The sound of crunching gravel had Ree sitting up and reaching for the power. She didn’t see anyone around the yard, but her power told her there was someone or something just outside the large brick wall at the back of the property. Slowly, Ree stood and walked toward the wall. This might be her chance to test her theory. And, if nothing else, it might give her the confidence she needed to face the ugly battle coming her way.

She could hear the person on the other side of the wall breathing, but it was the power that told her it was a darkling. Reaching further with the power, she realized there were several other darklings spread around the surrounding streets. Tristan and the Dark Ones had set their day-time eyes on the bed and breakfast. She heard a sound come from inside of the bed and breakfast and she made up her mind up quickly. Moving quicker than she ever had before, she jumped to the back of an old bench and vaulted over the wall. A smile of pleasure curved her mouth as she realized how easily she had made the jump. The triumph was short-lived as she looked up. The darkling was disappearing around the corner, and the sound of raised voices from the house drifted to where Ree was crouched. Firming her resolve, Ree darted down the tiny alley after the darkling.

Chapter Two

The night before, Paden had been in danger. A terrible nightmare came to life before Ree’s eyes, but she had somehow been able to move faster than any human possibly could. She had shoved the Dark One, a full-fledged Dark One, away from Paden. It shouldn’t have been possible, but she could remember the feeling of her arms and legs moving in fast forward. Paden hadn’t mentioned anything about it and Ree suspected he may not have really understood what had happened. However, it had bounced around in Ree’s mind for hours last night. What if Sophie had passed on more to her than her ability to touch magic?

Ree skidded around the corner and watched as the darkling shoved past pedestrians. He was headed toward one of the nearby squares, and she was intent on catching him. She wanted to know what he had been up to behind the house. Instead of following him through the crowds of people and drawing attention to herself, she headed for a side street that would keep her out of the public. It took less time than she had planned, and she belatedly realized that she may have been moving at speeds faster than a normal human. She looked over her shoulder and hoped no one had noticed. Slowing to a walk, Ree reached for the power and felt the darkling nearing the square in front of her.

Stepping out into the light, she tried to keep her pace casual and hoped none of the people recognized her face from the wanted pictures on last night’s news broadcast. She felt it the moment the darkling saw her in the square. She had her back to him, but his shock was palpable. Surprise warred with worry as he tried to decide if this was a trap or good timing. She caught his movement out of the corner of her eye as he checked behind him to see if someone was coming for him. Ree almost smiled as she understood he hadn’t realized it was her following him. Apparently smarter than he looked, he pulled a cell phone from his pocket and made a quick call.

The off-kilter, cold spots of darklings Ree had felt around the city began to move in her direction. Ree’s step faltered and she openly looked over her shoulder at the darkling. A young man in his early twenties, he was thin and angry looking. Ree picked up her pace and thought about trying to get back to the house. There were five darklings nearby, and even though she had wanted to test her new abilities, this may have not been her smartest move. Paden’s going to go crazy when I get back, Ree thought.

Her heartbeat picked up, and she thought about running for it, but decided her new abilities were her only surprise weapon. If she could get away without showing her hand, that was what she needed to do.

The darkling smiled at her and started to walk after her with slow, predatory steps. Something in his expression scared Ree, and she realized it was the mixture of lust and confidence. She could feel his nasty thoughts as she picked up her pace. He wanted her to run, wanted to see her panic. Stuttering to a halt, anger bloomed in her chest. Why the hell should she be afraid of a darkling? She was the Alastriana. She had a power on her side he would never be able to understand. Turning to look at him, she spread her feet and prepared to make her stand. She had a thing or two to show this darkling, and she would be damned if she was going to run now.

As if the humans in the square understood something ugly was about to happen, they quickly left the area. Ree snorted and tried to not think about it. Whether they sensed there was more than meets the eye, or generally didn’t want to be near a domestic dispute, every single one of them had hightailed it out of there. She opened her hands at her side and watched as the darkling came toward her.

“Not going to run?” He spit on the ground. “I like it when they run.”

“Where the hell do they find you guys? Assholes-R-Us?” Ree pulled on the power in her chest and felt her feet try to leave the ground. Letting go of a little power, she tried to keep herself calm as she waited for the darkling to get closer.

