Page 39

CHAPTER 38

R ushing towards the front door, I nudge it open and peek out. Addeus and Jarek wave smoke from their faces as they crouch behind an old metal barrel. The front fence is down, clearly blown inwards, with smoke billowing around it. I don’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean anything. They could have blown the front doors, but they didn’t.

“Back inside,” I call, and they hurry past me. I close the door and dash back into the room, my eyes narrowed on Eric.

I’m furious at myself for falling for his tricks. I played right into their hands.

“Is that them?” Fang asks, looking out the window before she lets the blinds fall back into place.

“Yes,” I answer without looking away. “If they are making noise like that, then it’s a distraction to draw our attention away. Tem, Addeus, check for other exits and entrances. Zeev, Jarek, split up and go with them. Spell any you find. They will try to sneak up on us, surround us, then stab us in the back.”

They rush away, but I keep my focus on Eric.

Pulling out a blade, I stalk his way and crouch before him. He smiles as he leans back, totally unbothered. The crying, unsure, anxious boy who followed me around is gone. Turning him into a ghoul seems to have completely changed him. This is a soulless killer.

“Tell me everything you know,” I demand.

“Why would I do that, Tate? You’re smarter than this. You know you can’t win, so why try?” he counters.

“You also thought I was going to die, so it seems you’re always wrong.” I grin. “I will win, and I will kill you all. The only choice you have is how much you’ll suffer before that occurs.”

“You won’t hurt me, Tate. You’re a good person,” he sneers. “Protecting the little guy, doing no wrong?—”

“You might have lost your soul, but so did I.” I drive the blade into his thigh, and he roars in agony. “You might not be able to die, but I’m betting I can make it hurt. In fact, I can make it hurt over and over without you dying. Isn’t that nice? Tell me everything you know.”

Pulling the dagger free, I watch him jerk and hiss before I drive the dagger into his other leg, then I twist it as he shouts. Something full of joy unfurls in me at his pain, and I yank the blade out and slide it down, cutting his thigh open like they did to me. When both are carved open and he’s howling, I drop my knife back to my side and glance to my right to see my open bag. I can feel their gazes on me, but I don’t care.

“Hand me that taser.” I hold out my hand towards my bag, and then I worry what they will think of me for a moment.

I might not be a monster like they are, but I sure as shit am acting like one.

Fang doesn’t hesitate and gladly hands it over with a grin. “I’m in the category of kill all men. They are guilty until proven innocent, so go ahead and have your fun.”

Turning back to Eric, I press the taser into the meat of his thigh and arch a brow. “Do you remember how you vomited when they did this to me? Let’s see if you’re as strong as I was then.” I turn it on and watch as the current courses through his body. His bellows ring out as he jerks in the chains, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air. I let the current flow for a while before flicking it off and pulling back. He slumps into the wall, breathing heavily as he watches me, the black veins crawling farther across his face.

“You can’t win,” he wheezes. “You’re weak?—”

“No, you are. You always were, and so is Black. You’re all weak, scared, little men afraid of dying, so you turned yourselves into the very thing you hated, and yet you’re still scared, otherwise you wouldn’t be hunting me. Don’t you see, Eric? Your precious major is terrified of me, even now when he’s a monster because he knows I’m stronger than him and I’ll win. Even when he was human, he was scared of me. I’ll show you why soon enough.”

“You’re wrong. They’ll be here soon, and you’ll be dead,” he hisses.

“Fine, don’t tell me anything because you just told me everything I need to know.” I stand as he blinks. “They aren’t all here yet. They are buying time, trying to trap us, which gives us the time we need to prepare a defence.”

I head over to Fang to check on her. Compared to the others, she is not used to this kind of thing, but she seems to be thriving, going through my weapons and picking some out. I crouch at her side and take the knife she chose then hand her another. It’s more ornate than the others, and it was my father’s. “It will be better for your smaller hand,” I explain. “You’re little and quick, but they are trained, so stay out of their reach as much as you can and throw it if you need to.”

She nods, covering my hand on the knife. “I’ll be fine, babe. Stop worrying, okay?”

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. You’re still grieving your brother?—”

“He’s gone, Tate. Nothing can change that. I’m very lucky I got to say goodbye thanks to you. I’ll meet him again someday, but that’s not today, so until then, I plan to live my life to the fullest and tell him all about it.” She smiles softly. “I’m not sad. Okay, I’m a little sad, but I got to spend so much of my life with him. I won’t regret that or dishonour his sacrifice for me. He came to you, Tate, for a reason, and now so am I. I’m not going anywhere. We will kick these small-dicked hunters’ asses, and then I’ll follow you everywhere.”

I can’t help but smile despite the situation. “Fine. Remind me to teach you some fighting moves when we have time.”

“Having you touch me all over and pin me down?” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Looking forward to it.”

Shaking my head, I kiss her gently. “Stay behind me today. Don’t fucking die.”

“You’ve got it.” She returns to the weapons as I stand, just as the others return.

Jarek grins as I look to him. “We spelled all but one vent entrance. I figured we can let them think they won. I might have even set a few traps.”

“That’s smart,” I say.

“Don’t sound so surprised.” He grins. “Let me show you.”

I nod and glance at the others. “I want someone watching Eric at all times, two on the door, and two on the back entrance. They won’t move without us knowing.”

“So we just wait?” Jarek asks as he falls into step beside me.

“For now. There’s no point in trying to fight our way out. Besides, I want them all here. They think they are trapping us, but it will be the other way around.” I smirk.

