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“How long? Fuck Trin! We need to leave now!” Rei gripped Yichen’s left wrist and tugged him in the direction they’d walked earlier.
“What? But shouldn’t we try to offer him and his army some cover?”
“Just the two of us? Besides, the king doesn’t give a damn about Trin and his followers right now. I’m sure he believes if he snaps his fingers, Trin will immediately come to heel.” And while his brother might hate it, Rei was confident he wasn’t far from the truth.
“Yeah. Right.” Yichen’s growl was nearly lost to the sound of rattling leaves and snapping branches.
It was too late.
Arrows arced through the air, briefly lit up by the firelight. Yichen acted half a breath faster, pulling Rei by the hand that was still holding Yichen’s wrist. They just made cover behind an enormous tree trunk. Arrows whistled by them, cutting the air and thunking hard into the surrounding trees.
“Kill until you have an opening and then run. We don’t wait for each other,” Rei ordered.
Yichen grunted. “Our odds are better if we separate.”
A snicker bubbled up in his throat and he glanced over at Yichen to find the same mocking grin on his lips. Yeah, logic said it would be easier to escape if they separated, because his father’s forces would have no choice but to divide up. Yet, there was no way in hell they’d abandon each other.
Pulling a pair of short swords strapped to his back, Rei leaped out from the cover of the tree and charged the elves who had reached the small clearing. He moved to the left, while Yichen was a blur on the right. A half smile lifted the left corner of Rei’s mouth. It was the one thing that gave Yichen an edge over the fae—his vampiric speed. The man was a fucking blur. Elves were fast, but nothing compared to a vampire.
Add in his centuries of training, and his Yiyi was walking death.
Fuck, could he get any sexier?
No! Bad brain! Focus on the fight and not on the sexy vampire. Fuck Yiyi senseless later.
Outnumbered as they were, this was not a fight for finesse. It was all about speed. Kill each attacker with as few strikes as possible before another could join him.
Rei blocked and stabbed, blocked and slashed. He didn’t see their faces. There was no point. All he would see there was hate. Familiar features twisted in hatred, jealousy, and greed. They were his father’s supporters, people not caring who got hurt or even if the king was spouting madness. They either bought into his insanity or were seeking to profit off this crazy coup attempt.
A blade passed close to his throat and Rei flipped backward, landing somewhat awkwardly on his left hand prior to continuing on to his feet. He brought his sword up to block a second attempt, but it never came. Something tiny and silver streaked through the air and hit in the center of his attacker’s throat. The elf choked and gargled blood as it spilled over his lips. He clawed at his throat, dying so slowly.
Twisting around, he tried to spot the person who’d helped him. The angle was all wrong for Yichen.
“Up here!”
His gaze darted up to find Junjie standing on a slender tree limb not far away, small throwing knives pinched in the fingers of both hands. “You were taking too long.”
“Too long? We should have come with you. What was the point of waiting?” This time the voice came from his right. As he turned, two shots exploded from guns held by Rafe Varik. The strange vampire was dressed in a suit with thin silver pinstripes while his handsome face was streaked with red as if already smeared with the blood of his enemies.
“Marcus called as we were leaving. Apparently, some of the Variks were bored,” Junjie explained as he threw another knife, flawlessly hitting his target in the stomach.
“This isn’t about winning or beating them back! Only escaping in one piece!” Rei shouted as an enthusiastic Rafe threatened to get out of control.
But the words had no sooner left his lips when King Ash rode into the clearing on a black unicorn.
Gods, he hated that damn horse.
Its golden horn had given him his first scar. At his father’s command, naturally.
But it didn’t matter. King Ash was here, and he was wearing the Oak Crown with the bloodstone in the dead center. Two birds. Now he just needed a big enough rock.
Rei forgot his own advice and, with a roar, raced through the crowd of elves and vampires, slashing through any foes stupid enough to get in his way. He charged the unicorn first, dodging its kicking hooves as it reared and blocking the horn as it attempted to stab him. King Ash shouted curses at him, but there wasn’t much he could do as he had to use his one remaining hand to hold his seat.
Screams and gunfire echoed through the night. One of the torches fell over and trampling feet extinguished its light. With only one torch left, darkness crowded close. His night vision was excellent, but nowhere near as sharp as a vampire’s. Thank the gods a Varik joined the fun.
He continued to press King Ash, forcing him to jump from his mount. The unicorn ran off for the forest, disappearing into the darkness with an angry snort, but Rei kept his attention trained on his father.
King Ash looked like shit. The man who’d always been both taller and broader than him seemed to have shrunk since their last encounter. His chest was thinner under his armor, and his cheeks were sunken. Dark circles shadowed eyes that blazed with rage. Was it possible that Queen Belladonna had finally found a way to poison her husband? Or was he being eaten from the inside out by his madness?
