to drive me away from the bridge, far enough that it would be safe to get out.
My team members would have come to my aid, but I didn’t want to put them in more danger. It was time to cut our losses and get out of there.
Before I had a chance to leave the water, an invisible blast of Volod’s power slammed into me.
I cried out as my chest burned and the blast slammed me up against the bank. I tried to get to my feet, but his power had pinned me in the mud and slime.
Vampires were coming at me from the bank above me.
A terrible roar broke through the night as a great Dragon came from the trees and slammed into the Vampires on the bank.
Colin.
And then I heard fighting. The sound of shouts and yells, of sword clanging against sword. The sounds of fierce animals fighting as Shifters fought Shifters.
I tried to move again but Volod’s power was too strong. I ground my teeth and raised one arm. I clenched my fist as I called upon my water element again.
A great fist of water rose from the pond. It towered over Volod and Rodán, who were both still on the bridge.
I slammed the water fist down on Volod. It pounded the Master Vampire onto the bridge. With a loud crack and smashing sound, the fist drove Volod through the bridge, down into the water.
His hold on me broke.
I looked up the bank at Colin, in his human form, as he fought against seven Vampires. Where had all these Vamps come from? I had never sensed them. None of us had or we wouldn’t be there.
Then I realized what had happened—these were Vampire paranorms, but they didn’t smell of Vampire. As Shifters, they would have the same abilities to blend into the forest as our paranorm Trackers had.
One Vampire-Shifter could have been a frog on the edge of the pond, another could have been a swan with its head tucked under its wing, supposedly asleep in a small cove. They could have been anything, anywhere.
Mud and slime coated me as I scrambled up the bank. I didn’t have much time. What I’d done to Volod would only piss him off.
Colin used a sword to fight off the Vampire paranorms who were coming at him from all sides.
I drew my dagger, raced up behind one of the Vampires, swung the blade at his neck, and sliced his head clean from his body.
The Vampire next to him whirled. In the same motion he shifted into a Bengal tiger. With a roar it leapt, straight at me.
I called to my air element and shielded myself with it. The tiger slammed into my shield and dropped with catlike grace to the ground, where it watched me.
Hiding behind a shield while my fellow Trackers fought was not an option.
I dropped the shield and called to my water element, then drove it toward the tiger. Before I could use a fist of water to slam into the tiger, it pounced.
While it was still in the air, I dove forward under its great body and came out behind it. The tiger landed and spun. It stared at me, tail twitching.
Behind me was the pond. Directly in front of me was the tiger. Behind it, Colin battled four Vampires.
To my right Lawan fought two Vampires. Beyond her had to be another ten Vampire paranorms who fought several of my teammates. We were unbelievably outnumbered.
Both Volod and Rodán were nowhere to be seen, but the bitch Vampire, Elizabeth, stood off to the side. Beside her was a beautiful Vampire-Elvin female. I’d seen her in the vision—Monique, the San Francisco Proctor.
All of that I absorbed in a flash while still keeping focused on the tiger.
As I leapt toward it, I ordered my earth element to drive the ground beneath the tiger up. The beast was caught off guard.
I jumped on its back, straddling it. The big cat twisted in the air and I had to press my knees in tight to keep from falling off. No human could have managed it, but I’m not wholly human.
The tiger tried to shake me off. I raised my dagger and brought down the blade on its neck.
The tiger shrieked but its neck was so great that my dagger only made it halfway. It was already healing as I brought my dagger down again.
This time the blade sliced the rest of the way through its neck. The tiger collapsed. I jumped and