Any thought Jonny had of being fair, of fighting Valon honorably one-on-one, vanished the moment the vamp laid a hand on Ashley. Already weak, unable to defend herself, Jonny had watched Valon hurt her - and felt his emotion blast through the careful guard he kept it under. He was reminded of the night when Czerno had almost killed his sister. The pain and fear he'd kept hidden away for the sake of learning to rule his domain exploded inside him.
He hadn't been in complete control when he drained her, but he'd managed to yank back the animal side of him when he realized how close she was to death. His successful determination to only take what he needed left him a little surprised given his hunger and state. He was stronger than he thought, capable of subduing the animal inside him for the sake of someone he loved. He needed that strength now.
He stepped between her and the rogue vamp leader.
Jonny loosened his grip on his magic. Valon had caught him off guard when they initially met, but he wasn't going to be fooled again. A flurry of arrows and bullets rained from the forest. He stayed near Ashley, his power shielding them both, and gathered up his strength. Taxed from the strange weapons Valon had used, unable to reach full strength when Ashley was injured, Jonny doubted he'd have more than one chance to level the rebellion.
Red lightning built and pulsed in a protective sphere around him. The air grew charged and thick enough for even him to struggle to breathe. He was intimately aware of Ashley starting to fade again. His lightning wasn't going to prod her away from the edge for much longer.
"You kill me this way, you kill your pet," Valon snarled. "You don't have the balls, kid."
"I'm not a kid," Jonny said coolly. "I'm the Black fucking God. And you have no claim to my domain or title. If you're smart, you'll run."
Valon sneered. Ashley had punctured his stomach with the knife that killed Czerno. Valon's face was covered in her blood.
Jonny bent and picked up Ashley, cradling her against him.
Her eyes fluttered open but she was otherwise completely limp in his arms.
"My power will kill anything living in its path," he whispered against her temple. "I need you to trust me, Ashley. Can you?"
"Sure." Her somewhat delirious response was accompanied by a vacant look.
"It might hurt."
Some awareness returned to her eyes. She touched his face with a trembling hand. "I never hated you, Jonny."
He allowed a tight smile to escape. "I know. I never stopped loving you, Ash."