Page 2 of The Hunt of Night

Energy charges around me as Professor Holloway’s mouth snaps open in horror, a presumed cry bursting from her lungs as she dodges my flames. She rolls across the floor, ducking behind a desk in the far corner of the room as quickly as her vampire speed will allow. My head tilts, searching along the tendril ofpower whipping from my other hand, cascading wicked winds toward councilman Orenda, whose lips move as he tries to hold my abilities back.

I watch the moment he realizes I’m stronger than he anticipated, the moment he understands that whatever he’s muttering means nothing against the battering gale that swirls around him. Three beats of my pulse ringing in my ears and he’s gone, opting to use a transport spell instead of a protection chant.

It’s satisfying.Almost.

Turning my attention to Kenner, I retract my magic, letting it build in the palms of my hands. His eyes dance an unusual green, with flecks of gold dashed across his irises. A sense of déja vù washes over me. I’ve felt my magic rage like this before. I was staring him down then too.

My spine stiffens, dark memories threatening to consume me, fueled by the intrusive thoughts that claw at my resolve, penetrating my strength and leaving behind a lingering venom of self-doubt.

Not this time.

My back arches, struggling under the weight of the power that tingles over my fingertips, and I scream, the sound impossibly grating to hear, but the rumbles I feel in my chest at its shrieking, pain-filled sounds fuel my magic nonetheless.

Air and fire swirl as I take aim, projecting the magic at my target. A smirk tips the corner of my lips, watching as it barrels toward Kenner, but it’s a second too late, and the relief of his demise is lost as he darts for the door before it explodes in his face.

My anger reaches new heights as the magic disperses and I’m left looking at my palms in disappointment.

“Addi.” The word sounds distant. Lost. Hopeless. “Addi.” There it is again. I blink. Again and again. My name is repeated,each time growing more urgent and concerned, bringing me back to reality. “Addi!”

My gaze falls to Nora, her voice loud and clear in my ears. Quickly darting my eyes around the room, I note there’s no threat, except the four guys that stand in a mixture of disbelief and awe, so I rush to my sister.

Her arms drape around my neck as I fall to my knees beside her. My eyes drift closed for the briefest moment as I absorb every ounce of her. Her familiar lavender scent fills my nose, offering me the smallest comfort of home before the sound of footsteps pounding in the distance begins to inch closer and closer.

Rounding on my feet, I spin for the door, magic instantly at my fingertips as the sound of the kiss of Amethyst clattering to the floor dances in my ears.

Vallie’s father steps through the open doorway, his face red with fury as he snarls, instantly pointing a finger at me the second his eyes settle on mine.

“You,” he growls, his canines elongating as his pupils dilate.

He takes one step toward me. One single, yet quick vampire step toward me, before I unleash my magic once more. Fire, fueled by a barrage of tornado winds, blasts toward him, exploding out in front of me in less than a second as haunting screams echo around the room.

His cries fall short as the red embers of fire die down, leaving the remains of his lifeless body in its wake.

2

ADRIANNA

The fall back to my knees feels like the longest route to relief, so much so I’m certain my knees will never collide with the floor, but to my surprise, the impact jolts through my bones reassuringly.

“Addi!” Nora yells, edging closer to me before her hands reach for my face. Her delicate, soft thumb grazes my cheek with a warm comfort that resembles the embracing glow of the sun on a perfect summer's morning.

It settles the warring rage inside of me as I blink up at her. The weight of the world still rides on my shoulders, there’s no shifting that right now, but I need to channel every ounce of my being into protecting my sister. It’s all I’ve done for as long as I can remember, but for the past few weeks I’ve done it from afar, and now, she’s right in front of me, making any threat toward her feel even more imminent.

Taking a deep breath, I do it again, exhaling slowly as I sense four sets of eyes burning into my back. The smell of burnt flesh lingers in the air, making me cringe, especially when I see the distaste washing over Nora’s face.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened?” I fire off, running my hands over my sister with a renewed sense of urgency as her wellbeing becomes my sole focus.

“I’m fine, Addi,” she murmurs, but it doesn’t stop me checking her to be sure. Once I’ve patted every inch of her body and inspected her mobility aid, coming up with nothing more than a scuff to the wood frame and the ratty knots in her hair that falls around her face, there’s nothing to report. Thankfully. “See? I told you,” she insists, giving me a pointed look, but instead of having its desired effect, it makes me grin.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I mean, we could have met under better circumstances, but yeah, I guess I’ve missed you too,” she breathes with a shrug, making my eyes narrow, and it’s her turn to grin at me.

She’s a witch.Mywitch. Her and my dad are?—

“We need to find Dad,” I whisper, feeling the color drain from my face as another level of panic tingles across my skin.

“They separated us,” she admits, looking down at her lap, twisting her fingers, and I can feel the helplessness seeping from her.

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