Page 119 of The Vampire's Mercy

Gone forever. Because of me. Because of who I was born to be.

“Paris?”

Damn his voice. Damn his everything. He didn’t get to control me. He didn’t get to keep me as some singing pet to help him, only to throw me away later.

But I want his blood!

My whining broke something in me, the binds keeping me from unraveling.

I summoned my stakeblade and launched myself at the nearest vamp, burying the weapon into his heart.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

SILVANUS

My control over Paris’s violent nature broke with a shattering crash inside my skull.

No…

I watched him move with the speed of an executioner, driving his weapon into Rylan.

No…

Pain flared in the Heart of All, sending the familiar shockwave of vampire death into my bones. Rylan’s body collapsed into crimson bone dust.

The third death at the hands of this monster.

Screaming. So much screaming. I collapsed to my knees, agony quaking inside me in an overwhelming assault.

No…

“Kill him! Someone kill him!”

Rylan is dead…

I touched the Heart of All, a sting biting my palm.

The sting of failure.

This is because of you…

“He’s getting away!” The door clanged open.

Because you brought him here with foolish curiosity and untenable hope…

Running, vampires dashing into the hallways, panic rife.

He’s not here to help you.

He’s here to kill.

“Majesty,” Elio said, holding me by the shoulder. “I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.”

The loss of my dear Rylan gouged into me, tearing me apart, any semblance of calm dead. Reason collapsed with it, submitting to tremendous fury.

“Paris,” I growled, rising from my knees. “Paris Raine.”

The elf with the strange song.