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“Stop,” someone ordered from behind me.

My body jerked when a bullet hit me near my spine. Pain flared up my side when I was shot again, but I kept sucking her blood. If this didn’t work, I was as good as dead. And so was Zan. That thought only had me more determined to finish.

“Get her off me,” Keeva choked out, her voice weak.

Hands grasped my shoulders, but their human strength was nothing. I planted my feet, not moving a muscle. A moment later, the guy behind me let out a yell and I heard teeth tear into flesh when a Shadow attacked him.

I froze when her blood began tasting different. I swallowed one more time before pulling back to stare at the wound. I was doing this for one reason, and it wasn’t to kill her. Even after her betrayal, I didn’t want her dead. Maybe now, there was a chance that we could exist together.

My stomach flipped at the sight, and I stumbled back a few steps still in disbelief at what I did. Keeva whipped around, nearly falling over before she caught her balance.

“What did you do?” she shrieked. “Why do I feel so…”

She trailed off, wiping her neck where she was still bleeding.

“I can do both. Be the light and the dark,” I murmured. “I can feel it. Your power inside me.”

Her hand shook as she raised it, and her eyes widened as she stared at the blood on her hand.

Her bright, red blood.

She wasn’t a Shadow anymore. Because I’d just taken it. I had the power to create and destroy. I flexed my fingers, feeling her blood rush through me.

“No,” she breathed out before her rage filled her voice. “No!”

With a scream, she leaped at me, but with her human strength, it was simple to move out of the way before she could reach me. Shots echoed around the room, and I grunted when I was hit in the shoulder, and then in the thigh. Pain simmered through me as my eyes darted around, and I noticed the Shadows were all staring at me. There were a couple PARA members still standing, but the one who just shot me was already on the ground with a broken neck.

But then a back door slammed open, and more PARA soldiers flooded through with their weapons raised.

“You think you’ve won?” Keeva asked in a trembling voice. “They’ll make sure you don’t leave. Ever.”

Chapter 44

Zan

Ilet out a groan, blinking my eyes open slowly. Until I remembered what happened. I sat up, ignoring the throbbing pulse echoing in my skull. Last thing I remembered was trying to go after Kali until someone shot me in the fucking head. I had no idea how long I was out. My clothes were soaked, and rain was still coming down, but it wasn’t as heavy as before.

“Don’t fucking move,” someone ordered from beside me.

I turned my head to see not one, but four soldiers aiming guns at me. My jaw clenched, and I didn’t move a muscle as I glared at them. While I wanted nothing more than to find Kali, I needed to wait until I knew I wasn’t going to get shot and knocked out again. I tilted my head slightly, throwing my hearing. In the distance, an alarm was blaring in the direction Keeva had dragged Kali.

My heart beat unevenly as panic swept through me. She was alive, at least I knew that. If she wasn’t, I’d be able to feel it. Pax’s yell had my head whipping to the side, and I jumped to my feet, only to stumble back when one of the assholes shot me inthe shoulder. Pain flared down my arm, but at least these bullets weren’t loaded with hawthorn. Or Kali’s blood, thank fuck.

“Stay there,” the soldier demanded, his voice shrill.

My eyes cut to where my brother was, and rage coiled through my limbs. Pax was surrounded by soldiers who were taking turns beating on him while shooting him to make sure he couldn’t fight back. I couldn’t hear or see Viggo anywhere, but he had to be hurt if he wasn’t trying to help Pax.

“You’re all fucking dead,” I spat out, my words earning me another bullet that tore into my ribs.

“We should just kill him,” one soldier said, nerves coating his voice.

“Those aren’t our orders.”

“Reinforcements are coming. They should be here soon.”

“They’re gonna blow the whole building,” one of them muttered, acting as if I wasn’t listening to every word. “We need to get the fuck out of here.”

Building? The one Kali was in?