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Like I was meant to do this.

To conquer the dark that was threatening this world.

“Shoot at the vampires around him,” Pax said tightly. “We all have stakes?”

The only person that shook her head was Keeva. I crouched down, grabbing the stake from my boot since I’d brought twoand had one stashed in my other boot. She reached for it, and I held onto it, meeting her eyes.

“This is only for Amaros. If you attack me, Zan, or his brothers, we’re going to have a problem,” I threatened.

She scowled, yanking the stake from my grip. “I know why we’re here. Right now, it’s not for his sons, it’s for him.”

“For me? I should feel special.”

Amaros’s quiet voice filtered through the air, and I snapped my head up to see him staring at us. Beside me, Zan went rigid, his glare on his father. Amaros tilted his head, his vicious smile aimed at me as he raised his arm and crooked his finger in an order to come get him.

“You two think you can defeat me?” he bellowed, making his vampires form a tight circle around him. “Two girls who have been on this earth for twenty-five years. You arenothing. Come and try. It will end with you bowing to me.”

Keeva lurched forward too fast for me to stop her. She aimed her gun and shot at the closest vampires, making them drop almost instantly. Viggo let out a curse as we followed. The Shadows were behind us, and they crashed into the vampires as they fought. Bullets flew by, and a slice of panic swelled inside me. While I hoped the Shadows who came with Keeva wouldn’t turn on Zan and his brothers, I couldn’t be sure. One bullet with my blood and any of them would become human again.

“Go, Kali,” Rya urged as we got closer. “We’ll deal with the vampires.”

I threw her a tense smile. How many of them wouldn’t survive? What if we lost? I shook my head.No.We were here for a reason. To kill Amaros Kane. To keep the vampires from invading this world and controlling it.

Amaros let out a laugh that sent a shudder sweeping through me. He wasn’t scared of us. He had every belief that he was stronger. That he would succeed no matter what. Zan wasrunning beside me as we reached the vampires, and he made sure nothing separated us. We all had guns with wooden bullets, but unless we shot them in the head, the injuries wouldn’t keep them down for long.

The rain was still pouring, and the ground was pure mud. Yells and screams filled the air as we clashed with the vampires. I shot the one who was leaping toward Zan, and he fell in a puddle before Pax bent down and staked him in the heart. Thunder cracked through the air, drowning out my next shot.

The strength of the Shadows and vampires made this fight almost surreal even though I’d been a Shadow for months. Their speed made it impossible to track their movements as I pushed through the bodies. Necks were being snapped. Hands going through chests to rip out hearts. I let out a yell when I was suddenly knocked to the side. Viggo ripped the vampire off me before shooting him in the head.

I wasn’t sure how many were fighting, but there was blood and carnage no matter where I looked. Keeva was right in front of me, and she halted so quickly I slammed into her back.

“Where is he?” she asked in a low voice. “I lost sight of him for a fucking second.”

My head was on a swivel, but the vampires were leaving us alone and fighting the other Shadows. Which didn’t make me feel better at all. They were under Amaros’s orders. Zan noticed it too and eliminated the small space between us.

“Move away from her, Zan.”

The voice came from behind us, and we whirled around to see Amaros standing with two vampires on either side of him. His eyes gleamed dangerously as he raised a gun and shot Pax in the stomach. Viggo let out a shout, shock flaring across his face as he glowered at his father.

“That’s an order,” Amaros hissed, looking at Zan. “Move away from her. And then stay there.”

My heart hammered when Zan took a small step to the side, his entire body shaking as he fought the entrancement. I moved to follow him until pain flared down my arm from a bullet.

“That was a warning,” Amaros said, keeping the gun on me. “Try to go to him again and the next bullet will be going through your skull.”

Keeva cursed, and I glanced behind me to see her fighting with two vampires. Looking forward again, I took aim, shooting my last three bullets at Amaros in an attempt to just weaken him so I could get closer. But two bodies jumped in front of him, shielding him. They stumbled back when they were hit, one of them falling to his knees.

Before I made another move, Amaros was right in front of me.Fuck, he was so fast. Viggo snatched my arm, hauling me back and putting himself between me and his father. Zan let out a groan, his eyes closed.

Amaros tsked. “Viggo. You disappoint me. But I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it.”

Viggo was purposely not meeting his eyes to avoid getting entranced, but it didn’t seem to bother Amaros. Pax was on the ground, hunched over as he tried digging out the bullet that was lodged somewhere in his ribs.

“This is your last chance, Kali.” Amaros’s voice was deathly cold. “Bow to me, or you’ll watch as I kill the one you’re bonded to.”

“He’s your son,” I snarled.

“He’syourmate. He will never follow me when it comes to you,” he roared, his eyes blazing with fury. “You’re the reason he has to die.”