Either way, I had to keep fighting. Far as I was concerned? Marco was just another obstacle to overcome. Hell, not even Death himself could keep me from getting back to Haley, no matter how long it took.
So I did the only thing I could do. The only thing—in that moment of pure helplessness—that felt right.
I reached out to her. Called on our bond—something solid and real in this completely fucked-up realm of illusions and betrayals.
Took a while. Hours, maybe. No sounds, no sights, not even a whisper of a hint as to where those motherfuckers had locked me up. But then, out of fucking nowhere, I felt it.
A surge of pure panic. Haley’s panic—same kinda thing I felt before, but way more urgent now. Desperate.Fuck. I had no idea how much time had passed since I’d seen her on the dais, but she was still in trouble.
Alive, fighting back, but in trouble.
And I was here. Not dead, I was pretty sure now. Just trapped. Ambushed by the same enemies who’d murdered my…
Fuck me.Tonight had all been a setup, just like before.
And now it was Haley’s head on the chopping block.
The realization unleashed something dark inside me—something wild and primal and just desperate enough to make me absolutely lose it.
Rage? That shit was myownform of dark magick, an old companion I kept chained up in the basement of the worst parts of my soul until I needed to set that motherfucker free.
Like right. Fucking. Now.
I pictured her. My mate. My woman. Thought of the warlord’s hands on her, spilling so much as a single drop of her blood.
That old companion exploded out of his chains and burst through my chest like a bomb, colliding with Haley’s magick, all of it amplified by our bond and my fierce need to protect her.
For the second time that night, I swore I’d died.
But no. I wasn’t dead.
I was fucking free.
I was human again, naked, stashed in some cold, dark cave I didn’t recognize. I quickly shifted into my warrior form. Stronger that way. Faster.
Way better for busting heads.
Marco and his fuck-faced little pals put a lot of trust in that magickal little gun of his. They’d only left two guards at the cave entrance—probably figured I wasn’t going anywhere on my own, so why waste resources?
These assholes weren’t even gargoyles, but vampires—I could tell from the smell of ’em. Standing around with their dicks in the wind like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Why would they? Their prisoner was supposedly locked in a permanent stone coma.
My lips curled into a twisted grin. They weren’t expecting me to find the motivation, but they’d obviously never met Haley fucking Barnes.
Good lookin’ out, babygirl.
The bloodsuckers didn’t even scent me coming.
I made sure they heard me though. Right at that last second. Stretched out my wings as far as they would reach in that cave and let loose a roar that burned my throat raw.
They spun around in a blur. And I smiled, more than happy to show them the face of their impending demise.
Fangs descended, but I wasn’t in the mood for a tussle. I was in the mood to grab ’em both around the throat and repeatedly bash their skulls together until there was nothing left but the bloody stumps of their necks.
So that’s what I fucking did.
Beautiful sight, that. Work of art, really.
