Free Desire the Banshee by Ella Drake Page A

his arm back. With careful aim, he brought his fist down, put all his weight behind it, and caught Vince on the side of the head. Right in the soft spot.
    Vince slumped.
    His angry surge of strength left in a rush. He rolled to the side and collapsed. Legs burning from the run, head aching from the blow, he struggled for the strength to breathe. Each movement of his chest seemed to take herculean effort, as if he lay under pounds and pounds of blankets restricting his movement.
    Then Vince loomed over him. Gun aimed at a deadly angle, he put his foot on Sean’s chest and leaned in. “Keep your eyes on my lips, boy. Wouldn’t want you to misunderstand. I’m taking the banshee, but not you. You always manage to talk her into containing herself. I need her to be a force of nature. Nobody can stop her when she gives in to her power.”
    Sean grabbed Vince’s shoe and struggled, but couldn’t move him. Sean had to save Daisy. He had to get this man off him and get her out of here. Unable to breathe, he tried to still his panic, but he couldn’t. Vince looked down on him and tilted his head. “You’re a little more desperate than I’d expect from you.” The look intensified. “You joined with her, didn’t you?”
    Vince pulled back the hammer of the gun and Sean’s gut clenched. With no remorse, Vince enunciated carefully so Sean wouldn’t miss a word. “I’m afraid you have to die so I can have an unbalanced banshee.”
    Clarity filled Sean. There was only one way now. It was either him—and Daisy—or this traitor, the man he’d once thought friend. A man whose talent was in strategy and who didn’t believe Sean would take that last desperate act—because he never had and his profile probably said he wouldn’t.
    But survival and love didn’t follow the rules of conflict and war.
    Sean didn’t hesitate. He gathered his mental forces and blasted Vince.
    Vince’s hand jerked. The gun went off, the barrel kicking up and pointing harmlessly into the woods. Face contorted, the older man dropped the gun, clutched his head and fell to the side.
    Sean could breathe, but he didn’t move, too intent on concentrating and rushing into Vince’s mind. Pushing in without mercy.
    Vince hated Ray. He thought he should be in charge. He’d started to lose control of his antipathy when Ray didn’t allow him to keep a little fire tinker. Vince just wanted a hot little number to warm his bed. He’d been alone for so long. So long.
    Then he’d found the electro mage. Such power. Instead of turning him over to CTF, he’d made a deal. The man would use his powers to follow Vince’s careful instructions on breaking and entering. In only weeks, he’d started his own empire, funded by stealing from those who’d never miss it.
    Vince thought he deserved this. After years of service to the para-talent community, he wanted to retire with his own little empire.
    The paths in Vince’s memories started to blur, cascade and implode.
    Sean edged back out, struggling to let go. A piece of him seemed to snap and the connection to his victim broke. Vince’s mind had blanked. Sean’s mouth tasted bitter and acrid. The telepathic assault had robbed him of all his strength.
    Shadows grew long. Still unable to move and losing the battle to remain conscious, he stared at the trees, fascinated at the movement of the shadows, entranced, until he realized what he watched.
    There were men here, and they circled the camp. Vince’s rogues must have come back. With no way to get out of here, Sean was surrounded, but if it killed him, he’d get Daisy away.
    Determined to protect her, he struggled to move. To get up. He couldn’t lift his head without a pounding ache and his vision edged with blackness. Black fuzzy blots swam in front of his eyes and he stilled the panic. Maybe the blow to the head had given him a concussion.
    He tried to reach out with his telepathy. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d vowed to himself to