Page 47

The sounds of men shouting clashed with the feminine sounds from the omegas. Crashing noises echoed through the corridor as we rushed down. The scent of testosterone and aggression struck my senses as I rounded the corner, coming to a stop at the sight of Cole, Ian, Hunter, and Acyn rolling on the floor, brawling.

My jaw dropped at the chaos of what was unfolding. Nyota, on the other hand, groaned loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose. Nyx hooted, then made lewd sounds as she cheered Acyn on, as if he weren’t rolling around on the floor like a testosterone driven adolescent.

A crash sounded from the entrance, then darkness rushed through the room like lightning crashing to the ground. Each man was thrown into the air, then shot toward the walls, slamming into them. My jaw dropped to the floor, as if it hadn’t fallen far enough from the first shock I’d suffered.

Rhys materialized, along with Mikel, Arryn, and a few other Van Helsings. The moment he was fully corporal, everyone shot to their feet, speaking at once. Closing my mouth, I noted the tic in Rhys’ jaw, his eyes thinning as his head turned, silently noting each male, each injury.

“Shut the fuck up,” Rhys whispered, venom in his tone.

All noise ceased within the room. Not even the clock dared to tick at the violence promised in Rhys’ dark, sinister presence.

“Hunter—” Cole attempted, then stopped speaking the moment Rhys’ head snapped toward where he stood.

“You’d break the laws of hospitality in my fucking home?” Rhys demanded, but his dark head snapped toward Hunter, who held his palms up in the air at the sight of Rhys fully decked out in armor with a sword strapped on his back.

“Wasn’t like that, Rhys,” Hunter started.

“Like what? Like you fighting my brothers in my fucking house? In the apartment where my pregnant mate is?”

“Like a dirty little secret,” Ian hissed, his violet eyes blood-red as he held Rhys’ stare, unafraid of the black orbs glittering with azure within their depths.

“You got something to fucking say, then say it to my face, Vampire,” Rhys growled, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides.

“I just fucking did. No one broke the rules of hospitality other than your brothers.” Ian held his ground, which had Nyota’s full, undivided attention. Hunter noted her line of sight, stepping fully into it.

“It wasn’t a hate crime. We merely said we’d take your sister as a mate,” he stated, causing every single Van Helsing in the room to snarl in his direction. “Well, shit.”

“The fuck did you just say?” Rhys snarled. He sounded like a rabid animal, one who was unleashed from his muzzle. “Say it again, motherfucker.”

“Well, shit?” Hunter offered, which caused Rhys to step up. I shot forward, placing my hand on Rhys’ chest.

Stress pressed against my chest as emotions churned through my abdomen. If Rhys fought them, he’d break the right of hospitality, which he was under oath to keep. The entire room went silent with the tension growing, thickening around us.

Conrad stood to the side with the omegas beside him, whom he silently stepped in front of. It was a signal for them to scurry back, away from the danger Rhys currently posed to them.

Hunter tensed. His hands remained relaxed at his sides, but it was deceiving. Every single male in the room was tense, waiting for someone to make a move. Shadows slowly oozed from the floor. Dark, wispy tendrils crawled up Rhys’ ankles, sliding around his calves before spreading out behind him, forming the shape of giant, lethal wings.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, deafeningly. My stomach clenched as anger seared through me, raw and putrid. Wrong. Closing my eyes, I fought to rein in my emotions, but the murderous feelings I felt weren’t my own. Realization sank into my head, burning up all coherent thought as my pulse quickened to a precarious rate.

Still, no one dared to move a muscle. The rage churning within me twisted until I wrapped my arms around my middle protectively, afraid of what I felt within my soul. A growl bubbled up from my lungs, expelling past my lips as I stepped back, breaking the pissing contest within the room.

Rhys stepped toward Hunter, forcing a snarl from my throat. “Don’t fucking do it, Rhys!”

He spun around, his angry onyx stare zeroing in on me. “If I were you, I’d shut your lips before you say something we’ll both regret. Again.”

Pain cut through me sharper than any blade he could wound my flesh with. Moisture burned behind my eyes, and anger sizzled through my veins like wildfire burning through a dry, brittle forest parched for rain. Air refused to fill my lungs, as if my throat had constricted to the point of closing off.

Rhys’ head lowered, his nostrils flaring as he stepped closer yet. Cole stepped in front of him. His attention shifted between Rhys, then moved back to me. He opened his mouth, but Rhys made an inhuman sound that had everyone in the room stepping closer, as if they intended to intervene if Rhys moved to harm me.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, even as my hands twisted into the camisole I wore. Tears broke from the precarious hold I held onto them with.

