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“Portage,” Alex had growled out, his shoulders rolling back, and I could imagine the pain of doing that with the bullet lodged in his shoulder.
“It’s been a long time since we have seen one another, brother.”
It took a lot to keep me from raising my brows at that term. I had never heard that Alexander had a brother.
“You are no brother of mine.” Alex replied gruffly.
“Oh, but we are brothers. Of course, I was the one that was coddled by mommy, and told that I would never amount to anything because daddy preferred you. Wouldn’t mommy be surprised now?”
“Our mother would roll over in her grave if she were in one, but of course, she’s not, because you staked her.”
“Not me, you killed her Alexander. You killed her when you refused to allow me to come work at your side.”
“Yeah, so you could destroy the breed.”
“No,” His dark features had turned hard. The two of them looked a little alike, their builds were the same, tall, lean and dark, but their facial expressions were very different. Alex looked thunderous, but Portage appeared pleased as punch. “It was to better the breed. We are the superior race, we should be controlling this world, not living hidden lives, scuttling around in the shadows like cockroaches. We are superior, Alex. We should be taking control of the humans.”
“There is no reason to take control of the humans. We have lived for centuries this way, and it will continue for centuries more. There is no reason to overtake them. They are nothing to us.”
“Ah, something we agree on, dear brother. You’re right, they are nothing.” He shrugged, “Hence the reason we need to put them in their place. They should be our whores, our chew toys, and we should not be cowering to them.”
Alex laughed, “And you think that by killing me you will be able to gain the breeds approval? Not likely, Joey.”
Portages features had gone stone cold, and he had nodded at two men beside Alex. They pulled Alex’s arms out to the side; the heavy metal bracelets clamped on his wrist. The left side of his chest covered in blood from the bullet wound that could not heal on its own.
“I will kill you to prove to everyone that you are not invincible, Alex, and that I can get to anyone, including your mate. I wonder if she would prefer me in bed, to you.”
Alex had growled, and I tried with everything I had in me to pull from the binds that held me. I struggled so much with them, that Portage had glanced my way, nodded to two of his men who immediately snatched my arms and held me to keep me from attempting to escape.
“You are going to watch.” Portage said to me, “and then take a message back to your Mistress.”
Alex peered my way, and I felt his words slip through my head,“No matter what happens, you are to protect Kristin with all your life. Never leave her side, never let anyone hurt her. Bond by blood with her, she will resist it, but tell her it is my last wish. She will do it for me. Do you swear this to me, Joshua?”
“I do, Master.”
Portage put his focus back on Alex and I felt sick as I watched him begin to torment him. He whipped him several times, but Alex was brave and did not even make a sound. Then Portage took a knife and ran the blade along the insides of both of Alex’s arms. Blood began to ooze and then drip from the deep wounds, but Alex kept his head up, wincing only from the extent of the pain from the metal of the blade.
I didn’t want to watch Alex bleed out, didn’t want to see the man that I respected and followed to be killed, but I couldn’t look away. It was as if this was my punishment for not being at his side. For not being where I needed to be in that one instant of time. I would forever live with this on my shoulders, and I would take my vow to protect the Mistress with my life.
Eventually, Alex began to sag as the blood pooled around his body. The color left his face as his head began to loll on his shoulders. Portage stood in front of Alex, and grabbed his hair, pulling his face up toward him, and the two men stared at one another again.
Alex’s voice was raw as he spoke, “We once loved each other very much, Joey.”
Portage had blinked, once, then twice, and the malice in his gaze had lessoned. Would he change his mind, allow Alex to live? Had Alex somehow reached the humanity in his brother before he would be killed?
In the blink of an eye, the evil was back as he leaned forward into Alex’s face and hissed, “You never loved me, you taunted me with your greatness, you pushed me aside when I came to you and asked for your help. You always thought you were better than me. Now look who is better. All that you have, all that you covet will be mine, Alexander.”
Alex had no chance to respond as Portage ran the blade of the knife over his throat quickly.
“No!” The words shouted from my lips as I watched the last of the master’s blood spill from the arteries in his neck, his eyes staring up at his brother in disbelief until they went blank. Portage let go of his head and shoved him away. Alex’s body went to the ground like a ragdoll, his head toward me, his unseeing eyes locked onto mine. I blinked back the shock, every other muscle in my body frozen. Would they allow me to take his body? Would that be the message? Would there be a chance that Alexander might be returned to us as Kristin once had?
Portage glanced around the warehouse, and I stared at him, utterly stunned—and furious—at what he had done. His focus went toward the back of the building and I followed it. There was a young man back there watching. Was that Portage’s son? Did he even have a son?
Portage turned back around to Alex and went to his side, using his foot to roll him to his back and staring down into his face as a muscle ticked in his jaw. A moment later, he withdrew a stake from his inside suit pocket and grasped it tightly in his palm.
“No, please don’t. If you ever cared about your brother, please don’t.” The words fell from my lips without thought.
Portage had stared at me, “When you get back to the Mistress, tell her I’m coming for her. Tell anyone who thinks they are going to control our breed that I will be coming for them.”
