Page 81 of Cold Sacrifice

“Kill her,” Jolene screamed. “Kill her, you fucking murdering bastard!”

He struggled, he did. His body tightened, his fingers dug into my flesh so hard I was afraid he would break my bones, and he deepened an already intense kiss.

I met his tongue with my own, and then, just as I felt his control weakening when Jolene put everything she had into swaying him, my tongue scraped over his fangs. Blood welled immediately, spilling over his tongue and down his throat and into his brain, and then, the master was back.

Not just a little. His power burst from him and he pulled away from me, roaring as he left me for Jolene.

But he didn’t want her kiss, or her blood, or her love. He only wanted her dead. And with my blood sliding down his throat, he took death to her.

His roar freed his vampires, and his command beckoned them. They forced me away as they gathered around the necromancer and the master, and abruptly, Jared was at my back, pulling me against his bare heat.

I heard the necromancer scream, and I saw some of the vampires stutter, turn on each other—though weakly—as they were pulled between her sway and their master’s command. But I knew that for Jolene, the fight was over.

Bastien would kill her, and this time, he would make sure she stayed dead.

Still, there was one thing I needed before we left. “Bastien, the stake,” I yelled, and even over the low roar and rage of his people and the screams of the necromancer, he heard me. Or maybe he simply felt me.

The stake flew through the air, end over end, hit the wall, and fell to the floor. I snatched it up and held it to me, sending one last look at the crowd of vampires.

Then we left them to it. They didn’t need us now.

I ran through the doorway with Jared and Sam, the wolves behind us, out into the fresh air where no smell of death and rot lingered.

I would check on Remy, spend time with Jared, and I would get Joe.

It was over.

Only it wasn’t, of course.

Chapter Thirty

When we exited the house, there were three large, black SUVs lined up in the driveway, waiting to transport Jared and some of his wolves to Shadowfield.

I was surprised to see Aaron was waiting for me and even more surprised to see Richard waiting with him. Aaron would have no idea that a ghost stood beside him, but he didn’t bat an eye when I started talking to Richard.

“Thank you, Aaron,” I said, then frowned at Richard. “Showing up when the fight is over isn’t very helpful.”

He shrugged, but his face was almost alive with joy. “Sorry, but I can only help you with spirits, Kait.”

“I think you can do more than that,” I said drily. “I’ve seen you hold a pen to write your name and scare a man half to death with your hug.”

“Yes, but even those took energy. I can’t physically fight battles with you.” Then he smiled. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Kait?” Jared asked.

The wolves in Long Shadow were dead. They’d dragged themselves into hiding to protect the pack, because that’s what wolves did. But Jolene had drained them to fuel her life and her magic, and they couldn’t live through that. After he and his wolves had found the dead pair, Jared had brought them home to Shadowfield.

“The ghost I freed from my office is here,” I told Jared. “Will you ride to Shadowfield with Sam and me?”

“I will,” he told me. And when we were all in the car and driving away from Alexandria, I could only feel relief. There’d been no huge battle between Bastien and me. I hadn’t had to fight the necromancer and her whip of flesh-melting magic again. Except for Remy, we were all fine.

That was the moment I began to believe that it wasn’t quite over yet. Jolene wasn’t going to easily die and leave forever. I just had a feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Jared asked, when I shivered.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Jolene,” I told him. “It was too easy. I have a bad feeling.”

“She’s not gone,” Richard agreed. “She’s going to cause some trouble yet, my dear, and that is where I can help.”