Page 58 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal
Blood gushes out of his mouth as he chokes and tries to speak. I don’t give him the opportunity. When a man is in fear of his life, he’ll say anything.
It’s rarely the truth, and it’s nothing I want to hear.
“You are responsible for the death of men far greater than you have ever been or will be. You will die a disgrace to our kind, and we will piss on your remains.”
I throw his tongue against the wall with such force that it explodes into a fleshy splat. Then, I flex both hands at my sides and release my claws to their full extent.
The sting of the dagger-sharp claws breaking through the nail beds of my fingers is raw and painful, but in my current state, I feel nothing but the lust for blood and vengeance.
“Hold him in place.” My command comes out partly in words and partly in a compulsion to do my bidding. Not that I intend to compel Huntley, but my control has snapped.
He rushes behind Benoit to grab his arms, lifting them to the side, leaving me with full access to the man’s body. With my talons fully extended, I slice off his clothes in a series of frenetic swipes and then stare at him.
My breath fills my lungs in heaving breaths as I imagine all the ways I’m going to flay this man.
“You mentioned wanting a public spectacle?” Huntley’s reminder drifts into my mind as if from a great distance. “Is that still your plan?”
“No. His body parts will have to stand as my statement. There’s no stopping now.”
And with that, I let my vampire side take over completely.
Tucker
I hate everything about this.Everyone is on edge after the coup attempt, but despite Scottie’s insistence that she’s up for this, I’m not so sure.
She’s grieving the loss of her father and Francesco.
Hell, I held her in my lap while she sobbed moments ago.
But the challenge has been made and accepted. Unlike Scottie, I’m not Vasari family and don’t have a place here.
Still, it goes against everything in me to step back and let two vampires attack the female. Especially because something magical is weaving our futures together.
It’s there when we touch—the spark of magic that arcs between us—but she doesn’t understand its significance.
I’m not even sure what’s at play.
All I know is that from the first moment I set eyes upon her, my world exploded into sensual overload. The colors I see are more vibrant. The surrounding scents are heightened. And when our bodies touch, there is a pull within me, more visceral than anything I’ve ever felt before.
Scotland McCullough is mine.
So, stepping back while two vampires ready to pounce and make her look bad, goes against every instinct screaming inside of me.
The one with the long, thick dreads openly challenged Scottie’s ability to defend Zane. I understand their concern, but I saw her tearing it up in the alley with Jack.
The girl has serious moves.
Respecting that she knows what she’s doing, I watch, heart pounding, as the confrontation escalates.
Scotland sinks into a fighting stance, her gaze alight with a promise to make them suffer. I’m not sure how the magic of her squire powers works, but she only got them yesterday. Jack mentioned she would need training to hone them, so that’s a worry.
Having lost a parent to the senseless cruelty of murder, I recognize the fury fueling her and understand her need to lash out and make someone bleed.
The vampire with dreads steps forward first. He peels off his shirt and his muscles ripple and flex as he sizes her up. “I don’t want to hurt you, little girl, but you have no business taking Huntley’s place. Everyone knows he was meant to watch over Zane.”
Scottie doesn’t flinch. “Things change. And don’t worry about hurting me. I’ve been putting men like you down for decades. All vamp bluster and bravado. You’re all the same.”
He lunges at her, his speed impressive, but not enough to catch her off guard. She sidesteps smoothly, her movements fluid and precise. She grabs his outstretched arm, using his momentum to flip him over her shoulder.
