Page 50 of Nearly Dead

Leviathan watches with evident fascination.“Remarkable.You can partially shift without losing your mind.The others never managed that.”

I don’t waste time responding.I launch myself at him again, faster this time, my hybrid strength propelling me across the room.But he’s ready.He speaks a word in a language I don’t recognize, and pain erupts through my body, stopping me mid-leap.I crash to the floor, every nerve on fire.

“I’ve studied your kind for centuries,” he says, standing over me.“Did you really think I wouldn’t know how to subdue you?”

I try to move, but the pain intensifies.It feels like my blood is boiling inside my veins.Tears stream down my face and a cry rips from my chest.

“This is your last chance,” Leviathan says.“Join me willingly.”

Through gritted teeth, I manage one word, “Never.”

He sighs, almost disappointed.“Very well.We’ll do this the hard way.”

He reaches into his cloak and pulls out a small crystal orb similar to the one that he had used to trap Conrad’s spirit.This one is empty.“I had hoped to avoid doing things this way, but you leave me no choice.”

As he begins to chant, the orb glows with an eerie light.I feel something tugging at me, not my physical body, but something deeper.My essence.My soul.

“Stop,” I gasp, fighting against the pull.

“Use both sides,”Conrad’s voice cuts through the pain.“Vampire and wolf!”

I close my eyes, focusing through the agony.Conrad is right.I’ve been treating my dual nature as separate parts fighting for dominance.But what if they’re meant to work together?

Balance.

“Remember, balance is key,” Zephronis had said.

I reach inside myself, not suppressing either side.The vampire’s cold calculation and the wolf’s primal strength.

The hunger and the rage.

The predator and the pack hunter.

Power surges through me, different from anything I’ve felt before.The pain recedes, and I feel my body responding to my will, not just shifting, but transforming in a controlled way.Strength flows into my limbs.My senses sharpen beyond anything I’ve experienced.

Leviathan’s chanting falters.

“Impossible,” he whispers.

I rise to my feet, my body a perfect blend of vampire and werewolf.My claws are extended, my fangs bared, but my mind is clear.For the first time since my transformation, I feel good.I’m in balance.

“Get out,” I growl, my voice deeper than normal but still recognizably mine.“Get out now.”

Leviathan backs up a step, genuine uncertainty in his eyes.“This isn’t over, Tamara Devine.You can’t run from what you are.You can’t run from our destiny.It’s been foretold.”

Foretold.Destiny.Fate.Prophecy.How many times have I heard this spiel already?

“I’m not running,” I say, advancing on him.“You are.”

He makes a gesture, and the shadows around him begin to swirl.“We’ll meet again,” he promises.“And next time, I’ll be better prepared.”

The crystal orb in his hand pulses, and Conrad’s voice rings out one last time,“…fight.”

Then Leviathan is gone, melting into the shadows, taking Conrad’s voice with him.

The frost remains.

So does the silence.

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