“I can’t do this,” I hissed, turning toward the staircase.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, Silversmith,” asked Rhys, his tone sharp and flooded with violence.

He grabbed my elbow, jerking me toward his frame. I spun, slapping his smug, demanding face as hard as I could. My palm stung from the force of connecting with his cheek. His head snapped to the side, then slowly returned with thin, wispy jet-black lines threading throughout his face.

“Release me, Van Helsing. I’m not a filthy fucking house pet you can kennel or lock away. Remove your hand.”

The muscle in his cheek jumped as his nostrils flared. “I don’t fucking think so.”

“Rhys,” Nyota whispered.

“Something to fucking say, sister?” he asked, but his attention refused to leave my face.

“She may not, but I do,” Nyx snarled. “She’s pregnant with your child. If she says to unhand her, you’ll fucking do it. You and your siblings have broken hospitality here. No one else.”

“Muzzle your—”

The snarl that escaped my lips had the hair on my nape rising. “I fucking dare you to finish that.” The words were out before I even knew I’d issued them, but I wasn’t sorry I’d said them, either.

“The fuck you are.” The air grew heavy with tension as everyone waited to see what unfolded between us. Tears of anger pricked the back of my eyes, threatening to fall and ruin the angry persona I presented, showing the pain he’d inflicted on my soul. “As for your friend? She’s standing inside my home. Which means she’ll do as I say.”

“You don’t want me, Van Helsing. That’s fine. I get it.” Swallowing past the tightening in my throat, I forced the words to continue. “I’m just the unlucky bitch you decided to knock up. That doesn’t make you entitled to call my best friend anything.” Blinking to conceal the tears, I narrowed my eyes on him, allowing him to see the disdain I felt. “While we’re on the topic? Leave Nyota alone. She’d stab me in the back if you ordered her to. She’s never changed or faltered where her true loyalties lie. Which is with you, in case you didn’t get it through that thick skull of yours.”

“Don’t hold back now, Silversmith. You sure didn’t earlier today. What’s stopping you now?” he hissed.

“I love you. I loved you before you told me to leave. You are easy to love. But you are not easy to live with. You’ll never be able to return the feelings I need from you. This is where it ends for us. My feelings don’t mean I’ll condemn myself to be your whipping post for something I wasn’t a part of. Thank you for your hospitality and protection. I think I’d rather live in my dilapidated shack and entertain the murderous pricks hunting me over your company.”

“You’re not leaving,” Rhys growled, his rage palpable in the air between us. The way he clenched his hands caused my heart to constrict painfully, even as my anger grew.

“I am, and there’s not a single fucking thing you or anyone else can do to stop me. I’ve done nothing to deserve your hatred. You don’t get to fuck me when you need to get off, then treat me like garbage after the sweat has cooled from our bodies. I’m the mother of your child, Rhys. I carry your child inside of me, yet you treat me like trash that you can’t take to the curb fast enough. You’re not the man I thought you were. If you wanted me, you’d have treated me better.” I started to turn away from him, but he grabbed my elbow.

Wrenching my elbow from his grasp, I laughed without a shred of amusement. “I’m walking out of here whether you want me to or not. I wasn’t asking your permission.” Turning toward the stairs, I started up them. “Nyx, call my sister and have her meet me down the road. Tell her I’m on foot and will need a ride home.”

“That fucking hovel you call home isn’t an option anymore,” Rhys chuckled, which caused my chest to tighten. Spinning on the stairs, I looked at him through the tears swimming in my vision.

“What did you do?” My voice shook with disbelief and horror that he may have destroyed the only thing I had left. A smile spread over his lips, one that told me everything I needed to know. “Why? Why do you feel entitled to destroy everything I have? I don’t understand why you think you can continue to take and take from me. I’ve never taken anything from you, ever. I get it, you wanted me on my knees, crawling back to you because you’d left me destitute and alone. I didn’t, though. If Roslyn taught me one thing in life, it’s how to survive. She was good at ensuring we knew what it felt like to be worthless, damaged creatures. My mother excelled in teaching me how worthless and unlovable I truly was. You’re no different from her. You merely pretend to be better, but you’re not.”

The muscle in his jaw jerked, ticking violently when he spoke low and clearly. “I wouldn’t go there right now.”

“I’m not afraid of you. I’m done walking on eggshells over a past I wasn’t present for. You are worse than Roslyn ever was,” I breathed, resulting in his brothers’ sneering their disagreement. “You wanted to hurt me. Freezing my accounts gave you power. Power that you craved to have over me. You sought to destroy me, but you couldn’t. I wouldn’t give you that power. What was it you thought to gain by taking everything from me? Did you think I’d crawl back to you on my knees? Is that what you wanted? I don’t know what you hoped to gain from ruining any chance I had at happiness from me, but I’d like to fucking know what it was before I leave here for the last time.”

