Page 128 of His Cursed Heart

Just the thought of him near them makes my blood boil and my hunger to kill grow.

The phone in my back pocket starts ringing, and

without taking my hand from his neck, I grab it with my other one. I frown at the unknown number, swiping right to accent the call.

Ignoring the cold sensation from earlier, I snap, "Talk."

"Let go of my man, Keaton."

My body freezes.

The hold I have on the man's neck turns softer, and my brain can't make the distinction between reality and imaginary.

"Good boy," I snap when his words invade my hearing.

My blood runs faster with a desire to devour, my body feels hot and my veins are almost popping out of my skin.

I'll show you good boy.

I grab my gun again, which I think fell when I heard the voice, and shot the man in the thigh. His roar makes the dogs react, starting barking loudly and I hear footsteps coming in our direction. I grab the back of his neck and slam his face hard against the desk, repeating the move until I hear a crack. I set him free, his body falling to the ground, limp.

"There, I let him go." I snap at the person on the other side of the call.

"You're still not good at listening to orders, I see."

"I'm not taking orders, especially not from bastards like you."

"But you listen to Althea." The amused voice makes me punch the desk in anger.

"Don't you ever say her name again."

"But she looks so beautiful next to that panther."

My body freezes.

I move quickly to the window, looking desperately

for Althea and Vincent. I find them in the same spot, but Althea looks over to our bedroom with a frown. Our eyes meet and I know she can tell that my face is tense. I see two of my men next to them, trying to take them inside. With a single nod of my head toward Althea, she lowers her eyes to Vince and takes him in her arms, going after the guards.

"I'll bathe in your blood soon, Ivan." I warn him through the phone.

"You're so loyal to her, Boss," His disappointed voice turns my hold on the phone tighter. "How can you worship her when she's been lying to you all this time?"

My heart beats so hard that it makes my chest hurt.

Don't let him play with your head, Keaton. But fuck, I am so weak when it comes to Althea Moretti.

I hear my men grabbing the half-dead courier off the floor, but my attention stays on the traitor that keeps testing my anger.

"You don't believe me, but after you unwrap that package that my man left in your bedroom, you'll see that I'm right." My eyes move instantly to the big rectangle next to the bed.

"Because of your wife's lies, I had to watch the love of my life fall for you. Marry you. While I watched like a lost dog. Maybe after you'll see the truth, you'll feel the torment I felt all these years of not being with Keres." And he hangs up.

Rapid breaths make me look like I run a marathon. My mind is blurry and I can't think straight.

The fact that Ivan finally admits that he was Keres lover feels unreal. I don't need to hear another word of his to know that he's the one who stole her body, and though he'll get away with it.

But first, I need to get this feeling off my chest. I