That’s the wrong way, my father’s voice said from my memory. Don’t give in to this.

There is no right way.

I cut my arm deeper, letting my blood mingle with Olathe’s, slowly gaining control. She shuddered, her heels kicking the floor. If I let her die, turning the vampire horde loose, they would scatter before my mind could fasten on them. I lacked the proper training in piloting the undead, and my only option was to merge our power through the bloodlink, controlling the moment of her death, so when she passed on, fading from the undead’s minds, they would find me already there.

She knew what I was doing. Her teeth bared in a feral grimace, but she didn’t have the power to resist the bloodlink. The magic of my blood overwhelmed hers. My power spread, flooding the vampiric minds. Clenching my teeth, I squeezed, crushing her heart and her life with it. Power exploded in my fist, forcing me to my feet.

Olathe jerked. Her eyes rolled back into her skull and the full weight of the horde settled upon me.

The room shuddered. Too many. There were too many.

A fiery band enclosed my chest, engulfed my throat, my head, and compressed, crushing me. I stumbled. My knees quivered. My mouth hung open. I couldn’t breathe. There wasn’t enough air.

I knew I hadn’t gotten them all, despite the bloodlink. Through the hammer of their minds I could feel individual stragglers, drowning in bloodlust. I sent the horde against them. The ceiling churned with bodies tearing into each other. A chunk of plaster broke off and plummeted to the floor, breaking into dust two feet away from me. The bloodflames blocked the sound from the rest of the room.

My arms held wide, trying to balance, I looked through the eyes of the vampires and saw a long crack in the plaster. Thank you, God.

The ceiling quivered as dozens of talons ripped into it.

Dimly I saw Jennifer through the shimmering wall of the flames. My lips shaped a word.

“Go.”

She stared at me, unable to hear through the bloodwall.

“Go.”

Suddenly Curran was beside her. He said something, but I couldn’t hear.

“Go. Now. Go.”

He thrust his hand into the fire and leaped back, his fur melted, his skin red with future blisters.

Another chunk of plaster crashed to the ground outside the circle. To me it made no sound, but they heard the dull thud, jumped, and looked at the ceiling. Jennifer cringed like a whipped dog.

Curran stared at me.

“Go now. Go. Go.”

He understood. His clawed hand grasped Jennifer’s shoulder and pushed her back. The she-wolf hesitated for a moment and ran.