Fuck that.
I race for Grace, scooping her around the waist as I slice the head off a vampire simultaneously.
“Against the wall, Grace, before I lose my damn mind,” I yell and move to shield her.
No one is getting past me.
She can fight. She’s brilliant at it. But one bite and I lose her.
And I won’t fucking have it. Not my Gracie.
Sam and Rhett defend Mother Hollie, who won’t leave Lou’s body. All around me, my Hunters are staking, slashing, and lunging with their swords, decapitating vampires who don’t stop coming.
Our magic pushes us to unnatural limits. We don’t tire. We don’t stop.
This bar has never been attacked, and my rage boils as I take on two at once.
A sea of cloaks and blood spray fills the room, and my boots slosh through pooled blood while the tang in the air fuels my magic.
Riot takes on three snarling vampires, but another five slip past him, heading for Mother Hollie. They swarm her, but I know my Hunters can handle it—I’ve trained Sam and Rhett well.
A slice across my arm stings, and my focus shifts to the two assholes in front of my own face.
Finally, the consistent funnel through the door stops, and I smash the last vampire up against the wall, pinning it there with a knife in its shoulder, and a stake aimed at its heart.
“This bar is off limits. It pays its dues to the king. Why in the gods did you dare enter here tonight?”
The vampire stares at me.
I twist my blade in its shoulder, and it winces.
“A big mistake for such an insignificant little thing,” I growl, holding the struggling vampire in place. “Whydid you come here tonight?”
“Orders,” it whispers, eyes bouncing around the room to furious Hunters.
Mother Hollie wails over Lou’s body.
“Orders …” I repeat, letting the word drip out of my mouth, coated in disdain. “Your orders were to kill us?”
Its breathing skitters into thready nervousness.
The vampire nods slowly.
“Why would you want to pointlessly slaughter helpless humans who work hard to make the king rich?”
The vampire’s rapid breath stops, a sneer overtaking its bloody gums. “This is no human bar.”
My eyes narrow on it, magic racing around my veins and coiling like a poised serpent. This is another orchestrated attack on the Hunters.
“Who gave the order?” I demand.
“Not my secret to tell.”
I scoff. “Surely you’re not that noble.”
“I have loved ones to be noble for,” it spits.
“Aye. So do we.Whose orders?”
