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As she watched him, understanding came to her and she inched closer to Ian. The vampire was a mastyr. Because he was bonded with a wraith, he would have gained an extraordinary amount of power, well beyond Ian’s level.
If they’d been in trouble before, they were now close to the pit of hell. There was no question in her mind that this mastyr could defeat Ian.
“Holy fuck,” Ian murmured.
At first, she thought he was expressing his own dismay. Instead, she sensed it was something else. “Wait. You know him, don’t you?”
“Braden. He was one of mine and I thought him long dead. Looks like he’s been serving Margetta instead. I knew he’d coveted my position, and there’d even been rumors he’d bought some black market fae spells to ramp up his power. But he never succeeded in besting me or Ben for that matter. Now here he is.”
Regan watched in horror as Braden lifted both fists, his Invictus red battle energy glowing like fire over both ha
nds. He waved an arm and shouted an order. The frenzied Invictus pairs all slid away from between the windows and the steel shutters so that Braden and his hovering wraith stood alone behind the glass.
Braden summoned the full breadth of his power. He was a big vampire and all muscle, almost matching Ian’s size. His long, wavy black hair hung loose past his shoulders. With his lips pulled back over sharp fangs and his skin now a dark maroon color, he looked beyond ferocious, ready to kill.
Regan was surprised she wasn’t shaking like mad, except she felt something emanating from Ian, a kind of calm that could only come from a man who’d made war for centuries. In this difficult moment, she felt all that he was, the force of his will, his determination, and his stature as a Vampire Guardsman.
Despite Braden’s amplified power, because of the wraith bond, Ian knew what he was doing.
Ian pathed. This is damn good news, Regan. Braden wants to take me on alone. He could have commanded the field right now if he’d kept even two of the Invictus pairs close by. Instead, he’s throwing down the gauntlet.
Regan felt tears burn her eyes. Basically, Ian had just told her they now had a chance.
Thank the Goddess.
Amen to that.
He released her hand and moved to stand three feet in front of her, yet still twenty feet away from the windows. His blue battle shield shimmered the full length of the living room.
Stay well back.
She drew a deep breath. That’s the plan.
Braden, his battle vibrations at full-bore, planted his fists against the window, and let the same energy invade the thick glass. She watched large fissures form, then with another wave of power, a thousand smaller cracks.
One more burst of his energy and all the panels of the glass wall shattered.
When Braden levitated slowly, flying above the furniture to land not far from Ian’s blue shield, she knew then Ian had been right; Braden wanted to go mano-a-mano with Ian.
But could Ian hold his own long enough for Ben’s troops to get here in time?
~ ~ ~
“Come on, motherfucker. Bring it.” Ian’s vision had narrowed to the traitor who’d once served in his Vampire Guard, but who had since sold his soul to the devil.
Braden lifted both hands and engaged his own battle energy. Red sparks flew at Ian’s shield.
Ian pressed back, holding his blue energy tight, but Braden’s power pulsed heavy and strong. Ian knew he couldn’t hold out against the vampire’s enhanced ability for very long. So, rather than waste his resources on holding the shield, he chose to let it go and slowly allowed the blue vibrating wall to disintegrate.
But Ian had more than one reason for giving ground. He would be able keep Regan safer this way since he could then control the physical battle with Braden better. And he could buy time for his troops to arrive.
Braden offered a slow triumphant smile in return. He moved forward, his maniacal, Invictus gaze fixed on Ian. “I’ve been waiting for this day a long time. So make it good, Ian. I want you bruised all to hell when I finally smash the last bit of life out of your face.”
Ian, his arm muscles flexing, lifted both hands in a pair of fists, grateful as never before that he wore his rings. He’d need every single one of them this night.
He began with a taunt. “Had to suck up to a wraith to get the balls you need to fight? Is that it, traitor?”
Braden’s lips curled, and he launched at Ian. He moved fast and caught Ian in the stomach. Ian flew back, landing with a heavy thud against a support beam, but remained standing.
