To that, hesmiles. Flexing my hand, I let my claws come forth. He takes one last breath before I thrust them through his chest cavity, severing his spinal cord.
As Levi’s body stills, my gaze drifts to the other blonde corpse in the room, where Qinnu waits back in human form. The realization is a sledgehammer to the chest. I sprint to the far wall, stumbling to my knees. My hands tremble as I brush the hair from her face.
She’s cold. Has been for a while now. Drawing her scent into my lungs, my augment activates, showing me her last moments, beholding the face of my mate.
Jabir flies down the stairs, wagging his tail furiously. Scarcely breathing, I gather my sister in my arms. For a moment, all I can do is stare at her. Qinnu grips me by the nape, waking me up. “You’re going to tear Kiersten apart limb by limb. And then we’re burning this shithole to the ground.”
I bend to kiss Demi’s forehead and carefully hand her off to Qinnu. It’s only a short matter of time before Chris finds her now.
Jabir nuzzles his furry head against my shoulder, urging me to continue.Let’s finish this.
Together, we mount the stairs, racing towards the foyer, picking up two more foot soldiers along the way. The gas has finally cleared, revealing the bodies of the vampires who came to collect Vessa, flesh still simmering with the icy burn of my silver bullets.
Our feet come to a skidding halt as Kiersten finally comes into view behind what was once a reception desk, wearing a gas mask. She holds Vessa in a headlock with a knife to her jugular. Vessa squirms, hardly able to stand on her own.
My heart leaps into my throat.
“Took you assholes long enough,” Kiersten mocks.
“Let her go,” Dom snaps, strolling up to the desk. Holding our sister’s prized crossbow. Soaked in a liter of her blood.
“This is over.Over. Do you hear me?” I snarl.
Kiersten’s eyes widen as she yanks off the mask, breathing in the scent that coats Dom’s shirt and pants. “Where is she? Where is Demitrya?”
“One of your men,” Vessa coughs. “They shot her.”
Shock rattles her composure. “No,” she croaks, squeezing my mate tighter. “No. You’re lying to me. I want to see her.”
“Let her down easy, Kiersten,” I say calmly. “Give her over and face the wall. Then we’ll talk.”
“She’sdead,” Vessa sobs. “She pushed me out of the way.”
Kiersten’s eyes freeze over. Abysmally.
Dammit.
“Drop it!” I roar.
There’s nothing for us to talk about. Nothing we can barter for. With a broken whimper, she raises her fist to plunge the scalpel into Vessa’s heart.
An arrow soars through the air, piercing Kiersten’s upper arm. Vessa crumples to the floor. In a fury, the last of the guards storm through, Jabir roaring as Dom turns the crossbow on them.
In a flash, my hand is around Kiersten’s neck. Nails claw at me as she sobs. Snarling, I tear the arrow lodged in her arm and shove it all the way through her eye. Instantly, she goes limp. I look over my shoulder. My brother is there, lifting Vessa into his arms.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers.
“Look away!” I yell.
She doesn’t. But I would never forgive myself if I didn’t carry this out.
Pulse pumping furiously, I spin Kiersten around, slamming her face against the wall. A small wheeze escapes her lips before my claws thrust forward and she is violently separated from her spine.
Qinnu and another warrior, Kendall, burst through the main entrance. There, my sister’s mate hunches over, emptying his stomach after having just witnessed his darkest nightmare. Chris says nothing as he rushes to my side, gripping my shirt. I gulp, staring into his dark, devastated eyes. They flick to the mess of a corpse next to the gore-splattered counter. Then back to me. He can’t quite wrap his mind around it.
“Leave,” he rasps.
Dom carries Vessa out the door, meeting Cora who parks the SUV and jumps out of the driver’s seat. My feet carry me faster than they ever have. Wiping the blood on my pants, I fall to Cora’s side, just as Dom lays her on a stretcher. He drapes her with a blanket while Cora inserts the IV into Vessa’s forearm. When she peels back the first of the two bandages on her thighs, she gasps.
