Page 12 of Daring Her Vampires (Embracing The Bond #12)

All of the vampires and Heath surround Marcus.

Bane and Hunter aren’t far from Heath. Las and Logan block the door, and Lucas backs Breeane against the corner furthest away from the threat.

Kerian does the same with Ava. Kane and Cash stay seated but seem ready for the slightest move.

Quinn grips Steph’s arms, holding her behind him.

I’m surprised when Juliana steps to my side, and Serenity stops on my other side.

“Mate,” Bash growls, holding his hand out, but remains in front of me. Marie moves quickly, grabbing his hand.

Daisy is behind me, her attention fixed on Micah. The dragons are standing by Luca, watching, waiting. River comes to Bash’s other side, and I have to look between them.

“Fredrick is a complicated man,” Marcus says, surveying the stance of everyone in the room. “Give her to me and I’ll leave.”

“Fuck off,” Allie says, finding her voice, and her shaking stops.

“He misses you,” he says.

“She stays here,” Atlas states.

“He won’t stop coming for her,” Marcus says.

“He’ll die. Same as you.” Atlas speeds forward and wraps his hand around his throat.

“Killing me won’t stop him.” He flashes his fangs.

“Where is he?” Atlas demands.

“You know I can’t tell you that. But he hopes you enjoy the present.” He drops his head back when Atlas digs his nails in.

“What the fuck? The body?” Atlas asks. Marcus shrugs. “Why should I keep you alive?”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Why didn’t you leave after you dropped the body?”

“Fuck you,” he hisses, and cringes when Atlas punches his throat, but doesn’t reply.

“He wants to die.” I tilt my head and move forward.

“Sally,” Bash hisses, holding his arm in front of me.

“Why else would you come in here?” I ask, stepping between Bash and River.

“Dammit, mate,” Luca says, but I don’t stop.

“He knew. He could feel the power.” I stop behind Atlas, and Micah blurs to my side. Visions hit me fast and furious, and I reach out, bracing against Atlas’s back.

“Sally,” Atlas says.

“He’s done horrible things,” I whisper, seeing the destruction. “He hates himself and what Fredrick has forced him to do. The body was the last job he will do for Fredrick.”

“Jesus, Sally,” Micah says, grabbing my elbow when I sway.

“He wanted to come.” My gift doesn’t warn me before it comes, but it’s hardly ever this intense or sudden.

“He heard about us. He knew he wouldn’t leave the room alive.

That’s what he wants. He liked Allie and didn’t like what Fredrick did, but he didn’t stop it.

” The room spins around me, and all I see are the images of his life and the pain he has caused.

“Kill him.” I exhale harshly. “Kill him,” I whisper.

“He needs to die. He’ll continue to cause pain and death to innocents.

” I feel arms around me and recognize Luca’s scent.

“Atlas, end him. He will kill again. And again. And again.” Fuck, my eyes are heavy.

I feel the emotions of his victims. “He loved it. He didn’t feel anything when he killed them.

The regret came later.” My legs give out, and Luca catches me, holding me against his chest. “He won’t stop. He won’t.”

My eyes roll back.

“Fuck.” I sit up, holding my head. Prying open one eye, my bedroom is too bright, and I shut it. The last thing I remember is Luca picking me up. Atlas was holding Marcus against the wall, and I wonder if he killed him like I asked.

My gift is a pain in the ass.

Reluctantly, I open my eyes and brush my hair out of my face.

I squint at the clock on my bedside table.

Eleven in the morning. I feel like I was drinking all night.

I’ve had visions for a long time, but this was the worst. Usually, I don’t see or feel so much death.

I could feel his reaction. He felt joy when he was killing.

“Sally?” Atlas is outside the door.

“Yeah.” I smack my lips. My mouth feels yucky. I look down. I’m still in my dress, and one of my boobs is hanging free.

“Can I come in?” he asks.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” I screech, jumping off the mattress. Rushing to the closet, I grab jeans and a tank top and fly into the bathroom. I forget about my headache as I look in the mirror.

Yikes.

Smokey eyes are glamorous. After sleeping all night and part of the day and having the biggest vision ever, it looks like I got in a fight. My eyes are black, and it’s smudged down my cheeks. I strip while trying to wipe my face.

I’m curious about the circumstances that caused Allie to cower in fear.

My mates will have to explain, especially if Fredrick comes after her.

We can handle anything, but we need to know what we're dealing with.

It would be great if I could choose the premonitions I see.

We could capture Fredrick, kill him, and get back to driving my mates nuts with lust.

After brushing my hair, I quickly dress and clean my teeth. Then, I study myself. It's not my best, but I don’t want them to wait, and I need to know what happened.

Grabbing my phone from my purse, I open my door and step into the living room. Atlas is sitting at the bar in the kitchen, and I freeze. My mate looks delicious in his leather, but today, he’s wearing dark jeans and a tight black T-shirt, and I can’t decide what I like better.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, his lips lifting.

“Like I just got home from a wild party.” I continue into the room and lean against the corner of the counter. “Where’s Luca?” I don’t sense him in the apartment.

“He left to get blood.”

“How did I get home? What happened?”

He frowns. “You passed out. We left, carried you to the car, and put you to bed. You didn’t wake.”

“Sounds right,” I mumble.

“We had to insist that your family not camp around the living room. Micah wanted to hit me. I don’t believe Luca and Bash will be on good terms for a while.” He tilts his head. “Are your visions always like that?”

“No.” I get some water and reclaim my spot. “What happened to Marcus?” I open the bottle and drink deeply.

“We did as you instructed,” he says.

“Good. He wasn’t right.” I shouldn’t be thankful that someone died, but he deserved it.

“Little Bunny.” He grabs my hand. “Tell me about your visions. You were out. If I couldn’t hear your heartbeat, I would have been more alarmed.”

“It’s hard to explain,” I mumble. The door opens, and Luca steps through. My heart drops when I see what’s in his hand. Shit. I forgot.

“Who’s sending you flowers?” he demands, holding a single yellow carnation.

“Nobody important,” I say, and cringe. I am not ready to explain, but I know I have to. He shuts the door with his foot and carries a bag and the flower to the counter.

“Tricks,” Luca growls, and I sigh.

“It’s a long story,” I hesitate, biting my lip. Atlas stares at me, and I shift.

“We will share,” he says.

“What?” I ask.

“We go back and forth. We share, and then you share.” He leans back, crossing his arms.

“I can do that.” If they are willing to share their secrets, I’ll have to find the words to do the same.

“You asked about the cuffs. Why I wear them?” he asks roughly.

“Yes.” Luca stares at his brother, and they have a moment of silence, communicating without words. Atlas nods, and Luca sits on the couch, his hands cupped in front of his mouth.

“It’s also a long story,” Atlas says and motions to the living room with his hand.

He sits beside Luca, and I drop into the recliner, curling up on the seat.

“I wear the cuffs to hide the scars.” He unbuckles the leather around his wrists.

“I wear them to hide what Allie did.” He tosses them on the coffee table and holds out his arms.

I swallow my gasp at the deep gouges in his skin.

“What did Allie do?” I ask.

“Allie was the vampire who turned us.”

My gaze skips up to his face, unable to hide my shock.