“Not while Callum O’Brien lives.”
“Gideon, my friend. You don’t stand a chance against him. Do your family and your pack a favor and leave while you’re still alive.” Lucien lays his hand on Gideon’s arm.
“No.” Gideon shifts into a wolf, seemingly larger than before. His eyes glow with the light that filters through the windows, and his growl rattles the lead glass filling them as he races straight toward the ancient vampire.
Out of nowhere, Harrison, Erick, and Phillipe join the Alpha. The four of them begin moving faster than my eyes can track.
“Get him out of here,” Lucien repeats.
Wrapping my arms around Cyrus, I lift him close to my chest. He smells like death itself and doesn’t seem aware of the chaos around him. I don’t know what’s been done to him, but it’s difficult to see the strong, virile man who turned from being my buyer into my friend.
“Starving,” he whispers.
I carry him through the convent and down to the street a heartbeat later. “Tell me what to do,” I plead. “I don’t know how to get you food without killing someone.”
Out of nowhere, a woman appears. She has the same look on her face as the woman on the train. “What are you?” she asks.
I look around, confused where she came from. “It’s not safe here,” I warn.
She rolls her sleeve up, exposing a vein. “I can help.”
“How?” I start.
Her face is a mixture of confusion and ecstasy. “I don’t know,” she answers, confusing me even more. Something tells me Lucien is responsible for this. I don’t ask any more questions. Grabbing her arm, I place it in front of Cyrus. He latches on quickly, wrapping both hands around and pulling her close. The woman gasps as he freely drinks from her body.
“That’s enough,” I warn as her heartbeat begins to slow. Cyrus ignores my words and continues to fill the endless hunger. The woman falls to her kneesand moans. “Cyrus, that’s enough!” Grabbing his hair, I pull him away from her arm just as she collapses to the ground unconscious. Her heartbeat is weak, but still beating, telling me she’s going to be okay.
“More!” he growls.
Just like the first, another woman appears. She doesn’t speak. Instead, lowers the collar of her shirt, exposing the vein on her neck. Cyrus doesn’t hesitate. His teeth are inside her, draining her of the life essence she provides. Like the first woman, she sighs orgasmically. When her knees buckle, I pull him away. This time, he’s strong enough to fight back. “Enough,” I announce, separating him from his food.
The woman leans against the brick building behind her, breathing as hard as if she’s just run a race.
“Cyrus?”
He looks at me with bright blue eyes. “I’m here,” he says, out of breath. I watch as the skin that, minutes earlier, was the home of deep lacerations and bruises, heals almost instantly. He stands straighter, returning to the man who purchased me not so very long ago. “I’m here,” he repeats. Long arms wrap around me, pulling me to his chest. “Thanks to you, Violet.”
I pull back. “I didn’t do it alone.” I nod toward the convent. “Gideon and Lucien are still inside, along with Harrison, Erick, and Phillipe.”
Cyrus follows my line of sight. “Shit.”
“You’re not ready to fight,” I remind the man who was closeto death moments ago.
“You’re not strong enough on your own,” he retorts.
“We…I can’t leave them in there.” My words sound sad, even to me.
“Cyrus!” a deep voice calls behind me. I turn to see Simon and Stella running toward us. Neither is dressed, and neither seems to care. The men embrace, wrapping long arms around each other. “I thought you were…” Simon doesn’t finish.
“Yeah, me, too.”
“Dad’s still in there, isn’t he?” Stella asks. I nod, not wanting to say the words aloud. “Harrison, Erick, and Phillips showed up, and Lucien’s a child.” All three stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“I don’t care about the vampires, but I won’t leave my father in there alone,” Simon announces.
“I’m coming, too,” Stella adds.
“Are you forgetting what he did to you?” I ask, being the only voice of reason.
