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wasn’t too mad to think, he was as smart as she was. And as sneaky. Right now the helpless act was about as sincere as her wounded bird routine.
    So she was ready when he threw another blast of Power at her. She saw his pupils dilate like a cat’s about to pounce, and she braced herself, shifting the stick minutely to push into his collarbone as she leaned forward.
    The energy smashed into her. She could almost see it now, with the sixth sense that was part of her vampire heritage. It was like the downrush of a nuclear cloud, the part that went flowing along the ground, destroying everything in its path, spreading in a circle from the point of impact. It seemed to be faintly green, the color of Morgead’s eyes. And it packed quite a punch.
    Jez gritted her teeth and hung on to the fighting stick, keeping it in place, letting the Power wash through her. It blew her hair back to stream in a hot wind and it seemed to last forever.
    But finally it was over, and she was tingling with pain, with a metallic feeling in her teeth. And Morgead was still trapped.
    He hissed at her, an amazingly reptilian sound.
    “Got anything else?” Jez said, grinning down at him with narrowed eyes. Every bruise on her body hurt afresh in the aftermath of the blast—but she wasn’t going to let him see that. “No? I didn’t think so.”
    Morgead’s upper lip lifted. “Drop dead, Jezebel.”
    Nobody was allowed to use her full name. “You first, Morgy,” she suggested, and leaned harder on the stick.
    The green eyes were beautifully luminous now, with sheer anger and hatred. “So kill me,” he said nastily.
    “Morgead—”
    “It’s the only way you’re going to win. Otherwise I’m just going to lie here and wait to recharge. And when I’ve got enough Power I’ll hit you again.”
    “You never know when it’s over, do you?”
    “It’s never over.”
    Jez bit down on a rush of fury and exasperation. “I didn’t want to have to do this,” she snarled, “but I will.”
    She didn’t kill him. Instead, she hurt him.
    She grabbed his wrist and locked it, with her hand holding his and her stick on top of his wrist. She could use leverage here to cause severe pain—or to break the bone.
    “Give up, Morgead.”
    “Bite me.”
    “I’m going to break your wrist.”
    “Fine. I hope you enjoy it.” He kept glaring.
    Like a little kid threatening to play on the freeway, Jezthought, and suddenly, inexplicably she was almost overcome by laughter. She choked it back.
    She didn’t want to break his wrist. But she knew she had to. And she had to do it soon, before he regenerated enough Power to hit her again. She couldn’t take another of those blasts.
    “Morgead, give!” She put enough pressure on his wrist that it really hurt.
    He gave her the evil eye through dark lashes.
    “You’re so stubborn!” Jez put on more pressure.
    She could tell it was hurting him. It was hurting her to keep the steady pressure up. Shooting stars of pain were zinging in her elbow.
    Jez’s heart was beating hard and her muscles were beginning to tremble with fatigue. This was much more difficult for both of them than a clean break would have been. And he was a vampire—his wrist would heal in a few days. She wouldn’t be injuring him permanently.
    I have to do it, she told herself. She tensed her muscles—
    And Morgead took a little quick breath, an indrawn hiss of pain. For just an instant his green eyes lost their gemlike clarity, unfocusing a bit as he winced.
    Jez let go of his wrist and collapsed to sit beside him, breathing hard.
    You are so stupid, her mind told her. She shook her hair out and shut her eyes, trying to deal with the fury.
    Beside her, Morgead sat up. “What are you doing?”
    “I don’t know!” Jez snarled without opening her eyes. Being weak and idiotic, she answered herself. She didn’t even know why she couldn’t go through with it. She killed vampires—and less obnoxious ones than Morgead—all the time.
    “I