CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Asher
She's fast, braced for a fight before we reach her.
The parents huddle in the corner, shaking, bruised but alive.
At least we're not too late.
"Oh, sure," Kayden mutters, voice sharp. "The parents who disowned their daughter because she didn't dance to their tune. I couldn't care less if they die, but you do, Sage, deep down, you still do."
Sage presses a hand to her chest in mock solemnity. "Ah yes, my little heart, how it bleeds."
She moves before the words fade. A blur. I step in, intercept her mid-lunge, slam her into the wall. Kayden's there too, closing in. We move together like we used to, with reflex and instinct, but every strike we pull makes it harder.
She laughs through it.
"Get out!" I bark at the parents as we force her back toward the corner.
They scramble up. The mother stumbles, heels catching on the floor.
Sage moves too fast for me to intercept and catches her from behind, hand clamping the woman's throat.
"One twist," she purrs. "And it's over."
We freeze.
She laughs again, low and bright. "Two pathetic excuses for vampires. So much empathy. It's sad, really."
Then the air changes. A hiss from the vents. The scent hits first—sharp and acrid.
Wildbane. And nightshade.
Sage coughs, choking, her grip faltering. The mother breaks free, finally running.
But it's in us, too. My lungs seize. Kayden staggers, cursing.
"The bastard," he grunts between coughs. "He set us up. He'll take her and leave us to die."
I drop to one knee, vision swimming, breath burning. I don't answer. I don't know. I'm afraid of the same thing. Once she's caught, we're dispensable. Especially if Darius isn't looking to save her, but to fulfill his duty.
The alarm screams, shrill and metallic. I can hear the guests flood the exits, panic tripping through high heels and velvet coats.
I try to move but my body's heavy, muscles sluggish from the gas. Then the door swings open. The red-haired púca steps in, mask on, two more in hand. He doesn't waste words. He straps one over my face, one over Kayden's. I pull in a clean breath.
He snaps earpieces into place, and his voice crackles through comms.
"Snap out of it, bloodsuckers. I need you vertical. People she touched are losing their minds. Get them down before they start killing each other."
He's already turning toward Sage, collapsed on the floor. Kayden blocks him.
"No. You don't touch her. I've got her."
The púca sighs, rolling his eyes behind the mask. "Sure, lover boy. Just don't drop her."
Kayden's moving before he's finished talking, grim determination and stubborn will holding him together.
I follow the púca out into the main hall. "I'll neutralize anyone showing aggression," I say over comms. "Non-lethal only."
