Page 25

My father’s nostrils flared. My mother paled noticeably, her fingers fumbling to clench tightly around Therio’s arm. In the brittle hush, even the ancient graffitied walls of the abandoned power plant held their breath.

I could practically taste the fury wafting in the tepid air.

“You would disgrace your own family–” my father began, voice vibrating with rage.

“I’d rather disgrace the lot of you than watch you ruin more lives for your own selfish gain,” I snapped back.

For a heartbeat, my parents exchanged frantic, scandalized looks, realization dawning that they had nowhere to turn. No leverage left. Therio’s lips parted in protest, but his eyes darted to the shadows, sensing the sudden presence of my allies, lurking just out of sight.

“ Enough of this ,” Gregor hissed abruptly, streaking forward with unnerving speed. His hand clamped onto my wrist in a vice-like grip and I gasped, pain lancing up my arm.

The stormy animosity radiating off him made my stomach knot and I veered backward as he leered in my face. “You may have bested your pathetic little family, child, but you have no power over me. You belong to me. Your Leyore dogs can’t protect you from that.”

Leah let out a strangled cry, half-diving forward to pull me free. My heart hammered in my chest. Gregor was older, stronger, temperamental and unwilling to let me go—just as I feared. But I was ready for this.

I lifted my fingers to my mouth and whistled—a sharp, piercing note that cut through the stale air like a blade.

Everything happened at once. From the far corners of the building, Hunter and Jordan burst into view.

In a blur, Hunter tackled Gregor from behind, forcing him to release my wrist. I was wrenched off my feet, then twisted away, dropping to my knees as Jordan swept in.

She vaulted clean over me, striking with violent lethality to knock the roaring vamp off-balance.

The abandoned building echoed with the crash of debris as they clashed, ancient strength meeting righteous fury.

Clutching my throbbing wrist, I rose, adrenaline coursing hot in my veins.

My family stood back, eyes wide. They had no intention of diving into this fight, not now that they were outmaneuvered.

Meanwhile, Leah scrambled to the side in a cloud of coal dust, searching for cover behind a rusted metal pillar as pandemonium unfolded around us.

Gregor roared, swiping out at the two vampires dancing circles around him, and I rushed forward into the fray.

I ducked under one of the furious man’s wild swings and lashed out with a kick to his stomach.

Jordan took advantage of the opening, landing a hammer-fisted blow that sent Gregor reeling back, and Hunter’s follow-up strike caught him across the jaw.

He staggered, hissing in rage, and my heart flipped somersaults in my chest.

For a brief, exhilarating moment, it looked like we had him.

But Gregor was older, cunning, and far from beaten.

Snarling, he twisted away from our coordinated onslaught.

The next instant, he shifted his heel, crouched, and sprang forward, his movement becoming a blur.

He was a zigzag of motion, a grey streak past Jordan’s fist and Hunter’s gnashing teeth. And then he was right in front of me.

Before I could react, he seized my shoulder, whirling me around with a force that had my jaw snapping shut. The breath tore from my lungs as he lifted me high over his head, feet kicking wildly in the air, and flung me straight through one of the broken windows.

Glass splintered around me in a violent spray, the frame’s rusted metal shrieking as I barreled through, tumbling down from the second floor. Time seemed to slow and I saw the world tilt, heard Leah’s cry of horror—then my back slammed onto cracked wet pavement, stars exploding behind my eyes.

Numb shock swallowed my senses for half a second, but I forced myself to roll upright, ignoring the blinding ache coursing down my spine. Gregor came crashing out right behind me, boots crunching shards of glass underfoot. His lips pulled back in a savage sneer.

A beat later, Hunter leaped through the blown-out window with Jordan following close behind.

They advanced on Gregor once again, and I pushed myself upright, staggering from the pain but refusing to stay down.

I fumbled fingers around the back of my head and grimaced when they came back wet and sticky, slicked with blood.

The four of us circled each other on the deserted concrete lot, faint city noise drifting from several blocks away. The stench of dust and rust hung in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood that tickled the back of my throat.

Jordan swung a fist and Gregor hissed, swinging a heavy backhand that knocked her arm aside. He seized the opening to lunge at Hunter, and the two met in a brutal clash of blows. My heart froze when Gregor caught her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with effortless strength.

“You worthless bitch,” he snarled, tossing her aside like a discarded rag.

Hunter landed in a heap, gasping for air. I launched myself at Gregor’s back to break his focus, but he spun faster than I anticipated, dodging my punch and slamming his elbow into my side. Stars danced across my vision, and I staggered backward on shaky legs.

From the corner of my eye I saw Jordan rush in again—only for Gregor to duck under her strike and twist behind Hunter, who was still struggling to rise. In one swift motion, he locked an arm around her neck. The breath caught in my throat as he jerked her into a headlock.

Hunter let out a strangled noise of rage, but her arms flailed, pinned at awkward angles at her sides.

