Terror. No, horror flooded him. His body shook with adrenaline. Tears stung his eyes. He did not understand.
For a moment, his mother didn’t answer as she finished ratcheting the silver restraints shut. The sound of it like the slamming of a prison gate. He had heard that noise plenty in his life, as well.
“Nothing, my dear, weak little boy.” Volencia patted his cheek. “Nothing at all. And once you learn that? You will trulybe free.” She motioned her hand to the vampires holding the other ends of the chains.
It would take all their combined strength to pull his struggling form beneath the surface of the water. He screamed and fought as hard as he could.
It had been useless to try. As were all his attempts to fight the lessons his mother had been trying to teach him. In the end, he so neatly fit the mold she had made for him.
Monster. Murderer. Killer. Torturer. Enforcer. Mad dog.
Serpent.
He was all of those things. Gladly.
But wasn’t he something more…?
A new memory came to touch his mind. To hold his hand.
The feeling of lips upon his.
Kill them all, Nadi.
Kill them because I couldn’t.
Nadi stood on the deck and watched the coffin sink beneath the waves. Mael’s hand settled on her shoulder, heavy and warm. “Let’s get you a drink.”
“Yeah.” She turned from the railing and headed to the bar with him. Maybe she’d drink herself stupid.
With what she was about to do tonight…
She was really,reallygoing to need a few drinks in her system.
Gathering around the bar, she was handed a perfect metropolis by Lana, who pulled her into a hug shortly after and placed a kiss on her cheek.
Mael was next, turning her to face him. His kiss was far more personal. He crooked a finger under her chin, stepped in close,and caught her lips with his. She shut her eyes…and returned the gesture.
He tasted like daylight. Like the summer sun. He was nothing like his brother. Firm, but unassuming. There was nothing demanding. Nothing thattook.In his kiss, she felt protected. Honored. Treasured.
He smiled down at her, running his thumb tenderly along her cheek.
“Welcome to the family, Nadi Iltani. We are going tochange the world.”
Nadi.
He loved her.
And he had never told her.
Now he never would.
“We are the Nostrom family.”
Raziel watched his father with keen interest. The man was a towering figure, though he could not recall now what he actually looked like. The sword he held in his hand shone with wet blood that dripped from the tip onto the floor.
Blood that had recently come from the fool who had decided that he was not going to obey his father’s simple rule.
Which was to obey all his rules.
