Werewolves Be Damned - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,77

before Lazarus grunted. With a sneer marring his face, he grabbed her hair and proceeded to drag her over to Kyden. “Learn this, witch—if you don’t behave, I’ll make you suffer.”

She winced at the ache in her skull, matched with the piercing pain in her chest, as he tossed her to the grass and turned to Kyden. “And I’ll start with removing this guardian from your life.” Twisting Kyden’s head, Lazarus sank his fangs deep into Kyden’s neck, causing him to scream out in torment.

She didn’t care how screwed she was at the moment—and she was royally fucked—common sense and care for herself ceased to exist in her mind. Rushing forward, she slammed into Lazarus with such strength it detached his lecherous mouth from Kyden’s neck, sending him flying across the yard. He landed by the herb garden, then jerked his head toward her, eyes blazing with ferocity.

His lip lifted in a snarl, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight, then he appeared right in front of her. Before she could anticipate what pain he might inflict, he hit the side of her head with his open hand and she flew into the air.

Dizzy, she couldn’t tell how high he’d thrown her, and she fought to remain conscious as the warm air rushed across her skin. Lazarus’s strength and speed outdid her. He had the ability to pulverize her in two seconds flat and she knew—without a doubt in her mind—he planned to torture her.

The reality of her situation weighed heavily upon her, even as she fell through the air. She only had one chance to save Kyden, and no matter what happened, she had to try.

She finally hit the ground, her head smashing against the grass where she once picnicked with her parents, and her back followed. Regardless of the suffering her body endured, she jumped to her feet. She couldn’t stop fighting…not yet. Narrowing her eyes on the vampire who stalked her, she yelled, “Come on, you fucking coward, show me what you’ve got.”

A single breath later, Nexi ate her words. Lazarus landed a punch to her jaw, snapping her head back. Raw agony sliced through her and blood rushed down her face to drip onto her chest. Not as if that stopped him, or made him pause to let her recover, he pummeled her with a hard blow to her gut tossing her several yards.

The world, for a few seconds, faded away, her head spinning and her vision blurry. That was, until Lazarus’s snicker cut through the haze. “You’re brave. I’ll give you that.”

Pushing herself up onto her hands, Nexi spat blood. Her entire body throbbed with an anguish she never believed one woman could survive. A low groan sounded above her, and she now realized Lazarus had sent her directly in front of Kyden.

She lifted her head, staring up at the guardian who had put himself in this situation for her. His proximity somehow strengthened and comforted her. She drew confidence knowing they were a team. It was them against Lazarus. He’d trained her for this moment, but now his words to her held more weight—the fight had gone on too long and now she was weakened. A few more of those blows and he would knock her out, kidnap her, and do god knows what with her.

What troubled her more than her own safety were thoughts of Kyden’s life. Would someone else she cared about die because of her? He needed her to help him and she had failed. Defeat sank in and she could’ve cried, if she weren’t so angry.

Turning to Lazarus, she found him approaching her, and his superior expression made her blood boil. Anger so rich and raw filled her, making her hands quiver. Time slowed around her, each second more drawn out than the last.

If Lazarus held her captive until her magic came in, and took her the way he planned, evil would seep into everything that was good. No matter that she truly didn’t understand the details, she understood well enough that Lazarus as a leader would mean full destruction of the worlds.

She couldn’t allow this to happen.

But how could she stop him…

Her heartbeat raced. Heat rushed through her veins. She shook her head trying to clear her vision, as darkness threatened to overtake her. The view in front of her faded, but somehow she knew she wasn’t blacking out.

Her backyard had morphed into a forest she’d never seen before, as if she were drawn into a memory. A memory that