Page 66 of Vipers and Vendettas

‘Nothing to say, cherie?’ the vamp laughs. ‘No more laughter? That’s a shame, but there’ll be plenty from the coven later when you’re crying for your loss and bleeding all over the basement floor before you go back to your master.’

‘You’re not going to hurt my baby,’ she says, her voice low anddifferent.

My eyes widen as I catch sight of hers. They’re solid black.

The oblivious vamp finally rips the link key out of his pocket with a look of triumph, but as he affixes it to the door, Jules turns in his grasp, ripping herself free.

‘Run!’ I yell, pushing myself off the wall and staggering toward them, only to fall against the rickety wardrobe that wobbles precariously but somehow doesn’t fall.

But she doesn’t move away from the vamp. She doesn’t even look at me.

An idea comes to me, and I push at the tall cupboard. If I can knock it over, it’ll be heard through the house, and maybe help will come. But it doesn't move; I just don’t have the strength in my arms.

I see the moment Pierre sees her face. His look of amusement quickly turns to fear.

‘C’est quoi ce délire? W-what are you?’ he splutters, hand grasping for the doorknob to flee through his portal in sudden terror.

‘Top of the food chain,’ she grinds out in thatothervoice.

With a snarl, she takes hold of his throat with her teeth andrips it out.

Blood sprays across the room, and she spits out a chunk of the vamp’s flesh.

It hits the floor with a wet splat, and I stare in shock as she opens the door.

The vamp’s choking noises can just be heard over the roar of the portal.

Jules holds the vamp in front of it, and her hand hovers over his chest where his heart is.

‘That was for Daemon,’ she says. Then, she punchesa taloned clawinto the vamp’s chest, pulling out his blackened heart, ‘and this is for me and Jellybean.’

She pushes the dead vamp into the portal, throwing his heart in after him.

She slams the door and turns, her eyes finding me. They’re normal again now, but her hand …

She looks down at it. Pierre’s blood is dripping down her chin, and when she looks back up at me, she’s scared for the first time.

Her hand reappears, and when it does, it’s clean. The blood is gone. But she wipes at her chin, and when it comes away crimson, she gags.

‘Oh my god,’ she whispers, turning away and vomiting loudly.

I try to make it over to her, but my legs give out again just as the door flies open, and there’s an old woman with white hair. She has a shotgun aimed at me.

‘Hey, Gigi,’ I say weakly as I fall to the floor.

* * *

Jules

I try to wipe the blood off my face with my sleeve, but all I do is smear it around.

What happened? My mind is reeling, and my stomach is as well, but I manage to get to my feet and make it over to Iron, who looks like he’s passed out.

There’s an old woman at the door. She raises the barrel of the gun and rests it on her shoulder as she peers into the room at us, eyeing the blood that’s everywhere but not seeming to be overly disturbed by it.

Not like me.

I can still taste blood in my mouth, and I try not to think about what just happened.