He didn’t answer, just snarled as black crept into his eyes. When he was a few yards away, he made his move. Darting toward Ree with his hands outstretched, he never expected her counter-attack. Spinning, quickly, she ducked to the side and planted her foot on his butt. He barely caught himself before nose-planting on the cobblestone path. Snarling, he turned toward her and moved again. She tried to not snicker as he telegraphed his upcoming attack. His fist swung up toward her jaw, and she grabbed it midair. Using his momentum, she flung him over her hip and onto his back in a move Roland had taught her on the island.

Keeping hold of his hand, she twisted it until he hollered and placed her foot on his chest. “Now, what should I do with you before your friends get here?”

He struggled and sputtered, but couldn’t break her hold. Ree wasn’t sure if that was because of her technique or her new suspected powers. Either way, she was happy with the results.

“What were you doing behind the bed and breakfast?”

“Spying.”

“And what did you learn?”

“Get off me, bitch.”

She twisted his arm until she heard something pop and he howled in pain. She didn’t let up, or move so he could catch his breath. Instead, she kept on with her interrogation. She could feel her Guardians zeroing in on her location and she would be damned if they would take this moment from her. For the first time, she didn’t feel like the weak human that would break if someone looked at her wrong.

“What did you find and who did you tell?”

“Barrier.Can’t hear through it. Can’t see much.” Heavy pants filled the pauses between his words.

“What else?”

“Guardian and you are together.” That made Ree pause and her stomach clenched. This jerk had watched her with Paden.

“Not a big secret, so you have to do better than that.” She tried to keep the disgust out of her words. She didn’t want him to know what he had said bothered her.

“Roland is your lap dog.” For just a moment his eyes cleared of pain and smiled viciously. “You must be a good fuck. Don’t know why all those guys want you otherwise.”

“Who did you tell?” It took all of her self-control to not beat the daylights out of him.

“Ree!” Paden was pissed and she knew he was only seconds from reaching her.

Leaning down she looked the darkling in the eyes. “Who did you tell?”

“Your big brother.” Laughing, the Dark One closed his eyes. Unable to stomach the sound, Ree let go of his arm and placed a swift kick to the side of his head. The vile sound cut off just as Paden reached her.

“What. The. Hell. Are you doing out here?” His hands closed on her shoulders and forced her to look up at him.

“My job.” She could feel his fear and love, so she tried to quell her irritation. “I’m the Alastriana, Paden. I can take care of myself too.”

As if to prove her point, she shrugged out of his grasp and looked around the clearing as the other darklings emerged. When they realized she wasn’t alone, they stopped and watched them warily. It was apparent they knew better than to mess with her Guardians. Darklings just didn’t stand against the immortal warriors.

Not wanting them to leave with nothing to show for their encounter, Ree grabbed the power and felt her head snap backward. As green rippled out from her body, she carefully maneuvered it around Paden and toward the cold spots of dying energy. Lifting her head, she watched as they flew backward and were pinned to the ground by her power. Surprise made her mouth open slightly. Under the cold of the alien disease, many of these darklings had a large amount of their human soul intact.

Turning to Paden, she shook her head. “They’re mostly human. I can feel their souls still glowing under everything.”

“What are you saying?” His eyes looked from Ree to the darkling at their feet.

“I’m saying I think they can be saved.” Ree felt relief well up inside of her. She didn’t want to kill anyone if she could help it. And darklings weren’t completely dead yet.

“What? No, Ree. That’s insane.” He reached out to grab her arm, but stopped. For a brief moment, Ree could feel his awe for her and the fear that clenched his heart. “You can’t do that, Ree.”

“I think I can, Pay.” Looking down at the darkling at her feet, she grimaced. He didn’t deserve it, but she would rather him rot in a prison than spend eternity as a nightmare preying on innocent girls. She looked at Paden and nodded her head as if making her decision. “We don’t have a lot of time. Let me do this.”

