Page 115 of Dukes Are Forever
Another slash of pain—through her ear, this time.
A sweep of blinding heat went through her, and blood splashed wetly down her throat as Adele tried to scream.
In the distance, she could hear someone yelling. Fists pounded on the door. But she pumped a full dose of her perfume into Jelena's face, and then squeezed again. The liquid splashed across thedhampir'smouth and cheeks, and rage filled her eye and then—
Jelena jerked, sucking in an enormous mouthful of the perfumed poison.
She reared back, dropping the knife and clutching her throat.
Adele scrambled out of the way as Jelena thrashed on the carpets. Black veins spread across the other woman's cheeks, bloodied spittle spraying from her lips. Adele's ear throbbed, and when she clapped her hand there, she could feel hot blood pumping through her silk-clad fingers.
My ear.
There was a bloody knife on the floor right in front of Adele.
Jelena's knife.
Adele's hand locked around it, and then she threw herself atop the fallen woman and stabbed down. It went right through the other woman's chest, and Jelena's eye widened as black blood sprayed from her lips.
Adele lifted the knife again, seeing red.
This was for all the blue bloods who'd ever hurt her.
For this entire damned society that thought she was little more than cattle.
For Lord Corvus, who'd thought Adele his personal plaything.
For Hattie.
And her father.
And her ear.
"Adele! Adele!" Hands caught her by the wrist, and then Malloryn was there, forcing her to withhold her next blow.
"Let me go!" she rasped, clutching at the hilt.
"She's done for. She's not breathing." He held one sleeve over his mouth and nose, coughing through the superfine. "Jesus.What did you do?"
Thin threads of black began to wend through the capillaries in his cheeks.
Dhampirweren't the only ones vulnerable to Black Vein. And it was that fact alone that cut through her rage.
"You idiot!" Adele dropped the knife and shoved herself under his shoulder. "You shouldn't be in here!"
Together, they lurched toward the door.
Malloryn slammed against the wall, blood spattering his lips as he coughed.
Gemma appeared, dangerous in bright blue silk with a pistol held low against her thigh. She took one look at Malloryn's face and jerked her reticule open.
"Here." Removing a thin syringe, she jabbed it into his upper arm and pumped its contents into him. "Ava's cure."
Malloryn coughed, dropping his sleeve from his face. He leaned against the wall. "How much... Black Vein did she put in that... bottle?"
"Enough to drop an elephant," Gemma said dryly. "You, of all people, should know better than to run into a room filled with atomized Black Vein."
"Sorry," he snarled. "I wasn't aware it was. All I saw was Adele with a knife, and Jelena on the floor beneath her."
