Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,59

Warin shrugged. “The mortals are mine to drink from, and I relished draining their lives.”

For the first time, Kyden got a good look at what the Earthworld would look like if Lazarus succeeded in his plans. The future looked about as dismissal as one could dream up, and only confirmed the importance of stopping Lazarus, not only for Nexi, but for all of humankind. “By whose authority do you think you hold this right?”

“Mine.”

Kyden spun on his heel to face the hallway, and as he stared into dark, cruel eyes, he smiled. He’d craved to settle the chaos around Nexi, and to erase the dangers from her life. In the face of all this mayhem, she handled herself with grace, but Kyden wanted to pave a safe path for her to travel.

It so happened Nexi’s biggest threat stood right in front of him.

…

Nexi ran along the Guardians’ House hallway, her stomach clenched with dread as Zia matched her stride, gripping her hand. That had been the only thing Zia had done since she’d yanked Nexi out of her apartment. Zia hadn’t said a single word to her. She simply dragged Nexi down the hallway.

Breathless, Nexi asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Kyden.”

Nexi’s muscles tensed, causing her to run stiffly. The blood heating her body from exertion suddenly became ice-cold, which only intensified as they stormed into the Council’s Foyer and Nexi spotted Finn. His cautious eyes told her something was very, very wrong. Haven, who stood next to him, had tears streaking down her face, and her soul sister’s deep-rooted concern inflamed Nexi’s panic through the bond.

Icy fingertips crawled up her spine.

Near the portal’s door, Talon glanced over his shoulder at Nexi, and his eyes blazed. “I told you to leave her.”

Squeezing Nexi’s hand tightly, Zia rushed forward. “She deserves to be there.”

Acting without thought now, Nexi followed Zia through the portal, along with the others at her back. She kept her mind blank as the bright light hit, carrying her off to an unknown place Zia imagined in her mind.

A heartbeat later, Nexi opened her eyes to a fancy living room with all the antique fixings. Although the expensive furniture was completely in shambles—everything had been broken into fine pieces, even the big sturdy couch.

Nexi watched Talon run into the foyer before she turned to Finn. “Where’s Kyden?”

“He was fighting Lazarus,” Finn said, rushing forward into the kitchen, and he called from inside the room, “I killed another vamp that lives here, but then Kyden demanded I get the Council.” He tore back into the room, and she’d never seen Finn’s eyes so wild in fear. “I left him alone for only minutes.”

A wave of intense panic made the world spin around her, and she barely managed a whisper from her tight throat, “Where’s Kyden?”

“I don’t know, Nexi.” Finn shook his head slowly. “I just don’t know.”

Unable to move away from the center of the living room, Nexi stared at Haven, who continued to sob near the stairs. Nexi’s chest constricted as a thick cold blanket of despair washed over her.

No…

Talon returned not a minute later. “The house is empty. Haven, show me what happened.”

Haven raised her hands to the ceiling, and only a split second after that the fistfight appeared. Finn hadn’t been wrong. Kyden had fought Lazarus. Most of the furniture in the living room hadn’t been smashed yet, except for the chair in the corner.

Looking back to the fight, she winced as Lazarus delivered a hard punch across Kyden’s cheek. He went soaring into the wall behind him, and the plaster from the hole his body made drifted onto him as he landed on the hardwood floor.

“You won’t win against me, guardian,” Lazarus stated.

“So you say.” Kyden charged, stabbing his sword forward and digging the tip of the blade into Lazarus’s stomach.

Lazarus chuckled. “You’ll have to do better than that.” He pulled the sword from his stomach and threw it to the ground.

Nexi’s head spun and she tried to find a solid place to land. Why was Kyden fighting Lazarus? Why was he not running out of this house? Why was he not simply defending himself to stay alive until Finn could return? Kyden didn’t look like a guardian trying to stay alive. He looked like a guardian who planned to fight to his death.

She watched in horror as the fight continued, and no seconds had ever been soon long. She immediately realized that Kyden had held back when he fought against her. Now she witnessed his remarkable strength,