Page 71 of Hitched to the Vampire King
Guards, plural. I whirled around in time to catchtwoshadows streaking toward us. One more than I’d scented in the hallway.
Gabriel was a blur of movement, his sword slicing through the air, just as I leaped forward and collided with the second guard. I rode him to the ground, my massive paws pressed at his throat. The vampire scrambled beneath me, his eyes wide with fear, but I didn’t give those fears time to fester. Instead, I lunged down and sank my teeth into his neck. One quick pull and his head came popping off. I dropped it to the floor just in time to catch Gabriel slicing his sword cleanly through the other vampire’s neck.
In a matter of seconds, we’d demolished Adrian’s guards.
Apparently, we made a rather effective team.
I pushed off the vampire and rose to my feet, stalking toward Adrian. His wide eyes narrowed at the sight of me and he stepped back, drawing his own small blade, one that, unfortunately for him, wouldn’t do much damage to either of us.
At the sound of fighting one level down, Adrian paused, then growled something rather uncomplimentary.
“Tsk, tsk, Father,” Elias quipped in an eerily calm and amused voice. “Such language.”
Adrian must have heard it too, because he snuck a glance over his shoulder to find Elias leaning casually against the wall, his arms and ankles crossed.
An enraged snarl boomed through the room. “You dare betray me?”
Elias shrugged nonchalantly. I bit back a laugh, knowing it would sound a little too much like a wheeze right now. Lucy had once told me I sounded like a cat coughing up a hairball when I laughed in wolf form. The comparison had always stuck with me.
“Betrayal’s a strong word,” Elias commented as he pushed off the wall and started toward me and Gabriel. “I prefer ‘choosing the winning side.’”
Adrian’s face twisted in fury, his gaze darting between his fallen guards, Gabriel, and me.
“It’s over, Adrian,” Gabriel said, hatred darkening his every word. He held his sword out, pointed straight at his father. “No more games, no more running. This ends here and now.”
I could feel the tension in the room spike. A showdown was inevitable. Adrian, however, seemed to calculate his slim chances, his eyes flicking to the nearby window as if considering an escape. I stepped forward, just in case he decided to throw himself out of it.
Suddenly, the room erupted into action again—Adrian lunged, not at Gabriel, but at Elias. In movements almost too quick to track, Adrian grabbed Elias by the shoulders andthrewhim at Gabriel, who still stood with his sword at the ready. The unexpected move shocked us all, but what shocked me more was the sight of Elias stumblingrightinto Gabriel’s blade, belly first. The sword slid right through him like butter.
The room fell into silence for a brief second while both vampires stared down at their predicament. It wouldn’t kill Elias, but I couldn’t imagine it felt great.
Next came the sound of breaking glass. I whipped my head around in time to watch Adrian throw himself out the window. Exactly as I’d feared.
Cursing inwardly, I bolted after him. We couldn’t let him escape. I refused to fail tonight. Adrian died, no matter what. Gathering my strength, I leapt out the window and fell the two stories. I landed hard on the grass, my legs buckling beneath my weight, but I didn’t pause. Instead, I surged forward, following Adrian’s scent, which led out an open gate and into a back alley.
I heard Gabriel call my name, but I didn’t so much as glance back. Adrian had to die. I wouldn’t accept any other outcome.
Darting into the alleyway, my paws pounded against the pavement, each step propelling me closer. Adrian was quick, but nothing was faster than a werewolf on a mission, not even a desperate vampire.
He weaved through the alleys like a man possessed, but even vampires had limits, especially when panic set in. His erratic movements were a clear sign of his scattered focus, not the calculated escape of a seasoned predator.
He turned down another alley, and I followed a heartbeat later, aware of the sound of footsteps chasing behind us. I couldn’t risk looking back, but my gut told me it was Gabriel and the others following in pursuit.
I pressed hard, chasing Adrian down another alley. Just as he was about to scale a fence, I leapt into the air and launched myself at him. My aim was perfect, and the two of us collided together, then crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Adrian’s counter was swift. Somehow, he managed to tuck his legs beneath me, and he kicked, launching me into the air. I suffered a brief moment of weightlessness before I slammed into the brick wall of a neighboring house and dropped to the ground. Pain exploded within me, centering primarily on my ribs and shoulder. I refused to let it slow me though. Pain was temporary, but the satisfaction of killing Adrian would last forever.
I picked myself up just as Adrian scrambled to his feet. Before he could take off again, I darted back into battle. I lunged at him and snapped my mouth closed around his thigh. Adrian’s scream came immediately, but it was nothing compared to the screams that followed when I heaved him in the air and shook him about like a rag doll. My fangs shredded through his flesh and pierced muscle. When his blood filled my mouth, I threw him to the ground.
Adrian slowly rolled over, his leg barely hanging onto the rest of his body. His face was bloodless, and there was a fear in his eyes that told me he knew how this would end.
“Maddie,” Gabriel called behind me.
I turned to find everyone had formed a semi-circle around us, blocking me from sight in case a human came out to investigate. Gabriel stood next to Sam, his gaze locked on me. I knew he wanted to deliver the kill, so I waited. But at the sight of his nod, I turned back to Adrian, my lips curling up to expose my monstrous fangs. Fangs I had every intention of using to rip his head off.
Adrian’s eyes darted from me to Gabriel, then back to me. He lifted his hands in a pleading gesture and begged, “Wait, wait, wait…”
No.
