turned to the back seat, looking over the two people back there. Carter’s eyes were wide. Raphael’s were half closed, but he was alive.
“How’s everyone feeling?” I asked.
“What the hell was that plan?” Raphael muttered.
“Cassius was supposed to save you faster,” I explained.
“You said to be ready to use it if it’s the last possible option,” Cassius