Chapter 161

Chapter 161
Calla

Virex stared at Blake's twitching form with obvious disgust, his face twisted into an expression of pure contempt. Blood still dripped from his fangs as he spoke, his voice carrying centuries of arrogance.

"Pathetic hybrid," he said, taking a step toward Blake. "Did you really think your crude transformation could challenge true power?"

Blake struggled to push himself upright, his movements jerky and unnatural. Every twitch of his muscles looked painful, like his body was fighting against itself. But when he lifted his head to meet Virex's gaze, he was smiling.

That smile made my blood run cold.

Virex moved faster than my eyes could follow, his fist connecting with Blake's jaw in a blur of motion. The impact sent Blake flying backward across the rocky ground, his body rolling several times before coming to rest near the smoking ruins of the facility.

Virex stood over his fallen opponent, brushing imaginary dust from his perfect clothes. "Such disappointment. I expected more from someone foolish enough to inject themselves with God knows what."

But Blake was already getting back to his feet.

This time, his movements were different. Still painful-looking, still wrong somehow, but faster than they had been moments before. Blake straightened his spine and turned toward Virex, that terrifying smile never leaving his face.

"My turn," Blake said, his voice carrying an edge that hadn't been there before.

He launched himself at Virex with speed that made me gasp. One second Blake was standing thirty feet away, and the next he was driving his fist directly at the ancient vampire's chest.

Virex moved to dodge, but his red eyes widened with genuine surprise when Blake's attack nearly connected. The punch missed by inches instead of the comfortable margin Virex had clearly expected.

"What?" Virex's voice carried the first hint of confusion I'd heard from him.

Blake landed another blow, this one catching Virex in the ribs. Virex staggered backward, more shocked than hurt, but the fact that he'd been touched at all sent ripples of disbelief through the watching supernatural armies.

Virex recovered quickly, his expression darkening with anger. He grabbed Blake's incoming fist and squeezed, expecting to crush bones with his superior strength.

Instead, Blake caught Virex's other hand with his free arm.

For a moment, the two stood locked together, each trying to overpower the other. Virex pushed with centuries of accumulated strength, expecting to drive Blake to his knees.

Blake pushed back.

And held his ground.

Virex's red eyes blazed with fury as he realized what was happening. "Impossible. You're matching my strength."

Blake's smile widened, showing teeth that had become unnaturally sharp. "Not impossible. Just unexpected."

That's when I caught Blake's scent on the evening breeze. The smell made my nose wrinkle with disgust. He reeked of wet dog and rotting meat, with an underlying chemical tang that reminded me of the laboratory where he'd injected himself.

Virex pulled back and delivered a devastating headbutt that should have shattered Blake's skull. Blake's head snapped backward, blood flowing from his broken nose, but he didn't fall. Instead, he laughed.

Then Virex began his real attack.

The ancient vampire moved like liquid violence, his hands becoming claws that sliced through the air faster than human eyes could track. Each strike was precise and deadly, aimed at vital points that would cripple or kill.

Blake tried to match him, but where Virex had centuries of combat experience, Blake only had raw power and instinct. His attacks were wild and unrefined, more like an animal lashing out than a trained fighter.

Virex's claws raked across Blake's throat, opening deep gashes that should have been fatal. Blake stumbled backward, blood streaming down his chest, but the wounds were already closing.

Another strike caught Blake across the face, tearing flesh from cheek to jaw. More blood, more healing, more of that horrible laughter.

"You heal quickly," Virex observed, dancing backward as Blake swung wildly at him. "But healing won't save you from experience."

The ancient vampire's next combination was beautiful and terrible to watch. Five strikes in perfect sequence, each one flowing into the next like a deadly dance. Blake's ribs cracked. His left arm broke with a sound like snapping wood. Claws opened his stomach, spilling blood across the rocky ground.

Blake collapsed to one knee, gasping and bleeding, while Virex stood over him without a scratch.

"This is the difference between power and skill," Virex said, his voice carrying that mocking tone again. "You may match my strength, hybrid, but you lack the knowledge to use it effectively."

