Unbound

Time slowed down for that second and the world drifted away so that there was only that blond nightwalker with a look of triumph on his face. Fear brought a scream to my lips as he erupted into flames. As I expected, he was immediately hit with the white spray of the fire extinguisher, but that didn’t stop me. I focused my powers, burning him on the inside and out. He howled, rolling off me. The nightwalker clawed at his chest until fire finally peeked through his blackened skin. The other nightwalkers drew back, but that didn’t save them.

Sitting up, I directed my powers to all those around me, burning them on the inside and out, cooking them so thoroughly that Justin and his little fire extinguisher couldn’t save one of them. Chaos reigned in the house, but it was my brand of chaos. While I burned any nightwalker that I saw, I also projected the images throughout all of Savannah. Any nightwalker within range would see the bloodbath that was raging through the house.

I am the Fire Starter! I am the Keeper of this domain! This was my answer to the chaos and the threats around me.

I thought I heard Bishop’s laughter in my head as I doused the last of the flames and rose to my feet. The room was filled with charred, blackened bodies. Justin was in the far corner, still holding the now empty fire extinguisher. I smiled at him as I approached.

“You were right,” I said, grabbing a handful of his brown hair and slamming his head into the wall. “It has been way too long since I properly broke in a fledgling. It’s a shame about your family, though. I think I destroyed most of them.”

“Mira—”

“The Ravana family is no more. You will return to the Coven and tell them that I have restored order here.”

“Y-y-yes,” he agreed, attempting to nod, but he couldn’t move his head within my grip.

“And when I see you again, I will kill you.”

Releasing him, I stepped over the bodies of the dead and walked out to my car. I didn’t expect Justin to go to the Coven. It worked to his benefit if they thought that the city was still a mess. But that didn’t matter now. Bishop had witnessed the cleansing.

Nice job, came Bishop’s taunting voice in my head.

Will that do? I asked, ready to have him out of my hair and back to the Coven reporting the good news.

Not quite. You have no proof that you actually killed the murderer.

Soon.

6

Leaning against my car, I pulled my cell phone from my back pocket. My hands were shaking and my legs were weak beneath me, threatening to buckle. I hurt in a dozen different places, and they all seemed to be healing too slowly for my liking. Hunger gnawed at me, begging me to stop long enough to feed. I had lost too much blood between the explosion at Bryce’s house and this fight. I needed to rest and heal, but there simply wasn’t time with Bishop lurking around in my domain. I had to press on despite my growing weakness.

I dialed Barrett Rainer’s number, grateful that I finally had something work in my favor. With the presence of the lycanthrope at the Ravana house, I now had the leverage I needed to call in a favor from the Alpha for the Savannah Pack. Lycans were not supposed to take part in the torture of fledglings. Justin was correct in that it was part of our breaking-in process, and lycans were not supposed to be around to muddy up the waters when allegiance was on the line.

While I wouldn’t necessarily refer to Barrett as a friend, we were on comfortable, civil terms. In general, our contact was limited to the occasional check-in around the full moon and if there was some kind of problem.

“Having a good night?” Barrett’s deep baritone filled my ear when he answered the call. The grapevine in the supernatural realm was fast and far-reaching. I wasn’t at all surprised that he knew about Bryce’s murder and probably the explosion as well. Katie’s death would take longer to spread since she was human.

“I’ve had better,” I growled, pacing away from the rear of the car. “I have a favor to call in.”

“I’ve got problems of my own at the moment. Why do I owe you a favor?”

“I caught a lycan at Ravana’s taking part in the torture of a fledgling. You know that it’s not permitted. I left him alive for you to deal with, but…”

“But I now owe you a favor,” he bit out.

“I need you to get your boys out looking for someone for me. A member of the Daylight Coalition. There’s at least one in town. I’m willing to bet that he’s behind Bryce’s murder and the attempt on my life.”

“Actually, I’ve got someone here that might interest you,” Barrett announced. I could easily imagine the smug smile that spread across his hard, angular face.

My feet skid to a halt in the gravel-riddled street. I stood with my back to Ravana’s house and faced the growing darkness. “What do you mean?”