Page 85 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

I sprinted after Rothbart. He raced down an alley, but a dark shadow fell over him like a bird of prey would catch a mouse. The strong vibration in my chest told me that Alex had arrived.

He punched Rothbart hard enough to throw him backwards with his limbs waving about. The moment Rothbart landed on the ground, Alex’s fangs flashed. He pummelled the sorcerer once before biting his neck.

Rothbart groaned, likely in pain since mages and sorcerers didn’t find the bite pleasant. I shifted my weight, wondering if I should intervene and tell Alex not to drain him. Not for Rothbart’s sake, but for Alex’s. He shouldn’t risk his soul for that thug. But the bond wasn’t tense with anger or the wish to kill, only with cold, hard determination.

When Rothbart grew pale and his breath became laboured, Alex stopped drinking.

And to think I’d been afraid of this pathetic, little man.

Alex’s power was fully unleashed. He stood taller and broader than ever, muscles swelling, fangs glistening with blood, and obsidian eyes glinting.

“Irene, are you all right?” His voice sounded low and rumbling.

“Never been better.”

Darius and Myrtha joined us. She supported him as he staggered forwards.

Alex squashed a groaning Rothbart with a foot on the chest. “Who wants the pleasure of killing him?”

“You can’t kill me.” He wiped the blood from his nose.

“Yes, we can.” Darius raised his hands radiating a multicoloured light. Pain tinted his aura with violet. “The only problem is to decide which one of us is going to strike you first.”

He laughed, and the sound didn’t hold an ounce of fear. “If you kill me, dear Odette dies.”

Alex’s fangs lengthened further. “Don’t say her name, you filthy rat. You killed her.”

Rothbart was wheezing. Blood oozed from the wounds Alex had left on his neck and on his face. “No, I didn’t kill her. She was too sweet and pretty to die. I turned her into a bird. A beautiful, lovely bird. But if you kill me, she’ll die, and you’ll never find her body.”

“Is he lying?” Alex asked.

I studied Rothbart’s aura. He was in a lot of pain, which reduced his control over his emotions, but it was difficult to delve deep and understand his true feelings.

“I can’t say.”

“We want proof.” Darius moved his hands with sluggish movements and gritted his teeth, but a thick iron chain wrapped itself around Rothbart.

He shouted in pain. Smoke hissed from his wrists and neck where the chain touched his skin.

I didn’t care at all. “Is he going to die?”

“Unfortunately, no. He’ll stop screaming in a moment.” Darius crouched next to Rothbart, wiping the blood from his cheek. “Now you filthy rotter, where is Odette supposed to be?”

“I don’t know.” Rothbart breathed heavily. “She turns into a swan during the day and returns human at night. I used to keep her⁠—”

Alex roared and shot forwards, but I stopped him. “Let him talk.”

Rothbart licked his lips. “I kept her in a cottage close to a lake, but she escaped years ago, and I’ve been searching for her since. But she is alive. And if you kill me, she’ll die too.”

32

GOLDEN LIGHT

Alex

Rage boiled within me from the moment I’d slammed Rothbart against the ground.

Waiting for Irene outside the bloody museum had been sheer torture, and when our bond had strained with her fear, I’d hurt myself trying to break through the invisible barrier blocking my entry into the tunnel. My arms, shoulders, and forehead had bled, and the blood had mingled with my tears. I’d never been more frightened in all my life.