if anything was broken. I wiggled and moved, trying to catch my breath before shifting back into my human form. I panted when I was shifted back and looked up at the road. He’d thrown me probably twenty feet and now I watched Carter and Raphael play cat and mouse with him. Raphael was still pale, but he was looking better every second, his eyes red. Beyond the car, I watched Cassius and Tommen duel, their swords clashing as their powers warred. They were trying to bind each other, Cassius trying to shadow step to gain an advantage while Tommen was consistently throwing up shields.
I knew who I needed to help.
I grabbed a throwing knife and tossed, aiming for the vampire’s head. It sliced open the side of his neck. My aim must have been off because I was dizzy.
“Hey, motherfucker!” I called.
Sinclair turned on me and snarled. Every time I saw him, he looked more monstrous, more not vampire, or even remotely human. Raphael’s blood was changing him, and I didn’t understand how or why. Part of me wondered if Sinclair even knew why he was fighting anymore. He wasn’t saying anything. He seemed mindless.
Question to ask tomorrow. What in all the fucking realms did Mygi turn Raphael into that could cause this sort of fucking reaction?
I threw another knife and watched it hit the vampire’s heart to no effect. Sinclair ignored it as if he was now dead to the pain of a blade. Or maybe it was the type of blade. Vampires didn’t have a specific weakness, but I didn’t know about Raphael. He hadn’t mentioned any sensitivity yet.
I threw every single thing I had. Knives and shuriken stuck out of Sinclair ineffectively. The injuries didn’t make him pause, and the venom did nothing. As Sinclair advanced, I walked backward again, not wanting to take my eyes off the beast. I tried to make a large loop to get me back to the road, but Carter and Raphael started talking, and that caught both my and Sinclair’s attention.
“I can fight him!” Carter said. “Please!”
“Fine! Just don’t make me drop the way he did,” Raphael snapped. “Kaliya! Keep him busy!”
“No!” I yelled.
Sinclair spun as the wind brought us the smell of fresh blood, stronger than it had been previously. I ran to get ahead of him as he stalked up on Carter, who was biting down on Raphael’s wrist.
Idiots! He’s not going to appreciate someone munching on his godsdamn snack.
“Stop feeding and fucking hide!” I screamed as Sinclair grabbed the back of my shirt and tossed me aside. “Cassius!” I screamed, trying to stand up and run in time.
I saw my old lover turn, and his eyes go wide. Tommen took the chance to knock him to the ground. Light bindings wrapped around Cassius, and Tommen yanked his hair to force him to watch Sinclair.
I couldn’t help anyone. I was transfixed by Sinclair grabbing Carter’s head and pulling it off Raphael, who he whacked aside. I had nothing else to throw and there was no way for me to get there in time. Sinclair twisted and twisted.
And Carter’s head came off.
I didn’t scream in horror. I didn’t retch. Nothing felt like it was going to come up, and tears didn’t threaten to fall. I watched Sinclair, turned into a bloody fucking monster, rip off the head of a young vampire I had considered a friend.
But I didn’t scream.
I turned for Cassius and Tommen, taking advantage of everyone still transfixed by Carter’s falling body and jumped on Tommen’s back. With a quick snap I broke the fae’s neck and let the body drop, releasing Cassius from his hold.
“Get up. We have a monster to kill,” I snapped.
Cassius’s eyes went wide when he turned to me. I pulled him off the ground to his feet and pointed at Sinclair.
“Focus,” I ordered.
“You…”
Sinclair’s growl interrupted the thought. I saw my katana lying by his feet. He wasn’t looking at Cassius and me. He was stalking Raphael, who was still trying to get up from the pavement where he had landed. I ran for my katana, ignoring how Cassius tried to call me back.
“Bind him!” I roared, grabbing the hilt and slicing across the back of Sinclair’s legs in one motion. The vampire tried to kick me away with a roar, but I rolled away, flicking black blood off my blade. Dark bindings swirled up and grabbed Sinclair’s ankles and wrists. I launched myself at him and found myself swatted out of the