Brenna shut the door and twisted the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life. While she didn’t have fire, she did have a ton of metal. Yanking the wheel, she turned the car and aimed straight for the north.
The lead witch’s hands gathered, and he created another plasma ball.
Blast it. Brenna punched the gas pedal. The car lurched forward and shot straight for the witch.
He threw.
Brenna swerved, and the plasma ripped off the passenger side mirror. She pummeled her foot down and aimed for the witch. He tried to duck out of the way, but the car clipped his hip and sent him flying. Pulling to the left, she hit another soldier. This one smashed into her windshield and then fell to the side. She yanked the wheel, sending the car into a slide. The rear careened into the van.
Reaching under her seat, she removed a weapon. Then she jumped from the car, already firing. Did they think she wasn’t armed? Seriously?
Her first burst hit a soldier in the chest. He went down.
She continued spraying and shot the fourth soldier. A ball of plasma blasted into her wrist, and her weapon flew out of reach. Fiery pain ripped through her skin. Her eyes teared. Turning, she met the smiling face of the last standing person from this van. A woman she didn’t recognize held another plasma ball in her hands.
The woman smiled with sharp teeth. “I’d like to take you alive, Councilwoman, but our destiny is to kill you and end your plague.” She threw with impressive force.
Brenna dropped and slid across the ice, hitting the woman at the ankles. The woman fell and jabbed an elbow into Brenna’s gut.
Pain exploded in her stomach. She sucked in air and punched the woman in the nose. Blood spurted.
The woman punched up with an uppercut, hitting Brenna beneath the chin. Her head smacked back against the ice. Shards of pain flashed behind her eyes with bright sparks. Nausea uncoiled in her stomach.
Nails dug into her neck as the woman straddled her and squeezed. Brenna’s eyes flipped open, and she grabbed for the hands choking her. They struggled, the woman using her knees for leverage. Brenna flailed at strong biceps. Tears rolled from her eyes. Her lungs seized in agony.
She managed to maneuver her leg up and between them, but she couldn’t dislodge her attacker.
The world turned gray and fuzzy.
She was so weak. Weaker than a human, even. God. Was this it? Snow sprayed, and Jase grabbed Brenna’s attacker with one arm. The woman catapulted through the snow-filled air, slamming into a sprawling spruce.
Brenna sucked in freezing air. Jase hauled her up. “Get behind me.” He shoved her, not waiting for her to move.
Her lungs screamed as they filled again. She peered around him. The five remaining CRAP soldiers stalked forward in attack formation, brutal colors dancing on their skin as they formed deadly weapons of plasma. All were powerful witches. How could her own people hate her so much?
Jase’s body vibrated, sending out waves of heat. Blood dripped from a wound in the back of his head, and shards of bone stuck out from his shoulder and one arm.
Brenna gulped. He couldn’t beat all five of them with those wounds, and she wasn’t much help. “Let’s take the van,” she whispered.
“No.” His stance settled. “I want them. All of them.” His voice dropped to a low, guttural tone that spiked adrenaline through her veins.
The squad advanced, determination in their eyes.
Brenna grasped Jase’s uninjured arm. “Let’s go, Jase. Now.”
“Your CRAP group is well trained,” he said.
No bloomin’ shit. Using both her hands, she dug her fingers into his muscled arm and tugged. She might as well be trying to move the Liffey Bridge. Okay. Biting her lip, she released him. Shutting her eyes, she tried to alter oxygen molecules into plasma. A sputter erupted on her skin. Her eyes opened only to see the sputter snuff out. Her knees trembled, and she swayed.
Defeat hunched her shoulders. “We need to mate soon.”
He stilled.
Oops. She’d said that out loud. Fighting the urge to kick the back of his knee, she cleared her throat. “I’m going for the van.”
“Lock the doors.”
She wouldn’t leave him to fight alone. Shaking off fear, she angled to his side. “I guess we fight, then.”
Jase’s head jerked back. Good lord. Bravery, beauty, and kindness in such a small, delicate package. Unfortunately, in her current state, Brenna would only get hurt in a fight. He lowered his tone to the one he used when training the younger vampires. “Get your ass in the van, and lock the doors.”
“No.” Her thoughtful tone lacked heat.
What the hell? Most people jumped when he used that tone of voice. “Now, Brenna,” he barked.
She turned her head, surprise filling her pretty eyes. “No.”
His mouth dropped open. Irritation had him snapping it shut. He glared at her. She stood like an angel in the falling snow and stared back, a curious expression wandering across her smooth face. As if she truly didn’t understand why he was quickly getting more pissed off at her than at the advancing soldiers.
“I’m not leaving you to fight alone.” She patted his uninjured arm and turned back toward danger. “You’ve done enough of that. We’re in this together.”
Warmth flushed through him—so hard, so fast—he blinked. “Fine,” he growled and grabbed her arm, fully intending to get in the van.
Suddenly, a black SUV smashed into the far van, sending it spinning. Three more SUVs halted. Coven Nine soldiers leaped out, guns cocked, headed for the CRAP squad. Conn, Moira, and Kane burst out of the second SUV.
Moira already held an oscillating fireball in her hands.
“The cavalry,” Brenna murmured. “How?”
Jase pointed to the communicator still in his ear. “I called Kane.”
“Oh.” She waved at her sister, who immediately dropped her plasma ball and tackled one of the oncoming soldiers to the ground. A punch to the back of the neck, and the guy slumped unconscious. Brenna rubbed her chin. “Moira’s having fun.”
Jase frowned and mentally sent healing cells to his broken shoulder. “I need at least one of them able to talk.”
“Why?” Brenna asked, shoving her hands in her coat pockets. “We know they’re from CRAP and want to take me out.”
“I want to know what the next plan was in case this one failed.” He needed to get her out of the cold. His bones realigned with a loud
“Oh.” She stomped her feet, and her teeth started to chatter. “They’re a pretty tough group. They won’t talk.”
He glanced down at the bluish tint of her lips. “They’ll talk.” Taking her arm, he led her toward the building. The gash in the back of his head mended with sharp stabs of pain. “I’ll meet you upstairs in a few moments.”
She nodded and slipped inside, quickly followed by her sister.
Jase stalked over to where the Coven Nine soldiers had the attackers facedown on the ground. He grabbed the biggest man and jerked him up by the hair. “I need a word with this guy.” Without waiting for an answer, he threw the CRAP member ass-first at the van. The guy rolled up the hood and shattered the windshield. He sprang to his feet, blood pouring down his cheek, hands out. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“I do.” Jase clasped the guy’s belt and tossed him into a parking meter. The metal bent with a lonely shriek.
The guy dropped to his knees, more blood squirting from a split lip. Clapping his hands together, he began forming an orange ball.
Jase kicked him under the chin.
The guy flew back, his head thunking on concrete.
Conn cleared his throat. “If he’s out, he can’t talk.”
True. Jase dropped to his haunches and slid his hand over the man’s throat. “There are four more of you.
