Whatever it is, it’s her they want.
“Get away from my wife!” The vampire freezes. It’s Marcus. He’s young and stupid. Annoyingly so. Of course he would be the one to break his promise first. “Touch her and I will give you the Final Death.”
“The Final Death?” Marcus’ eyes narrow. “You would die for this human?”
I hear what the little fuck isn’t saying. That there is no way to stop him. He really thinks he’s the only one with power here.
The fool.
I vault over the banister and charge past Isla and her guardians. The energy I pull in makes the air go frigid. The floor ices over and I have Marcus by the throat before he can touch Maris.
“Someone has to.” I slam him to the floor. Wood splinters and the floor collapses beneath us. He tries to use his powers on me, but it’s no use. I feel the pressure of invisible hands trying topull me off, choke me but I capture them and siphon their power into me.
His eyes go wide when he realizes what I’m doing. “What are you?”
“Her husband.” Marcus’ neck snaps and I keep turning until I hear the satisfying crunch of bone separating from his body. I give his head another brutal jerk and toss it to the side. I wipe Marcus’ blood off my hands on my shirt and point at Hugo.
“What business do you have with my wife?”
He inclines his head in greeting. “You are Maris’ vampire, I presume.”
“Julian!” Maris throws herself at me. I catch her and put her behind me before the remaining Varcolacus can get near her.
“I am her vampire. Now answer my question, Hugo.”
The old vampire raises an eyebrow. “You know me. I’m flattered.”
“He killed Marcus!” Delilah screams. “How can you just talk to him like everything is fine?”
“Because his little wife did not lie. There’s the siren.” Hugo nods towards Isla. The siren looks confused. She’s not used to not being the most powerful being in the room. Her blood guardians move around her like they’re poised to fight. Maybe they can do something against the Varcolacus.
“The siren was promised to us. I see no reason to penalize young Maris for Marcus’ choice.”
I bristle when he calls Maris that. He likes her. I’ll kill him if he places a finger on my wife.
Delilah isn’t of the same mind. She grabs Anders. “You’re not going to let him get away with this. We can’t.” Delilah is influencing Anders. It’s easy to see even if the other vampire can’t tell. He snarls and lurches forward to drop onto all fours as a grizzly.
“Get out of my house!” Isla’s Siren’s Call hits us full force. The Varcolacus buckle. I see them turn to the door but Maris shoves forward.
“No! Eat her. I command you to kill her!”
Like magic, the other vampires move to do her bidding, all but Hugo. He’s so old that he’s beyond it. He stands and watches the other three circle Isla and her guardians.
“Defend me!” Isla screams. Her form changes and she’s not a beautiful woman anymore. She’s half-serpent, half-woman. Scales and claws emerge to fight off the vampire. As strong as Isla is, she’s no match for three vampires and Maris’ voice undoing her her Call each time. The guardians will have to tip the battle into her favor.
One of the guardians wraps around Delilah’s feet and yanks her to the floor. Another throws itself on top of her. Anders’ bear swipes at them. His paws and fur stain with blood but the guardians don’t budge. They reform and wheel to face Anders. Ethan sends a grandfather clock sailing towards Isla. She dodges it, picks it up and throws it back at him.
“You trespassers! This is my home. My hearth! I’ll not let you defile it. You will fall by my hand in his house.”
“You should go,” Hugo says softly. He’s watching the fight with tired eyes. He looks bored. There’s a look in a vampire’s eyes when they’ve seen it all. Hugo has it now. I didn’t think I’d see such a thing in one of the Varcolacus. He’s a dichotomy. Power and exhaustion.
“What? I-but what about Rosanna?” Maris grabs my arm. “You can call her. Bring her here somehow, right?”
“I could,” I tell her while I watch Hugo. He doesn’t seem all that interested in joining the fight raging in the house. The vampires, Isla and her guardians are in the hall now. Most likely in the dining room from the sound of silverware hitting the floor. Glass shatters and I hear Isla howl with frustration and pain.
“I’ll kill you!” We both turn to see Rosanna in the doorway. She has a lighter in her hands, another bottle of clear liquor and a rag in the other. Rosanna is back and trying to pick up where she started earlier with Maris’ house. She still can’t come in so she stands in the doorway. She points at Maris. “I’m going to eat your heart. He’s mine.” She flicks the lighters and a flame appears.
“Everything you have is going to burn, bitch.”
