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“You won’t touch her.” I growled. “You won’t get within ten feet of her.”

“So much mouth and so little bravery.”

“I’m waiting for you, motherfucker!”

“Ha, then shoot me.” Lonzo sneered, taking a step forward. “Use your little science gun, you pussy. We’re both vampires now, Valentine. Let’s settle this like vampires.”

I weighed my options. The Cripo Glock would immobilize him, yes, but something in me balked at the easy victory. This was personal for me, for Chanel, for the memory of Morgan’s human life, and for Craig. Contemplating a physical battle wasstupid. Either way, if I missed my shot with the Cripo, he could rush me, and we would end up in fisticuffs.

Perhaps Lonzo sensed my hesitation, because a smirk spread across his face.

“That’s what I thought.” He cheered, “A fake ass vampire, hiding behind his toys.”

My decision formed in an instant. I turned slightly, pressing the Cripo Glock into Chanel’s hands. “Take this.” I told her, my eyes never leaving Lonzo.

All the Cripo Glocks were custom to fit their owner, so I knew Chanel couldn’t use it. But my vampire manhood was being challenged, and I had to take the risk. I had to show myself I deserved to be king.

Chanel took the weapon.

I took a step forward, shrugging off my jacket and letting it fall to the concrete floor. Lonzo mirrored my movement, a grotesque parody of gentlemanly preparation for a duel. I then removed my ski mask.

“Woo hoo! Look at that face! Chanel, you like this pretty White boy? I thought the Blacks and Mexicans was supposed to stick together.”

I ignored his random race taunting rant. Vampires were one unified race. I was here to kick his ass and kill him. Nothing more and absolutely nothing less. Snide remarks were useless. Nothing he said mattered in this moment. I had to finish what I started and kill this motherfucker. Once and for all.

I bent into a fighting stance. “Let’s see what Teresa taught you.” I said, rolling my shoulders. “Besides how to die.”

A scream echoed through the structure. There was another battle going on somewhere in the garage. He was lying. He had people here fighting my people.

“Ya’ hear my army, pretty boy? We on level 1, 2 and 3— fuckin’ shit up. With my new gift, I let Teresa think she was incharge. Women are so fuckin’ stupid. Then I secretly made an army of vampires that she didn’t know nothing about. Your ex-bitch was a bartender, and I was a cartel leader. Did she really think I was going to let her tell me what to do? See there. We all got secrets.”

“Shut the fuck up and let’s fight!” Harsh but effective. I was over the chitchat.

With a roar that resonated through the concrete structure, Lonzo took off running at me. He launched himself in the air and I did the same. Our bodies collided into each other with the speed of the fastest human on the planet. The force knocked us both clear across the lot and crashing down on the cement floor. We both jumped to our feet and ran at the fastest vampire speed. This time there would be no midair lunge. I sidestepped his assault with precision. Born from years of training in martial arts, thanks to Natasha.

I grabbed him by his waist before he could stumble past me and I swung him around. The swing sent him flying into the wall behind him. I was on him quickly and kicked him in his gut. When he landed on his knees, I drove my elbow into the back of his head with enough force to crack the skull of a human. Lonzo stumbled down to the concrete and rolled away before I could stump on his face.

The sound of something crashing reverberated above our heads. I didn’t have time to think about it. Lonzo eyed me closely as we both rocked on our heels in a circle like pro boxers. Our fists were raised, and we both were looking for the opportune time to strike a deadly blow. Our blows wouldn’t actually be deadly because we were vampires, but I hoped mine would be enough to disarm him, alarm him or better, knock him off his feet.

I let off two forceful jabs that he took to the face. He shook them off and hit me with two blows to the body. I heard my ribscrack, but they instantly healed. That didn’t diminish the initial pain, but I couldn’t feel it for more than a second or two.

Lonzo threw a punch that didn’t land, and I swung his extended arm behind his body. He whirled around and snarled. We began a deadly dance between enemies. His haphazard attack was ferocious but unrefined. He had powerful swings that would crush a human’s bones, but they were easy for me to anticipate and counter. He trained at a local gym, but I was trained by masters. There was a difference in our techniques. I landed a precise blow to his face, his kidneys, and his knees. I tested his resilience while gauging his recovery speed.

“Is that all you got?” He belted with blood streaming from his nose, only to stop flowing as his vampire healing began to work. “I expected more!”

I didn’t waste breath responding. Instead, I moved toward him again. This time with my full speed and strength. To Chanel, we must look like the monsters we are. Every movement and the sounds of our impact bounced off the walls and through the garage. The concrete cracks as our bodies slammed into pillars. Lonzo fought me with the desperate strength and a wealth of determination. I countered with the calculated accuracy that came from experience and my vampire age.

A flash of movement at the periphery of my vision signaled the arrival of reinforcements. Natasha appeared at the far end of the garage. Her Cripo was raised. She was unable to fire off a clean shot with us moving so quickly and sparring so closely. Harlen emerged from the stairwell with Morgan. Harlen, similarly armed with his Glock but frustrated by his inability to get a clean shot. Donté circled to the opposite side, positioning himself to cut off any potential escape route.

“Hold your fire!” I commanded between blows, knowing the risk of hitting me with the paralytic if they shoot. “He’s mine.”

I swore him a clean hand to hand fight, and I wanted to show this bastard what a real boss looked like. His little drug enterprise would pale in comparison to the empire I was on the verge of creating.

Lonzo used the momentary distraction to land a crushing blow to my sternum, sending me sliding across the concrete floor. He tried to follow his luck immediately. He rushed toward me with fangs bared, but I rolled to my feet before he could press his advantage. Blood trickled from a cut on my forehead, momentarily blurring my vision, but I wiped it away with a quick motion.

“You think you’re winning?” Lonzo snarled, circling me like an authentic predator. “Teresa told me all your weaknesses. How you overthink. How your love for humans makes you vulnerable.”

“Teresa is fuckin’ ash,” I reminded him coldly. “And you’re about to join her.”