Page 51 of Pleasantly Undead in Dark River

Eventually X stumbled into the clearing, his eyes widening at the cataclysmic disaster unfolding. “I had to get Judge to stay with the shifters. Couldn’t leave them unprotected,” he muttered, looking between the fighting twins and the vampire with half his head blown off at our feet.

“Kevin,” he muttered, shaking his head. “He isn’t dead, but it would probably be more humane for him if he was. These brain injuries heal, but something is lost in the process,” he muttered. He stepped forward, his gaping wounds in his neck like a morbid grin, and he knelt beside the body. “He campaigned for the creation of the Enforcers.” The Enforcers were the police and Boogeymen of the vampire world. “He said that an apex predator left unchecked for too long would raze the world. He was correct. But the madness started to set in a century ago, and his maker went first. His maker was as old as Titus, and possibly the only being more powerful. He killed an entire city in Italy. We passed it off as a plague to the humans, but the Enforcers knew that he was the reason Kevin had pushed for our creating. Lucius led the hunt. They found him in the catacombs beneath the city surrounded by bodies. Lucius tore his heart out in front of Kevin.”

He gently closed the healing vampire's eyes, and then punched his hand into the man’s chest. He dragged out his heart and laid it beside him. I watched as it thumped one last time. X dug a hole and buried the heart deep in the earth.

Walker shook his head. “I’ll bury him away from here. Lucius has created quite the collection.”

He leaned over and kissed my cheek, and I grabbed his chin, searching his face for something. Walker hated violence and killing people. He didn’t thrive on blood and conflict. It was why he lived in Dark River to start with. I worried that killing the ancient vampire was going to torment his conscience. Walker just smiled sadly. “I don’t have any regrets, Raine. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You mean everything.”

The admission seemed to pain him a little, and then he scooped up the body of Kevin and disappeared into the forest.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Xcontinued to stand with me, a silent vigil as centuries of pain and anger were finally released.

Nico finally overpowered Lucius, pinning his body down and punishing him with hard fists. “I loved you, and you betrayed me over and over. You killed everyone I ever had a chance to love, and for what? So I couldn’t love anyone, but you? So I would come dance in your depravity with you? Centuries of loneliness without my other half because you were still flagellating yourself for her death!” Nico screamed.

Her death? Who the fuck was her?

Lucius went limp, taking Nico’s blows without resistance. He’d given up and it was like he was preparing for Nico to tear his head off. Like he wanted it.

“Nico, stop!” I yelled, and his fist halted mid-movement. Even I felt the power behind those words, and my heart thundered. Lucius turned toward me, his brows drawn together. “Compulsion? Interesting. You are a little young to be showing such gifts, Raine Baxter.” He looked back up at Nico. “You may want to release him though, because you have stopped his heart as well. We are undead, but it still needs to beat occasionally.”

I was too stunned to do anything but gape at him. Shit, what? “Uh, Nico unstop? Go?” Lucius laughed. Actually laughed. “Say it like you don’t want him to die, Raine.”

“Nico, unstop!”

Nico’s fist fell limp against his stomach and he just stared at me. He climbed off of his brother, and leaned down to pull him to his feet like he just hadn’t been intent on murdering him with his bare hands.

X shook his head. “This makes me glad I was an only child,” he muttered and I smiled.

Nico came over, looking deep into my eyes like he could see the power lying there dormant. “Have you used this compulsion before?” he asked softly, no accusations in his voice.

“Uh, twice, maybe?” Once when I’d made all of Brody’s pack shift. Once when I’d made X drink when he was near death. But what about when I made my abductors all turn to sheep? “Maybe three times. But twice was with Shapeshifters accidentally and I thought maybe it was an extension of Brody’s mate-bond.”

X was nodding sagely, until he screwed up his face. “You made me drink your blood? When I was dying? Are you mad, Love?”

I shrugged. “You can be mad about it later when your head isn’t being held on by a couple of threads.”

He grabbed me up in his arms and kissed me. “I’m never going to be mad about drinking your delectable blood,” he purred. Then his grin faded. “But I don’t like to be forced to do things either.”

I shook my head. “I promise I’ll never do it on purpose.”

Nico was looking at me with sad eyes, and I remembered what he said about his power being a burden. His power was a form of compulsion too, only it was to compel the truth from someone. Was my power like his, but with more juice? I tried thinking about all the conversations I’d had, all the people who had done what I’d asked without question. Had they wanted to do it, or were they doing it because I compelled them to?

“Must be because of her succubus blood. Her vampirism has enhanced her compulsion abilities to be more far reaching,” Lucius said, his eyes not even holding a slither of the others' hesitation. “Try making me do something?”

I blinked at him. “Uh, quack like a duck?”

Nothing happened. I wasn’t sure if that was a relief or a disappointment. Lucius frowned. “The other times, were they life or death situations?”

I nodded. Well, except forcing everyone to shift. But I’d almost died a few hours before, so maybe.

“If it's an extension of her succubus compulsion, maybe it has to be sexual in nature? Or life and death to protect herself or those she loves?” Nico said, his eyes still wandering over me.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Give it a go?”

I frowned. “Uh, Lucius kiss X.”

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