“Ex-boyfriend,” Eva replied before snapping her mouth shut. Dutch watched her, his eyes black as he stroked his tongue down one fang. If Augustine made her feel uneasy, Dutch’s attention felt like spiders crawling across her skin.
“At least now you will see exactly what will happen if you disappoint me.”
Dutch clapped his hands together once again. “Well, how exciting. I’ll make sure to be more creative for you, pretty lady.” A wink before he reached for a lever, the man dropping until he barely hovered above the harsh concrete. The flesh in his shoulder squelched at the impact, the hook holding him steady. “Hello shit-bag, how’s it hanging?” Dutch pulled the tape from his mouth.
The man spat, the blood congealed as it missed and landed by Dutch’s feet.
“My uncle and I don’t take too kindly to cunts who try and sell on our territory without permission. We take fifty per-cent of all profits, or we have a problem.” Dutch’s fist blurred, landing perfectly in the centre right thigh. Eva heard the snap, dropping her eyes to the floor when she saw the bone pierce through skin. “Which faction do you belong to?”
Hair pulled into a fist. “Watch.” A demand as Augustine pressed himself closer, forcing her head up.
“You won’t have the territory for long.” The voice came out deeper than she expected. “Hewill take everything you own.” His lips hadn’t moved as he spoke, his blood-stained teeth clenched tightly.
Dutch clicked his tongue. “Oh yeah, we seem to have a ventriloquist.”
Augustine tightened his grip in her hair, her scalp screaming. “He? Who the fuck is He?”
The man jerked his head to the side, the voice seemingly forced from his throat. “He’salready here, watching, waiting for you to fall.” His eyes brightened until they glowed as red as the blood that dripped.
Dutch let out a low whistle. “They’re some pretty cool irises you have there, mate. If you’re not careful, I may poke them out. Now, which faction do you belong to? Because surely you’re not stupid enough to deal on our territory without the protection of a Lord?”
“This is a waste of time.” Augustine paused, staring.
Dutch smiled, and then in one swift movement hit the left kneecap. It shattered, and yet the man barely flinched. “He hasn’t given me anything interesting. Others cried when I cut their cock off, but this one has been a lot more fun to play with, even if he’s worthless to us.” Dutch swiped a finger through the blood, frowning as his tongue stuck out to lick. He spat a second later and hissed. “Tastes like shit too. I have no idea what the fuck he is, but he’s not something I’ve seen before.”
“What he is doesn’t matter,” Augustine said. “Human, shifter or fucking angel I don’t care. We shouldn’t be getting so many new dealers popping up on our territory.”
“I’ve had one of those new angel people, and this ain’t it,” Dutch grunted. “It’s like his blood has gone off.”
The man twisted, the movement pulling at the wound in his own shoulder. “You’re all going to die.”
Augustine angled her head, lips brushing her ear. “Watch and learn. If you look away, even once, you will be the one strapped up on that hook.” The grip on her hair was released, and Eva remained rooted to the floor.
Dutch bounced from one foot to the other, handing Augustine a single blade when he approached. She wasn’t sure where it came from, and was too scared to take her eyes away to check.
“Are you watching?” Augustine looked back at her, mouth set in a tight line. “Good, now the carotid is the artery in the neck, one on each side.” Augustine gently pressed the tip of the blade to the man’s throat, first his left side, and then his right. “If you cut either open your victim will likely die within minutes, since it’s under such high pressure. Now, beside them are the jugulars. These veins have a much lower blood pressure and spills rather than sprays, meaning you can keep your victim alive much longer.” He turned back to face her for a brief second. “I personally prefer the inside thigh.”
In one smooth movement the edge of the blade sliced across his throat, slashing through the skin with little resistance. Eva let out a gasp, trying to ignore the gurgling as the man’s lifeblood pumped to the concrete. A cold sensation burned through her chest and failing to swallow the bile, she bent forward and emptied the contents of her stomach.
“Pathetic,” Floyd muttered, but before she could snap back a snarky reply, she vomited again. There wasn’t much as she hadn’t eaten a physical meal in months, the bile an uncomfortable pink hue.
“Does that count as looking away?” Dutch’s eyes glittered when she finally looked back up, her stomach twisted. “Can I punish her?”
Augustine waved his free hand. “Later. Why does everyone think they can fuck with us just before we reopen?”
“Boss,” Floyd grumbled, “Your territory is in the largest of the undercity, with direct connections to the troll market. It’s not a surprise there are those seeking a vulnerability within your control while your attention is split.”
Dutch grinned. “We need to remind the other Lords who we are.”
Augustine stilled, so immobile it was unsettling, the knife seemingly forgotten in his hand as a smile spread across his face. “This is exactly why we need to push up our new event.”
Tears burned down Eva’s face, created from frustration and disgust because as she stared at the remains swinging gently from the rope she felt… nothing. The nausea had faded, leaving a hollow void where she should have felt anger. Anger at Augustine. Anger at her situation. Anger at herself. Instead she felt just as lifeless as the corpse.
“You’ll get used to how I run things,” Augustine commented when he turned to her. “It’s important for a Lord to be feared in the undercity.”
“By killing everyone?” Eva whispered, jerking her arm free from Floyd as he began to guide her back into the first room.
Augustine’s movements blurred, a dark smear across her vision before he stood only an inch from her nose. Blood splatter was blunt against his skin, a bright red that smeared when he swiped his cheek. “You need to remember you are no longer human.” He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, spreading the blood until she could taste the copper. “We are apex predators, literally created to kill and feed on those weaker than us. We are designed to be beautiful, tempting. Our skin, our voices, and even our scent is just something else we use to trick our pathetic prey.” His lips descended on to hers, the kiss forceful as he sucked the blood from her skin.
