Coveted - Book 3 in the Gwen Sparks Series by Stephanie Nelson Page B

surge of energy rushed through my body like a live wire, zapping and awakening my desire. I sighed against his mouth when he wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer still. His body was solid, hard muscle against my soft frame.
    “Down!” Someone yelled and it pierced through the little world Dorian and I had created. My eyes slowly peeled open and I looked up at him, seeing my hungry gaze reflected back in his aviator sunglasses.
    Dorian’s eyebrows drew together, his mouth forming a hard line. His arm shot out, shoving me behind him so quickly I stumbled over my feet and fell backwards. A blade sailed through the air, right where I had just been standing. My breath hitched when I saw the large man Dorian was fighting. Grunts and snarls sounded up ahead. Lauren was fighting another large man, his skin so dark it blended into the night.
    Quickly standing, I reached out and latched onto the surrounding spirits without a second thought. But before I could direct them to take care of the rogues, heavy footsteps echoed through the night. Five more men were running through the graveyard, daggers drawn and fury in their obsidian eyes as they rushed toward us.
     

 

     
    A twig snapped just behind me, the sound more menacing than the scene before me. Hot, sour breath assaulted the back of my neck. I whipped my body around, bending down and sweeping my leg out. The rogue hadn’t been expecting it. His feet went out from underneath him and he tumbled to the hard earth. His coal eyes pinned me in my place, emanating enough hatred and fury to chill me to the bone. But I couldn’t hesitate when dealing with these bloodthirsty monsters. I took off running for a clear space, hoping that none of the rogues were chasing me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, amplifying my fear as I reached the clearing. The attack at Broomsticks was still fresh in my mind, making it difficult to focus. A flash of my reflection at the hospital flitted through my mind, the ugly sneer of my attacker and the hopelessness I had felt. It was enough to push the fear away and snap me back to reality.
    I eased my rapid breathing, sucking in deep breaths and releasing them slowly. Off in the distance Dorian and Lauren were occupied with their own rogues. Lauren moved so quickly it was difficult for my eyes to track her. Dorian held one rogue by the throat while holding his arm out to the other. He wasn’t touching the rogue, but he stopped in his tracks all the same. His inky eyes shot wide, his lip curling over his teeth in a feral snarl. White and black mist lifted from his body, twirling and spiraling in a sluggish cyclone. The man fell to his knees, a piercing screech breaking through his trembling lips.
    Another man, no taller than 5’3”, was heading my way. Fifteen feet separated us and I was running out of time. I stretched my senses, willing the hiding ghosts to my side. Using my spirit walker powers were a lot like using my normal witchy ones. Both buzzed beneath my skin, but while my witchy magic was warm, my spirit walker magic was cold. My skin prickled and itched as the coldness filled my hot hands.
    White mists twirled around me, slow but agitated. The spirits’ foggy energy continued to surround me, picking up speed the closer the rogue got. He stopped just outside of the protective ring, his eyes squinting as he tried to make sense of the display in front of him.
    My hair whipped out around my shoulders, and my chest rose and fell heavily as I fastened onto the power surging within me. A satisfied smile bent my lips as I locked eyes with the rogue. I wasn’t defenseless this time. This rogue would not get a chance to hurt me like the other had.
    He stepped forward, his hand securely wrapped around the handle of his dagger. Stopping just outside the line of the swirling ghosts, he stabbed his knife forward and into the misty bodies. The dead sped up, whirling around me like an angry tornado. Strands of my dark hair blew across