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She smiled. “You.” Then she turned to Ian. “Sorry, but you’re not my type. Plus, kidnapping my friends to try to make me become your latest arm trophy?Notcool.”
Rage darkened Ian’s face before he flashed a truly cold smile. “You remember slaughtering my friend Magnus, Cat? You’ve just decided that same fate for one of your mates.”
With that, Ian pulled out his mobile and dialed.
Cat only watched, a half smile on her face.
“If you step away from Crispin right now, I might let you persuade me not to kill anyone,” Ian said as the line rang. “But you’d need to come up with a damn enticing offer. Otherwise, it’s the luck of the draw as to who my men execute-”
“Francois’s phone,” Tate answered on the third ring.
“Put Francois on the line,” Ian said brusquely.
“Hi, buddy,” Cat called out in a loud voice. “That’s Ian you’re talking to. Tell him the good news.”
Tate laughed. “Oh, hi, Ian! Francois can’t come to the phone. He’s tied up with a silver stake in his heart.”
Rage blasted from Ian in a wave that nearly made Bones back up a step. Then, Ian met Bones’s eyes. Seeing the knowledge of his betrayal reflected in his sire’s gaze hurt more than Bones had expected it to.
“See, Ian, you don’t have any of my men hostage,” Cat said in a smug tone. “But I have several of yours.”
45
“You. Betrayed. Me.”
Ian bit out each word while more of his rage blasted into Bones. Ian snapped his shields shut an instant later, but not before Bones felt the pain beneath that rage. He hated being the cause of it, but Ian had brought this on himself with his ruthless, vainglorious attempt to “acquire” Cat.
Bones stared back. “I did what was necessary to ensure that you didn’t force Cat into making a decision she’d regret. This isn’t the eighteenth century, Ian. Manipulating women into bed is no longer fashionable.”
“If you want your boys back, you’ll agree to leave meandmy friends alone,” Cat said, her tone hardening. “I haven’t killed any of your men yet, and I’ll return them all to you unharmed, as long as I have your word that you won’t bother me or mine again. What’s it gonna be, Ian? Your ego, or your men?”
Ian’s mouth narrowed as he looked from Bones to Cat to the thousand-plus crowd watching them. Then, his gaze returned to Bones…and filled with the promise of bloody revenge.
Bones inclined his head in the barest nod. Yes, there would be a reckoning for this. He’d always known that.
Ian looked away as if Bones were now beneath his notice.
“Well done, Red Reaper,” he said with a lot more sarcasm than he had before. “Once more, I underestimated you, and once more, you made me regret it. Very well, we have an accord. In exchange for my men’s safe return, I vow to leave you and yours alone, so you and they are free to go.”
Relief had barely settled in when Cat said, “Not so fast, Ian. There’s one more issue we need to settle first.”
“What are you doing?” Bones gritted out. They’d already won! There was no further “issue.”
Cat acted as if she couldn’t hear him. “Vampires have the right to challenge their sires to a duel. So, I challenge my father, Max. Bring him out. I’m claiming my right to duel him-”
“Bloodyhell, Kitten!” Bones shouted.
Ian’s laugh preceded a wave of vicious satisfaction that coated Bones like poison as his sire reopened their tie. Soon, Ian was wiping mirth-induced pink tears from his eyes, too.
Bones could barely process his own rage-infused disbelief, let alone Ian’s emotions. She had really done it this time.
“What’s so funny?” Cat asked sharply.
“Did everyone hear that?” Ian replied, ignoring her as he addressed the crowd.
Affirmative responses sounded at once.
“You should have talked to me about this,” Bones hissed.
