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Predators often enjoying toying with their prey.
A subtle little growl starts in my chest, rumbling. The two men suddenly leap from the corner while Slade is distracted, and with their fresh boost of power, they may not can dematerialize, but their adrenaline gives them the extra boost to burst through the barrier.
And stumble right into me.
Their eyes widen for a second as I grab their throats, moving with speed no dark user can possess. In the next instant, they’re on their knees, watching the madness, with my werewolf claws dipped in venom stabbed into the base of their necks.
“It’s a trick from Hannah,” I tell them as they’re forced to watch with unblinking eyes and unmoving bodies. “She learned she could paralyze immortals if she stabbed in just the right place with just the right weapon,” I go on, their shaky breaths their only way of expressing their terror.
Half of a head comes bouncing out of the missing section of the house, then slaps back inside from the barrier spell.
“If I did it right, then you’ll be able to run, scream, or do anything else once I release you,” I say as Slade rips a man in half, right down the middle—head to groin.
Their breaths get shakier.
“If I did it wrong, you’ll be stuck like this,” I add, my whisper taunting as I bend over, putting my face right between theirs as we all three continue to watch the horror show.
“Unable to scream. Unable to beg for mercy. Unable to do anything but watch your family be brutally ripped apart. Frozen in this state for possibly hours. Like so many of those Hannah practiced on.”
Slade begins dragging John out by the hair of his head, though the rest of the house has gone silent.
He stops when he sees me, and I straighten again, still holding both of my captives in place. His eyes dart to the men on their knees at my sides, my index claws pressed into their necks.
John’s eyes widen on me. “Ella...you…have…to…help,” he wheezes, the anointed weapon slowly killing him from the gut-stab where it’s still wedged.
If Slade were an anointed, there would be black veins appearing on John by now. Too bad Leah’s not here to help right the wrongs of her ancestors.
“I am helping,” I tell him with a smirk, then look back to see Slade narrow his eyes on the men I’m holding.
He sits John up, like he’s been allowing him to watch the whole show.
“They’re not involved,” John says through a wheeze, eyes wide as I push the first one off my nail, sending him to the ground at Slade’s feet.
Slade drags him up, grabbing him by the throat when the guy tries to dematerialize.
“Roland Trout. Informant and transporter,” Slade growls, looking over at John, who pales. “Trust me, I know every person I’ve killed here today,” he continues.
Roland thrashes, screaming in agony when Slade starts slicing him. I lean down to the other’s ear.
“Guess I did it right on him. I figured there was a fifty-fifty chance of me doing it right my first time,” I say to the guy at my side, as Roland’s body begins to jerk, and he releases another bloodcurdling scream.
John whimpers from the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks as Slade drops Roland’s limp, shredded body to his lap.
The guy beside me stares, using his eyes to implore John to do something. I press my lips to his ear as I whisper, “That anointed weapon you received as a gift is severing his spine. He can’t move unless someone pulls it out. See if you can try.”
I remove my claw from his neck, smirking when he stays in place, muffled sounds coming from him as his pupils dilate, panic taking him over.
“Guess I did yours wrong,” I say dispassionately as Slade stalks over and grabs him by his neck, lifting his limp body from the ground.
I walk over to John, watching him watch one of his kin die in front of his eyes.
“Landon,” John chokes out.
“It’s brutal, isn’t it?” I ask John, who turns a glare on me, then jerks his attention back to Slade.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” he growls, tears still leaking. “You’ll regret this when my kind turns against you.”
Landon screams behind closed lips as Slade uses his other clawed hand to shred him, staring into his eyes the entire time.
