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“They brought a witch. Fuck. ” Cian shook his head, aggravated. He handed Amaliya a dagger. “Strike to kill. No mercy. ” He was already weakened from healing himself from the accident and now even weaker after healing from the silver bullets. Which was probably exactly what their attackers wanted.

“Why isn’t there any sound?” Amaliya asked, fear strangling her throat.

“Magic. She has us in a bubble. It will keep all the humans away from here, which is a good thing. They don’t need to witness what is about to happen. ”

“Which is?” Amaliya asked fearfully.

“Us killing them. ”

The crumpled car rose into the air before being tossed up the street. Amaliya cried out in surprise. A slim Hispanic man in jeans, a leather jacket and cowboy boots grinned as he raised his weapon and aimed. Cian leaped to his feet and ducked away from the barrage of gunfire aimed at him. Scrambling to follow, Amaliya grunted as a massive form erupted from the shadows and tackled her to the ground. The big man straddled her, pinning her to the asphalt.

A meaty fist hit her twice before she managed to grab the thick wrist of her assailant. The big beefy face of one of Santo’s men glared down at her. She recognized him from her captivity months before. He was wearing another ugly yellow shirt and his shaved head gleamed in the light from the streetlamp. This was the same asshole who had beat the living hell out of her a few months before.

“What’s up, chica?” He hit her with his other huge fist and she lost her grip on his wrist. Grabbing her top, he dragged her upward. Bringing his head down, he head butted her.

Amaliya literally saw stars.

The big man chuckled as she reeled from his blow, one hand drawing out silver shackles from his jeans. “Time to go meet your new master. ”

“Fuck you!”

Before he could capture her wrist, Amaliya shoved the silver-edged dagger into his thick neck. Gasping, he clutched his throat. Amaliya planted her heels on his chest and kicked him off her. Rolling away, she hurriedly clambered to her feet.

Nearby, Santos’s other goon was continuing to fire at Cian. Cian dodged the bullets, moving closer to the attacker.

Meanwhile, the witch continued to maintain the spell that was keeping the human world from seeing the battle as her cold dark eyes watched. “Kill him!” she shouted. “Hurry up and kill him! We need to get the girl!”

Cian was a streak in the night. Amaliya knew he was burning up his power. Very soon he’d weaken and be deranged with the hunger. Cian reached the gunman, knocked the firearm from his hand, and hurled him into the SUV. The impact of the man’s body caved in the side of the vehicle. Cian stalked after him, kicking away the gun that had fallen from the man’s hand.

Amaliya heard a scuffling noise and quickly turned to see the bald guy getting to his feet. He had dragged the blade out of his throat and now held the dagger at his side.

“Nice move, puta. Now I got your weapon. Let’s see what else you got,” he said, grinning. His bloodied teeth and fangs glimmered.

Despite the fear clawing its way up out of her chest, Amaliya stepped into a defensive position. “Bring it, Pikachu. ”

“Not such a badass away from the graveyard, are you, bitch?”

Amaliya shrugged. “You shouldn’t count on that. ” She reached down within herself and found the core of her power. Slowly she began to feed it with the remaining blood in her veins, unwinding it.

It took all her willpower not to look behind her and check on Cian. She had to trust him to take care of himself.

The big vampire in the blood-stained yellow shirt smirked as he pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her. “Too easy,” he said.

As his finger squeezed the trigger, Amaliya unleashed her power. It sliced out like icy razors, filling the world around her. A cold wind swirled around her as she felt the dead reach out to her, answering her call. It only took a fraction of a second for her to ensnare them and pull them to her along the pulsing waves of her power, drawing them through the earth to her side.

Just before the first bullet was about to puncture her chest, the dead exploded out of the street. Bullets punched into their bodies as Amaliya was enveloped by the throng of the corpses.

The witch screamed in terror.

The hulking vampire gasped. “What the fuck?”

“Surprise, asshole. ” Amaliya sent the dead after the big vampire in the ugly yellow shirt, urging them to kill him.

The vampire howled, his pistol firing until it clicked empty. “No fucking way!”

Dry, shrunken bodies, moldering clothes, and ratty hair filled her vision as she pushed her way through the zombies. She wanted to reach Cian, but she had summoned more dead than she realized. As she passed by her minions, they touched her reverently, her bloodied flesh infusing them with more life. The big bald vampire screeched in terror, fighting the corpses. Amaliya felt her zombies being torn apart through her connection with them. The vampire was physically more powerful than the zombies. Turning, she reached out and grabbed two of the nearest corpses with her bloody hands. She poured her power into them, and through them into their brethren.

“Kill him,” she ordered.