Page 116 of Viktor

“Now you know better than to lie to me. Do you enjoy being a bad girl?” he asked with a flirtatious lilt in his voice.

“He listens to me. He speaks to me,” she whispered. “The beast wants to rise. The goat will come forth to set him free. It’s the first step.”

“You and I both know he’ll never let us be together. You know it’s true.”

“You left me! You left me for that cunt! The human!” she screamed. “You left me with him!”

Viktor smiled as the final straw broke. Sebastian had shattered her heart into a million pieces all those years ago, and she still held the torch. Viktor gave a knowing look to Quintus and Rafe who still lingered in the shadows. Three. Two. One.

Viktor flashed to Waverly. As he laid his hands on her body, Adam sliced the sword through the air, missing them as they flashed away.

They reappeared beneath a tree nearly a hundred feet away from the melee. Viktor pressed his lips to hers, holding her in his arms.

“Waverly. I’m so sorry,” he told her. “Jesus, what has she done to you?”

“You have to stop her,” she breathed.

He rested her body onto the grass. Within seconds he’d removed his shirt and draped it over her. “Are you okay? Your neck is bleeding.”

“You have to stop her,” she repeated.

Viktor leaned over her and lapped his tongue over her wound to stop the flow of blood. He brushed her hair away from her eyes, looking down to her.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll never let her hurt you again. Here,” Viktor removed a gun from his ankle holster and unlocked the safety. “Do you know how to use this?”

“Yes, yes. I go shooting every month.” Waverly took the gun into her hands and held it to her chest.

“Stay here. Anyone comes near you, shoot them. I promise this won’t take but a minute.” Viktor stared into her eyes, his soul swirling with emotions. No regrets. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she breathed. Tears brimmed in her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Now go kill that bitch.”

Viktor pressed his lips to her forehead and flashed away to Théa. Chaos erupted, smoke and ash in the air. Screams and gunshots echoed in the night as Quintus flashed from human to human. In the distance he caught a glimpse of Rafe, as wolf, tearing into the throat of a man wielding a gun.

Sebastian held Théa by the shoulders as she slashed a silver knife toward him. “Let me go! He’s coming.”

The ground beneath their feet began to shake, the earth cracking and erupting. The tips of horns punctured the earth. Demon.

Viktor flashed to Sebastian and Théa. “May I have this dance?”

“He comes! He comes!” Théa screamed.

“Sorry, lovey. But I promised my brother a go,” Sebastian told her.

As Viktor flashed in between them, clasping his hands onto her shoulders, Sebastian released her.

“No!” she screamed. “He comes! He comes!”

“This is over,” Viktor told her.

“There are more of us,” she spat at him “This was my test! This was my test!”

“Well, then, you failed.”

“Father is here!” She raised the silver knife to strike him.

“No, he isn’t. He’s in Hell and that’s exactly where you’re going.” Viktor dropped his fangs and tore into Théa’s throat, ripping her trachea in half. With his claws extended he ripped her muscles and ligaments, tearing her head clear off her spine.

Viktor held it up by her hair and stared down the horned demon whose eyes bored a hole in him. With the earth cleaved open, the fire licked up into the air.