“Hunter!” I shouted, panic surging. Gregor’s stance radiated lethal intent and Jordan shot forward with a snarl—but he dodged out of the way, a sickening smile slashed across his face.

I stumbled forward in a final, desperate lunge. He’s going to kill her. He’s going to fucking kill her.

With a vicious crack , Gregor bashed Hunter’s head against a broken piece of concrete, knocking her out cold. Blood trickled from her hairline as she slumped over in his arms. My stomach plummeted—fear and fury clawing at my insides.

Gregor bared his fangs, hunching over Hunter’s prone form, his eyes gleaming with a sadistic triumph. He opened his mouth, pointed teeth poised to tear into her throat.

Then a sudden cacophony blared—tires squealing, the deafening sound of an engine revving at full speed.

Gregor jerked upright, mouth agape in preparation for that final, fatal bite.

But before he could move, a sleek, battered sedan careened into the lot, headlights blazing, horn blaring a war cry across the waterfront.

Addison. She leaned on the horn again—loud, furious, unstoppable.

Gregor dropped Hunter and tried to leap away, but the front bumper caught him dead-on, sending him hurtling across the pavement in a sprawling arc. The crunch of impact tore through the air, muted by the dull sheen of rain that tapped down on the concrete around us.

The car screeched to a halt, Addison half-hanging out the window with white knuckles on the steering wheel. Her face was ashen but set with fiery resolve and she hollered an obscene string of insults at the ancient, dazed vamp. “Stay the fuck away from my fiancée, you decrepit cuck!”

Gregor groaned, half-crumpled on the pavement, focusing a furious glare on the unwelcome newcomer. Hunter lay unconscious a few feet away, and Jordan scrambled toward her, checking her pulse. Addison cut the engine with trembling hands.

But in the space of a heartbeat, Gregor was on his feet. A snarl curled his lips, and he moved, centuries of rage fueling his battered body. Blood trickled down his temple, yet his eyes burned, bloodshot and icy and brimming with venom.

That violent glare swept over the scene, landing on me. Then, before I could so much as blink, his gaze darted to Addison, who was hauling herself out of the driver’s seat. Fear spiked through me and my feet moved on their own accord. “ Don’t ? — ”

He lunged, faster than any of us could react. Addison yelped as he yanked her out of the car by the arm, pressing her against the sedan’s battered hood. The car’s metal groaned beneath the force.

“No!” I cried, horror cracking like lightning down my spine. I started forward, but Gregor tightened his grip on Addison, nails digging into her cheek.

Her eyes bulged, terror bright on her face. She gasped, clawing at his hand in vain. “You– bastard,” she spat, but her voice was choked off.

Gregor turned his head, cold satisfaction gleaming in those ancient eyes. Blood smeared across his mouth as he curled his lip.

“You’ve proven quite the nuisance,” he hissed, spitting a trickle of blood from his lips. “All of you. But you, Maxine –” His attention locked on me, sending a chill rattling down my spine. “You will learn obedience or you will watch your friend die.”

Fear gripped me in a suffocating vise, but I forced myself to speak. “Let her go, Gregor.”

“I’ll let her go,” he purred, voice thick with mock benevolence, “once you fulfill your duty as my bride. You’ve already disgraced your family, but you’re still bound to me.” He tilted Addison’s head back, exposing her neck. “Or I could simply tear out this mortal’s throat.”

Addison made a strangled noise, her eyes darting in panic. Hunter stirred in Jordan’s arms, blinking watery eyes that quickly widened when she took in the scene.

Gregor smiled, a merciless twist of his lips.

“I’ll give you an hour,” he crooned, scraping a fang against Addison’s cheek.

Blood welled where the point met skin, and I bit back a scream.

“One hour to say your goodbyes. Then you’re going to meet me at Westchester County Airport.

You’ll board my jet and we’ll leave for my domain, and you’ll marry me as planned. Or…”

He shifted his hand and pressed his fingers tight around Addison’s throat, making her wheeze, “I’ll send her back in pieces.”

“Maxine, don’t–” Addison croaked, trying to twist free. But Gregor only tightened his hold.

I felt my breathing lock, rage and terror tangling in my gut.

“You know, I think I’m being quite generous with this offer.” Gregor’s predatory grin widened. “So, when you’re ready, you know where to find me.”

He leaned over, brushing a mockingly intimate kiss against Addison’s temple. Then, with nightmarish speed, he blinked away, reappearing beside a sleek black car parked behind the remnants of the building.

He kept one clawed hand poised against Addison’s throat, daring us to intercept them.

Jordan cursed under her breath and Hunter stirred, hauling herself forward, reaching a feeble hand toward her lover. Her engagement ring gleamed on her finger, one lonely little band reaching out for the other.

We watched, helpless, as Gregor shoved Addison into the passenger seat and climbed in beside her. The engine growled to life and then the car peeled away, tail lights flashing in the gloom of the deserted waterfront.

A single squeal of tires left us enveloped in desolate silence, broken only by the somber patter of heavy rain. Like the sky itself was weeping.