CHAPTER

TEREZA

 Tereza inched toward her car. She rushed for the door, only to be tackled. All the air was pushed out of her lungs. Her ribs screamed. Spiked fingernails pierced her neck, jerking her head back. She squeezed her eyes shut as a hot breath huffed into the back of her neck. She was trapped, helpless.

A fang brushed her skin. Tereza couldn’t help a scream of fear and despair. It was all for nothing. Valo was going to get what he wanted. Jenny had already died, Sani was being killed in front of her eyes, and there was nothing she could do.

Something akin to a freight train hit Valo, hurling him away. He bouncing off the ground and slammed into an SUV. Sani, white fur covered in blood and gore, stood between her, Valo, and his vampires. He snarled, his entire body bristling.

Tereza got to her feet, calling winter magic to her. They couldn’t last long, even with these slightly better odds, but if Sani was going to fight to the end. So would she.

There was a chorus of growls and huge, furry shapes soared past her. Wolves. Sani’s pack had come! Relief so palpable It made her dizzy filled Tereza.

In teams of threes and fours, wolves fell on five vampires, a deadly storm of flesh, fur, and fangs. Even with supernatural speed, the vampires couldn’t avoid the sheer numbers of attackers. A sixth vampire went down under a huge hyena. An arrow flew from the forest and struck the chest of the seventh.

Sani went after Valo.

Seconds felt eternally long as everything occurred almost too fast to track. Tereza channeled her magic, ready to help where she could, but things were happening too fast. If she threw icicles, she was just as likely to hit an ally.

One giant wolf, bigger than all the others and black like the night, finished his battle. He raised a dripping muzzle and watched Sani fight. That had to be Mika. Why didn’t he help Sani? He was fighting for his life! More fights ended until only Sani and Valo were left.

The two combatants were moving slower, both injured. Valo’s clothes were torn, and blood streamed from wounds inflicted by claws and teeth. Sani… There was no white fur anymore, and Sani limped as he kept Valo in front of him.

Why wouldn’t the others do something? Tereza pushed through the nearest wolves. Sani needed help! A growl, and some shifting saw her behind a furry barricade again.

“Help him!” Tereza shouted. She couldn’t watch another person she loved die at the hands of vampires.

Mika ignored her, but the wolf Tereza thought was Nascha tried to communicate, her wolfy eyes full of…something. What? That it was Sani’s fight? A chance to prove himself?

Well. That was so not happening. Sani wasn’t on his own, and he had nothing to prove to anyone. If the wolves that were supposed to be his pack wouldn’t help, she would. But how? She stepped forward, but the wolves didn’t move.

Sani lunged, catching Valo’s arm in his mouth. Valo roared and swung his other hand, a heavy fist thudding into Sani’s side with an ominous crunching sound. The wolf pack watched.

Tereza’s frustration built. She had to do something! Maybe she could share her magic like they had during the eruption, at least enough to offer some healing or strength. She reached deep for the side of herself that had never manifested.

Procilici magic felt like coarse fur. It flowed, back and forth beneath her mental touch, pacing like it was anxious or eager. Guilt nearly overwhelmed her. She was a poor choice as a Procilici heir — always afraid and weak.

I’m so sorry I could never be what you needed. I never even tried. I always held you back because I didn’t want to be alone, and this way I always had a part of you with me. I’ve always held you back, but I need your help. Help me help Sani, please.

A sensation like a warm embrace engulfed her. It felt like love, acceptance…and goodbye. All her life she’d had a part of her father she’d never fully accepted, but selfishly held onto. Humans had a saying — If you love something, set it free. It was time to let her father go.

Tereza conjured a mental icicle, and channeled the unused power from her father. It went into the ice easily, and kept flowing until something let go inside her as the magic detached from her soul.

She couldn’t stop her tears or the heartbroken sob that escaped her, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see her imagined icicle had taken form in her hand. Winter magic was easy to call, and she summoned wind. The wolves keeping her away from Sani wouldn’t be able to stop this.

Sani, pease forgive me for not asking first.

“Valo!” she bellowed so loudly the combatants paused to look her way. “You have no idea what I am.”

In that moment of distraction,Tereza uncurled her fingers. Her wintry gale focused on the icicle, lifting it from her hand and zipped it through the air. The icicle dart struck Sani’s chest and disappeared into his body.