“Hold on!” Cassius yelled. He slammed on the brakes and tires squealed. Raphael and I hit the back of the seats in front of us. My head spun as it hit a metal frame piece inside the seat, but I was quick to look up and check on Raphael, hoping he was okay. He didn’t seem worse for wear, but I didn’t have much time to really ask him how he was doing.
The SUV spun, control fading as it tried to stop, the wheels still screeching on the road as Cassius kept his foot on the brakes. I grabbed Raphael’s jacket, pulling him closer, keeping my body over his as the SUV finally made its way to a stop.
“How is everyone?” Cassius asked. “Kaliya? Say something.”
“I’m okay!” I said as loudly as I was able. “How’re you and Carter?”
“We’re fine. Carter hit the dashboard, but he’ll be okay,” Cassius explained back to me.
I looked over Raphael, lifting off him. He groaned as he sat up, looking at my face.
“You…”
“Don’t think too hard about it,” I said, swallowing as he realized I had thrown my body over his to protect him. Biological instincts were funny things like that. “Where’s Sinclair?”
“On the road about fifty feet in front of us,” Cassius answered.
“Get moving again—”
I didn’t get to finish that. The fae rammed his SUV into our backend, and the entire vehicle spun again, sliding on the road, debris flying everywhere.
“We need to get out,” Raphael yelled.
“On it,” I snapped as it came to a stop. I forced my door open and staggered out onto the road. I helped Raphael out and checked Carter over once he was next to me. Cassius stood in the road, glaring at the fae in the other SUV.
“Cassius, we’re going to have to fight this out!” I yelled. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, not while trying to protect two people and getting everything out of the deal while Sinclair got nothing. That was why I had avoided it and decided on a getaway instead. I could always hunt Sinclair down after the fact, especially since I had leave to kill him at any point.
Now, I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Let me feed on Raphael. Maybe I can fight him.” Carter was looking at Raphael with a ravenous expression that made me uncomfortable.
“No,” I said, looking around. Sinclair wasn’t in front of us on the pavement like Cassius had said. I pulled the katana from my back and stood ready. Glancing at Cassius out the corner of my eye, I saw he was still waiting on the other fae, ready to fight against his own kind in some kind of grudge match I wanted no part of.
I wasn’t as ready as I thought I would be. Coming in from the darkness off the road, Sinclair slammed me into the side of the SUV, snarling viciously. I screamed as my back hit the metal and glass tore into my back. My grip on the hilt of my katana failed due to the sheer force and pain of the impact. I tried to kick and push the deadly sharp fangs from me, but I knew I was going to fail as they snapped again, grazing the skin of my neck. I decided to bite back as Carter and Raphael struggled to pull Sinclair off me. I sank my fangs into him and depleted the small amount of venom I had been able to replenish since killing the witch. Sinclair roared and dropped me, but even through my double vision, I could tell there were no signs my venom was effective.
Raphael’s blood. He’s immune because he fed on my fucking possible mate, and there goes my most efficient way of killing someone.
Sinclair turned, and I saw a large knife sticking out of his back. Without hesitation, I jumped, grabbing the hilt and wrapped my legs around Sinclair’s waist. I yanked out the blade, ignoring the black blood that poured from the quickly closing wound. Before I could stab the back of the motherfucker’s head, he reached back and grabbed my arm. I couldn’t tell what happened after that but knew he threw me, and I was in for a hard landing. I shifted into my snake form, hoping that would help me, but I wasn’t a cat and didn’t know how to land on my feet. It didn’t help that I didn’t have any.
I bounced off the ground several times before I was able to check