Kingmakers, The (Vampire Empire Book 3) by Susan Griffith Clay Griffith

grip.
    Adele broke into a sweat as more excess power surged into her looking for release. Her body burned with the effort to contain it. She felt like a crumbling dam holding back a destructive wall of water. Several of the vampires glanced around wildly, sensing the change in the energies around them. Adele dropped to one knee and closed her eyes in concentration, silently repeating over and over a calming mantra taught to her by Mamoru.
    Gareth snarled. “You are wasting my precious time.”
    Another series of explosions shook the ground, and in the distance, dark shapes fell from the sky in pieces.
    “Very well!” a vampire hissed. “Come with us.”
    They all lifted into the air and aimed for the Bastille high above. Gareth followed, although this time he did look back. His gaze brushed over Adele, but clearly he did not see her. He turned back to his new companions and went to keep his appointment with the king.
    Adele concentrated on maintaining her control, trusting Gareth to deal with his brethren. With time, the pressure eased inside her and the roar in her veins abated. Awareness crept back as she stood shakily and noticed a young human girl staring at her. The girl was dressed in filthy rags and her face was devoid of expression, sapped by the hopelessness of her situation. She was watching Adele with the same disassociation one would watch life pass by a windowpane.
    To Adele’s surprise, when she moved, the girl stepped forward to follow her. The empress knelt and smiled, lifting a finger to her lips for silence. The girl’s brow furled and her head tilted to the side, the way a puppy would listen to a new sound. Ever so slowly the girl’s eyes brightened and the muscles in her face lightened as her lips drew into a matching smile, and she came to Adele’s side.
    Adele reached out and touched the dirty cheek. This surprised the girl, whose eyes widened to twice their normal size. Adele again cautioned silence, and the girl’s own finger lifted to mimic the empress.
    Adele’s heart swelled. This was the reason she was here. These people weren’t the mindless cattle most southerners believed them to be. Theydeserved a new chance. In a few short hours this child’s life would change. She would be free of the tyranny.
    “Soon,” Adele whispered. “You’ll be safe soon.”
    A tile hit the street with a startling crash. A vampire dropped to the ground beside them. He couldn’t see Adele but, with horror, she realized she had placed the child in danger. She had brought the girl to the attention of a hungry creature.
    The child’s eyes were full of fear, yet also penitence. She didn’t cry or scream, but fell prostrate to the ground. The vampire towered over her.
    No, Adele thought. She wasn’t going to watch this child be killed and eaten. Adele stood over the child right in front of the vampire, still masked by the ley line’s embrace. She let the energy give her focus.
    The vampire hissed suddenly, and snarled. He glanced around wildly, backing away. He raised his hand to strike, assuming the child was the cause of his discomfort. She slipped off her connection to the line, almost like stepping through a curtain, and the shimmer faded from her body. The vampire reared back in surprise as he saw her dagger slashing downward. He barely had time to shout before Adele’s Fahrenheit blade buried in his chest. She gripped his throat to prevent him from raising an alarm. He gasped like a fish as the heat from Adele’s hand seared him, smoke rising from around her fingers, and he stumbled to the ground. The glowing dagger flashed as it was yanked out and then arced across the vampire’s throat, cutting through vocal cords. Adele pressed him to the dirt with the weight of her body, knees pinning the vampire’s outstretched arms.
    The Fahrenheit blade plunged once more where her anatomy lessons told her that his heart should be. And then again. Adele’s breath hissed through clenched teeth. Precious