Page 59 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

Kip stood up a little straighter, squaring his shoulders as some of the burden of the order lifted. He nodded at Luca, who nodded back.

Of course, Luca was banking on the fact that they would win. But for the time being, it had worked. Kip was free from the order’s hold over him enough to subdue it.

Luca turned from Kip who limped away from the fight but did not leave. Instead, he plopped himself down on the sidelines, so he could watch how it all turned out. Luca rolled his eyes.

Luca kicked a charging wolf, unwilling to be taken by surprise again. The impact was enough to throw him backward. He flew into Nick, who had been holding his hands over his eyes and crushing a light under his boot. The two of them laughed lightly and helped each other up.

Nick turned to finish off a bleeding Ben, but Luca put a restraining hand on his shoulder. Ben had looked out for him when he’d first joined the pack. Luca looked down at him and saw that he seemed to be silently begging for his life.

“Leave that one alive,” he told Nick.

“Pick and choose much,” Nick said but smiled, shrugged, and turned away from the wolf lying helplessly at his feet. Ben tipped his head at Luca and flopped onto the sand with a sigh.

Luca’s heartbeat lurched when he heard the scream that haunted his nightmares.

Jules in pain. While he’d been distracted, it seemed that the tables had turned.

Carson had a fist full of red hair while the other hand pressed an illuminated lightbulb to one of Jules’s cheeks, blood and blisters were beginning to form around it.

Jules was on fire. At least, it felt like she was burning from the inside out, starting with her scolding cheek.

Since her blades hit sand, she’d refused to fight.

Glancing up at the shooter every time the desperation to lash out overtook her.

Her eyes fluttered as her consciousness waned.

“Jules!” Hayley shouted from across the sand.

A blood tear dripped from her eye as she watched Hayley try to shake her brother and father off to run to her aid.

“Who knew a demon could love?” Carson asked. “And, that it would be her undoing.”

“You’re the foulest of beasts,” Jules spat back. Another glance toward the roof. Her breaths came a little faster as Gabriel engaged the shooter. Locking into hand-to-hand combat.

“You are nothing,” Carson said. His tone calm, too calm.

He handed the light back to the wolf hovering nearby.

Every muscle tensed as he pulled his arm back and then swung forward, swiping wolf nails across her face, leaving deep slashes.

Blood splattered as her body spun. She would have fallen if he hadn’t grabbed a hold of her wrist. Twisting her arm, he snapped bone. Jules couldn’t hold back the cry.

Her eyes blanked, retreating to a place she’d long since left behind. Pain was nothing. She knew pain intimately. He continued to beat and tear at her. She felt nothing.

Turning her face to the side she checked the roof again. Gabriel pulled his fangs free of the wolf’s throat. The wolf was dead before the body hit the sand. “Jules!” Gabriel yelled, blood dripping down his chin. “Fight back!”

A new momentum washed over her and she retaliated with her good arm.

Aiming for his right eye, her fingers dug into his soft flesh.

He snarled trying to shake her off, but she doubled her efforts until she freed the eye from its socket with a wet pop.

Kicking out at him she rolled. Standing, she tossed the blood drenched little body part at him, hitting him in the face with his own dislodged eyeball. “Who’s nothing now?”

The rage in him built with every ragged breath. Jules turned, content to leave him stewing in his own misery when she felt a searing pain shoot through her back. The light laying flush against it. Stunned, momentarily, her body refused to listen to her mind’s command to run.

“Give me that,” Carson commanded. “No one touches her.”

Carson’s hand fisted in her hair. The light now pressed directly against her forehead.

Luca spun toward her when another crying hiss erupted from Jules’s throat.

Carson had placed an ultraviolet B light directly in the middle of her forehead.

Kyle broke away from his tussle, yanking the light from Carson’s hand as Gabriel, appearing practically out of nowhere, barreled into the Alpha, knocking him to the sand.

Kyle crushed the light under his bare foot.

Before Gabriel could go in for the kill, a wolf jammed a large, wooden, stake through his back.

Gabriel fell, sputtering.

Eileen screamed.

“Well, that’s not very original,” Luca heard Nick say from behind him as he ran with Eileen to help their fallen comrade. From the side of his vision, Luca saw Nick yank the stake free. Gabriel would live.

Jules, however, might not. Luca was almost to her when he was hit from behind. Two wolves landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Helplessly, he watched as werewolves of all sizes and ages gathered around the spectacle of Carson and Jules, cutting off her escape.

Hayley was kneeling on the sand, her shoulder bleeding while her brother shielded her from more attacks. Kyle had been seized by some pack members. Nick had a long gash on his face, hands up in surrender as Eileen had a death light pointed to her chest. Gabriel lay at their feet barely moving.

