Page 71 of Kentucky Nights
I know what he is trying to do. He’s taunting me, trying to get me to react. I won’t let his attempt work.
“She is very pretty. Have you noticed how the sun glistens off the apples of her cheeks? I mean, it would be hard to see, considering it’s always so cloudy here. If you blink, you’d miss it. She glows, doesn’t she? Imagine her with someone who would appreciate that. Another man having his hands on her body, claiming her as his. He wouldn’t be afraid to bite.”
I curl my fist into a tight ball, my breathing turning rough and ragged as the images of her with another assault my mind. Her laughter, gasps, moans, orgasms—they all belong to me.
“Imagine her begging for someone else’s bite,” Lorcan cackles, showing the cruelest part of himself. “I’m sure in another life, her mate would be more appreciative.”
Flexing my fingers out, my claws unsheathe, my fangs lengthen, my eyes flip crimson, and I launch myself at Lorcan. I use every bit of speed and strength I have to take him by surprise.
He can anticipate my every move. Lorcan dodges left, missing the swipe of my claws through the air. I pretend to repeat the same move, only I lift my other arm, trapping him against the wall by his cervical spine.
“You might have more power than me, but you will not win against a vampire whom you have threatened. You will not take my beloved away from me. She is mine. She will have my mark. And it might not be happening in the fucking way everyone else wants because I give a fuck about whatshewants.” I lift him off the ground, debating on snapping his neck.
It’s not like I can kill him. Only a reaper can kill another reaper.
“I plan on telling her everything after the rodeo tonight. I do not appreciate being spoken to like a child. I am over one hundred and fifty years old, do not patronize me with your fucking lectures!” I shout so loud, my own voice changes to the monstrous depths. “I will respect her choice until the very last fucking second of my life. Do you understand that? You can go tell Death that I won’t be needing your assistance. My soul will not be getting reaped.”
“You have that much faith in her?”
I lean in close enough to smell Hell’s smoke on his breath. “Yes,” I clip. “I have more faith in her than I do in myself. If that isn’t enough for you. Get the fuck off my ranch and don’t bother coming back.” Using my speed, I have the hammer clicked back on my gun, the barrel pressing under his chin. “You might not be able to die, but finding every piece of your fucking skull would take an awfully long time, don’t you think?”
Fire ignites behind the lifeless sockets, he used to call eyes. “You make a good point,” he concedes, tapping my hand. “You can let me go. I’ll back off.”
I give him a once-over, growling to show I’m not ready to forgive him yet. I don’t set him on the ground.
I drop him.
And I pull the trigger.
The bullet pierces the floorboard. A hole signifying how his skull could look if I didn’t have mercy.
“Don’t ever mistake my kindness as weakness again, Lorcan. I won’t be so kind next time.” I spin the gun around my finger and tuck it in my holster.
The blaze diminishes and leaves an abyss of swirling darkness in the sockets. “Noted, Kentucky.” He begins to walkaway, stopping behind Romeo. “Don’t make me come back here tomorrow. Please. I do not wish to see a friend die.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Romeo blows a raspberry and kicks his back leg out, landing his hoof in the middle of Lorcan’s torso.
“Skew-dang!” His head tumbles from his body first, followed by a few ribs soaring through the air.
One slings by my head with a comical whoosh, piercing the barn wall.
His leg flies a few feet, and the kittens pounce on it immediately.
“Oh my god, get them away from my body! This…this is abuse. Torture, even. I’d go as far as to say cannibalism. Get my bones! Don’t let their nasty little teeth ruin my structure. Do you know how much milk I drank as a human for these bones? Unbelievable. You creatures don’t appreciate science!” He is beside himself, scurrying to gather every piece of himself.
There’s always one thing I can count on when it comes to Lorcan—his theatrics. Sighing, I tug the bone from the wall and toss it to him.
“Romeo, I think you owe Lorcan an apology.”
“Yeah, Romeo,” Lorcan mocks like a child. “I think I’m owed one too.”
“No.”
I clear my throat and lean in, whispering, “You should apologize. That was pretty mean. I didn’t shoot him to avoid this mess.”
“He deserved it. I won’t apologize. He needs to apologize. Tell him I’ll do it again, too.”
