Free Of A Darker Nature by Michelle Clay Page B

his head. Blood dotted his muzzle and a murderous look glinted in his hazel eyes.
    Beau crawled on hands and knees. He struggled to stand on shaky legs.
    Emily lurched toward the woman who'd held her at gunpoint. The woman turned at the last moment, but was too late. Emily’s shoulder crashed into her and sent her tumbling to the ground. Emily gave her legs a kick for good measure.
    Starr seemed calm in the face of danger. Instead of retreating, she hopped onto the squatty, unbalanced slide. She tilted her face toward the star-blotted sky unleashed a string of words. They sounded ancient and sinister.
    The witch’s hands lifted, and the skin on the back of Emily's neck prickled. The air around Starr seemed to shimmer. Her voice rose as she thrust her hands out toward them. White light gleamed from her outstretched palms. It illuminated the area around them and forced the murky darkness to shrink away.
    A blur of color flew past. What appeared to be a large chunk of metal, perhaps part of the playground equipment, sailed through the air end over end. Trent never saw it coming. It struck him hard and knocked him to the ground. Pete grasped one of his arms and dragged him out from under it. Together, they beat a hasty retreat.
    Finally, Emily saw who had leveled the playing field. John Doe stood on the other side of the park. Butterflies took flight in the pit of her stomach and recognition warmed her.
    Starr unleashed whatever spell she'd conjured by punching the air between them. Raw power left her hands. Emily's vampire was suddenly in front of her, blocking its path. The blast of energy hit him in the center of the chest and sent him backward onto the teeter-totter. His body glowed for a moment, the light escaping from his mouth and eyes before fading away.
    The teeter-totter’s wood splintered beneath him. A rather large piece pierced his left lung.
    Starr leaped from the slide with a triumphant cry. She reached the vampire in a few quick strides. A dagger glinted in the lantern's light as it arced upward. “Won't your mistress be devastated to learn of your death?”
    Emily bolted toward them. “Don't you hurt him, you bitch!”
    Beau made a grab for her, but missed.
    Emily’s fist connected with the side of Starr’s face. The force of the blow threw the witch sideways onto the grass. She hit the ground, and the blade slipped from her fingers. The witch twisted to glare up at her. She made a gesture and growled more Latin. A weak puff of air blew the hair out of Emily’s face.
    “Used up all your power, didn't you?” Emily grinned at the realization. The witch was something like a rechargeable battery.
    Starr scurried to her feet. She ran up the small incline toward the car. The dog chased her, but the car rushed forward to meet them. The dog veered away to avoid being run down by the vehicle, allowing it and the witch to get away.
    John Doe sat up. His wrenched the plank of wood from his chest and threw it aside. The look in his eyes was wild and untamed.
    A jolt of anxiety made Emily's limbs quiver. She crashed to her knees beside him. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to ask. Instead, she smoothed the hair from his eyes with trembling fingers. She wound her arms around his neck in a fierce hug and smiled against his neck. God, did he smell good.
    Emotion shook her voice. “I thought I'd never see you again.”
    One of his arms encircled her waist, and he pulled her against him. His lips brushed against her neck, to form a word.
    Suddenly Beau was there, hauling her up and away.
    “No, wait!” She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he held on too tight. “That's my John Doe. Wait!”
    Within moments, they were next to her car. Emily squinted into the night. One moment her vampire was there, gone the next. He must have moved into the shadows, out of sight. She felt cold and nervy. Everything that had just happened was so surreal – like a terrible dream. Once again, her John Doe was gone, and she