“Good.” I turned to Elliot. “Victor has a spell blocking the useful parts of his mind. A quick death is not on the cards for him. Put him in the box.”
Elliot smirked and nodded. “With the utmost pleasure, Count.”
I allowed myself a small smile. “I thought you’d appreciate that honor. He is to be left there until the solitude and agony of his new quarters loosen his tongue. I will be busy for the foreseeable future, so he will have plenty of time to reflect on his poor choices. If he starts to eat his own flesh, he may have afew drops of blood—rat only. He does not deserve the blood of anyone in this House.”
“Yes, Count.”
Elliot had no hesitation about knocking his former stepfather unconscious before he unhooked him and dragged the inert coven leader away.
“He is coping well with our….methods?”
The violence and degradation of my world were not pleasant for many. I was well aware of that fact. But Elliot had been trained by Victor to be an assassin—or rather to believe he was good enough to come after me. He’d been a message, a sacrifice, because everyone but Elliot had known he would fail. The only reason I hadn’t killed him on the spot was Dav’s reaction. It had been clear to me that Elliot was his mate.
“He is. He holds no compassion for Victor, or anyone who works against you—or me. He will be loyal to this House.”
“I’m glad you found him, my friend, and I appreciate your words, but we both know he belongs to one person, and it isn’t me.”
Dav’s face softened. “Yeah. But what of you—and Shane? Your reaction to him and the human female has been…interesting.”
I huffed a laugh. “Indeed. But those reactions can’t be real.”
Dav narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure about that? Because they look real to me. And if they aren’t real, why not cut them both loose?”
It didn’t matter that severing my connection to them both was my ultimate intention; the thought of not having them near made me want to kill something. I eyed the direction Elliot had dragged Victor.
“Because, my friend, it isn’t yet time.”
Destiny was a course set by the gods themselves, and though I didn’t fully understand mine, I knew Shane and Sorcha wereintegral to it. If legend was to be believed, they would help save the vampire race. It was on me to make sure that happened, even though I would have to deal with the wreckage my actions left behind.
Dav studied me intently. “Are they the ones? Is that why you’re so invested in them?”
I evaded his question, not ready to admit to myself, never mind him, how important they were. “Every moment that my enemies see them with me is one more that solidifies their fate. Eventually, both will be used against me, so the best I can do is steer them towards each other, then step away, and hope our paths go where they should.”
Dav raised a brow, but didn’t call me out on ignoring his question. “Step away? Really?”
The breath I released did nothing to relieve the pressure in my chest. “Yes. They are in danger because of me. My enemies have already marked them.”
“Then perhaps they are safer by your side than anywhere else.”
I shook my head, even though he mirrored my recent thoughts. “Once Shane can control himself, they will be safer away from me. Not just from my enemies, but from Stefan.”
Lie.
When I forced them from my side, it would start a chain of events that no one could stop. Not even a high demon from Hell, one of the Originals themselves, could hope to halt Fate’s hand.
Dav tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. His bullshit meter was clearly pinging loudly. “If you say so. But something tells me, if you send them away, it will break you more thoroughly than anything ever has.”
12
Shane
My heart beat faster,my footsteps speeding up as I strode towards Bal’s office. I had no idea why, but my urge to see him was something I couldn’t ignore. He drew me like a bee to nectar.
“You’ll be gone overnight?”
My footsteps stuttered to a halt. Dav. That fucker was always by his master’s side. He had a bloody mate for gods’ sake and still couldn’t leave Bal alone. I didn’t acknowledge how ridiculous my thoughts were. He was Bal’s right hand, yet the green-eyed monster I’d never been acquainted with before roared to life.
“Yes. You’ll ensure Sorcha is safe while we’re gone. She’s recovering, but is still tired. Johnson is aware he’ll need to take her food and drink upstairs. I’ll give Shane instructions to tell her to stay in her room and rest.”