Blake looked up at him, blood running from his mouth, and started laughing again.

"You're right," Blake said, pushing himself back to his feet despite his injuries. "I was just testing my physical abilities against yours. Now let's see how you handle the real battle."

Virex frowned, clearly not understanding what Blake meant.

That's when Blake's eyes blazed with that strange mixture of red and gold, vampire crimson swirling with werewolf amber like two different flames trying to occupy the same space.

Virex suddenly stumbled, his hands flying to his head as he let out a sound of pure agony. The ancient vampire, who had seemed untouchable moments before, dropped to one knee as his perfect composure shattered completely.

"What are you doing to me?" Virex gasped, his voice breaking with pain I hadn't thought he was capable of feeling.

Blake's smile turned absolutely vicious as he stepped closer to the suffering ancient. "Psychic attack. One of the perks of moonkeeper blood mixed with their telepathy."

He drove his fist into Virex's face while the ancient was helpless to defend himself. The impact sent blood flying, and Virex crashed backward onto the rocky ground.

The vampire army behind Virex erupted into snarls and hisses, clearly wanting to help their leader but unsure whether they should interfere in what was obviously a dominance battle.

The werewolf packs watched with equal uncertainty. Blake had been their enemy, but now he was fighting the creature who wanted to use me to free eleven ancient vampires. Nobody knew whose side to take.

I looked toward Axel, desperate to run to him, but the distance between us felt impossible. Even if I could break free from where Virex had positioned me, I wasn't sure I could make it across thirty feet of open ground before one of the supernatural armies decided to grab me.

Blake grabbed Virex by the throat and hauled him upright, his hybrid strength allowing him to lift the ancient vampire like he weighed nothing. The psychic pressure was clearly still affecting Virex, who seemed barely conscious.

"Look at your leader!" Blake called out to the vampire army, his voice carrying that political authority I remembered from his campaigns. "This is what passes for ancient power?"

He punctuated the question with another devastating punch that sent more blood flying from Virex's broken face.

"I'm offering you something better!" Blake continued, addressing the vampires while maintaining his psychic hold on their leader. "No more hiding in shadows! No more pretending to be human! We take the world openly, without fear!"

Some of the vampires were nodding, their red eyes gleaming with interest at Blake's words.

"I have the strength to be your true leader!" Blake announced, his voice rising with the fervor I'd seen during his most passionate political speeches. "Strong enough to unite vampires and humans under one rule!"

He tightened his grip on Virex's throat, the ancient vampire's struggles growing weaker as the psychic attack continued to tear through his mind.

"And I'll prove it by doing something that should be impossible." Blake's eyes blazed brighter as he looked down at his helpless victim. "I'll kill an immortal ancient."

Before anyone could react, Blake sank his teeth into Virex's neck and bit down hard.

But this wasn't the refined bite of a vampire feeding. This was savage and brutal, more like a wolf tearing at prey. Blake's jaw worked as he ripped flesh and muscle, his enhanced teeth shearing through supernatural skin that should have been impenetrable.

Virex's scream filled the evening air, a sound of pure agony that echoed off the rocky walls around us. But worse than the scream was what began happening to his body.

The ancient vampire's pale skin started turning gray, like something was draining the life from his very cells. The grayness spread outward from where Blake was feeding, turning Virex's perfect features into something withered and old.

His silver hair became brittle and started falling out in clumps. His eyes, which had glowed with supernatural power, dimmed to the color of ash. Even his elegant clothes seemed to age and decay as whatever Blake was doing continued.

Within seconds, the feared Lord Virex had been reduced to something that looked like a corpse that had been buried for years. His skin hung loose on bones that seemed too fragile to support even his diminished weight.

Blake released his hold and stepped back, letting Virex's withered body crumple to the ground like a discarded doll.

The silence that followed was absolute. Even the wind seemed to have stopped blowing.

Blake stood over his victim's remains, blood running down his chin as he turned those terrible glowing eyes toward the rest of us. When his gaze found mine, his smile was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen.

"Hello, dear wife," he said, his voice carrying new depths of power and madness. "Ready to come home?"