September Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

hardness there I wasn’t used to. Worst of all, I saw a spark of hatred.
    I hit him with my power, grabbed hold of his life force and brought him to his knees. My intent wasn’t to kill but to hurt. His energy bent easily, responding to my manipulations. Kale made a pained noise but did an admirable job of keeping his composure.
    “The only respect I seem to get from vampires these days comes when I have them on their knees,” I said with a slow, angry smile. “Now why do you think that might be?”
    The power rose fast, quickly overflowing into the atmosphere around us. I was aware of the vampire essence in the building. It was time to send my own damn message, even if I had to use Kale to do it.
    Concentrating hard, I could feel every vampire in the city. Drawing on my bond with Arys, I mustered all the power I could and slammed it into every vampire I sensed, starting with the one right in front of me. I was sorry about those who didn’t deserve it, like Justin. Still, it had to be done.
    I had done this once before in a moment of extreme rage brought on by seeing Shaz with the vampiress he’d gotten involved with. The force flowed through me, crashing over each vampire in my mind’s eyes like an ocean wave. I felt it hit each target in a massive ripple effect.
    It would have been satisfying if it didn’t hurt so damn much. Pain racked my brain as my mortal body acted as a channel to so much supernatural power. Every time I did this, it came easier than the last time, but it hurt a hell of a lot more too. It was breaking me down.
    It was a swift assault, hard and fast, a warning rather than a true attack. The message was clear. If they wanted to challenge me, they would lose. I released my hold on the energy and stumbled. Shoving myself backwards, I hit the wall across from Kale’s door and struggled to stay upright. Blood ran steadily from my nose to stain my shirt.
    Kale lay on the floor in the doorway, spitting blood and glaring daggers at me. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, smearing blood across my face. Wicked laughter bubbled up inside me.
    “Sorry, sweet thing,” I said between gasps for breath. “I’m done with secrets and assholes.”
    I shoved away from the wall and, swaying like a drunk, made my way toward the exit sign glowing at the end of the hall. The high of the power rush was dizzying, leaving me feeling disoriented. It wasn’t usually this bad.
    “The truth always comes out, Kale,” I called over my shoulder. “You want me to stay away from you? Consider it done. But I will find out what it is you’re not telling me.”
    Perhaps I would feel bad about this later. But hell, I owed him one.
    Vampires and secrets. Story of my life.
    I almost collapsed on the pavement outside. Once safely inside my car, I sat there with my head back, staring up through the sunroof.
    ‘Want to tell me what that was?’ Arys’s melodic tone whispered through my mind. ‘Is everything ok?’
    Of course he had felt my little stunt. In an attempt to practice what I preached, I was honest. ‘No. It’s not. It’s been a shitty night. Nothing I can’t handle though. Don’t feel like you have to rush home.’
    ‘Then what was with the power play?’ His skepticism came through just fine. I even knew the look he’d be giving me if he were here.
    ‘I needed to send a message. Pretty sure I accomplished that. I’ll tell you everything when you get home. Promise.’ Truth be told, I missed Arys like crazy. And he’d only been gone two days. We were made to be together, and I felt it in the worst way with fourteen-hundred miles between us.
    ‘I’ll be there tomorrow night. It’s killing me to be away from you.’ His admittance was colored with annoyance. ‘I’m not coming back to Vegas again until you can come with me.’
    I shared his irritation. Shya grounding me to the city was not something I’d anticipated. ‘How’s everything there?’ I needed to know things were under control there.