“Good plan.” He points at the vent and the corridor before it. “You can’t see much, but they will have to walk through here. We’ll know about it, and so will they.”

“Great, anything else?” I ask as I turn to Jarek.

“One more thing. This way.” He turns and strides down another corridor, pointing at a double door to the right.

“In here.” He swings a metal door open, and I step in, scanning the room, but I see nothing.

“What is it?” I turn just as he barrels into me. My hands automatically go up to his throat as I hit the desk hard behind me. His face is above mine, yet I don’t feel any fear. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“We might die tonight.” He shrugs, his sneer turning cocky and confident. “I figured if I’m about to die, then I might as well do the one thing I’ve wanted to.”

“What’s that?” I hedge, feeling something pulse deep within me as I stare into his eyes.

“Fuck you, hunter. Isn’t that obvious?” His lips crash onto mine.

It takes me by surprise, but I melt into the kiss, desire coursing through me as he lifts me up onto the desk. Magic flows across my skin, and my clothes disappear. I jerk away, my eyes wide. “The attack?—”

He grins. “You’re talented enough to listen for them while I fuck you.”

“Jarek,” I warn.

“We’ll be quick.” He smirks. “Don’t you want that?” His magic strokes over my pussy with fluttering touches, driving my desire higher, but he’s not wrong. Violence and sex have always gone hand in hand for me, and all my anger and frustration only ramps me up more. Grabbing his head, I yank him down and silence him with a kiss.

Our teeth clash together, our tongues tangling as I slide my hands down his body, feeling the power flowing through it as his magic continues to tease me, slipping inside me like a cock as it presses to my clit until I cry into his mouth.

His magic flows across my breasts, twisting my nipples. He notches his cock at my entrance, and with a dark look at me, he thrusts inside me, filling me with his powerful length. One of his hands presses against my back to keep me in the half-bent position, so that every thrust hits that spot that has me biting down on cries of pleasure. All the while, his magic strokes my skin like a million hands, building my desire and pleasure higher. Both of us work hard and fast, knowing we don’t have a lot of time. The impending attack only seems to make us wilder for it, until our lips crush together again as his magic slides inside my other hole. My eyes widen in shock, but he doesn’t let me pull away.

He rocks into my cunt, claiming it with his cock as his magic moves deeper into my ass, stretching it until I feel like I’m being fucked by two people. It shouldn’t feel good, but it does, and I just hand myself over to it. I lift my hips to meet his as his magic twists my nipples and rocks across my clit.

His hand covers my mouth, silencing my cries of pleasure as his magic works deep inside me, stroking every nerve ending in a way I’ve never felt as his cock pummels my pussy.

I can’t even feel where I end and he begins, and despite the fact that I should pay attention just in case, all I feel is bone-deep, numbing pleasure. The desk rocks from the force of us fucking, and his magic pulses inside me until neither of us can take it anymore.

We shatter apart with muffled cries, my release triggering his. I feel his cum flowing deep inside my pussy as his magic continues to lash my clit and nipples. My whine grows as the release barrels on. Ecstasy rolls through me so strong, I fall back and tremble with it until finally, his magic pulls back and releases me.

Panting, I try to remember how to breathe, and when I open my eyes, I see him grinning at me. “Now I can die a happy man,” he murmurs.

Rolling my eyes with a laugh, I look down at myself. “You better conjure my clothes or no amount of magic will save you.”

“I will in a moment. I just want to look at you first,” he says, his hungry eyes sweeping down my body like he’s already thinking about the next time, and honestly, so am I.

I lie back, stretching out, and let him look his fill. He’s right, we could die tonight, so why not enjoy it while we can?

I don’t know if everyone knows what we did, but I refuse to be ashamed as I walk back into the main room.

I check the front door and the window. Waiting is the worst.

“What are they waiting for?” Tem asks.

“To get into position. They want us to feel relaxed and safe so they can catch us off guard. It’s an age-old tactic, lulling us into a false sense of security. When we slip up, that’s when they will attack.” I shrug. “It’s what I would do.”

“You’re kind of . . .” Tem trails off, and I tense. “Incredible.”

I smirk at that and wink. “Hunters’ knowledge, sweetie.”

“More like your father’s knowledge,” Eric calls. “Where is your daddy now, Tate? Oh, that’s right. He’s dead because of you, just like your whore of a mother?—”

There’s a yelp, and I turn around to see Zeev holding Eric’s tongue in his hand. My eyebrows rise, and he shrugs. “Only I get to speak badly of you.”

“Oh, that’s fucked up. You don’t bring someone’s parents into it unless it’s a funny dead dad joke,” Fang mutters.

“Don’t worry. He’s going to be as dead as my dad soon,” I deadpan.

Everyone in the room gapes apart from Fang, who bursts into laughter. “Oh, what about knock-knock jokes? Who’s there? Not your dad.”

I bite my lip, trying to stop my smile. Most people would look at me with pity, but not her. She makes me laugh. “Someone asked me once how much taller I am than my mom. I said six feet or so.”

“Oh, I have one! Your dad, he’s dead,” Tem says excitedly before frowning. “Wait, did I do that right?”

“Close enough, buddy.” I nod, and Fang gives him a thumbs up just as Addeus’s eyes flare, turning bright before he glances at me

“They are coming,” he tells me.

“Do we run?” Tem asks in confusion.

Unsheathing my sword, I grin at him. “No, we fight.” I rock my head from side to side, loosening my muscles. “I was part of their team, remember? Let’s remind them of that. Tonight, the hunters become the hunted.”

Just then, there’s a loud scream from the corridor, and I cannot help but smirk.