Page 18 of Cry of Blood and Joy
Angelo’s brother-in-law. Fear pumped through me in cold, relentless waves, and the shadows responded instantly,gathering around me like loyal guards. They climbed the walls, twisted across the ceiling, hungry and agitated. I could feel them pulling at my control, begging to be unleashed.
I grasped Enzo’s arm and clamped down hard enough to bruise, anchoring myself to something solid as the room seemed to tilt around me. His muscle tensed beneath my grip, coiled and ready for violence.
“Is Angelo with him?” The words scraped out of my throat, barely more than a whisper. My heart hammered so hard I could hear it in my ears, drowning out everything except the suffocating weight of dread settling over me like a shroud.
Bam Bam Bam
The sound of a fist against the door reverberated through the room like gunshots. Each impact made me flinch, made the shadows surge darker and more chaotic around us. Enzo’s jaw clenched, a muscle jumping beneath the skin as his protective instincts warred with whatever complicated history he had with the vampire on the other side of that door.
“Open the door, Enzo, or I call the boss.” Dimitri’s voice carried through the wood with a blend of lazy charm and barely contained menace—like silk hiding a blade. There was a dark chuckle threading through his words, the sound of someone who found genuine entertainment in other people’s terror. “Come on, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. We both know how this ends.”
The casual cruelty in his tone made my skin crawl. This wasn’t just a threat—it was foreplay to him.
“Besides, it will be a party,” he continued, his voice dropping to something almost conversational, almost friendly, “Right now, it will be just us. You don’t want me to contact the big party pooper, do you?”
Steve cursed under his breath from somewhere behind us, and I could smell the sharp scent of his fear mixing with my own.Even he knew what this meant. Dimitri Dragan didn’t make house calls unless someone was about to die—and he planned to enjoy every second of it.
Chapter Twelve
Enzo
Damn it. My mind raced through the possibilities, each one worse than the last. I had to have been followed. The thought of being tracked like prey irritated me, and I ground my teeth. Had Keir betrayed me? He had promised one of his men would teach Joy how to manage her powers, but what if that had been a lie? What if he’d decided she was too dangerous to train and sold us out to Angelo instead?
I forced myself to focus, to push down the spiral of paranoia threatening to consume me. There were more immediate problems.
I glanced over at Joy, and my heart sank. Her shadows had erupted from her in jagged, violent tendrils that hung behind her like the legs of some monstrous spider, twitching and writhing with her fraying composure. The air around her practically vibrated with dark energy, and her hands trembled as she fought to maintain even this much control.
This was exactly what we couldn’t afford right now. Forget the seedy hotel—we needed to get out of the city entirely. Colorado couldn’t wait.
“Joy. You need to calm down. Now.” I stepped closer, lowering my tone but letting the urgency bleed through. “If you don’t and Dimitri gets hurt, this becomes more ammunition for Angelo. More evidence that you’re a danger to the family.”
Her wild eyes snapped to mine, and for a moment I saw the fear beneath the fury—the terror of a girl who knew she was losing control of the very thing that defined her.
I drew on my experience as an enforcer, forcing my expression into the cold mask I’d perfected over decades of intimidation. Taking a steadying breath, I opened the door.
Dimitri immediately slipped inside like a bat out of hell, moving with that predatory grace that all old vampires possessed. The scent of expensive cologne and something darker—something that reminded me of old blood and older sins—followed in his wake.
He stopped in the center of the room and folded his arms across his chest, surveying the space like a king evaluating his conquered territory. “Shut the door, traitor.” The word rolled off his tongue with relish, like he was savoring a fine wine.
I narrowed my eyes, my jaw clenching despite my efforts to remain impassive. “I’m not a traitor.”
His long dark hair didn’t hide the predatory gleam in his eyes. He had on black jeans that hugged his lean frame and a black T-shirt that would help him blend into the darkness—though something told me Dimitri Dragan had never needed to hide from anything in his very long life. Every line of his body screamed casual confidence, from his relaxed stance to the way his fingers drummed against his bicep.
He cocked his eyebrow, and a slow, wicked smile spread across his face—the kind of expression that had probably beenthe last thing countless victims had seen. “According to Angelo, you are.” He paused, letting the words fester like poison. “Glad it’s not me for a change. Being the family disappointment gets exhausting after a few centuries.”
There was something almost gleeful in his tone, as if my downfall was the most entertaining thing that had happened to him all week. His dark eyes glittered with malicious amusement as they swept over Joy’s barely controlled shadows, then back to me. “Interesting how much trouble one little shadow-dancer can cause when she puts her mind to it.”
Joy stood taller, shadows rippling behind her like dark flames. “What does that mean?”
Dimitri’s smile turned predatory, but there was something almost fond underneath it. “It means you’re lucky you didn’t hurt Gianna, sweetheart. She’s the reason I haven’t gone full psycho killer on you yet.” He paused, savoring the impact of his words before adding with mock sincerity, “She’s fine, by the way. You’re welcome for the update.”
I exhaled a pent-up breath. Whatever his game was, we weren’t dead yet.
I looked at Dimitri, searching his face for any hint of his true intentions. “Whose side are you on?”
Dimitri flashed me a sly smile that was cruel amusement and dark promises. “Let’s just say I have zero intention of taking a little trip to Angelo’s special playroom. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, and it really wasn’t my color. And unlike some people, I remember who my real friends are.” His expression darkened for just a moment before the casual mask slipped back into place. “So no, I won’t be doing that again.”
He moved closer, his voice dropping to something almost conversational. “Here’s the thing, though—I can’t exactly keep this cozy little hideout from dear old Angelo forever. But for Gianna’s sake, I’ll be a gentleman and give you a head startbefore I make that call.” His eyes glittered with something that might have been sympathy if you squinted. “Your enemies are growing. Keir ratted you out. He’s jumped in bed with Angelo.”
