The commanding words finally penetrated the haze of rage clouding Maxim’s mind. As sense returned, horror flooded in. He had nearly murdered Alice’s only chance at salvation in a mindless fury. Still trembling violently with adrenaline, he forced his wolf back under control. Peri watched him intently until the beast receded, leaving Maxim shaken and nauseated at his loss of restraint. The rogue alpha rarely lost control.
Turning slowly, he beheld the damage his temper had wrought. Cain sagged against the cracked wall, his face a mess of blood and rapidly blackening bruises. But his chest still rose and fell. Maxim had not struck the killing blow. Not yet.
Jaw clenched, he ground out, “You live only because of the bond that holds my Alice to this world.” Maxim said harshly. “I stay my hand, for now.” He speared the vampire with a scorching glare.
Cain spat viscous blood on the floor, defiance in his eyes. But Maxim had mastered himself once more. When vengeance came, it would be calculated and complete. The vampire had only prolonged his suffering, not avoided it.
Breathing deeply, Maxim released his wrath with a long exhale. He would leash his temper and bide his time, for Alice’s sake. But Cain’s days were numbered. Once his mate was free, Maxim would rip Cain’s black heart from his chest with his bare hands. On that, he silently vowed. The vampire king’s death would come not in hot fury but through righteous justice.
Cain pushed himself up until he once again stood. “Come now, is that any way to thank the one who saved your precious mate?” His glance at Alice held a possessive gleam that set Maxim’s hackles bristling.
A savage snarl tore from Maxim. “You forced this fate on her and have kept her captive. That is not ‘saving her.’ You did her no favors. She will live with the trauma of your actions for the rest of eternity.”
Cain wiped the dripping blood from his face. “If you want Alice to live, you will leave her here with me. She’s transitioning, andyoucannot help her once she’s a hybrid vampire. OnlyIcan. You came and have seen that your mate, who I would like to point out has more than one bond cord, isn’t dead. The best course of action for you now is to go.”
“Do you seriously think you’re in a position to give us,”—Peri paused—“to giveme, orders? Not to mention you’re standing there lying through your damn pointy teeth. Theonlyperson who can truly help Aliceisher mate.”
“Hisbloodperhaps, but she doesn’t needhim.”
Maxim’s wolf let out a low snarl.
“You have no bargaining chips here,” Peri flung her hand towards him, motioning to his form. “You cannot keep us here, yet you stand there as if we don’t have a choice.”
“I think I have enough dormants hidden away that I most definitely can bargain. You will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe,” Cain pursed his lips. “They’re innocents after all. Isn’t that what Fane and his redheaded mate are all about? Protecting those who can’t protect themselves?”
“Then perhaps you should implore them for your protection,” Maxim growled. “Because I’m going to rip your intestines from your body and strangle you with them.”
“Okay, you said that a little too calmly.” Lizzy pursed her lips. “Psycho vibes aren’t attractive. Remember that when she wakes up.”
“Psycho, protector, savior, I’ll be whatever Alice needs me to be for her.” Maxim’s chest rose and fell harshly with his breathing.
“When you put it like that, itiskind of sweet.” Lizzy folded her arms across her chest. “I can see how someone might find the psycho possessiveness attractive.”
“Youarecorrect that I cannot force you to stay, but perhaps I can make a deal.” The vampire king shrugged, then he turned to Peri. “You leave Alice, and I will stop making hybrids.”
Lizzy sighed. “You’re giving me whiplash, dude.”
Maxim didn’t disagree with the female. Cain was all over the place, threatening them, then bargaining with them.
“She is a gypsy healer, Cain,” Peri snapped. “She. Is. Not. For. You.” The high fae seemed to crackle with power as lightning snapped between her fingers. “I don’t know when the hell you got a wild hair up your vamp ass and decided you could play creator. What I do know is that only the Great Luna decides who belongs with whom. A healer is always mated to a wolf. You are only a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“It’s actually vamp clothing,” Lizzy blurted. When all eyes turned on her, she held up her hands. “Sorry, my bad. I get blurty when things are tense.” Finn wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly against him.
“The point,” Peri continued, “is that this bond you have with Alice is wrong, and if you care even only an ounce for her, you will let her go.”
“I never meant her harm.” Cain started to approach the bed only to halt when Finn and Lizzy closed ranks in front of Alice. The vampire’s eyes narrowed. “But Alice is mine. I will never relinquish her. And I could make things very difficult for you.”
Peri arched a brow. “And I could decide not to give a pixie’s ass about Alice and Lizzy and splatter you across these walls. But I’m in a good place right now and trying to be civilized. How about you do the same?”
When Cain simply glared, she continued briskly. “Our healers are linked to Alice’s mind even now, fighting the poison in her veins. ButonlyMaxim’s blood can purge it fully. You must know this because Lizzy and Finn here seem to be doing quite well. And she’s a hybrid that requires the blood of her mate, andonlyher mate.” Her gaze speared Cain. “Are you really willing to let her die for your own selfishness? Because she will die if she’s left in your care. And I don’t think that’s how you treat someone you supposedly care deeply for.”
ChapterFifteen
“Do not think that I have suddenly switched sides. I am not the hero or even the antihero in this story. I am a survivor. I understand the long game, and considering how long-lived my kind are, I have the luxury of being patient. It doesn’t mean I like being patient, just that I know when to step aside and let my opponent believe they’ve somehow won.” ~Cain
Cain stared at Alice’s still form on the bed—a bed he’d shared with her only a night ago. If he did not have supernatural hearing, he wouldn’t know that her heart still beat in her chest. She looked as if she was at death’s door. He knew, just like with Lizzy and Finn, Alice would require the blood of her mate if she had any chance of living.
Had it just been a dream? Had he really believed she would pick him? Yes. The answer was yes. Hehadbelieved he could be a man she would choose. But now faced with the man who was meant to be her mate, Cain felt like an imposter, a sham, a charlatan, and the joke was on him.
