Page 90 of Dukes Are Forever
Malloryn didn't even bother to draw his own, and still he was beating the daylights out of her attacker. He dodged a lash of the knife, capturing Corvus's wrist and twisting it violently behind his back as he took the knife off the bastard. A fist to the back of the head drove Corvus into the wall, and he coughed teeth. A second blow slammed the lord's head into the stone with a sharp impact.
"He's going to kill him," she whispered.
"Malloryn knows what he's doing," Byrnes said. "He's cool, calm, exceptionally rational…."
He trailed off as Malloryn buried the knife up to the blade in Corvus's throat. The lord gagged, trying to pull it free, but it was driven right into the wall, pinning him there.
"You were saying?" Ingrid asked.
"Not so much fun when they can fight back, is it?" Malloryn tore Corvus's shirt and waistcoat right down the middle, baring his chest.
"I think the duke has been under a little bit of pressure of late," Ingrid said dubiously, hovering on the balls of her feet. "He's going to kill him."
"You want me to stop him?" Byrnes asked incredulously.
Adele closed her eyes. If Malloryn ended Corvus right here and now, she'd never have to look over her shoulder again. But.... "He knows something about Balfour's scheme. He seemed to think Malloryn wouldn't see the week out."
"Damn it. Easy now," Byrnes said, easing forward with slow, carefully placed steps. "Take the knife out of his throat, Your Grace. We don't want to kill him."
"Speak for yourself." Malloryn drove his hand beneath Corvus's ribs, right through his flesh. Corvus screamed, the sound muffled by Malloryn's other hand.
This time Adele looked away.
She found her face buried in Ingrid's shoulder as the other woman clutched her there.
"I have my hand around your heart, you bastard. I can feel it pulsing. I could rip it right out of your chest—"
"But we don't want to do that, because he might have valuable information," Byrnes soothed. "Trust me, Your Grace. I'm as shocked at this moment as you are. Me, being the voice of reason. Let his heart go. You can kill him later."
"Please," Adele whispered. "Please don't kill him just yet."
There was nothing of the Malloryn she knew in her husband's face.
His eyes were given over entirely to the hunger. Obsidian irises seemed to suck in every last vestige of light, until they were nothing more than black pits in the chiseled frame of his face.
"We don't have time, Malloryn," Ingrid said. "Dido could appear at any moment. Herbert's trying to extract Clara. We have to leave."
Malloryn's jaw locked tight.
And then he jerked the knife free of Corvus's throat, and the bloodied lord slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Deal with him," Malloryn said, turning away, his sleeves absolutely drenched in blood.
Byrnes flipped Corvus onto his front and hastily bound his arms behind him with his belt. "He's bleeding quite badly."
"He'll survive." Something dark and bloodthirsty settled over Malloryn's expression. "Blue bloods can survive almost anything, after all."
"All trussed up." Byrnes hauled Corvus to his feet. "Let's go."
"Not yet!" Adele gasped, and met Malloryn's blackened eyes. "Membership rolls! There must be a list here somewhere with all the names of Angel's Fall members. This is Balfour's recruiting scheme."
"I think Devoncourt will realize you're involved if his membership list goes missing," Byrnes said.
"They already knew."
Ingrid surveyed the spatter of blood on the floor. "But if we set fire to the place he won't know what we've taken."
"Good point." Malloryn started toward the lantern in the corner and set it on the desk. "If we find that list, we don't need Devoncourt," he said, tugging open drawers and rifling through sheaves of paper with his bloodstained hands. "I'll have proof enough to get a warrant passed through council. I can shut the Rising Sons down in one night and cut Balfour's allies in half."
