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She made no reply and backed further across the roooing nuh the room, a psychic beam that wrapped around her like a chain, heavy and cold

Open the door

"No!" she screa ht

The chains drew tighter Cold sweat ran down her back She wouldn’t give in, she wouldn’t He laughed The sound stung her heart

You have no choice Open the door, pretty one

Pohipped around her, beating at her resistance, searing her senses She fought the urge to obey with every ounce of strength she had

To no avail

One foot slipped forward, then the other She screamed in terror as she was slowly forced towards the door

The warehouse was gutted, a blackened shell that stood out starkly against the ine, andthe docks Jasper’s scent was faint He studied the street ahead uneasily Soht The trail led past a series of well-lit factories There was no hiding spot here for Jasper, no hope that he could find an easy feed The area was too full of people and light So why had he come here? Why did he ht left? If Jasper intended to feed, he should have done it quickly, then moved on to find shelter and wait out the day

But he’d been away an hour, and that was a long time when you could hts ahead The trail was beginning to take him eastward, into an area of Lyndhurst he did not know An area on the opposite side of town to Nikki Michael stopped cold NikkiRevenge, it all centered around revenge, she’d said And she was right Jasper didn’t meander He’d played hih the darkness, the night a blur and fear beating through his heart

All he could do was hope he wasn’t too late

"Coritted teeth

Tears rolled unhindered down her cheeks as Jasper walked in, angelic and sazes touched, and her heart quailed Once his eyes had been dead, showing little ee and out of control--but totally in control of her Jasper walked into the living room and sat casually on the sofa The leash loosened--but not enough to allow her to run through the door and freedom Instead, she backed away from the door, backed away froht yet have the chance to use it

"Drop it," he said quietly

She clenched her fingers around the hilt The silver burned into her hand, a clean fire that fought the dark chains wrapping tightly around her

"No Take it from me if you dare"

He smiled in a back to study her

"You think I’m afraid of the toothpick you hold?"

She didn’t think anything She only kneas i Michael was out there soh the pain in her head stopped her fro He had at the hospital Sooner or later, he would coainst Jasper He’d keep that promise, no h the silence, a fiery tendril that wrapped around her She clenched her teeth, gathering her own energy despite the bitter ache in her head Jasper laughed, flicking his fingers outwards Nikki yelped as she was lifted off the ground and flung across the rooainst the wall and slithered to the floor For a ainst the fear locking her throat She’d never beat Jasper Not in aas Michael when it caer But she had to try Or die

She dragged her arhtly The coldher strength

"Thatthat the best you can do?" she said, when she could He laughed lightly "So ain This ti his lance aside before rushing on, pushing hi dawn For an instant she saw fear in his eyes and knew in that ht Jasper was afraid of her powers But fire ran through her brain, and her head felt ready to explode She couldn’t hold oncouldn’t The psychic energy slipped away She gasped and hugged her body Tears fell onto her arm as she rocked back and forth, desperate to shake the pain locking her htening the dark chains once hter, eyes closed, huddled in upon herself Warh her hands and chest, a lone fire in the darkness surrounding her

He took a step forward "Release it"

The black wings of energy beat against her Her fingers twitched in reply, and his elation grew Still she y lashed at her She quivered under the blows, but refused toneed to obey

Another step The heat of his body washed over her, burning the bare skin along her arnored it, concentrating on Jasper Just a few more steps, she pleaded silently, just a few steps closerAs if drawn by her plea, heup in a fluidthe silver knife into his sto his fist across her face She slid across the floor and landed in a heap near the kitchen door Gasping for breath, she shook her head, trying to clear it of the pain falling in a red haze around her eyes Or was it blood?

Jasper hissed She glanced up quickly The force of his gaze ames The time for death had come

She scrambled to her feet He took the knife in two hands and drew it slowly froainst his fingers, and the sn of pain, his eyes blazingthe knife up in his fist "Co her back to the floor, filling her body with fire It burned through every fiber, every muscle, quick, deadly and powerfulGod I should crawl to hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>