but her body wasn’t working right. Something powerful pulsed through her veins, growing with each beat of her heart until her body ripped apart. She screamed at the pain as her bones broke, as her muscles and skin and sinew ripped and reshaped. Rage fueled her. When Asmund stumbled upright, Torunn pleaded with her eyes for Dawn to get up and fight .
“Kill her!” Asmund ordered his sons, pointing his long nail at Dawn, condemning her to death. He disappeared into a haze of black fog and barreled toward her. All around her, a tornado of bats and deep purple smog filled the space, but she could see better, could hear better, could sense evil better. Her body worked differently, and she was on four legs instead of two now. She was going to fucking kill Asmund for what he’d done to Torunn, to Garret, to Sadey, and to her. The animal part of her was fed by fury, and she gave her body to the beast. She stumbled forward a step, regained her footing, and bolted for the soft purple outline of Asmund in the middle of his cloud of bats and fog. She leapt through the air and landed on him, slashed at him with her claws as he hit the ground hard under them. She clamped down with her teeth on his face, piercing his ancient skin. It wouldn’t kill him, but she would sure as fuck make him hurt.
Cold hands landed on her back, and she was ripped backward. Twisting in the air, Dawn slapped and clawed and roared a battle cry. Her animal was fearless, which made her human side braver, too. There was no room for terror here in the dim barn, only war.
A loud screeching sound filled the air, like nails on a chalkboard, and Asmund’s sons backed off their attack, shoulders hunched at the sound. Torrun stood in the middle of the barn, fists clenched, head thrown back, screaming the awful noise. Asmund was yelling in agony, his fists over his ears as he writhed on the ground.
Sadey was able to push herself up on all fours, which meant one thing. Torunn was breaking Asmund’s mind control. Dawn bolted for him, raked her claws down his arms. She sank her teeth into his shoulder, latched on, and began dragging his struggling body toward the smashed wall where jagged edges of splintered wood were exposed. She had to figure out a way to get one through his chest, through his ribcage, through his heart.
Asmund was so strong, he jerked from her grip just as the far wall exploded inward, showering them in debris. Dawn flattened her ears and hissed. Torunn’s scream stopped abruptly. In a blur, Asmund wrapped his arms around Dawn tight enough to break her body and sank his teeth into her neck. This wasn’t to drain her, though. Her body belonged fully to the animal, and there would be no Turning her into a vampire now. This was Asmund’s desperate attempt to end her, to end Garret, but she wasn’t helpless anymore.
Dawn bit his throat and held on as Asmund grunted in pain and clutched her tighter. Her ribs were snapping, and this was it. She couldn’t escape his grip. Sadey was fighting one of the sons, and there was smoke and rubble everywhere. Torunn was gone, and Dawn was sorry. Sorry she hadn’t been able to hold on, sorry her animal couldn’t help more, sorry she was leaving Garret like Torunn had to.
The outer edges of her vision collapsed inward and dimmed, and then another rib cracked.
Dawn looked up helplessly at the stars that twinkled through the hole in the ceiling. Suddenly, the sky was clouded with millions of bats that flooded into the barn.
Please be real.
The air around her kicked up and she could feel them now.
The Winterset Coven was here.
Her mate was here.
The pain was excruciating as Asmund’s teeth were ripped out of her neck, but in an instant, he was gone. He was lifted up, up toward the stars until she couldn’t see him anymore. Dawn struggled to her belly and snarled as the barn was filled with screams and curses and war. Bats clashed, and men battled. Aric had one of Asmund’s sons against the ground,
“Kill her!” Asmund ordered his sons, pointing his long nail at Dawn, condemning her to death. He disappeared into a haze of black fog and barreled toward her. All around her, a tornado of bats and deep purple smog filled the space, but she could see better, could hear better, could sense evil better. Her body worked differently, and she was on four legs instead of two now. She was going to fucking kill Asmund for what he’d done to Torunn, to Garret, to Sadey, and to her. The animal part of her was fed by fury, and she gave her body to the beast. She stumbled forward a step, regained her footing, and bolted for the soft purple outline of Asmund in the middle of his cloud of bats and fog. She leapt through the air and landed on him, slashed at him with her claws as he hit the ground hard under them. She clamped down with her teeth on his face, piercing his ancient skin. It wouldn’t kill him, but she would sure as fuck make him hurt.
Cold hands landed on her back, and she was ripped backward. Twisting in the air, Dawn slapped and clawed and roared a battle cry. Her animal was fearless, which made her human side braver, too. There was no room for terror here in the dim barn, only war.
A loud screeching sound filled the air, like nails on a chalkboard, and Asmund’s sons backed off their attack, shoulders hunched at the sound. Torrun stood in the middle of the barn, fists clenched, head thrown back, screaming the awful noise. Asmund was yelling in agony, his fists over his ears as he writhed on the ground.
Sadey was able to push herself up on all fours, which meant one thing. Torunn was breaking Asmund’s mind control. Dawn bolted for him, raked her claws down his arms. She sank her teeth into his shoulder, latched on, and began dragging his struggling body toward the smashed wall where jagged edges of splintered wood were exposed. She had to figure out a way to get one through his chest, through his ribcage, through his heart.
Asmund was so strong, he jerked from her grip just as the far wall exploded inward, showering them in debris. Dawn flattened her ears and hissed. Torunn’s scream stopped abruptly. In a blur, Asmund wrapped his arms around Dawn tight enough to break her body and sank his teeth into her neck. This wasn’t to drain her, though. Her body belonged fully to the animal, and there would be no Turning her into a vampire now. This was Asmund’s desperate attempt to end her, to end Garret, but she wasn’t helpless anymore.
Dawn bit his throat and held on as Asmund grunted in pain and clutched her tighter. Her ribs were snapping, and this was it. She couldn’t escape his grip. Sadey was fighting one of the sons, and there was smoke and rubble everywhere. Torunn was gone, and Dawn was sorry. Sorry she hadn’t been able to hold on, sorry her animal couldn’t help more, sorry she was leaving Garret like Torunn had to.
The outer edges of her vision collapsed inward and dimmed, and then another rib cracked.
Dawn looked up helplessly at the stars that twinkled through the hole in the ceiling. Suddenly, the sky was clouded with millions of bats that flooded into the barn.
Please be real.
The air around her kicked up and she could feel them now.
The Winterset Coven was here.
Her mate was here.
The pain was excruciating as Asmund’s teeth were ripped out of her neck, but in an instant, he was gone. He was lifted up, up toward the stars until she couldn’t see him anymore. Dawn struggled to her belly and snarled as the barn was filled with screams and curses and war. Bats clashed, and men battled. Aric had one of Asmund’s sons against the ground,
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