Page 51 of Fanged Temptation

“My bride, come here,” he purred, raising a hand, beckoning me like a dog. The fine hairs on my neck stood on end, my every instinct screamingdanger, danger, danger!

But I forced myself to hold my ground, summoning every flicker of defiance in my blood. “Actually,” I said, voice tightening, “I have a few conditions first.”

My father’s eyes narrowed, but Gregor’s chuckle was soft and low. He enjoyed toying with his food. “Conditions? Do you think you’re in any position to bargain?”

I exhaled sharply, adrenaline surging.

“You might want to listen.” I turned my attention to my family, catching their gaze one by one. “You see, thathumanyou threatened? Her grandfather is no longer within your reach. He’s under Leyore coven protection now.”

My words echoed in the cavernous space, and I felt Leah’s hand at my back. From the corner of my eye, I saw my mother’s face contort, and my father’s jaw flex. Good.

Their leverage was gone. If all was going according to plan, Leah’s grandfather would be well on his way to New York by now with Dylan, River, and Sky watching over him.

Gregor’s eyes flickered with annoyance, but I wasn’t done yet.

I stepped away from the shadow he cast, drawing myself up to my full height—which still wasn’t very tall but it was the best I could do. I edged toward my family, fiery defiance coloring my words. “Through all the years we’ve spent apart, I’ve been keeping tabs on all of you.”

My father’s eyes flashed and my mother stiffened. My brother stared daggers at her side.

“I’ve heard all about your shady dealings, all the creative ways you’ve gone about breaking coven laws. I know that you’ve been scheming to take the San Francisco coven for yourself, edging your way onto the council to take the throne from the current ruler.”

I lifted my hand, counting on my fingers. “Not to mention, you’ve been threatening humans—revealing yourselves withoutauthorization and putting the entire San Francisco coven in jeopardy.And—now this part is quite interesting—a little birdie told me that somebody has been stealing money from the Duvall family vault.”

I shifted to meet my brother’s gaze, eyes boring into Therio’s as his pupils blew wide. “What a coincidence it is that Therio has recently struck up a secret relationship with Linda, the heiress of the Duvall fortune. Rumor has it that Linda is lovestruck, but her secret man is more interested in filling his pockets than entertaining affairs of the heart.”

I tilted my head, flashing a smug little smile. “Have I left anything out?”

My mother opened her mouth but I continued, soaking in the satisfaction of seeing their faces grow paler. “The Leyore coven now knows your secrets too. And if anything happens to me, or to Leah, they’ll be taking it up with your coven directly. I’m sure your precious reputations would be done for, not to mention the punishment that would follow. Banishment, isolation. All of your lovely estates reclaimed. It would be a disaster.”

Silence weighed heavily in the air. My parents exchanged furious glances and Therio shifted on his feet. Then, with a hiss, my father snapped, “You dare–”

“Yes,” I cut in, blood pounding. “Idare.”

Drawing a deep breath, I swept my gaze across my family—my father seething, my mother stiff-lipped, Therio clutching the lapel of his immaculate suit like he could strangle me with the bare force of his glare. Summoning every bit of nerve I possessed, I squared my shoulders.

“So, to be absolutely clear,” I said, letting each word settle in the hushed air, “I’mnotcoming home. I’mnotgetting married to this… monster.” My gaze landed on Gregor, the corners of my mouth tightening. “And if you think you can force me, well,Leyore coven is fully prepared to expose every skeleton you’ve so carefully stashed away.”

My father’s nostrils flared. My mother paled noticeably, her fingers fumbling to clench tightly around Therio’s arm. In the brittle hush, even the ancient graffitied walls of the abandoned power plant held their breath.

I could practically taste the fury wafting in the tepid air.

“You would disgrace your own family–” my father began, voice vibrating with rage.

“I’d rather disgrace the lot of you than watch you ruin more lives for your own selfish gain,” I snapped back.

For a heartbeat, my parents exchanged frantic, scandalized looks, realization dawning that they had nowhere to turn. No leverage left. Therio’s lips parted in protest, but his eyes darted to the shadows, sensing the sudden presence of my allies, lurking just out of sight.

“Enough of this,” Gregor hissed abruptly, streaking forward with unnerving speed. His hand clamped onto my wrist in a vice-like grip and I gasped, pain lancing up my arm.

The stormy animosity radiating off him made my stomach knot and I veered backward as he leered in my face. “You may have bested your pathetic little family, child, but you have no power over me. Youbelongto me. Your Leyore dogs can’t protect you from that.”

Leah let out a strangled cry, half-diving forward to pull me free. My heart hammered in my chest. Gregor was older, stronger, temperamental and unwilling to let me go—just as I feared. But I was ready for this.

I lifted my fingers to my mouth and whistled—a sharp, piercing note that cut through the stale air like a blade.

Everything happened at once. From the far corners of the building, Hunter and Jordan burst into view. In a blur, Hunter tackled Gregor from behind, forcing him to release my wrist. Iwas wrenched off my feet, then twisted away, dropping to my knees as Jordan swept in. She vaulted clean over me, striking with violent lethality to knock the roaring vamp off-balance.

The abandoned building echoed with the crash of debris as they clashed, ancient strength meeting righteous fury.

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