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He rushes toward me, his claws ready to slice into my skin. My energy is low, but I’m positive I can take this human-turned. However, right as he leaps through the air towards me, a huge black mass of fur crashes into him, knocking them both into a tree.

The vampire flips over on to Enzo’s back, wrapping his arms around him as he squeezes. The sound of bones breaking causes me to gasp.

“No,” I scream. I push the last of my energy through our link toward my mate.

Falling down to my knees, the last thing I see before I pass out is Enzo yanking the vampire off his back with his teeth and ripping his head off. I collapsed to the ground shortly after and everything went black.

Chapter thirty-four

Make It Work

Michaela

“Where is the Key?” Markis growls down into the face of the human male.

His wife and children are sitting on the ground at my feet. I look down at their dirty faces. Dirt and grime from countless hours tending their crops caked their tattered clothes. Their home, a single cruck style home. A kettle of water boils over the hearth of the fireplace. Their life is hard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man cries.

Markis draws back and punches the man in the face. The crunching of bones and the fresh smell of blood assails my senses.

I look around the small home to the others that are with us. Over the years of my journey with Markis, we’ve lost and gained a few new people to the cause. And when I say lost, I mean people have changed their stance on what Markis is doing and he has slaughtered them for their objection.

As I look at the faces of the disciples still with us, I see a mix of emotions. In the eyes of Davorin, Florin, Talon and Venette, you can still see the confidence they have in Markis. The twins, Kozani and Kavita, still have the arrogant smirk that shows they are still enjoying what we are doing.

Muza, Alexander, Colin, Denisa, and Raoul all share the same expression: uncertainty. Those five have been with Markis and me for the longest. They are seeing the cracks in his sanity. They are noticing the things that I’ve noticed lately.

The man that we all met our first year at the Academy, the man with his sharp tongue and charisma, is looking like the monster he is.

My eyes land on Toraya next. The last disciple to join us. Her expression worries me the most. She doesn’t look like the twins or Davorin. She doesn’t have the gaze of a woman that is following a man because she believes in what he says. No, her face is like mine when I was that young seventeen-year-old girl with her first crush. I know that look. I also know the glow radiating off her skin. I know it well.

“Mizani,” Markis calls my name, getting my attention. “What can you tell me?”

I turn back to the sad faces at my feet. Their hallow cheeks and tear-filled eyes stare back up at me.

Turning back to Markis, I say with confidence. “It’s not here.”

He growls, kicking the man lying on the floor across the room. I turn away when his lifeless body hits the wall. His death was swift. And uncalled for.

“You told me that the witch was telling the truth,” Markis snarls at me. His anger with me has grown lately. There was once a time he would never even raise his voice at me. We’ve been on this journey together for 26 years. Now, he’s always mad.

“And she did,” I say.

“Then why are you telling me the key isn’t here?”

“Because it isn’t. She told you the correct bloodline. You found the wrong people.”

He bears his fangs at me as he takes a step in my direction. I raise a brow at him, wondering what he will do next. The one thing he has never done was put his hands on me. Not that he would need to. Mental abuse is much worse. Markis is older than me by centuries. He’s a highly trained vampire, even with all my skills, I could never defeat him in a fight. His sifting ability alone would probably crumble me.

He stops in his tracks, turning away from me. His jaw tenses, but he doesn’t make another move toward me.

“Master,” Toraya purrs in Markis’ direction. The hairs on my arms rise at the way she speaks to him. “We all trust your word and your guidance. You are our leader. However, I don’t think everyone else should get that privilege.” She cuts her eyes over at me.

Davorin and Muza, who were standing beside her, took three steps away from her. The old Mizani would have pounced. She would’ve seen Toraya as a threat. However, the woman that I have grown into lately does not care. My heart has slowly fossilized in my chest. It no longer feels anything.

“By all means,” I say, bowing to Markis. “If my services are no longer needed, I can just leave.”

Without waiting for his response, I turn and storm out of the home. I don’t get but a few steps away from the front door before Markis is on me. He grabs my arm and spins me around to face him.