Page 43 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

The argument Dante and Link have started has devolved into a fight and though born vampires are a hell of a lot stronger than turned vampires, at eight to two, the odds aren’t in their favor.

“Straight to the abandoned Bay station platforms. Get them to safety.”

Jaxon frowns. “You’re staying?”

“We’ve still got family here and Benoit to track down.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

“No. I want you to get them to safety.”

He gives me a grim nod and disappears into the floor after them, pulling the trapdoor closed behind him.

With their escape in progress, I focus my attention on the guard’s body. Gripping his head, I press my boot on his shoulder and yank. It’s a gory, bloody thing ripping a man’s head off, but considering the events of the past twenty-four hours, it’s cathartic.

And more psychological relief is needed.

Much more.

Joining the dining hall brawl, I throw the head and clock a raider in the face. Sinew and blood coat his mouth and I take advantage of his distraction by racing up to him and shattering his knee with a brutal kick.

When he drops to the floor, I rip his head off, too.

The stifled scream of my opponent draws the attention of the others and the chaos as the fight intensifies.

Dante is grappling with a massive guy, who, if I’m not mistaken, was a weightlifting professional in his days before his transition. With a roar, the guy hurls Dante across the room to slam into the wall and crumple to the floor.

“Damn, D. That’s gotta hurt.”

“It’s only a flesh wound,” Dante grunts, rolling to his feet. “I’m not dead yet.”

I bend and grab the guard’s head off the ground and, with the second guy’s head in my other hand, I bash at my opponents, using bloody skulls as my weapons.

An impressive string of cursing draws my attention toward the exit. One of the enemy vampires has Link pinned against the inside of the closed door, his feet raised a foot off the floor.

Link’s legs flail helplessly as his claws swing, and he spews out every nasty thing he can think of. If his attacker were anyone other than a member of Daeva’s raiding force, it would be funny.

But it’s not. He’s one of the turned fuckers that Zane sent me a picture of, and he’s marked for death.

In a blur, I barrel into the vampire, knocking him away from Link. We crash onto the floor, the vampire’s head smacking against the marble with a satisfying crack. He lies still beneath me, his eyes glassy and vacant.

I leap to my feet, chest heaving, and relieve him of his head, tossing his noggin into the now growing pile. “I’ve got three of the eight. Come on, boys. We’ve got quotas to fill.”

Dante chuckles. “Sorry. Didn’t know we were counting. On it. I left two of mine over there. I’ll get to the beheading in a minute. But first, let’s finish this.”

The two remaining enemies back away slowly. The doors are shut and we’re blocking their escape. And since they don’t know where the secret tunnels are within the residences, they’re SOL.

With snarls of rage, Dante, Link, and I advance as one.

This ends now.

Zane

I stare at the contracts and financial reports flickering across the screen, frustration churning in my gut. The Vasari business empire is a tangled web, each thread connecting to another in a maze I can’t fully unravel.

At least, not yet.

Thankfully, my father has what he called the ‘intrepid triad’ in place. Ginny Harper, Brandon Stern, and James Tripp are the corporate powers that keep the Vasari empire cogs turning.

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