features moved in and out of focus. It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate. Speaking was difficult. Breathing hurt. She was acutely aware that exertion hastened her blood loss, but she had to hold his attention. “What does that mean exactly?”
“Inanna said when the prophecy came to pass, I would never have to worry about the sun again. When I can go about in the day, I will stake the other vampires in their beds until there’s no one left to enforce the Code. I will set the pettys against the witches. No amount of magic will save them from the fury of millions of panic-driven humans. No longer will I be forced to hide like some criminal. I’ll topple the mortal governments and rule, as I was meant to. They will call me God and bring me prey to appease me.” Akos seemed to retreat into his own megalomaniacal fantasy.
“What makes you think Gideon will try to turn me?” Thalia labored to force out the words. She gave in and let her head slump. She prayed Gideon would come soon. How much longer could she hold on? Already the light seemed dimmer, the edges of her vision blurred.
“Don’t be coy. It’s obvious he loves you.”
“You’re crazy,” she said in a whisper. God, she wished what he was saying were true.
Akos simply smiled, his eyes cold and dark as a winter’s night, and Thalia had the terrifying feeling that everything would come to pass just as he’d described. The evil in him seemed too much for his body alone to contain. It sought an outlet, so it could feed and grow like a cancer, perverting everything decent in its path.
Gideon woke and frantically swept the warehouse with his gaze.
Thalia was gone.
Panic lifted him to his feet. A muffled cry from a far corner turned his head. He ran to the sound and found Heath encased in a sticky, black cocoon. He knelt and ripped it open.
The mage fought his way out of the vile, stinging stuff and braced himself on his hands and knees, choking and gasping for air.
“Where has he taken her?” Gideon demanded.
“They just left,” Heath spit out between coughs. “He said something about the alley.”
Of course, Akos wouldn’t want to ruin his chances to fulfill the prophecy. He would stay nearby.
“Are you all right?”
Heath nodded. “But he drained my magic.”
Gideon put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Get the police.”
Heath nodded again and began to rise to his feet. Gideon went to the door of the warehouse and listened for a moment. He could hear voices. Akos was speaking just around the corner.
Gideon vaulted to the top of a nearby building and used the rooftops to circle around until he was on the building on the other side of the alley.
Something hit the wall across the alley. Probably a piece of gravel. Thalia raised her head.
Gideon was here. She had to be ready.
She held her breath as she watched him jump from one building to another.
Akos followed her gaze and laughed. “Ah, company. Right on time. I guess it’s time to take my leave.”
No. He couldn’t teleport. Thalia surged forward and grabbed his ankle. “You’re not going anywhere.” He drew back his other foot to kick her. “Go ahead, kill me now!” she bit out through gritted teeth. “You’ll never fulfill your prophecy.”
“Tell the Champion to let me go,” he called into the darkness. “She doesn’t have much time.” He jerked his foot in an attempt to free himself.
Pain stabbed through her, and her head swam, but she shifted, determined to maintain her hold. She felt around with her other hand for something—anything—to use as a weapon and struck something cold and cylindrical.
Gideon leaped to the ground. Thalia lay on the dirty, buckled tarmac; her face strained and her chest pitched as she struggled to keep hold of Akos’ leg and stop him from teleporting. She was obviously in pain and seemed unable to get up.
He stepped forward, trembling with the effort of restraining his rage. A drop of cold rain, then another, landed on his shoulder, but his attention never wavered from his enemy. He grabbed Akos by the upper arms, digging his fingers into the ancient’s ropy muscles.
Thalia fell back, panting. The sight of her pale face and shivering body snapped Gideon’s control. He shook Akos like a dog, hard enough to break a mortal’s neck. “What have you done to her?”
Akos smirked. Water slicked down his long black hair and dripped off his