Page 100 of Nearly Dead

They attack simultaneously.Sully charges with werewolf speed while Costin blurs into vampire movement.The two supernatural predators converge on a single target.Me.

Time seems to slow.The power rises, not in a controlled surge but in a tidal wave of fear.I don’t think, don’t plan, simply react.My hands extend, one toward each attacker.

The telekinetic blast catches them both midair, freezing them in place.Sully’s eyes widen in shock.Costin’s face shows a mixture of pride and concern.I hold them suspended, neither able to move forward or retreat.

The truth is I’m not sure how to turn it off.

My heart pounds.The power inside me shifts.The cold surges, not content to simply hold them suspended.It wants more.It wants to squeeze, to crush, to demonstrate complete dominance.A voice whispers to do it, to destroy everything, bring the building down, burn the city.

My fingers begin to curl inward.I feel the pressure around them increasing.

“Tamara,” Costin warns, his voice strained.“Enough.”

Sully coughs violently.

I don’t release them.I can’t.The power has taken over, flowing unchecked through my veins.My vision dims at the edges, turning red.I feel my fangs extend and my claws lengthen.The hybrid is emerging, driven by this new, cold force.

“Tamara!”Anthony’s voice cuts through the haze.“Stop!”

I turn toward him, a snarl building in my throat.He takes an involuntary step back, his hands raising defensively.

“This isn’t you,” he says, his voice steadier than his stance.“Control it.”

But it is me.This is what I’m becoming.Power without conscience.Strength without humanity.The realization hits me like a physical blow, bringing me back to myself just enough to see what I’m doing.

“Anthony,” I plead, not understanding how to stop it.

He charges at me, knocking me in the chest.I resist the urge to shove him back.We land hard on the ground.The impact makes me release the telekinetic hold.Costin and Sully drop to the ground, both landing in crouches, ready to defend themselves if necessary.Anthony rolls away from me, leaving me on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, staring at my hands as if they belong to someone else.Whatever I absorbed in the crypt, it’s not just vampire coldness.It’s darker.Hungrier.“I don’t know what happened.”

“I do,” Costin says, straightening slowly.“The power is feeding on your emotions, or rather, your lack of them.Without humanity to temper it, it becomes pure force, unchecked by conscience or compassion.”

Sully rubs his throat and breathes deeply.“That was unexpected.”

“We need to be careful,” Anthony says, looking between us.“If Tamara can’t control this new ability?—”

“I can,” I interrupt, though I’m not entirely convinced.“I just need practice.”

“No,” Costin says firmly.“What you need is to reconnect with your humanity.The vampire detachment is natural, but it’s being amplified by whatever power you absorbed in the crypt.If we don’t find a way to balance it...”

He doesn’t finish the thought.He doesn’t need to.We all understand the implication.I could become something worse than Elizabeth.

“I’ll help you,” Anthony offers.“We could try some meditation techniques for grounding you.”

“You should be around your pack members,” Sully adds.“Being around werewolves might help strengthen that side of your nature.The wolf is emotional, instinctual, the opposite of what you’re experiencing now.”

I nod, grateful for their support even if I can’t fully feel that gratitude.

“For now, I think that’s enough testing,” Costin says, his tone brooking no argument.“We should rejoin Astrid and Davis to finalize our plan for tomorrow.”

As we return to the elevator, I catch Costin watching me with an expression I can’t quite decipher.His concern is mixed with a deep fear.I wonder if he’s scared of me or for me.

I should be upset by that.Instead, I find myself wondering if that fear is warranted.If I’m becoming something that should be feared.

The thought follows me on the elevator ride up, lingering as we rejoin the others.My father is gone.Astrid doesn’t say to where and I don’t ask.Costin brings me more blood and demands I drink it.The others tell Astrid what happened, and they fall back into their plans.I find myself drawn to the window overlooking the city.I want to float down there like a cold wind and wrap myself around the helpless people below.

When Astrid and Anthony finally leave for their own quarters within the building, and Sully leaves to gather the wolves, I find myself alone with Costin in the penthouse.

---