Free Last Chance (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 3) by T.G. Ayer Page B

I’d forgotten I had her to back me up. Now I just hoped if this fight went south, she’d be strong enough to help me.
    I moved fast, panther blood pumping through my veins, energy burning through my muscles as they thrust me forward, closer to the enemy that bore down on me. The tunnel was silent and all I could hear was the thumping of my heart, the rush of my breath as I ran. We closed in on each other, only a part of my awareness registering the slimness of my enemy’s legs, the feminine shape to the thigh, the elegant arch of her neck.
    This Wraith was a girl.
    But I paid little attention to that knowledge, just ran headlong into her. I hit her in the middle of the chest, fingers curled in a tight punch. The power rippled through her, the force of the blow reversing her forward momentum so swiftly I heard a crack as her neck snapped forward then back.
    I slowed as she stumbled backward, arms wind-milling as she attempted to regain her footing. She was lithe and light on her feet, though. She skidded to a stop, the hood of her cloak finally falling off her head to reveal her features. I’d always considered Wraiths ugly, but the girl’s femininity seemed to give her Wraith features a certain elegance. Wide, almond-shaped eyes, an expansive forehead, a long aquiline nose in a face at least a third longer than a human’s. Silky white hair framed her face, falling all the way to her shoulders. A Wraith’s cheekbones were much higher, their cheeks more sunken than a human’s, making their faces look gaunt and corpse-like, but in this girl, the elongation simply contributed to the serene elegance of her features.
    Anger flashed in the dark pupils of her obsidian eyes and she clenched her jaws, muscles bunching in her neck. She bent forward and ran at me, and I could see her intention clearly. She intended to hit me shoulder to abdomen and use her weight to drop me onto my back, but I had other plans.
    I reached deep for my panther, accessing my ability to move with speed and agility. I ran as she did, straight for her, until she was about five feet away. I ran faster, reaching an optimum speed. Even as she reached me, I kept running, using the wall to keep moving. A foot low on the tunnel wall, I pushed against the rock, propelling myself higher and over the Wraith girl until I landed behind her. I spun around just in time to see her skid to a stop and stare at me, stunned.
    Lily crept up slowly behind her, her gun trained on the Wraith, but the creature remained unaware. Her attention was focused on me, and that’s the way I wanted it to stay.
    “What are you?” she asked, her voice vibrating. She squinted and reminded me it was still densely dark in the tunnels. Thank goodness for my feline sight. But I wasn’t stupid enough to assume she was blind in the darkness either. I knew nothing about Wraith physiology, but I had to wonder if they were born with the ability to see better in the dark than the average human, considering they lived all their lives in these burrows.
    I moved closer and she stilled, watching me with her strange black eyes, her whole body tense, waiting.
    Then Lily stepped closer, her foot scraping the stone floor ever so softly. But not softly enough. The sound must have been enough to draw the Wraith’s attention, and she spun around, forgetting I had my full attention on her.
    She moved smoothly. I watched her shoulders lean forward, her back tense, telling me she was about run straight for Lily. And I couldn’t let that happen. I grabbed her before she launched herself into a dead run, wrapping an arm around her neck, pressing my forearm hard against her throat. I held on to my wrist with the other arm, keeping her in a tight headlock, and although she struggled violently, she remained imprisoned.
    The more she struggled, the more pressure I placed on the lock. But something else was happening. I wasn’t sure if it was me being so close to a Wraith, but my hands began to glow. The skin on