Chapter 170

 An explosion sounded to my right, and the wall behind me came tumbling down. Fire erupted, bringing with it thick smoke. A cloud of dust filled the air and bits of concrete rained down on me. A shard of broken wood scratched my cheek.

A young brunette rushed through the hole in the wall and came into view.

My gaze turned to her in fear for I knew my vampire knight was busy fighting his own fierce battle outside, trying to prevent anyone from getting in to harm me. He wouldn’t get to me before the woman.

“I came to get you out, Ophelia,” the young woman said, surprising me. “You were drugged, and the spells bound your power. This potion will help.”

Ophelia. Was that my true name?

The woman raised a syringe and stabbed it into my heart. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her, so I waited for death to come.

But it didn’t come. Instead, a shot of new energy raced through me. I sucked in a great breath as the numbing and binding inside me vanished.

I let out a cry and bolted up like I’d been held under murky water for too damn long. I wiggled my toes to try to wake up other muscles.

A blade burst from the woman’s chest, and an old man in a robe appeared behind her with a hiss. “Traitor!”

My eyes widened in shock, and sorrow bloomed inside me as I stared at the blood pooling on my rescuer’s white blouse.

“Run,” she mouthed, blood dripping from the corner of her lips.

I couldn’t help her now. I could feel the light and life slipping out of her. The old man raised his hand, a dark spell forming and darting toward

me. I had no defense against him. And it was too late for me to snatch a weapon from the surgical side table. So, instinctively, I threw my hand toward him in a roar. A flash of dark light blasted from me and slammed into the old man’s face. His spell dissolved a few inches from me. He opened his mouth, but no scream escaped. Only terror and hatred filled his milky eyes.

He turned to dust the next instant. I stared down at my hand, unable to comprehend what I’d just done. But when I called for the dark light to come again and show me that I did indeed possess its power, it didn’t do my bidding.

 I turned to search for the vampire, but I didn’t see him. It was chaos all around.

The sound of footfalls heading toward the room ricocheted off the remaining walls. I couldn’t stay here one second longer. I couldn’t be caught again.

I grabbed a gown hanging from the ruptured wall, pulled it over my head to cover my nakedness, and leapt though the hole in the wall.

I ran with everything I had.

Shade laid a massive beast claw on my shoulder, jerking me back to here and now. He’d seen my devastated expression and the tears streaming down my face.

“Don’t worry, Catnip,” he said. “I’m here. I won’t let anyone get you.”