Rick winked at me, then surveyed the men surrounding me and rolled his eyes up to the sky. I gave him a small smile in appreciation for his sacrifice. Fatigue was hitting me hard, and I realized I wanted to drink another bag of blood and then go to bed. It had been a long night. My eyes caught on the ink of Rick’s tattoos coming out of the top of his shirt, and it reminded me of Lex. The whole reason we were down here.
I pushed through the guys, heading straight for my dad. As soon as he noticed me, he gave me a hundred-watt smile. “Yes, my little sun—” I held up my hand, preventing him from going further because this was serious business now.
“I expect seventy percent of our forces to work with me tonight to start the hunt for Lex. We’ll meet the leaders in the war room at six p.m. sharp. Make sure they know this.” My dad beamed at me as he nodded, knowing I was trying to take this whole thing seriously. I turned around to head to my room when I heard Manic.
“We?” His question made me turn slowly, and my lips turned upward. If I was a cat, you would see me licking my lips like I just got the sweetest cream you could give me.
“Yes. Me and the other heirs have already agreed to take on this task to find Lex. You don’t have to bother yourselves with this job.” I huffed a chuckle through my nose as I cruelly added, “You guys can stay here and hold down the fort.”
With the stunned looks that the other heirs were giving me, I would say they’d never spoken to their dads like that. Syris sputtered, not knowing a good enough comeback for it. Easton shrugged, probably fine with it since he wanted to work in his lab with the drug substance anyway. Manic looked like he was about to stomp over and give me a lesson in manners. My dad laughed at it, waving his hand as he called out, “Go get your beauty sleep, Sunshine. You do what you need to do, and your old man and his buddies will make sure the home base is solid and the men are ready for your directions.”
I used my vampire speed to run to the doors with plans to stop at the kitchen first, but I turned and winked at the stunned heirs and a smug-looking Cosmo. Rick was trying to contain his laughter. “See you boys tomorrow. Oh, and don’t be late.” I tongued one of my fangs as I called out, “Something gets removed for every minute you’re late.” I blew out a kiss and cooed, “Night.”
I pushed out the door as my dad said, “Have sweet dreams and bloody nightmares!”
1.Villain Era by Bryce Savage
2.Wreak Havoc by Skylar Grey
Chapter 4
Iwalkedinadaze as I headed back to the base.
When I followed the men that my uncle sent to Breken, I never thought I would run into them. I never thought I would run into her.
Tailing the men my uncle sent was easy. It’s what I did... other than killing, so I blended into the night, using my darkness magic to make sure I stayed hidden. I kept a safe distance as well, telling myself I only wanted to find out what was going on, not interfere with anything. I just didn’t want to be left in the dark anymore.
I tried to figure out what they were transporting out of our hidden base, several crates full of something. I’d hoped they would open it while I could see them, but that didn’t happen, either. When they got to the warehouse, it was already buzzing with beings. That Breken guy was at the dock, waving the truck in and then closed the door. I didn’t get a glimpse of a goddamn thing.
I was on the roof, trying to figure out if they had a magic detector on when I saw a familiar car driving down the road and parking behind the building across the way. I ducked down, keeping myself from sight as Cosmo, Rick, and the three heirs got out of the vehicle. My heart pounded, and I realized what this meant—she would be coming.
I frantically looked around, trying to see where she was coming from when a familiar ashy-haired vixen rolled in on her bike and parked next to the building. She was so smart. I leaned up against the brick wall as she waited for the others.
She seemed lost in thought, and I wondered what she was thinking about? Did she need someone to help her? Was she thinking up her next victim? I ran her normal schedule in my head and remembered it was collection day, so she should be relatively happy. That was the day she got to let loose and take out some of that bloodthirsty rage on some people.
If today was collection day, why was she here?The questions kept coming, swirling in my head as more came to me.
She straightened, and all the guys stalked over to her. She might not see it—she was always so oblivious about that kind of thing—but those men wanted her in the worst way. I’d always known about Cosmo’s secret little obsession with his adopted sister. The way his eyes tracked her, following her every move, and he anticipated what she needed. It was annoying to watch but also necessary since his reactions had taught me a lot about Rayla. Then there were the heirs.
