Page 133 of Eternal Ruin
The tip of one of the blades slid down the column of her spine, making her insides spasm. Her fear swelled and overflowed into the only thing that could save her—anger.
She didn’t want to die looking at a stranger. If he was going to kill her, the least he could do was face her.
“Coward,” she clenched out, but it sounded like “cod.”
Arin smiled, not loosening her grip. “What was that?”
Susenyos answered, breath on the back of her neck warm.
“Coward.”
The blade was thrusted forward, grazing Kidan’s side in a thin, painful cut before it found another body—Arin’s, to skewer itself.
A wretched sound echoed, flesh meeting metal.
The vampire froze, her hand unlatching from Kidan.
Susenyos’s arm snaked around Kidan’s stomach, quickly pulling her flat against his side as he twisted the knife deeper.
Arin grunted, her eyes widening. She touched the jagged edge of the blade in surprise.
Kidan panted, still in Susenyos’s tight grip, trying to breathe through the burn above her hip bone.
No hint of pain touched Arin’s carved face. Instead, she squared her jaw, wrath igniting in her eyes, and stepped back.
The blade tore free with chunks of her flesh, blood spurting in a grotesque way. Kidan flinched, terror flooding her in a rush.
Her human skin stood no chance in a battle like this.
“You know that’s not enough.” Arin’s voice was labored yet her eyes flared with fire, almost sickly sweet.
Susenyos wasn’t alarmed. “I know.”
A vampire dressed in a brocade vest with a bloodred flower collar parted the trees to the side—Iniko. From the left, Taj swung his curved blade, his golden headband fluttering, his black shirt outlining his lean muscles.
Relief made Kidan’s knees weak.
Arin eyed them both and laughed. “Again?”
Taj smirked. “Fifth time is the charm, right?”
Kidan’s pulse raced.
Fifth?
Susenyos pushed Kidan behind him and retrieved his other weapon from inside his coat.
“We won’t fail this time,” he said, and though Kidan couldn’t see his face, she was sure it’d caught thunder.
Arin’s painted lips smoothed out. “Well, come on then.Fight.”
Kidan’s knees trembled. There was something unpredictable about Arin, a danger that was more enhanced by how she was amused rather than frightened.
Iniko spoke first, approaching. “The first time we learned we couldn’t take you head-on.”
Taj approached from the other end. “The second time… well, we learned the same thing.” He smiled and shook his locs. “The third time, though. We landed two fatal shots. That was because you’d downed a gallon of a thousand-year-old wine.”
Arin’s charcoal eyes scanned the circle. “So that’s your grand plan? Get me drunk?”
