In my previous life, silver was one of the most valuable commodities mortals traded. I had thought it so bizarre when I was reborn into a world where people cared so much about gold. It did not make sense to me that gold would be so expensive, while silver was downright cheap in comparison. It did not make sense. . . but I was grateful for it.
It made buying powdered silver quite affordable.
I yanked my hands from my pockets, tossed a fistful of silver dust directly into Louis’s face, and was rewarded with the sounds of his eyes sizzling and his voice screeching. I tried the same on René, but he ducked aside, and the silver cloud wafted over where his head would have been.
Stupid old man, I cursed at myself. I was out of practice. Ithadbeen years.
Predictably, René swiped his hand at my face, so I caught his wrist. My hand was still coated in silver dust, and I felt his flesh bubble and give—like squeezing warm wax. I twisted the wrist and yanked his arm down, slamming my other silver-dusted fist into his face as he swung his free arm at me.
I had to release him and step away, his claws swiping where my throat would have been. He looked at me and I laughed at his face; there was a perfect imprint of my fist seared into his broken cheek, the skin there sizzling as if from a chemical burn.
I spared a glance over my shoulder to see Jules safe, pressed against the wall of the alley, looking mortified. Louis was still down on his knees to my left, shrieking in agony while clutching his eyes. I knew he would start to heal soon. I needed to finish his brother before that happened.
“You have something on your face,” I said with a laugh. I gestured to my own cheek with one hand, as if I were showing a friend where they had an embarrassing speck of food, while I stuck my other hand back in my jacket.
“I will drink you dry and have pigs eat your corpse, dog!” René juked to my right, then my left, tempting me to throw another fistful of silver dust that he would dodge.
This dog has done that trick already. Time for a new one.
I tossed another fistful of silver dust towards him. He dodged, dashed towards me, closed the distance, and he was very nearly upon me when I ignited the road flare.
I slashed at him with the flare like it was a dagger, the flames cutting through the air between us, and he swiped at me with his claws. There was a flurry of exchanges. I came away bloody. He came away burnt. We were at a stalemate. He couldn’t commit to lunging at me and sinking his teeth into my throat, out of his fear of the flare. I couldn’t commit to grappling him and holding my fire to him, out of my fear of the fangs.
There will be no escape for you two. Not after tonight.I knew that if I did not end them, then they would just come back with more of their coven and look to settle the score. I could not let that happen. Not when they had threatened Violet.
“Rowan!” Violet’s scream, shrill and broken, cut through my thoughts. I heard her panicked terror, and I looked over my shoulder towards the source of her voice.
It was enough. The twins struck in tandem, a pair of perfect hunters.Vampyres, ever the opportunists.
Louis tackled my legs while René grabbed my arm that held the flare. We were all falling together when he bent my wrist backwards. There was a sickening crunch, a bloom of pain, and then the flare clattered to the pavement. My back slammed into the ground, the wind shoved out of me. I reached up with my free hand and drove a silver-dusted thumb into René’s eye; I was rewarded with him howling before a wet popping sound—like a water balloon bursting.
Louis’s eyes had either healed already, or he was blind fighting. Either way, he yanked my hand away from his brother’s face and pinned it to the pavement. René followed suit. Each of the twins had an arm now, and regardless of how hard I struggled and thrashed and heaved, it was futile. I could not have broken free of their vampyric strength any more than I could have lifted a mountain.
In unison, they locked their jaws onto my throat and drank.
White-hot agony ripped through me and tore a cry from deep in my chest. Fire blazed throughout me. . . followed by fear.
This fear is not for you,I thought once more.
My strength failed. My vision narrowed, black edges crawling inward until all I saw were the tops of their pale foreheads bobbing up and down as they drank my blood.
Then, right before I lost consciousness, I saw the craziest goddamned thing.
Violet leapt onto Louis’s back, wrapped an arm around his neck, and had him locked in a rear-naked choke.
A blood choke. Ha. That’s funny.
Chapter 27
Violet
Rowan leaving me alone in the diner left a sour taste in my mouth.
I should be good and wait. He’s only with Jules.I wasn’t worried about Rowan and her hooking up. Not when he had practically confessed to me. That was not the cause of the unease I felt as I watched them walk off. I didn’t actually know the reason I felt so worried, but I hurried to pay the bill so I could follow after them.
Settling the tab took longer than it should have, giving Rowan and Jules a bit of a head start. As I rushed out the door, the cool night air blasted against me and pebbled my skin. I was about to turn the corner when I heard an inhuman shriek.
My heart nearly stopped, but I ran like hell towards that sound. I had no idea what I expected to find, but Rowan wielding a road flare and fighting one of those creepy twins from the club wasnot it.
