Page 29 of Wicked Ties
“Doesn’t belong to you, that’s why.” Logan opened his hands, and I felt his power seeping over the ground like an ocean tide. It hit them all at once like a wall. “Give it back. Now.”
She spun in a circle and fluttered her wings. His power blasted back at us, hitting me like a slap in the face. They were old as hell and yes, born of darkness itself, but how could they be so immune? No one was immune to our magic.
“Screw this.” Tilly charged forward and leapt at the one in the middle. She reached for the bag and the Keres threw her arm out, knocking Tilly’s hand away. Tilly shook her hand out. “You bitch.”
She swung her fist forward and the Keres blocked it again. Their moves became faster and faster, turning into a blur of movement. The sound of hits and screams filled the air and I wanted to charge in just as Grayson, Logan, and Kylian took on the other two.
Grayson ran into the fray with his vampire speed. One of the Keres spun around and back-handed him across the chest. His body soared into the air and slammed back down to the ground. He tumbled into a bunch of tables and chairs, knocking them all to the ground. When he staggered to his feet, a metal chair was wrapped around his torso. He pried the chair from his body piece by piece. The metal groaned and he folded it like a piece of paper.
“Right, you daft bat. Bring it on then.” He charged back in and the two began to fight in a blur of movement as well, while Kylian placed his hand on the ground and made chunks of the street into projectile weapons. She turned and used her wings like a shield. The chunks of asphalt shattered to dust against them.
What the hell are these things? Indestructible?
Each time Logan used his power on them, it gave them a pause of a few seconds to take a shot, but it wasn’t enough. We weren’t strong enough just to take it from them. A loud scream shattered the air, and I saw Tilly grab the lead Keres by the hair and yank her back. She grabbed the bag and wound her hand in it. The Keres snapped her fist out and slammed it into Tilly. She flew back and I ran and dove for her. Her body collided with mine and we tumbled to the ground. I curled myself around her, protecting her from the impact. When we finally stopped, I glanced down at her.
“Are you okay?”
She crawled off me. “Me? You’re the one who took the hit. Are you?”
My body ached in weird places and there was going to be road rash down my back, but I wasn’t going to tell her. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Liar.” She offered me her hand and I took it.
“Enough!” the leader yelled.
Grayson, Logan, and Kylian were all thrown to the ground at our feet. I sucked in a heavy breath and shoved my hair out of my face. “I will have it.”
She reached into the bag once more and pulled the piece of Tilly’s spirit out. She shoved the little white orb into her chest. When she looked at me her eyes turned from solid black to Tilly’s warm brown. She shivered and a wide smile spread across her face.
“This is happiness.” Her voice changed from that thousand-year chain smoker to light and airy, almost human.
She placed her hand on her chest and pulled it out then threw it at her sister. It smacked into her, and she spun around in a circle. She ran her hands through her hair and down her body. “I’m so ALIVE!”
The third sister walked over and pulled that tiny piece of spirit out of the other. “My turn.”
When she placed it in her body she didn’t spin or smile but closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, looking up at the stars in the sky. “So beautiful.”
Before the moment was over, the leader ripped the piece of spirit out of her sister and placed it back in the bag. She extended her wings, about to take off. “I like it . . . I’m gonna keep it.”
And then they were gone . . .
Tilly kicked a chair across the street and through the wall of a building. “Shit.”
My thoughts exactly.
CHAPTER 13
TILLY
The ground beneath my bare feet was cold to the touch, yet I liked it. The smell of food, people, and the sea mixed together in a twisted, overwhelming sensation. Night had long since fallen and the moon lit my way. There was nothing but my instincts and running. I moved like a ghost in the night through the trees. The leaves barely rustled under my feet. Branches pulled at my hair and clothing, but I didn’t feel a scratch. Leaves wound through the strands in my hair and fell around my face. But I didn’t care.
I didn’t care about anything.
I felt nothing but freedom.
There was no past. There was no future. There was only the here and now. The colors were vibrant and moved around me. Numb, I was numb. My stomach growled and I turned, following the scent of food down a dark street. Things were closed but I didn’t care. If I wanted it, I would take it. Simple. Clean. I want it. I got it. And then I caught the scent. Strong and alluring. I followed, letting my body blend into the shadows and hunt through the night. She was only a few inches bigger than me, with wild dark waves and a small curvy frame. Easy prey.
The storefronts offered me the hiding places I needed. Stalking her was easy. Her heart hammered in her chest. I heard the beating, smelled her fear on the cold air. She was talking into a phone, but no one on that end would help her. Her body tensed to take off running, but the food in the bag was heavenly and it was mine. I reached out and grabbed her wrist hard. My little talons ripped through her jacket, but I didn’t care.