To Luca’s great relief, Kyle broke free. He was almost on Carson when the Alpha spun and spoke to him.

With a lurch and a cry of pain, Kyle dropped to his knees on the sand.

Hayley screamed, attempting to run to him, but was grabbed around the middle by her brother.

She thrashed against him as Kyle bent to Carson’s will.

Twitching and shouting as he tried to resist the order not to interfere.

Luca’s heart sank as wolves moved in to restrain Kyle and Carson’s full attention was again on Jules.

Jules’s escape route was completely blocked.

Her spin back was slow and unsteady. She had been severely weakened by the light’s effects.

There was no choice but to face Carson alone and not at full strength.

A wolf near the inside of the gathering circle lashed out.

With sharp claws on a human hand, she dragged her nails across Jules’s back.

Out of surprise and pain, Jules lurched forward, losing her footing.

“Touch her again and you die. She’s mine!

” Carson growled. As Jules returned to standing.

Rain beat down on her, red hair dripping.

Eyes blazing with fury. Carson moved the same moment Jules did.

In horror Luca watched as a silver blade sunk deep into her stomach.

Jules gasped. Carson lunged, grabbing Jules by the hair and forcing her face up to look at him.

He was taunting her, but her eyes searched the crowd for something, someone.

Their eyes locked. “I…” she began to speak but twitched as the blade was twisted inside her abdomen.

Then stumbled back as it was pulled from her flesh.

Seconds later, Luca saw Carson’s arm swing forward and he stabbed her again.

With a great heave, Luca freed himself from his captors. Slipping on the sand he ran toward them. Someone bit down on his leg while another couple converged on him.

“Jules!” Luca yelled.

A glimmer of hope hit Luca as he saw Nick break the light threatening Eileen and lunge towards Jules.

If he couldn’t save her, maybe her twin could.

Nick only made it about a half dozen feet before wolves converged on him.

It took six wolves to take him down to the sand.

Luca’s hope evaporated when Nick was successfully restrained.

He watched in horror as Carson grabbed the disoriented Jules by the neck and threw her on the sand below. Luca lashed out at the attacking wolves as he tried once again to reach her. He had to save her. His future was nothing without her.

Carson looked over at him and sneered as he brought his blood spattered boot down on the side of Jules’s head.

Jules clutched her bloody abdomen and took the impact of Carson’s boot on the side of the head. Her skull cracked under the pressure. Involuntary shivers wracked her body, but she wasn’t cold. “Die, little demon.”

This couldn’t be her end. Not now. She’d just found Luca. She’d just found Nick. Hayley, Kyle, Monica, Eileen, Gabriel. Now was not the time to die.

Jules’s eyes shot open. In a surprisingly swift move, she rolled.

Taking Carson’s legs out with her she knocked him to the ground while propelling herself to her feet.

Fangs extended, blood dripping from everywhere.

Rain washing her clean. She glared down at the large bloodied man.

Smiling at the gashes and scratches she’d left on him.

His missing ear and eyeball. Carson’s remaining eye flared with hatred, but her fury was just as strong.

It was her or him this time. This was the fight she couldn’t afford to lose.

He got back on his feet but didn’t move toward her.

“What’s the matter, big bad wolf isn’t bad enough to beat one tiny demon? ”

From the corner of her eye, Jules saw a wolf from the circle begin to move toward her.

“I said leave her!” Carson shouted at the boy. “She’s mine!”

“I belong to no one.” She began to circle him like a predator stalking its prey.

“You’ll die by my hand regardless,” he growled, charging her.

She managed to flip his large body over her back then spun. As he attempted to get to his feet, she kicked out. Her foot connected with his face with a satisfying crunch. Carson collapsed back onto the sand.

“Not yet.” Jules leaned down to finish him off when he pulled the silver knife out from behind his back and sunk it deep into her chest. The blade slipped between her ribs.

If she had needed a beating heart to live, this blow would have killed her instantly.

Her vision blurred as she fell to her knees.

Carson stood and punched her hard in the face.

She flew back, her head hitting the sand hard.

Before she could move, Carson was again straddling her.

His knees pinning her arms. He pulled the knife from her bloody chest and dropped it on the sand beside them.

Leaning over her, he sneered down with a maniacal smile.

“You’re a feisty one.” He leered over her as she sputtered, coughing blood onto his face.

“Fucked my Beta stupid, didn’t you?” Jules followed his gaze through the crowd to Luca, thrashing against those holding him.

Looking murderous and desperate at the same time.

His name floated from her lips as Carson leaned back and brought his fist down onto her face with every ounce of momentum he had left.

Somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, she realized that he was right, she was going to die.

“That’s right, little menace. Your time is up.”

“Jules!” She heard Luca’s desperate call but couldn’t respond. Her long existence was coming to an end, and no one could stop it.