have turned their aggressions on the fae-blooded oddities. Jazmine had warned them repeatedly about the dangers presented by the so-called abominations. The true abomination was shrieking and grasping for anything breathing.
In unison, cloaked arms raised igniting an unprecedented pressure that whipped through the field like a sudden storm. Low growls and snarls rumbled through the pack.
I could understand their uneasiness. Despite my trust and faith in David and his followers, I, too, was fighting the urge to come unhinged, unglued, or more simply stated: go stark raving mad.
Miraculously, whatever numinous spell they were weaving had the desired effect on the demon.
It skirted backward, arms waving, terrified by the newest intruders. Its black, pupil less eyes darted sideways, searching for the source of its distress. Spears of light arced over it, forming a cage of energy the demon was powerless to escape from.
Its temporary capture was my prompt.
Closing my eyes I extended my mind, allowing it to expand.
Jazmine, with Martin, appeared on my mental radar, shoving boxes into the trunk of an old car. Slipping into Jazmine’s mind as easily as Cinderella’s foot into the glass slipper, I surveyed the scene. Seeing Martin still alive baffled me. How could such a big coward have survived?
I noted with some satisfaction his prized Doberman was no longer by his side. It appeared my mental barrage had reaped permanent havoc on the dog’s mind.
Realizing time was too scarce to spend gloating; with speed that surprised me, I perused Jazmine’s mental agenda, flipping through her mind’s file folders. The device she used to control the demon wasn’t hard to locate.
A necklace! She wore a chain around her neck. A silver whistle, resembling what an owner might use to train a dog, hung from the end of her chain, along with several keys and a heart locket.
I searched deeper and was rewarded with the sequence needed to complete the process. The commands were simple. Two short whistles: kill everyone but those I’ve branded. One long whistle: Kill anyone you see. Another directed it to return to its cell, a different one for remaining silent, and, finally, I located the cease all activity signal. Three long bursts of piercing sound. That’s the one I stashed in my own memory files.
Now I just had to retrieve one tiny, seemingly insignificant instrument that could alter the course of our lives by shutting down the greatest threat I’d ever seen.
No big deal, I thought sarcastically hoping to inspire my courage. But considering Jazmine loading a car on the property’s far side wouldn’t make my task any easier. Glancing at David’s men, I ensured their magic-powered cage was still standing strong, its captive secured inside.
Zane and his inner circle, including the two vampires, were gesturing wildly as they attempted to strategize their next move. He’d for a moment forgotten me, so it seemed.
Testing this theory, I dashed into the ever-thickening fog. When I was sure no one was following, I slowed my pace, directing my full attention on Martin.
Using my powers I infiltrated Martin’s mind and flipped the off switch.
He slumped to the ground, dropping the box he’d been lifting. The picture of a puppeteer snipping the puppet’s strings came to mind. Martin was my very own pliable puppet.
Since accepting the mating mark, I had experienced yet another expansion of my gifts. It was if a sealed book, overflowing with instructions, had been unlocked, revealing the mysteries and methods for managing my powers.
All I had to do was wish for a desired outcome and the solution materialized. Persuading someone to act in a specific manner was, after years of trying and failing, at last an option. I’d developed a form of mind control. Instead of causing debilitating mental anguish, painful and potent enough to kill, I could also now command my target to behave precisely as I wished. How convenient! And terrifying.
Such power could prove corrupting if I didn’t keep a firm reign on it. I’d worry about putting safeguards in place later, after our current mess was cleaned up.
Speaking of messes, I’d reached the school’s back parking lot. I peered around the wall. Martin lay on the pavement with items from his box strewn around him. I couldn’t make out what had spilled.
The limo we’d arrived in was nowhere in sight. Just the rundown car and two other vehicles were visible under the dazzling moonlight. Jazmine was stooped over Martin.
I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted her necklace, but for some insane reason, I felt the overwhelming urge to