Aleksander’s eyes fell on Evie. Then lowered to her blackened hands.
In a flash, he crossed the living space and slammed her against the wall. His fingers dug into her arms, and he bared his teeth in a snarl. His fangs were out.
Fear gripped her so hard she couldn’t move, and this terror wasn’t the conjured kind. There was nothing she could do against this feeling other than freeze.
“Where is she?” Aleksander’s voice was pure fury.
Evie couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t even speak. Instead, she glanced towards the bedroom.
Snarling, Aleksander pushed off her and made for the door. It took Evie a moment to realize he was going to enter the room. It knocked her out of her stupor.
She quickly positioned herself in front of the vampire King of Chains, blocking his way.
“You can’t go in.”
Aleksander’s eyes were more flame than not. “Get out of my way, or I’ll tear you to pieces.”
He would. He definitely would. Evie didn’t move.
“She’s not… decent.”
She didn’t know how much Natalya had told Aleksander about her marks. She didn’t want to accidentally overshare. Not with something so serious. And she knew Natalya didn’t want others to see her in her current state.
Aleksander stepped near her, eyes blazing with anger. She had no idea where she found the courage to not move away.
“King…” Drago walked up behind Aleksander. His face was as stern as ever. Grim and terrifying. “The Lady trusts this one.”
“I don’t care,” Aleksander said, staring down at Evie like she was a gnat that needed to be squashed.
“Lady Natalya does.” The huge fiend looked at Evie, red eyes trailing to her blackened hands. “How bad?”
Evie’s lip started quivering. “Bad. One of her wounds won’t stop bleeding. The one in her side. She said something about salt, but I got it out.”
Drago looked surprised. “She let you help?”
“Sort of.” Evie curled her hands into fists. When she spoke, her voice was trembling. “Is she dying?”
“She’s not. But an unhealing injury suggests weapons made for fiend slaying. She’ll need time to recover.” Drago’s jaw clenched. “Did you undress her?”
Evie nodded. His eyes flared.
“Did you have permission?”
“Yes. She wasn’t conscious when I got here last night. She was cold, she…” Evie had to lean against the wall. “I got her to wake up. She didn’t want me to call you.”
“Fiends.” Aleksander glared at Drago. “Pride is neither hers nor your Sin. Yet you suffer it just the same.”
He stalked into the living space, away from the bedroom. As he did, Evie noticed a small crowd of people in the hallway outside the apartment. Flea, Blake, Cassius, and Diana were among them. They all looked worried.
“What’s going on?” Evie asked.
“Natalya was attacked last night, along with the East Coast vampire she was meeting.” Drago’s expression was unreadable, though his eyes were more brightly scarlet than usual. “Stefano was behind it.”
Evie stared at him blankly. Stefano had been here. He’d come to Chicago again, bringing with him more cruelty and violence. But this time, he hadn’t come for Evie.
“Did he do this to her?”
Drago nodded. The gesture made her terror wane in favor of overwhelming anger. It filled her so completely there was no room for her fear.
