She clenched her fist and threw a ball of power at the creature. It staggered under the impact and stopped, giving MacEwan the chance to escape immediate danger.
Then it turned. A roar of anger bit through the night. Giving the creature no chance to charge, she sent another whip of power towards it, knocking it sideways.
She reached again, but agony locked her mind tight. She fell to her knees, fighting tears, fighting the red tide threatening to engulf her. She'd done too much, pushed too hard. Now there was nothing left. Nothing but pain and approaching death.
I don't want to die.
Not that she could, unless someone broke her neck. And she had a bad feeling the zombie knew that. That Jasper knew that.
But there was nothing she could do except close her eyes and wait.
Chapter Eighteen
The footsteps stopped. An eerie silence followed.
Confused, Nikki opened her eyes and looked up. Pain shot through her head at that smallest of movements. She blinked back tears, unable to believe what she saw. The zombie lay on the concrete ten feet away, its neck twisted at an odd angle. What on earth ... ?
"Nikki?” The soft question flowed out of the night.
Michael. Her heart leaped, rushing heat through her body. She turned carefully, searching for him. Nothing but shadows filled the night.
"Are you all right?” Again his whisper cut through the night.
"Yes.” Why didn't he show himself? Was it MacEwan's nearby presence that stopped him? Fear pounded through her heart, and she reached out to the link, only to be stopped by a wall of pain.
"Take care then, little one.” His voice was distant.
He's leaving me. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to control the panic pounding at her pulse. This was for the best. It's what she wanted. But fingers of fear wrapped around her heart, squeezing it tight. Tears trickled past her closed eyelids. Maybe she was a fool for letting him go, but what choice did she really have? She'd always been cursed when it came to love. Jake had managed to survive its touch, but she didn't love him the way she had loved her parents and Tommy. And now Michael. She had to believe it was better that he left. It was the only way she could survive. Footsteps approached. She opened her eyes. MacEwan eyed the dead zombie warily, his gun at the ready. The look on his face would've made her laugh any other day.