Do not! The order was sharp in her mind.
It took Jaxon only a moment to realize that her weakness and hunger were affecting Lucian’s own abilities. She immediately thought of power and strength, of love and achievement, leaving no room for anything else in her mind. She found, as she did so, that her own strength returned. She was able to once more gather the particles of electric energy together and direct them to the bodies, leaving only fine ash to be scattered by the wind. Every droplet of blood was found and eradicated, all evidence of the existence of vampires or Carpathians banished. When it was over, Jaxon sat in the open meadow with the cleansing rain pouring down on her upturned face and the wind driving out all thoughts other than supporting Lucian in his battle with the most evil monster of all.
Lucian knew as he tracked the vampire through the newly dug tunnels that the vampire was extremely dangerous. This one was old, an ancient of incredible skill and power. He had eluded justice for many centuries and would not be easy to kill. Without thinking, he instructed Jaxon in the same way he had always instructed Gabriel. Get ahead of him. He is moving up toward the surface again. He will attempt to rise approximately four hundred yards or so from the rock outcroppings to your left. You must drive him back toward me.
No problem. Jaxon had no idea what she was going to do to stop the creature from surfacing, but if Lucian said it had to be done, then so be it. She streaked across the distance, judging where they were by the vibrations beneath the earth. If she listened, she could hear the ground groaning at the touch of the tainted being as it pushed its way through. She actually felt the dirt under her feet shift and knew the vampire was racing toward her to get to the surface far away from Lucian.
Jaxon went skyward, sending a sheet of fire sweeping the ground, flaming everything in its path. She knew she scored by the shriek and noxious odor that followed, then the sudden silence, as if the thing had burrowed back into the earth. Just to be on the safe side, she directed down flames as long as she could before sheer exhaustion sent her reeling to earth.
Something was wrong. Lucian had pulled away from their mind merge. She was left alone in the silence of the storm. Too tired to move, Jaxon couldn’t summon the necessary energy to join with Lucian. Without warning, tentacles erupted all over the ground, great spiked arms like those of an octopus but sharp and pointed like spears. They broke the surface everywhere, reaching, writhing, searching for her. Jaxon leaped up, sheer terror lending her the strength to move, when one wrapped around her ankle. She stared down at it in horror. Even as she did so, the appendage withered, shrunk, and fell harmlessly away from her.
Jaxon whirled around and almost ran right into a tall, gaunt man. He was youthful at one moment, ancient the next. He looked handsome, then hideous and evil. He smiled at her. “I trust you are finished with your pitiful attempts to harm me. It is impossible. I am much too powerful. In the end, my dear, you will pay for your sins against me.” His voice was pitched low. It might have seemed beautiful to other ears, but to Jaxon it was an assault.
She moved slowly, keeping her hands down and at her sides. She had to avoid the searching spearlike arms yet keep her gaze fixed solidly on her enemy. And he was her enemy. As sweet as his voice sounded, as gentle as his face tried to appear, Jaxon knew this was a monster without honor, without soul. She tilted her chin, her body as still as the mountains around them. Inside herself she found a calm, tranquil pool and simply stayed there while the shell that was her body faced the vampire.
He smiled at her, his teeth gleaming like needles. “You think that he will come for you, but I have ensured that he is trapped for all time beneath the earth. You will do as I say, and I will take that into account in my dealings with you.” His voice was mesmerizing, powerful.