Page 107 of Nearly Dead

With Mortimer’s power added to my own, I feel stronger than ever.The moon pulls at me, but it no longer feels like an irresistible force.It’s just another part of what I am now.

Moving to the highest point of the roof, I fight the full shift and raise my hands.I stand, half human, half monster.The telekinetic power surges outward in a wave, separating combatants and holding them in place.Not permanently, but long enough to get their attention.

And not all combatants.I let Astrid, Anthony and Costin maintain their free will.Astrid doesn’t hesitate to keep fighting and takes out her opponent.

“Enough!”My voice carries across the roof.“This ends now.”

All eyes turn to me in fear and confusion.

“Elizabeth,” I call.“Your ally has fallen.Your forces are matched.This battle will only end in mutual destruction.”

Elizabeth yanks herself free of my telekinetic hold.Maybe it’s the sire bond running through our line, but she’s too powerful to be restrained for long.She glares at me.“You think I fear destruction?I’ve faced death for centuries.”

“Then face it one more time,” I challenge.“But not with them.”I gesture to her followers.“Face it with me.One on one.Winner takes all.”

Costin’s head snaps toward me.“Tamara, no?—”

“Yes,” Elizabeth interrupts, a slow smile spreading across her face.“The hybrid against the master vampire.How poetic.”

“Tamara,” Costin moves toward me, his eyes pleading.“You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” I tell him softly.“This is my fight now.”

Elizabeth laughs, moving to stand opposite me in the cleared space my telekinetic wave has created.“So eager to die, little hybrid?Even with your new powers, you’re no match for me.I’ve had centuries to perfect mine.”

“Maybe,” I agree.“But I have something you don’t.”

“And what’s that?”

I smile, feeling the moon reaching its zenith above us.“Perfect timing.”

The new transformation slams into me once more.

The werewolf emerges, but it doesn’t consume me.The vampire and magic remain, cold and calculating.And beneath them both, the core of who I am holds them in balance.No one alive has seen this before.Three natures, one being.

I rise to my full height, a hybrid in true form at last.Not human, not vampire, not werewolf, but something new and terrible and beautiful.Elizabeth takes an involuntary step back, her composure cracking for the first time.

“What are you?”she whispers.

I don’t answer.Words feel clumsy and inadequate in this form.Instead, I move, faster than she can react, my clawed hand closing around her throat.She fights back.Her nails tear at my fur, her fangs snap at my face, and her energy pushes against mine.

But the full moon sings in my blood, and Mortimer’s stolen power amplifies my own.I hold her fast, resisting her struggles, until finally she goes still in my grasp.

“Do it,” she hisses.“Kill me.Prove you’re the monster they all fear.”

I lean close, my muzzle next to her ear.“I’m not going to kill you, Elizabeth.”

Confusion flashes across her face.

“I’m going to do something much worse,” I continue.“I’m going to let you live.Live with the knowledge that you failed.That your brother is free of you.That the power you’ve sought for centuries will always be beyond your reach.”

I release her throat but maintain my telekinetic hold on her body.“You’re going to leave this city.You’re going to stay away from Costin, from my family, from everyone I care about.If you ever return, if you ever threaten what’s mine again, then I will kill you.And Elizabeth?”I lean closer still.“I’ll enjoy it.”

Fear,real fear, flashes in her eyes.She knows I mean every word.

I release her completely, stepping back.“Go.”

For a moment, she doesn’t move, as if she can’t believe I’m actually letting her leave.

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