Page 67 of Fangs and Family
Three more left. Or maybe two, the youngster keeps hesitating.My thoughts were crystal clear as I assessed my attackers, but it was an illusion as the image of one flickered, closely followed by excruciating pain smashing into my back. The vampire had fooled me by using his magic as a distraction, intending to disable my wings before killing me. When the damn fool tried to bite me, I nearly laughed. Despite the mess my wings did to my clothes, I was still wearing the remnants of my combat gear, the collar still protecting my vulnerable neck.
‘Wrong move,’ I hissed through clenched teeth. As my attacker’s teeth caught in the kevlar, my fist struck out, crushing the idiot’s skull in an explosion of bone and brains.
There were only two vampires left, but my luck was running out. I was injured and struggling to catch my breath. The mental band around my mind tightened with each passing second, slowing me down, so I needed to end this before the last of my energy bled out onto the tarmac. I should have brought my own Seethe to aid me, but I didn’t have the time, nor did I want to lose any friends to this bastard. My cockiness and soft heart would be my downfall this time, and it meant that Nina was now vulnerable.
The vampire with the psychic powers withdrew to the hospital doors. His eyes, moving rapidly under their white veil, told me he was probably talking with his Master. The other vampire, however, was looking at me with a mix of fear and respect in his eyes.
I let my hands fall to my sides, relaxing my wings as I faced the young vampire.
‘You don’t need to die. Not for that piece of shit Prince who hides while you fight, uncaring of your fate. He is using you to slow me down, to weaken me. If you leave now, I’m willing to offer you a place in my Seethe,’ I whispered.
His eyes widened, and he glanced nervously at the corpses littering the ground and his Elder, who seemed to be oblivious to our conversation. He briefly nodded, withdrawing before he disappeared into the shadows.
I smiled as I stepped forward. It had been a brutal fight, but I was enjoying myself, and there was only one more obstacle to overcome before I could face Sapieha and take Nina away to safety.
I sprinted toward the doors. The longer the psychic vampire was oblivious as he communicated with his Master, the better chance I had to end his miserable life.
When I was only a few steps away, the door crashed open, and Sapieha emerged from the shadows, holding Nina by her neck.
She looked like a marionette whose stings had been cruelly cut away. Her limp frame hung bonelessly in Sapieha’s grasp. Only her eyes held any hint of life, begging me for something I couldn’t fathom.
‘Let her go, it’s me you want. I stole the locket.’ Pawel pushed in front of me, his voice tremulous with fear. He kept his gaze on Sapieha, and I made the mistake of disregarding him until I felt Pawel ripping the necklace from the pocket I’d placed it in during the fight.
Nina’s brother rushed forward, hands outstretched, and I cursed as Sapieha smirked at me, tightening his grip on my lover’s throat to keep me still.
Blinding rage clouded my mind, but all I could do was watch as Nina looked at me with fear and anger in her beautiful eyes.
She seemed so calm, but her pupils widened when the other vampire intercepted Pawel. He held the struggling man by the scruff of his neck like an unruly puppy while ripping the locket from his fingers and passing it to Sapieha.
My gaze shifted to the Master Vampire. The hatred in his gaze as he stared at Pawel told me the thief’s death would be long and agonising, but I ignored it, hoping I could still negotiate a way out for Nina.
‘I delivered your thief, and you have the locket in your possession. You can keep both, but release my woman,’ I said, taking a step closer.
Nina’s eyes widened, filling with tears. I saw her jaw clench as she attempted to speak. I knew this helplessness all too well after being subjected to the power of Sapieha’s mind magic.
I knew if I let Pawel die, Nina would never forgive me, but I would suffer her hatred as long as she survived.
‘Yes… so you did. I see you are learning, Adam. Still, Nina is mine now. If you continue to cooperate, I will… ensure she comes back to you. As for our dirty little rat here, he will get what he deserves. His death is barely enough to pay for desecrating my wife’s grave, but it will have to do,’ He said, turning toward the Elder Vampire. ‘Do it slowly. I want to savour his suffering.’
I saw the other vampire tighten his grip on Pawel’s neck while Nina’s lips parted in a silent scream.
‘I don’t care about the thief’s fate, but I will offer myself freely if you release Nina. I will serve you and surrender my Seethe,’ I said, watching Pawel’s face turning an interesting shade of purple from the corner of my eye.
‘Oh, you will, will you? Should we hear what your woman thinks about that?’
The moment Sapieha’s mental grip on Nina lessened, she jerked in his grasp, hitting his chest while attempting to turn toward Pawel.
‘Tell him to stop! Tell your thug to stop! You’re killing him. For fuck’s sake, you’re killing my brother!’ she shouted before turning toward me. ‘Adam, he’s going to kill me, anyway. He told me I’d be your leash. Please, do something! You promised me you would protect him!’
Sapieha laughed, his voice hollow in the darkness, so inhuman that even Nina stopped thrashing.
‘Oh, my little pet, did my spawn promise you that? Let’s give him the first lesson of his new training. Should we let him know how it feels when a woman who is his entire world detests him?’ He said, gesturing toward his minion. The other vampire instantly relaxed his grasp, letting Pawel take a lungful of air.
‘You can have her, but you have to kill this rat. I want you to stand in front of your lover, look into her eyes, then take his life. Show me you can listen to your Master. Do it for Nina.’
If I had a heartbeat, it would have faltered at the cruelty of Sapieha’s offer. I couldn’t save Pawel. If I attacked the vampire holding him, Nina would die, the same if I attacked Sapieha. All I had was one slight chance. I just had to play it well.
That meant killing Nina’s brother in front of her without letting her know, so the bastard digging into her mind didn’t see.
