Page 18 of Twist of Fated Mates
“Then I go with you.”
I should argue, but there’s no time. “Come on.”
We head for the doors, but Oaks holds us back. “Marina ordered you to stay put.”
“That was before we knew they’d demand my presence, and technically, she’s not my alpha. Not yet.”
The voices outside grow louder and angrier by the second. I push past Oaks, surprised he allows this, and Charlie follows on my heels. We stumble outside with Oaks and Silvie behind us. The rain has let up, leaving the damp smell of mud in its wake.
I lay eyes on the fiend for the first time. He’s tall, with hay-blond hair and bushy eyebrows over green eyes and a straight, large nose, which he peers down, expression thick with disdain. A half dozen of his cronies flank him, power oozing from the group like the greasy slick of an oil spill. I shiver.
“What do you want with me, vampire?” My voice comes much stronger than I’m feeling inside.
“Not much at all.” He spreads his arms and opens his hands. “Only that you join me, as our laws demand.”
“Your laws,” says Marina. “Not ours.”
I like her point. “I don’t even know your name. Why should I go anywhere with you?”
Marina gestures with a tilt of her head, and Slater and Hardy position themselves between us and the threat.
“I’m Everette of the Torvaldson Line.” He bears his fangs. “And that is no way to speak to your elder.”
I quake with fear, but I won’t let it stop me. “Where I come from, one earns respect through actions and wisdom, not time ticked off a calendar.”
He sneers. “Then you have much to learn, hybrid.”
“Don’t call him that,” barks Charlie. “His name is Nigel. And he is a wolf first, vampire second, which makes him at least double better than you.”
My chest warms through the fear. To have a defender like Charlie is a boon greater than I’d dared to hope for. He makes me brave. I straighten my spine and glare at the vampire.
Everette narrows his gaze, burning a line straight for my mate. “Watch what you say, whelp. I won’t tolerate insult lightly.”
“Here’s an idea.” Not sure where this is coming from or if it’ll work, but mouthing off at this asshole is deeply gratifying. “Leave and you won’t have to tolerate it at all.”
Behind me, Oaks snickers a laugh.
Everette turns his chilling stare toward Marina. “You allow them to behave this way to their betters?”
“Funny how you’re so convinced you’re their better.” She smirks.
“Enough,” he says, ice cracking in his voice. “I’m here to claim the hybrid, nothing more. His sire awaits.”
“My sire?”
“The one who turned you.”
I cringe. I never want to see that asshole again.
“Does that mean you’ve caught the rogue vampires?” asks Marina.
“It does, indeed. Caught them, punished them, and brought them back into the fold. Now we need the hybrid they spawned, and we’ll get out of your hair.”
“Never. You can’t have him. He’s mine.”
“He cannot control the bloodlust without the guidance of older vampires. His pack already learned as much.” His glower lands on me with the weight of a thousand stones. “Isn’t that so?”
His words hit like a punch to the gut. He’s right. I attacked them. My own pack. My own family. If it weren’t for their fast reactions and superior fighting skills, I’d have killed the people I love most.
