“Last time,” the man holding the blade to Thorin’s throat growled. “Where. Is. Prince Luka?”
Luka strained against my hold and I opened my thighs, wrapping my legs around his waist, and clenched. This bastard was going to get himself killed, and for what? To save a murdering, blood-draining asshole like Thorin? And no doubt give away my hiding spot in the process…?
No way.
Why was I saving this bloodsucker from killing himself?I had no idea. Maybe it was because he could have killed me by now, or dropped me, and he hadn’t. Maybe there was such a thing as a decent vampire. No, I shook my head at that last thought. He probably saved me because he was hungry and knew if he got stuck up here too long, he’d need a snack.
Luka looked down at me again, eyes glowing copper, nostrils flaring as I held on to him with everything I had. We both knew he could shake me off if he really wanted to, but I was trying to buy time for him to think this through. His eyes fell to my lips, then I felt him harden, his erection growing between us. I unclenched my legs and opened my mouth in shock, swallowing my gasp as a halfcocked grin swept across his face. Luka pulled himself away from me a few inches, giving us both some room to breathe.
Was he …attracted to me?The thought was horrifying. I mean I had straddled him, but … he was a demon.
Hell spawn.
I shook myself, trying to expunge it all from my brain.
Why was I so mortified?
Thorin met his death then, while Luka was busy bonering out over my little wrestling move. The sound of cutting bone was one I was extremely familiar with. I didn’t have to look to know that Thorin’s head had just been taken off. The thud to the floor confirmed it.
Luka winced, looking down at me with anger, and … confusion. Either way, I was just glad it was no longer arousal or amusement at my shock of his … display.
“I hear a rapid heartbeat,” one of the Shadow Bloods said, and my eyes went wide. “There’s a scared little human in here.”
Crap. One thing I couldn’t change, no matter how much gene editing I’d had. Heartbeat and human smell.
“I don’t give a fuck about a human. I want the prince!” another male shouted.
“We were supposed to do this tonight. Morgana won’t be pleased,” the other said.
Luka’s entire body stiffened at the mention of Morgana.
Holy crap! Did his own family order a hit on him? It sure as hell sounded like that. My eyes flicked up to meet his and I saw the moment he realized he was betrayed by his own blood. Complete and utter pain crossed his features before he quickly stowed it away and it was replaced by a cold hard grimace.
A walkie-talkie squawked. “All clear out here. Have you got the target? Over.”
The dude sighed. “Negative. Cancel mission. Over and out.”
“Fuck!” The one guy kicked the wall, and then shuffling footsteps could be heard.
I presumed they were gone.
Luka lay against me, staring off at the wall as if replaying his family’s betrayal over and over in his mind. We stayed like that, pressed together, lost in our own thoughts, for about five minutes, until he pulled himself up and off of me.
“We should go,” he ground out, grabbing me by the waist and yanking me to his chest. I tried not to yelp as he casually carried me like I was a five-pound Barbie Doll, and leapt off the rafter. As we dropped to the floor, he released me and set me gently on my feet.
The stake was still in my hand. His uncle’s head lay on the floor near the rest of his body, both withered to a black husk, soon to be ash. There was no coming back from decapitation, not even for a vampire.
I looked over at Luka, who seemed beside himself. More so than I thought he should be. But he did save my life, and I had a moral code that would not allow me to forget that.
“Thank—” I’d been about to thank him when someone lunged out from behind one of the feeding room curtains.
“I knew it!” a Shadow Blood yelled. He had been hiding in there the entire time.
Both Luka and I exploded into action as he reached for his walkie-talkie.
I drove my stake six inches into the arm that reached for the radio before he could even say a word. His scream ripped through the feeder room as he dropped the radio, and Luka went right for his throat, grasping his neck with both hands. A vampire could easily rip another vampire’s head off, especially Luka. As a member of the royal family, he had the most potent kind of genes. His power would be unmatched, but the Shadow Bloods were a well-trained mercenary group. I yanked my stake back out and the dude pivoted, throwing himself forward, and wrenched out of Luka’s grasp.
Frick.
