The distance between us feels like a physical wound, each mile another knife in my heart."Hold on, baby,"I send through the bond, praying that she can hear me."I'm coming for you. Just hold on."
Whatever's keeping me from reaching her is going to regret the day they were born.
I hit the city limits and force myself to slow down, my predator's gaze already scanning for a car. A sleek black Mercedes catches my eye—perfect timing as some suit-wearing bastard is just climbing in. I blur across the street, faster than any human eye can track, and wrap my fingers around his throat. The guy lets out a strangled gasp as I yank him out of the driver's seat.
His eyes go wide with terror as I lean in close, my fangs visible as I snarl, "I'm gonna need to borrow your car." The stench of his piss soaked pants and fear fills my nostrils as I snatch the keys from his trembling hand.
With a dismissive shove, I send him stumbling back, not even sparing him a second glance as I slide behind the wheel. The engine roars to life under my touch, and I slam the door with enough force to rattle the frame.
Tires screech against asphalt as I punch the gas, the Mercedes leaping forward like a beast unleashed. I weave through traffic with reckless abandon, the speedometer climbing higher and higher as I push the machine to its limits.
Hold on, baby. Just fucking hold on.
"Brother. You return."Erik's voice cuts through my mind, precise and controlled as ever.
Fuck, why didn't I think to contact them? My brain's been so laser-focused on Dani that I've been operating on pure instinct."Yes. What the fuck is going on?"I fire back through our mental bond.
Erik's hesitation bleeds through our connection like a freezing mist, his usual stoic demeanor wavering. That alone makes my blood run cold."Erik. Answer me, goddammit!"My grip on the steering wheel tightens until the leather creaks.
"It's Lilith."Two words, delivered with Erik's characteristic restraint, but they hit me like a lightning strike.
Mylungs seize up, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe. That name—that fucking name—tells me everything I need to know. The thought of that sadistic bitch anywhere near Dani makes my stomach lurch. Hot tears burn behind my eyes, but I blink them away. No. We locked that psychotic cunt away. We made damn sure of it.
I force myself to swallow past the knot."Where? Where thefuckis she?"The words come out as more of a growl.
"We're here, brother. But the situation is…delicate. We have a plan—"
I slam my hand against the steering wheel, pissed off."Fucking where Erik?!"I cut him off with a shout. I know what he's doing—trying to protect me from our maker like he always has, but I don't have time for his strategic bullshit right now.
Erik finally relents, giving me an address in that clipped, efficient way of his."Be careful, Rhyland. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."
The warning in his tone is crystal clear. We both know the fucked-up hierarchy of vampire creation—we can't overpower our maker. It's like some cosmic joke, a glitch in the supernatural matrix. But I've got an ace up my sleeve.
I pull out the ring from my pocket—the Soul Stone drinks in what little light there is. My mother's power pulses within it, dark and ancient and hungry.
If she could wield it, why can't I?
Erik
10
From my concealed vantage point, I observe the scene with deliberate restraint, my jaw clenching at Lilith's imperious command. "Don't keep us waiting, Silas. We don't have all night."
The assembled garbage—society's elite vampires draped in designer wear and manufactured superiority—mill about like vultures circling their prey. Their collective greed and depravity fill the air as thick as the scent of aged blood. My infiltration among them proves almost insultingly simple; wealth breeds complacency, and complacency breeds weakness.
Dani, forcibly restrained while that worthless piece of shit follows Lilith's depraved orders. My fingers itch for Grave Warden's familiar weight—one clean stroke would demonstrate precisely why my blade earned its reputation. Yet strategic necessity dictates patience.
My intelligence network revealed Lilith's masquerade ball and its true nature—an auction where these entitled bastards intend to bid on Dani like some rare artifact. The mansion blueprints, acquired through my more... sophisticated methods, revealed several promising infiltration points. The wealthy's predictable obsession with secret passages proves consistently useful.
I located a worthless excuse for a vampire lurking on the mansion's periphery. Eliminating him and appropriating his formal attire proved efficient—his mask and invitation providing the perfect cover. While I harbor no moral reservations about dispatching our own kind when necessary, I maintain certain principles regarding humans. Call it nobility or weakness, but centuries of existence have taught me the value of maintaining some ethical boundaries, even in our darker nature.
Rhyland's rage pulses through our bond like a gathering storm. His primal need to protect his mate threatens to shatter what little remains of his reasoning. My attempts to moderate his fury prove about as effective as reasoning with a goddamn hurricane. We must execute our extraction plan before his arrival inevitably transforms this operation into what Lucian would term a "supernatural shit show."
Lucian and Emily maintain their positions outside—a decision made upon our arrival. My brother, for once displaying sound judgment, convinced Seraphina to remain at the house with Sable. Having a pure angel in this den of predators would be like igniting dynamite in a powder keg.
My gaze catches the owl perched atop the crystal chandelier—another of Lilith's surveillance tools. Her obsession with the species makes this one's purpose obvious. No doubt it serves as her newest familiar, watching our every move.
The scene before me makes me sick. This worthless excuse for a vampire gorges himself on Dani's blood, her tears cutting deeper than any blade. The violation transcends mere physical trauma—forced feeding while bonded to Rhyland represents a particularly cruel torture. Her body cries out for her mate while this pathetic piece of shit forces his attention upon her.
