Before I could open my mouth, the room was plunged into darkness. I heard rushing sounds and the grip on the back of my skull screwed down so tight, I thought my head might explode. I was surrounded by vampires.
Chapter Twelve
I didn't have time to let my eyes adjust. It was so deeply black, I couldn't see a thing though I knew they could see me just fine. I heard them, though. Sensed them. The dagger was in my right hand, wrist blade in my left.
I knew it was cheesy, but I couldn't help myself. "Let's dance, boys."
I slashed with my left hand first, knowing they wouldn't expect it. Steel connected with flesh. and cool, thick blood spilled over my hand and arm. I slashed right next, slicing someone up good if the cry of pain was anything to go by. I kicked straight ahead and connected with something solid. I heard a crack and a howl. Thrust an elbow back, slash, kick, repeat.
It was too much. There were too many of them. The Darkness rose, lending strength and speed to my movements, turning the pitch black into dim gray. Still, it wasn't enough. Where was Kabita?
My dagger slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor, blood turning my skin so slick, I couldn't keep a grip on it. One of the vamps grinned wickedly, flashing fang. He rushed me on the right side, knowing I was now vulnerable.
The two of us crashed into the desk, my hip hitting the edge so hard I knew it was going to leave an amazing bruise. With the vamp's hand in a vice around my left wrist, and my blade lying useless on the floor, I was out of weapons. Then I remembered the glint of silver between Alister's fingers. The letter opener!
I reached out with my right hand, patting around on the desktop until I felt the letter opener beneath my palm. I wrapped my fingers around the handle, gripping the tiny blade tightly. With all my strength, I thrust upward, burying the knife in the side of the vamp's neck. His eyes widened as I yanked the blade back out, dark blood oozing in thick rivulets from the wound. With a roar, the vamp backhanded me so hard I saw stars.
Something broke loose inside me. I want to say it was rage, but it was more than that. It rose, ice cold and deadly calm.
I. Would. Finish. This.
I'm not sure what I thought I was doing. With the Darkness riding me, I felt no fear. I brought up my knee, hard. Instinctively, the vamp doubled over despite the fact vampires don't feel much in the way of pain. The minute he did so, my knee came up again, smashing him in the face. I lashed out with my foot, kicking him in the head so hard he tumbled across the floor before jumping to his feet with a snarl. As the vamp rushed me, I simply raised my left hand, palm facing him. The new thing flooded my veins, a rush of icy liquid, chilling me to the bone. It swirled up and through me, down my arms to my fingertips, pooling in the center of my palm. I took a deep breath and then….
As I thrust out my hand, something flew from the center of my palm and lodged itself in the vampire's heart. The creature stared down at the thing sticking out of its chest, then back up at me, eyes wide. It opened its mouth and burst into a cloud of dust. The thing I'd thrown at the vamp hit the floor with a dull thud and shattered into a million pieces that bounced across the carpet like tiny, shimmering diamonds.
"Sweet gods above," I whispered, hardly believing my own eyes. I'd just killed a vamp with a freaking icicle. That wasn't normal.
There were still half a dozen more vamps to worry about. I had no time to think on what was normal or why I could suddenly throw shards of ice. This new power came surprisingly easy. I shoved the bloody letter opener in my jeans pocket in case I needed it later. Then, using both hands, I threw another icicle, and another. Within seconds I'd downed another three vamps. But with each icicle, I was growing colder, my movements slower. My entire body was starting to feel numb. Something from a long ago survival class niggled at my brain. Hypothermia. This new power of mine might be awesome, but it came with one hell of a nasty side effect.
I stopped throwing icicles and dug into my pocket with numb fingers for Alister's letter opener. The vamp blood had turned sticky on the handle, and my icy cold skin stuck like a tongue stuck to a frozen lamppost.
I knew the letter opener wasn't much of a weapon, so I made a dash across the room before the vamps were on me. Leaning down, I scooped up my blade. This one didn't stick so badly. Thank the gods for leather handles.
As I continued slashing and hacking and kicking, I tried to force the ice back down to that place inside me where my powers lived. To no avail. I was too sluggish and weak. Even the vamps could see it.
I did the only thing I could think of. I called Fire.
It ripped through me so fast, it left me gasping for breath. Fire shot from my fingers in hungry streamers, licking at the skin of the vamps, blackening it. They screamed in pain, rushing away from me, toward the stairs and daylight. I ran after them, the carpet squishing under my boots. The Fire had melted the ice. I no longer felt cold, but flushed and feverish. The Fire was out of control, licking at the walls, the ceiling. This house was going to turn into an inferno with Kabita and me still inside.