Page 238 of Bitten & Burned

Cassian shot him a level-headed glare, but didn’t rise to the challenge.

Silas took a short walk around the balcony before turning and singling out Quil.“And you, Ashborne… back so soon? Here to tear me to pieces, hmm? ”

“Here to do whatever Rowena asks.”

“Well, that makes two of us, now, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t pretend you want anything consensual with her,” Vael seethed.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Vexley, I haven’t forgotten about you. A contemporary, so they say… tell me, how is it, sharing her with the other four in your coven? Perhaps we could work something out… You deliver her to me, and I still let you use her for whatever it was you used her for.”

“Interesting; you default to sexual insinuations.”

“Is it? That’s all you bloodsuckers care about. Sex and blood.”

“Those are both quite lovely, separate or together, that’s true. But…I’ve never once had to capture a woman to make her mine. They usuallycomeon their own. I suppose you wouldn’tknowabout that, would you?”

If there was one big flaw that Silas had, it was that he could never back down from a verbal challenge, and Vael backed him into one very quickly. Quil began to move.

“Deliver her to me, and I’ll let you keep your pride, Vexley.”

“My pride, yes… Yours was stripped away, wasn’t it? I suppose in your mind, loss of pride is the worst thing imaginable. Let go from the Arcanum. Your wards were erased from Blackthorn. Everyone is looking at you in disgust because they know what you are, now. Quite a bit to happen to one man all at once, isn’t it?”

I didn’t look as Quil snuck around the perimeter of the room, climbing up a ladder with the stealth of a snake slithering through the trees.

“Once Rowena’s mine, she’ll explain everything, and I’ll be reinstated.”

“Is that so? That’s awfully nice of her, considering what you’ve done.”

Quil moved quickly and silently as he moved in behind Silas.

“Yes, it is, she’s a clever girl. Too clever for you. She’ll tire of your petty tricks and come back to me.”

“And yet here she stands, the cleverest woman I know, and not yours,” Vael smirked.

Silas opened his mouth, but at that moment, Quil wrapped his arm around his neck and squeezed.

Silas rasped and clawed at Quil’s arm, which only made him hold tighter. “Not so verbose now, are you? You fucking bastard…”

A croaking sound came out of Silas’ mouth.

“By Camarae, I just want him to shut the fuck up,” Quil muttered, gingerly laying the man down on the floor of the balcony.

It wouldn’t be for long, and the others hurried as they went up the ladder as well, wrapping Silas in the rope they brought.

Quil knotted everything tightly, and they began to carry him down. Once on the ground, he awoke again. His ever-open mouth, still making noise.

“No, go ahead, drag me out onto the lawn,” Silas said, voice slurring and grinning madly as Dmitri tossed him over his shoulder and made for the door to the corridor.

I rolled my eyes hard. He didn’t shut up as he made it down the stairs.

“If you truly think that my followers would allow me to be carted off like this, you’re woefully more stupid than I originally thought,Dearheart.”

“Does that mean you’ll stop this madness and stop trying to control me?” I asked bluntly.

“I’m not trying to control you; everything I’m doing is for your own good!” Silas argued.

We moved quickly, the five of us surrounding Dmitri, so no surprise attacks could happen from the flanks. Then we quickly went out the front door. I was a bit on edge, especially when Silas started laughing and I saw the remaining Ashbornes circling us.