Page 119 of Bloodhunter

Pretty much like the infecteds.

And bloodlust was my world.

The more I killed, the less human I became. I felt it. But Ididn’t care. I cared only about the blood.

Silverlight didn’t care, either.

She killed in a blur of lethal silver light and razor-sharpedges. She took me over and together, we killed.

I heard Clayton roar in agony, once, over the buzzing in myhead. Pain lashed the walls of my mind, there and gone, as the vampires breachedSilverlight’s defenses right before she killed them.

Silverlight and I spun through the crowd, cutting andkilling everything we touched, but still, we were not enough. There were toomany infecteds. It was as though every sick vampire from every city and forestin North America had descended upon Red Valley.

“What happened?” I screamed, as Amias ducked Silverlight’swicked swipe and tore a vampire off my leg. He ripped the vampire’s head offthen whirled to grab another.

“Sickness,” he said. Or maybe he didn’t say it, at least notaloud, but the words echoed inside my mind as though he’d murmured them into myear.

But whether he spoke or not, it was suddenly as though gongsof doom split the air. Those sounds were inside my mind, as well, but it was aportent I could not take time to ponder. Not then.

I figured I was dead. I was injured, and though the dead layaround me in heaps, I was overwhelmed. Silverlight never lost her glow, but myenergy was waning. I wasn’t a machine. She had control of my arm, but the restof my body was sliding into exhaustion.

And finally, I became slow, sluggish, and weak, and I knew Iwas going to die.

That knowledge didn’t infuse me with a shot of adrenaline.It didn’t make me stronger. It just made me sad.

Clayton was likely dead, Angus was dying, and I’d done all Icould.

Then, as I wobbled and nearly fell and a dozen vampires tookadvantage and lunged, spearing me with fangs and nails and hunger, I heardsomething so much better than slithery words and gongs of doom.

I heard the familiar crack of a shotgun. Shane’s shotgun.

My supernaturals had come.

They’d come for me.

Chapter Forty-Two

I saw them then like angels from heaven, andthatgave me the boost I needed. I still had fight inside me. I still had deathinside me.

Miriam had brought them—and as soon as I thought about her,I spotted her. She wasn’t wielding her switchblades, though. She stood in thebed of Shane’s truck, firing a shotgun into the crowd of vampires on the ground.

I gave Silverlight her head and fought my way toward them.

As I watched, Shane tossed Clayton a shotgun.

He wasn’t dead.

He was just back where he belonged.

I raced toward them, whereIbelonged, cuttingvampires down as I ran. Somehow, I thought everything would be okay if I could reachthem.

I just had to get there.

They spotted me, and Clayton’s eyes widened right beforeShane lifted his shotgun, clubbing vampires out of his way as he ran to meetme. When he reached my side he gave me a quick grin, and though that grin neverreached his eyes, I felt my chest ease just a little.

Back to back, we gave the infecteds a death they couldn’treturn from.

And in the end, an entire town of vampires lay dead at ourfeet, some of them disappearing in puffs of smoke, some of them waiting fortrue death. And Amias strode toward me, ignoring the guns aimed suddenly andsteadily at his chest.