“And I don’t believe you.” He slammed his hand down on the table hard enough to make the box jump. “Take the fucking test.”
“No.” She shook her head, wondering if she was making a mistake. Maybe she should tell him she was pregnant because honestly, she didn’t know what he planned to do to her if he thought she wasn’t. But then her hand tightened around the strap of her bag, and the fear cleared just enough for anger to slide in. This bastard didn’t get the truth. He didn’t get anything from her. Not willingly.
A man came in and whispered something to Darius, who nodded but kept his eyes on her. She saw a flash of uncertainty in his gaze and decided to add to it.
“He’s coming for me.” Becky tilted her head slightly. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m counting on it.” His smile was full of confidence as he stared her down. “I need more of his blood, so after I kill him, I’ll drain him dry.”
“If you say so,” she replied flippantly, knowing damn well she was pushing it. But she wanted to knock the bastard down a peg or two. She was terrified, yes, but she needed a plan to get the hell out of there. She knew the silver bullets in her gun wouldn’t kill Darius, but they would kill the idiot full-blood leaning against the wall looking bored to death. She just needed to get Darius the hell out of there.
“I have fifty demons guarding us right now.” Darius’s tone turned arrogant, as if nothing could get inside the building.
“And we have the Demon Slayer.” Becky cocked an eyebrow. “As well as the Dark Guardians. Oh, and the Warriors will take care of your vampires.”
Becky’s eyes narrowed as she glared at him.
“But you...” She said with confidence because she believed in Sloan and knew he would find her. “Sloan will handle you.”
Darius stared at her for a long moment before a smile slowly spread across his lips. Walking toward her, he pulled a chair close and sat facing her. He reached for her stomach, but she quickly scooted her chair back. His eyes shot to hers, his smile disappearing. “We, and when I say we, I mean you and I, have created something that will take care of the Demon Slayer.”
Becky’s stomach rolled with disgust, but she didn’t let it show. This sick son of a bitch really believed it. He thought there was something inside her that belonged to him, something he had created, and planned to use against Daniel. Fine. Let him believe whatever twisted shit made him feel powerful. She wasn’t giving him the truth.
“If you think for one minute I’m going to let Sloan Murphy ruin this for me, well, Becky, you are sadly mistaken.” Darius tsked, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t think you understand how big this is. The demons want the Slayer gone, and they will go to any length to see it happen.”
“One of those lengths being using low-life idiots like you to do their dirty work,” Becky spat in disgust.
She didn’t see the slap coming. Her head snapped to the side, the sharp sting exploding across her cheek as the taste of blood filled her mouth. For a second, everything went quiet in her head, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how badly it hurt. Slowly, she turned back to him, her eyes narrowed. “What do you get out of this?”
“What everyone wants in this fucked-up world.” Darius stared at her cheek, then reached out and ran a finger along the place he’d struck her. His eyes snapped back to hers. “Power. Money.”
Becky didn’t move away from his touch even though every part of her wanted to. Instead, she smiled, slow and cold. “That’s all?”
His fingers stilled against her cheek.
“You sold your soul for power and money?” Becky shook her head, tasting blood as her smile widened. “That’s it? That’s what all this is for? You’re a weak, pathetic boy using women to accomplish your insane goals. Who’s pulling your strings, Darius? Satan himself?”
Okay, maybe, just maybe, she had gone too far. His golden eye turned black as it narrowed, and his fangs pushed down.
“Either the Warriors have no idea what they are up against, or maybe they do and are too afraid to speak it out loud.” Darius leaned closer, his voice dropping into something colder. “The demons are everywhere, Becky. Everywhere. In places your precious Warriors walk past every damn day because they’re too busy chasing rogues and pretending they still control the darkness.”
Becky didn’t respond. Not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because the crazy bastard was finally talking.
“And people like me?” His lip curled as he pointed to himself. “We get shoved aside. Half-breed. Mistake. Not vampire enough. Not human enough. Not anything enough unless someone needs dirty work done. But the demons saw me. They knew what I could be. What I could create.”
“You mean what you could steal,” Becky shot back, her voice shaking with anger. “Because let’s not dress this up as some grand plan. You couldn’t create shit on your own, so you helped violate women who never asked to be part of your sick little science project.”
His hand shot out, gripping the back of her chair, trapping her without touching her. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
“I know exactly what you’re capable of.” Becky’s eyes narrowed. “You kidnapped my son to get to me. You need demons to protect you. You need doctors to do your work. You need women’s bodies to make yourself feel powerful. So don’t sit there and tell me how dangerous you are, Darius. Dangerous men don’t have to keep proving it.”
For a second, his face twisted with pure hate, and Becky knew she had exposed something inside this asshole.
“You think Sloan Murphy is coming here to save you.” Darius smiled, but there was nothing calm in it now. “Good. Let him come. Let all of them come. Because when the Demon Slayer falls and your Warriors are choking on their own blood, you’ll understand what I helped start.”
Becky forced herself not to look at her bag. Forced herself not to reach for the gun. Not yet. “You didn’t start anything,” she said, her voice low. “You’re just another weak man following orders and pretending it makes you important.”
Darius’s smile vanished.
