Page 55 of Dance for the Dragon
His next words burst from him like rushing water breaking through a dam. “So you would get rid of him! If it was his girlfriend that brought them here, it would be his fault for not letting her die when she was supposed to, for not killing her when you told him to. It’s not my fault. It’s Kohl’s fault. You let him stay here! You let him stay here with us, even though he’s a monster!”
“Kohl will be taken care of.”
There was a few seconds of silence.
When Jaz next spoke, Hawke could hear the glee in his tone. “Master, I have the girl.”
“What?” In his surprise, the Master forgot to keep his voice down.
“I have the girl. I brought her here for you.”
“Show me.” The Master’s voice was edged with violence.
Hawke moved fast. In the brief moment it took them to come out of the room, he was already hidden behind the bar. Footsteps sounded, going in the opposite direction, and he heard the door to the caverns open and shut.
After a few seconds, he straightened to his full height, and poured himself another drink, his mind working furiously.
Pulling out his phone, he swiped the screen and started texting.
Chapter 20
Kohl got on his Harley. He only had about an hour before the sun came up. Margaret and her brother had refused to leave, and he’d spent most of the night trying to convince them otherwise. The pair of them quietly, but firmly, informed him they would not be chased from their home. Their parents worked their fingers to the bone building up the business after immigrating to the area so long ago, and they would not be abandoning it. They would take their chances. Nothing Kohl said would change their minds. All he could do was make them promise they’d hide in the shelter if need be and he would do all he could to protect them.
He pulled into The Caves thirty minutes later. The exposed skin on his face and hands prickled with warning of the coming dawn. For a brief moment, he seriously considered riding off into the sunrise and ending it there. Not because of what might be waiting for him inside, but because even if he survived this day, he would forever be alone from here on out. Being with Devon the last few days had shown him there was more possibility for him than he’d ever imagined. Even now, he could still feel the warmth of her in his arms. Could still see the specks of gold in her eyes. Smell her desire for him as they danced. Taste the potency of her blood and hear the sweetness of her cries when he was inside of her. She made him laugh, and she made him think. She made him feel like the male he wanted to be.
But it was all a ruse. He didn’t know her at all.
As soon as he pulled around the back of the building, the hair on his arms and neck rose. All of the cars were gone and the club was closed up tight, lights off and doors locked. But that wasn’t unusual given the hour.
No, something else was going on.
Letting himself in, he didn’t hurry as he made his way down to the caverns to face the music. The Master was going to be angry with him for not obeying his command, but there was no way in hell he could bring himself to raise a hand to Devon, no matter what she’d done. And no matter how grateful he was for everything he’d done for him, the Master had another thing coming if he thought Kohl was just going to stand aside and allow him to send anyone to hurt her.
He didn’t see a single soul as he made his way back to the throne room, and expected everyone to be gathered in the throne room. But when he got there, there was only one vampire present. Waiting.
The Master.
Their eyes clashed, and the dragon rumbled inside of him. Seems he wasn’t the only one who was preparing for this confrontation.
The ancient vampire was silent as Kohl approached. The back of his neck felt like it was on fire, but he resisted the urge to rub it away.
The Master cocked his head to the side. He looked older than the last time he’d seen him, but no less powerful. “Kohl.”
Kohl lowered his eyes, but he did not kneel. His reprieve was over. It was time to face the music. “Master.”
Rage radiated from the Master at his insolence, filling the room with icy fingers that clawed at Kohl’s skin.
But the beast practically sang with anticipation.
The muscles in his jaw tensed but his tone was level as the Master asked, “Is the woman taken care of?”
Kohl drew himself up. “No. She’s still alive. And I’m going to have to insist she stays that way.” He didn’t bother trying to defend himself, knowing the Master wouldn’t want to hear it.
If he was surprised by Kohl’s honesty, he didn’t show it, although Kohl assumed he knew him well enough by now not to be surprised. There was no point in trying to lie or cover things up around a group of vampires. They might not be able to penetrate his thoughts on a whim, but they had other ways of finding out the truth.
The Master sat back on his throne and laced his fingers over his lean belly. “The woman is a danger to us and our kind. You were ordered to kill her, Kohl. Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear.”
“And I told you she was no threat to you or the coven.”