They all seemed like dogs in fucking heat, even the studious one, Winstale, who kept watching her when he thought no one was looking. Glovefox and Rossey were blatant about their feasting eyes. While one appeared as if he wanted to devour her whole, the other looked like he wanted to spend the whole day seeing how long it took to have her scream his name. Same look, different approaches. The only good thing about seeing them was this meant the twenty-four-hour holding deal her father made with them was over. I thought when she found out, she would hate them a little more, but it seemed quite the opposite.
I grumbled to myself as I admitted they looked good together, like a strong unit that could take on more than others could chew. They had the sneaky one, the beastly one, the smart one, the soldier, the funny one, and my beautiful rose. A strong sting pierced my heart, an ache that seemed like it had been there forever but was something I just realized. I rubbed at my chest as I watched them, and the strange feeling intensified, calling me to jump down there and make myself known. Make them see me, acknowledge me.
I dismissed that silly thought. I had plans, so many plans for my rose, and they didn’t involve the others. Nope. Not a single one of them.
All the heirs had a smug air about them as they walked to the front, even Rayla, but I think that had to do with being raised as an heir. Being raised to know you were going to be in charge. I knew where Rayla’s cockiness came from, but it was interesting to see it also on the others’ faces. I knew little about each of them, only what the deep rumor mills churned out, but you could never trust those. If I did, then I would’ve thought Rayla was a psychotic bitch who was an adrenaline junkie and the rabid dog that Ternin raised to keep everyone in line.
They didn’t see her determination, her raw sensual power. How she was deadly loyal to those who were loyal to her, and how she lived and breathed her own moral compass. That her viciousness was a work of art and had meaning and purpose behind it. They didn’t know her soft cries when she was feeling pleasure or feel the cool balm her lips provided to a soul that was burning alive. No, rumors gave you few facts.
Winstale, Falcon, I think, pushed a button on his watch, and a whole, simple neon-blue map popped out. They all bent their heads together, whispering about their next moves, and I realized they were going to go in... which meant I couldn’t go in.Damn.I wanted to know what was going on. I would have to wait for them to be done and then look around. When Falcon looked up at the roof, I used my shadows and smoke to cover myself, but I was interested to know how he knew I was up here. It was kind of cool if that little map thing told him.
It didn’t take long for them to go in and make a ruckus. I heard bones breaking, fists colliding, and prideful cries of death in the air. All of it called to me to go down and join in the fun, to revel in the mess they were making. It was something deep down inside of me, some place hidden from even me calling me to them. Something like an old and forgotten promise, a vow passed through the sands of time, something I didn’t understand but felt. I was having a hard time remembering right at this moment why I hated them all, why I held resentment and anger toward those heirs I met all those years ago. Remembering that time when we were all sad and lost kids connected in our mutual loss.
I forced myself to think about the organization that left me behind, that wanted to get rid of me like my uncle always told me, and the familiar resentment filled me. I glared down at the empty street.I should leave before they caught up to me and tried to fight me. I moved from roof to roof to avoid detection. I was almost gone until a familiar feminine voice cried out.
As soon as the sound hit my ears, my mind wasn’t in charge of my body, and I swiftly turned around and ran to where it came from. Dark, natural shadows called to me to hide in their corners, to use my magic, but I couldn’t keep my mind on anything but her. I needed to have my eyes on her to make sure she was okay. When I saw my love clutching her head with a stupid faerie finishing the last drop of some dark-blue liquid, smiling at her pain-filled face, my insides turned into a swirling tornado of rabid wrath. My body trembled, and my blood raced in my veins, my anger getting the best of me as my inky smoke and darkness swirled around me, and I lost it.
I didn’t roar. I didn’t growl. I didn’t make a single sound. I was as silent as death incarnate when I jetted down the building I was on, using my darkness to cloud my advancement. As my feet touched the ground, I kept my steps silent, manifesting my powers into whirling shadows and darkness leaking from my skin, swallowing me whole. I transported right behind the faerie hurting my rose, rising slowly behind him like the grim reaper.
