Excerpt
And then I felt it.
A tremor. Not in earth, but rather across my metaphysical senses.
Someone was attacking the wards and spells that protected this place—and it didn't take a genius to figure out who. I all but fell out of bed then scooped up a T-shirt from the floor and my phone from the bedside table before bolting for the door—and had to do a quick two-step to avoid crashing into Belle.
"What's happening?" She thrust a hand through her wildly matted hair. "There's been no alarm, but it feels like—"
"The bastard is attacking our spells and wards." I gave her my phone. "Ring Aiden. I'll go downstairs and bolster the spells."
"Be careful," she said, even as she unlocked my phone. "He's not alone."
"How many can you sense?"
"One other." She wrinkled her nose. "A hired thug."
"Can you incapacitate him?" I pulled on my T-shirt as I headed for the stairs.
"Yes, but not until I ring Aiden. Go."
My footsteps echoed as I clattered down the stairs—something the men outside would undoubtedly hear. It didn't really matter—the vampire would have felt it the minute I became aware of his attack.
I ran through the dark room and placed my hand on the old front door, my fingers spread wide. The energy that pulsed across my fingertips was heated and angry. He was close, so damn close, to fully unraveling the threads that protected us—and it was doubtful the wards alone would stand up to him once he did. They just weren't powerful enough on their own.
Fear surged, but I ruthlessly thrust it aside. I had no time for it—I needed every ounce of control and concentration I could muster.
Through narrowed eyes, I saw both the failing threads of our magic, and the blot of his pressing down on them, undoing them, destroying them.
"You're not getting in that easy," I muttered, and began pushing back. The remaining threads flared as I carefully picked them up and wove a strengthening spell into them. It would drain me faster than adding additional layers to the protecting spell, but the latter would take time, and that was the one thing we didn't really have right now.
The blot of darkness grew heavier, the weight of it threatening to buckle my knees. I forced them to lock and kept going, but even as the remaining threads thickened and grew stronger, he pushed back with a force so great my knees did buckle, hitting the floor so hard a grunt of pain escaped.
That collapse saved my life.