“If I wanted you on your knees, you’d be down on them with those pretty lips wrapped around my cock. If I wanted you, you’d be whatever I wanted you to be. You’d fucking beseech and swear to be a good girl. If I fucking wanted you, Silversmith. That wasn’t my intention.”

“So, let me make sure I have this right. You wanted me to be destitute while pregnant with your child? Is that it? Did you plan to drive by and ensure we were suffering enough to appease your ego? Or did you intend to bring your next love interest around and show her how you’d crushed me beneath the weight of your mighty heel? I guess it might impress some women. Of course, they might be hesitant about carrying your offspring. Tell me, do you feel powerful knowing you’ve won? Do you feel good about having destroyed everything I had? Or do you need to hurt me more before you’ve finished with me?”

Rhys’ face was mottled, his chest rose and fell with angry, ragged breaths. Tears trailed down my cheeks, pooling in my eyes, blurring my vision. My heart thundered inside my chest, as if it were a drum solo at a rock concert. I didn’t see any remorse or emotion slip past the mask of rage he wore.

“No? Nothing? Fine. This is where we end, then. When I leave here, it’s the end of us. You and I, we’re toxic together. I’m merely a girl who fell madly in love with the chivalrous knight, but you? You’re the monster who wanted to ruin her. Seek, seduce, and then destroy. Congratulations, Van Helsing. You’ve won. You got everything you wanted and more. But you don’t get to keep me or continue treating me like I’m nothing more than an enemy you enjoy fucking.”

“You think I’ll ever let you go?” The muscle in his jaw jerked, then slowly ticked as he searched my face, studying it to discover some unseen slight he could throw at me.

“I think you know I’m about to walk out of here and never look back. I’m finished with you thinking you can do whatever you want to me.”

The entire room was silently observing us trading barbs. I didn’t dare look at anyone else. I could hear the subtle whine of the omegas, each attempting to remain silent beneath Conrad’s silent warning. Feet shuffled uncomfortably, as if some wanted to exit the apartment but weren’t certain how to do so without disturbing us.

“It’s my right to hold you as my prisoner for the attack on my sister’s life,” he stated with a look darkening over his face.

“You and I both know that wasn’t me. I’ve never wronged you or your family. I saved your sister and didn’t ask you for shit in return. Not that I expected any gratitude from you, or anyone else, for it. I did assume you’d see I wasn’t of the same ilk as my mother. Unfortunately, your hatred and inability to forgive the past have blinded you to anything else. You can’t even see the future we could have because you’re too busy looking back instead of forwards,” I hissed through clenched teeth, praying he didn’t hear them chattering as my heart broke into a thousand, sharp, unsalvageable pieces.

Releasing a loud snort, he laughed coldly at me. “Is that why you saved Nyota? Why continue this charade of caring for her? Stop pretending she’s your friend. You don’t need to pretend anymore.”

A clap of laughter broke from my lips. “You conceited, delusional psycho. I didn’t save her for you or me. I saved her for the sake of our child. I didn’t want your relationship with our child to be clouded by grief. I also saved her because she’s an amazing woman. A woman who has spent the entirety of her life at your side instead of being out there living her own.” Dismissing him outright, I strolled up the stairs as he trailed behind me.

At the top of the stairs, I didn’t slow down. Grabbing the door handle, I felt my flame leap to my fingertips, searing the metal knob. Holding it, I allowed the fire to melt the steel into liquid form. A smile played over my lips, enjoying the hiss Rhys released as the door swung open.

“Safety is an illusion we force ourselves to believe to sleep better at night. The mind is a powerful thing. Is it not?” I asked, then stepped over the threshold as Nyx and Nyota followed behind us.

“Very powerful,” he muttered. “Cole, with Remington. The rest of you get the fuck out of the Onyx Wing. It’s only occupied when Remington’s in residence. Arryn, summon Floyd to deal with the door. Call Talia and ask her to remedy the issue. Luis, you are with Cole. Take a unit with you. Make sure it’s the most capable of the knights.”

Smiling, I softly whistled as the weight lifted from my chest. Love wasn’t supposed to crush you. It was supposed to lift you. Love was supposed to be blind to flaws, to the pain others inflicted. It wasn’t supposed to beat you down until the weight of it held you on your knees. Until he realized what he would lose or woke the fuck up? He’d have to watch me walk away from him.