Page 104 of Cruel Destinies

“What’s he talking about, Julian?” Piper asked, her voice quaking.

I ignored her, taking a defensive stance as Solomon continued approaching. “What did you do to her?”

“Just took a little taste before some fucking bird chased me off.” He passed his tongue over his bared fangs. “And she was fucking delicious, mate. I get why you are so taken with her.”

Relief briefly flashed through me at the knowledge that she was still alive, and I assumed the “bird” had been Caesar. But my thirst for vengeance rapidly overshadowed all else.

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I hissed in promise.

He cackled, a smug expression forming on his villainous face. “My rank and status at Heritage Prep is about to skyrocket. Oh, the rewards I’ll receive for bringing Hadrian the pitiful head of the infamous Julian Asher, traitor to his own kind.”

The threat bounced off me like Vancouver raindrops off an umbrella.

“I think I’ll keep my head,mate,” I snarled. “And take yours instead.”

Faster than a hunter’s gunshot, Solomon reached with both arms for my neck, attempting a death strike. But I’d been taught by one of the greatest combat specialists: Beatrice Morton. With ease, I smacked the underparts of Solomon’s wrists with my own arms, then counter-attacked with a fist to the other vampire’s chest.

Such a punch would have shattered the ribcage of a human, but all it did was push Solomon back a few steps.

“Still as quick as ever, old man,” Solomon mocked.

He jabbed a far-reaching kick that I blocked with my wrist.

“If you manage to land one blow before you run away, I’ll consider this a loss,” I growled.

Solomon growled and threw a flurry of punches my way, which I easily evaded. His thirst was making him sloppy.

“Nobody will be running away today,” Solomon barked. “And after I’m done with you, I’ll have my way with your Initiate, too. She’s as guilty as you are.”

“Then let’s get to that part where you’re done with me, shall we?” I held out my hand and curled my fingers, daring him to come at me.

“With pleasure,” he said, grinning wickedly.

He feigned a right-handed punch, and I took the bait. In the same motion, he spun and stretched his leg forward, striking me in the shins and throwing me off balance. But I knew this attack method from my own training, and as soon as I hit the floor, I rolled to my left. Solomon’s foot landed right where my neck would have been, snapping the floorboards like they were twigs.

Lashing out with my own foot, I kicked him in the face with such force that terrible popping sounds came from the vampire’s neck as it whipped backward. A second later, the same sickly sounds popped again as his body repaired itself.

Solomon set his sights on me with such fiery fury I knew he was on the verge of losing complete control. At that point, he’d be vulnerable. Keeping things together in a fight was crucial, especially when a vampire was fighting another vampire. Unbridled attacks were rarely timely or efficient.

“You must be pretty low in status these days,” I said, keeping my fists in the air. “Banking on such a high-end target as me? Sounds like desperation.”

And that did it.

Solomon yelled with rage as he charged me. Before he could smash his shoulder into me, I sidestepped, smacking Solomon in the back of the head as he went by. But what I hadn’t expected was Solomon grabbing me by the legs as he sprawled, causing me to lose my balance, too. He was on top of me in an instant, pummeling my face over and over again.

I brought my hands up to protect my face and try to gain some sort of advantage on the other vampire, but the strikes were coming in too fast and too hard. I found it was getting harder and harder to think of ways to get away.

Solomon took advantage of my confusion and wrapped his firm hands around my neck, sending stars through my vision. All I could think about was the day of continuous drowning in Hadrian’s madness chamber.

Suffocation.

But this time, I didn’t have the coolness of water to soothe my aching lungs. The suffocation would bring on unconsciousness, and then Solomon would tear my head from my shoulders.

So this was how it was going to end. Not at the hands of Hadrian, but one of his lackeys.

Shea, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. Alice, I’ll be with you again soon.

And then the strangling stopped, and a sickening gurgle came from Solomon’s mouth. My blurred vision slowly came into focus, and I saw something sharp protruding from my attacker’s chest above me. Behind Solomon was a trembling Piper, holding the attacker steady.

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