Xander cursed under his breath, his anger dissipating. “You know that wasn’t what I meant and you know it. You’re nothing like your grandfather.”
Kace barely controlled his flinch. Hisgrandfather was the man who had raised him from birth, and then became a Daemon before selling him to the fighting Pits at age six. “I didn’t realise I had to ask permission to go for late night walks.”
Xander snarled before his gaze flickered to something over his shoulder. Kace fought the urge to look, even though if it was a spook, he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was haunted by the hundreds he had killed, murdered.
“You think I want to ascend? Live up to the family name?” Kace grinned, the smile on the edge of feral. “I’m sure that’s what everyone is waiting for, right?”
Xander shook his head, his expression desolate, which made everything fucking worse. “You’re your own worst enemy, K.”
The beast pressed against his insides, his skin tightening. He didn’t bother Xander with an answer as he headed into the privacy of the surrounding grove, needing to be alone before he split at the seams.
Chapter6
Eva
Eva stared at her hands, the skin almost entirely healed despite the tattoos being only hours old. She had been pinned to a table, forced to accept the twin vipers that coiled around each wrist like manacles, the snakes’ tongues reaching towards her middle fingers. Within the scales were patterns, but she had no idea what they meant, if anything.
She was human, she had never studied the curves and lines of symbols and spells.
Shewasa human, but not anymore.
Eva flexed her hands, watching the scales of the vipers ripple along her skin.
They had branded her.
Fucking branded!
She had never hated anyone in her life, but right then she hated Lucas. Hated the fact he had taken away her life, taken away her choices.
The security’s gaze burned across her exposed skin, the short slip of a dress she had no choice but to wear barely reaching her mid-thigh.
Eva lifted her middle finger, not sure what she was expecting when his upper lip twitched, but otherwise gave no reaction. He was built like a tank, thick arms exposed as he relaxed casually against the door, a very similar tattoo of a snake curled around his bicep.
She blew out a breath, uncomfortable sitting on the edge of the bed with a strange man staring at her. Her legs were bare, as were her feet as if taking away her shoes would stop her from running away. She had covered them with a soft green blanket, the fabric clearly expensive from the softness of the texture and the French brand on the label. She couldn’t move around the bedroom without him moving a step behind, watching over her. What did he expect her to do? Jump out of the window?
Eva flicked her gaze to the large window framed in even more green. She had already looked, and despite it not actually opening more than an inch, they were at least thirty floors up. She doubted even now she was a vampire she could survive that fall.
The security chuckled, as if reading her thoughts.
Eva just repeated her hand gesture, the sound cutting off with a growl. She had tried to make conversation, and had learned quickly that it was futile. Not that she believed the meathead would offer her a riveting discussion, but she at least wanted to ask who decided to decorate the bedroom in various shades of green. No other colour, just green.
A safehouse. That was how Augustine had described it. Designed to be impenetrable against people entering, and exiting. So she had destroyed the bedroom. She had ripped the curtains from their poles, torn the sheets from the bed and pulled out every drawer and tossed the contents onto the floor. The wardrobe had received similar treatment, the clothes inside only marginally more diverse than the decor. Green or black, mostly with snake motifs. She couldn’t say they weren’t dedicated to the theme.
The security man before meathead had watched her silently as she had torn through everything she could touch. It was only when she had shattered the mirror, picking up one of the larger shards to use as a weapon did he intervene.
She was taken out of the room to be branded, and when she came back everything was in perfect order once more. Nothing out of place.
The security guard pressed a finger to his ear, a frown pinching his brows. “Your presence has been requested,” he grunted at her a second later. “Now.”
Eva considered ignoring him, the compulsion to fight his demand almost overwhelming. His smile was crooked, his fists seemed the size of her face when he approached.
“I’m coming,” she snapped, draping the blanket around her shoulders as she stood.
His eyes narrowed, yanking the cover from her grasp with little effort before pushing her out the door.
What the hell was the point of vampire strength if I can’t even hold a bloody blanket?
Eva hesitated as she stepped outside the bedroom, eyes scanning down the hallway to the mezzanine that looked at the floor below. She knew she was in an expensive apartment that spanned two floors, but she hadn’t been allowed to explore. She spotted a familiar landmark through one of the windows, comforted by the fact she was still in London.
