Darker (Alexa O'Brien Huntress Book 6) - By Trina M. Lee Page 0,50

superhuman speed, I ran down the street to my car. I couldn’t be concerned with who might see the unnatural display. Throwing myself in the driver’s seat, I fumbled with my phone. As I started the car and threw it into gear, I prayed Jez would answer. No such luck.

With a squeal of tires, I tore out of the parking lot. I hit the gas so the engine roared as the Charger sped down the street. I said a silent prayer that I wouldn’t see blue and red flashing lights in my rear view mirror.

I could have lived happily without that image of Zoey and Jez burned into my brain. It might be the last time I’d see one, or both, of them alive.

“No, no, no.” I pounded a fist on the steering wheel when a red light had me slamming on the brakes. The thought occurred to me that it might be a trap designed to lure me, but I’d have to take that chance.

Jez lived on the south side. It would take me at least twenty minutes to get there. I recognized her leopard print blanket in the photo. For the first time, I almost envied the demons and fallen angels their ability to pop from one place to another. Jez could be fighting for her life right now, and I was trapped in traffic while it happened.

“Fuck. Shit. Damn.” All useless words that made me feel equally useless.

The light turned green, and I hit the gas. It was a race against time. Lilah had to be stopped. Her desperation for my blood was killing those around me. She was forcing my hand and doing a damn good job of it. I’d already lost a wolf to her. I couldn’t lose anyone else.

I finally crossed the river to the south side. Rather than subside, my panic increased. What if they were dead because of me? I manoeuvred through traffic, cutting off more than a few people who honked or flipped me the bird.

It felt like much more than twenty-five minutes had passed since receiving Lilah’s message. I parked across the street from Jez’s swanky apartment building and killed the lights. Fear told me to rush inside; instinct demanded I take a moment to scope out the place.

A dim light shone in Jez’s second floor living room window. I reached out metaphysically, feeling for vampires, for Lilah. Nothing. That didn’t mean she wasn’t here.

Exiting the Charger, I darted across the street and blended into the shadows beyond the glow of the street light. I cloaked my energy, hoping I hadn’t been detected yet if she was in the vicinity. I held the Dragon Claw in a white-knuckled grip. If I had it my way, its blade would soon taste Lilah’s blood.

I reached the lobby door without incident. With the stealth of the wolf, I slunk into the building. The fluorescent light inside hummed loud in the otherwise quiet entry. I focused on the lock, willing the deadbolt to turn. It was much simpler than the heavy-duty locks the FPA used. Just when I began to grow frustrated, there was a loud click, and I was in.

I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the second floor. The building was oddly quiet, not so much as muffled TV noise. I stepped into the hall and paused. Empty. I sprinted down the hall to Jez’s door with the dagger held ready.

Hesitating with my hand hovering over the doorknob, I listened. Eerie silence greeted me. The raw energy of fear and death crept near. My stomach dropped, and holding my breath, I shoved the door open.

The scent of blood assaulted my nose. Fear mingled with it to produce a sickly sweet aroma. I was too late.

I moved through the small but immaculate kitchen toward the glow of light coming from the living room. There I found Jez huddled on the floor, shaking violently. She was wrapped in a throw blanket from the couch. Her face was wet with black streaks of mascara and tears. Her golden hair was a tousled mop of curls atop her shoulders. With blood smears on her hands and a cigarette clutched between her fingers, she gazed up at me as if unsure whether or not I was real.

“Jez?” I said tentatively, my gaze straying to the darkened bedroom. “Are you hurt?”

She took a long, shaky drag off the cigarette. Jez hadn’t smoked in a year now. She must have had a pack stashed away.