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No fucking way.
“Are you shitting me?” I ask, my body trembling.
“We made an arrangement. You have to trust us.” Sawyer rubs his lips together, his face clearly showing how unhappy he is by the decision.
A part of me knows that I should just accept it. Sometimes, we have to choose between the two evils, and right now Alexander is the one we need to take down to save our home. But when that’s over...Lawrence will just fill his spot. There’s no way I could ever trust this man. There is no way I could ever humor his ideals of a donor future.
I shake my head. “No.”
Lawrence scowls at me. “Mind your place—”
I fly from Monroe’s arms and use Cooper’s shoulders to catapult and flip over him to land on my feet behind Lawrence. Rage steals my mind, and it’s as if the world dims. All I can think about is ending this right here and now. I can’t stand by and let him live another moment longer. He’s a monster. He’s our enemy, and there’s no fucking way I’m going to just accept that the Bella Crew keeps him alive because they think we need him. We don’t need him. We have each other. Our strength is enough. I didn’t know that until now. I’ll prove it to them. They’ll see. Fuck the consequences.
A burst of strength crashes through me, and I swing my fist into Lawrence’s back, shattering through his spine, sending him sprawling into Cooper. It’s as if I instinctually know exactly what to do to end his life.
My predatorial side wants nothing more than to finish this here. We’re not taking the chance. I will not risk my future. I’ve already been through so much. I’m not a donor, and I realize that now. I’m a fucking dhampir, and the vampire world should be afraid of me. I’m not an eternal blood source. I’m their worst nightmare, and I’ll show them they can’t control us any longer. The La Vega leadership will lose control. I’ll help the Bella Crew win, and not because they’ve made some bullshit deal with a ruthless psycho.
“Wait! Wait, stop!” Lawrence hollers and thrashes, trying to knock me off of him.
I fall over, but don’t let go of his heart, squishing the organ in my hand. I hit my back on the mat, and my hand thuds beside me, clutching his bloody heart. I stare at it in fascination. His life ends in my hand.
I had no idea something so gross could be so satisfying. My taste for blood grows by the second, and all I can think about is murdering another fucker.
“Shit. Grab her. We’re out of time. Walcott needs to set off the bomb in the alley. It’s the only way we’re getting out of this.” Sawyer decapitates a vampire who finally makes it through the fighting to us with more coming.
Monroe drags me from the ground, scooping me in his arms. I stare at Lawrence’s dead body on the mat of the fighting ring. A part of me fears he’ll wake up and tell me that he can’t die. But in the end, he’s only a vampire. He isn’t invincible. He is just an overconfident bastard who now knows his place. And I’m so relieved that it was me who got to put him there.
“Get to the wall and hold on for a second. The blast is coming.” Sawyer stabs another guy.
Knox, Sawyer, and Cooper surround me and Monroe, protectively shielding me as the whole world shakes, and a deafening crash stings my ears. I peek through their muscular bodies at the sight of the crowd. There are bodies everywhere, and people still fight.
I search around, hoping to find Alexander. But he’s gone. So are the other recognizable leaders.
Fuck.
I don’t get a chance to say anything. The rumbling stops and dust fills air. The world blurs around me as Monroe and the rest of the Bella Crew relocate me out of the building.
Sunshine engulfs us, and I panic at the sight of my guys risking getting burned to leave. But I think this is the plan. They’re trying to keep vampires in the shadows.
Dozens of donors run across the Strip, and I stare in awe. It’s the first time that I’ve seen anything like this.
I almost don’t believe it.
It’s as if the donors of La Vega are free.
“Suck it up and stay in the sun. I know it’s fucking hot, but this is the fastest way. We’re heading home.” Knox leans in and touches my cheek, his knuckles red and burning, but he doesn’t try to cover his hand. “You hear that, vixen? We’re taking you home.”
“To the Bella? Isn’t that dangerous?” My nerves bunch in my stomach, and all I can think about is the leadership storming the hotel and destroying everything.
Monroe snuggles his face into my hair, inhaling a breath. “It’s going to be the safest place in all of La Vega soon. We’ve been preparing for this moment for decades. We took the wall. We took out all the major vampire facilities. We’re going to war, little bird. We’re fighting back, and all of the donors are joining in. The city needs a change, and we’re going to change it. For you. For us. For everyone.”
“The rebels will rise again. This time, no one will stop us.” Sawyer halts outside of the Bella and looks around at the gathering crowd of donors.
They’re armed. They look dangerous as hell.
I can’t believe it. This is the first time I’ve ever seen donors look so confident and ready to fight. They look ready to face anything. They will bring safety to the shadows again. I can feel it deep inside me. We’re on the verge of another uprising, but this time, the leadership won’t keep us down.
They will be ashes under our feet.
