Page 38 of The Mafia Bloodline
It felt… normal.
Then Runa looked over her shoulder at me, one quick glance through the haze of lights and smoke. Our bond pulsed, sharp and immediate, as her lips curved in that quiet smile that said I seeyou watching me.
She knew exactly what she was doing. And she knew exactly what it did to me.
I swore softly under my breath, leaning back just enough to look casual. Across from me, Viking was shaking with silent laughter.
“Careful,” he said, smirking. “She’s starting to enjoy torturing you.”
“She already does,” I growled.
“She’s good for you,” Roman said simply, sipping his drink without looking up. “And she’s safe. We’re all here.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe, this was what safety looked like…music, laughter, a fleeting moment of light before the dark returned.
But as I looked out over the crowded room, the shifting bodies, the flicker of light, the too-slow heartbeat of the night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that calm never lasted long in our world.
Not for the Dragic bloodline. I had just decided to start relaxing when the air changed.
It was subtle at first a faint static, the kind that crawled along your skin and whispered that something was wrong. My senses sharpened instinctively, eyes narrowing as I scanned the crowd. The laughter, the clinking glasses, the scent of perfume and alcohol… all of it twisted, tainted by something metallic and foul just beneath the surface.
Demon. My muscles locked, the predator inside me waking all at once, every instinct flaring.
Across the club, Draugr’s head lifted, his nostrils flaring once. Lucien’s posture shifted just slightly, his casual lean becoming a coiled readiness. Roman’s fingers tightened around his glass, subtle, but enough to make Layla look up in question from where she was dancing.
We all felt it. That electric stillness right before bloodshed. As if the girls sensed the underlying current, they make their way towards us.
Runa comes to stand beside me, her laughter soft against the thunder of the room. I felt the hum of our bond tighten, the magic between us drawing taut, instinct warning me before she even noticed the shift.
“Volken?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she caught the hard edge in my expression.
I leaned close, my lips brushing her ear. “Stay beside me,” I murmured, my tone too low, too even. “Don’t move. No matter what you see.”
Her heartbeat kicked, fast. She nodded once, though confusion and fear flickered across her honey-coloured eyes.
Viking’s laugh cut off mid-sentence as his gaze followed mine toward the far edge of the dance floor. The crowd was moving normally, but my eyes caught it, that one shadow that didn’t belong. Too still. Too calm in a sea of motion.
He stood near the far wall…tall, broad, dressed like the rest, but wrong in every way that mattered. His face was human enough to fool the crowd, but the stench beneath his skin gave him away. Sulphur and blood. His aura pulsed faintly, red-black energy leaking through the glamour.
Demon spawn. Halfbreed. And he wasn’t alone.
“Six,” Draugr said under his breath, his voice carrying easily to the brothers despite the noise. “Maybe seven.”
Roman’s gaze slid toward the exits, calculating angles, exits, possible collateral. He moved like a commander readying histroops, his tone low and precise. “We clear the civilians first. Quietly.”
Lucien’s eyes were already scanning the balconies. “Gideon’s team is in the wings. He’s seen them too.”
The bass dropped, the crowd erupting in cheers that masked the movement of our guards closing in.
Runa stiffened beside me. “They’re…”
“I know,” I cut in softly, eyes never leaving the demons. “They’re not after anyone here.” A pause. “They’re after us.”
Her hand trembled, brushing against mine. “Why…”
“Because they remember what Dragic blood tastes like,” I said grimly. “And because someone sent them.”
The nearest demon moved first, a twitch of his jaw, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He whispered something into the air, and I saw the ripple of his command spread through the others.