Not waiting for his reply, she turned her attention to the darkling and closed her eyes. She knew Paden would watch out for her while she worked. Letting the power fill her, she pushed it toward the darkling. It was like a light in the middle of the night. Darkness fled as she worked from his center and pulsed outward. The disease was more stubborn near a newer bite and in his mind. She added more power as she cleaned, letting it scrub away at the shadows and stains. Within moments, she opened her eyes and looked up at Paden.

He was staring at her with bright eyes, his expression full of wonder and fear. “You did it.”

“I did it.” She realized she was floating a few inches from the ground and forced her feet back to the ground.

“We don’t have time for you to do the rest, Ree. We have to get back to the house. There are police everywhere. I have no idea why they aren’t all over this square. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier.”

“What about the others?” She looked at the darklings still pinned to the ground.

“They’ll just have to wait. Can you leave them pinned to the ground? Maybe the cops will arrest them for public intoxication or something.”

“Yeah, I think I can do that.” Closing her eyes, she used some of the techniques Sophie had shown her when imbuing things with a purpose. The one she knew best was that of protection, but with a little tweaking she was able to convince the ground energy it needed to keep the people in those places. Working as quickly as possible, she made the energy bend to hold the darklings still. Her intent was clear, but she didn’t know how long it would hold.

“Okay. Let’s go. I think that’s the best I can do for now.”

Without hesitation, Paden grabbed her hand and headed for the same alley she had used earlier. Looking back over her shoulder, Ree almost tripped. Sitting on a bench as if she had been there the entire time was Athena. She nodded her head at Ree and, with a crack of energy, disappeared.

Getting her feet back under her, she picked up the pace and hurried alongside Paden. They moved quickly, but not fast enough to draw unwanted attention. He was still worried about getting her safely to the house, and she could feel his fury rising to the surface. Her pleasant morning had certainly taken a turn for the ugly.

Chapter Three

Ree and Paden made it back to the bed and breakfast in record time. The sound of sirens filled the air, and a cop car roared past the alley entrance. Paden held his arm to keep Ree from stepping into the road and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Sensing her annoyance he turned and looked at her.

“We’re fugitives now.” Raising his eyebrow, Paden smiled wickedly. He moved toward Ree until she was backed against the brick wall. Placing a hand on either side of Ree’s shoulders, Paden barricaded her between his arms. “For being a good girl, you get into an awful lot of trouble.”

Ree snorted. “Who said I’m a good girl?”

Paden smiled down at her, obviously disagreeing. She could feel his humor bubbling under the surface.

“Okay. Maybe I was a good girl. But I’m turning a new leaf. Rebellion here I come!”

“Bar fights, murder, and arson. You don’t do anything small, huh?” Paden moved closer to her and she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Go big or go home.” As if to prove her point, Ree reached up and pulled Paden’s head down. Feeling brave after her morning adventure, she ran her lips over his and slid her hands through his hair. He was all too eager to let her work out her left-over adrenaline and slid his hands down her arms before moving to her waist. When his fingers bunched her shirt so it slid up her lower back, she gasped at the cold air on her skin. He took his opportunity and plundered her mouth.

Not wanting to let him be the one to take control of the kiss, she ran her hands under his shirt and up his back before sliding them around to his stomach. Hooking her fingers into the top of his pants she pulled him to her and enjoyed his grunt of pleasure. She leaned back to nip his bottom lip and moaned when his hands slid up her back and under her shirt. His fingers drifted beneath the clasp of her bra but stilled and didn’t move. He pulled back a little and placed a slower, gentle kiss on her swollen lips before leaning his forehead against hers.

“I’m still mad at you, you know.”

Not trusting herself to talk quite yet, she pursed her lips in annoyance... Slowly he pulled his hand back out of her shirt and raised it to touch her cheek. “What were you thinking, Ree? You could have been hurt.”

“I know, but I needed to test myself and I knew you wouldn’t have let me.”

“Test yourself how?” He leaned back so he could see her face clearly and moved his hand away from her cheek.

“When Sophie moved her Death Gift to me it gave me… a lot more power. I wanted to know just how much.” Ree winced. She had almost told him she suspected Sophie had given her more than just power.

“What? Slow down. You wanted to see how much power you could hold?” Paden’s eyes widened and his breath left in a rush. “Ree, you didn’t have to sneak away to do that. Did you run out looking for a darkling?”