see Ryker watching intently, his body tense and ready to join the fray. But he stood steadily in the doorway, obviously aware that she needed to be the one who finished this.
She quickly flipped Haven over, straddled her waist, and pinned her shoulders to the filthy, threadbare shag carpet. âDamn it, Haven. I donât want to hurt you.â
Haven, apparently, didnât have the same issues. Her fist connected with Kyanaâs jaw, knocking her off balance long enough for Haven to shimmy to her feet. âYou want to stop me?â
Prepared to strike if Haven moved toward her father, Kyana nodded. âYou know I have no choice.â
Eerie blackish eyes that shifted to yellow locked on Kyana. âThen youâll have to hurt me, because I have to finish this.â
âYou donât want to do this.â
âOh yes, I do. I want to kill that bastard. Then Iâll finish my task and bring Cronos back from the grave.â
They circled each other. âYou know I canât let you do that either.â
âI know. When the timeâs right, Iâll have to kill you too.â
The hard, lifeless look Haven directed at her wasnât bluffing.
âWhat are you waiting for?â she goaded. âCome on, Haven. Show me what you can do.â
With a chilling laugh, Haven nodded. âOkay, we can play. Itâs about time someone knocked the mighty Kyana on her ass.â
In a blink, Haven was on herâfangs bared and claws surprisingly accurate. They raked across her cheek, spilling blood that only seemed to inspire the lunatic inside Haven.
She tried to dodge her attacks, to let Haven wear herself out so she could bring her in safely, but Haven moved so quickly she could only duck every other swing. The cat-and-mouse tactic wasnât working anymore. She smashed the hilt of her dagger into Havenâs jaw. The sharp crack of bones snapping sent Haven to her knees, her hands cupping her face.
Taking advantage of Havenâs moment of weakness, Kyana let loose a roar and gripped the front of Havenâs shirt. The instinct to drive her fangs into Havenâs exposed throat made her stomach cramp. Afraid she might act on the lingering Vampyric impulse, she slung Haven into the kitchen. She landed on the table, but was on her feet again before the broken furniture hit the floor.
She lost track of who hit whom and whose roars of rage echoed louder. However, soon Havenâs swings became slower, more off balance. Seizing the advantage, Kyana gripped Havenâs throat and dangled her in the air.
âThis ends now.â She squeezed lightly. Even though Haven didnât need to breathe anymore, the constriction would cut off the blood flow, but it would be a fine line between killing Haven and knocking her unconscious. âWhen you wake up, youâll be on the road to finding yourself again. Iâll be there with you. You wonât have to face this alone.â
Havenâs laughter came out in gasps. âYou donât get to win.â
Her smile was sly and chilling, her eyes shifted from eerie yellow to lifeless black, glassy and narrowed with venom. âI know where Zeus keeps his staff. Amazing what a father knows about his sons . . .â
Before Kyana realized Havenâs intentions, she shifted to Lychen. Her fur-covered body slipped from Kyanaâs grasp as Haven shot across the room and out one of the grimy windows.
Chapter Nine
âN o!â
Kyanaâs scream was echoed by Rykerâs curses. He leaped out the front door and onto the pavement, where he attempted to use his telekinetic powers to restrain the wolf and failed.
âI need ambrosia,â he yelled, running back to her. âWhereâs your bag? I canât chase after herââ
âGone,â Kyana whispered. She had no idea where the barbed-wire fence that had stolen it was or how far away it might be.
He cursed and kicked the skirting. She