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Nolan squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out everyone and even the panicked voices in his brain. Yeah, he was loyal, like a fucking dog. He was loyal to a brother who might not deserve his loyalty, but he had zero loyalty to a vampire who wanted to use him against his will.
“No! No, he didn’t! I don’t want to be his pet. I don’t want to be anyone’s pet!” The words burst out like water pouring from a break in a dam. If he was going to die right here and now, it was going to be with him shouting the truth. “I want to go home. I—”
Christoph jerked him back, cutting off his words. His shoulders slammed into the vampire’s broad chest and the hand that had been holding him wrapped around his throat. Powerful fingers squeezed, cutting off his air. Nolan completely froze as the room erupted into chaos. What was to keep Christoph from snapping his neck rather than releasing him? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“Let him go!” Sky roared, but his voice was different. Deeper. More powerful. As if he were bellowing with all the strength of the underworld behind him.
Nolan’s eyes snapped open and, for a second, his brain refused to believe what his eyes were showing him. Sky was standing in the center of the room, a handful of feet away, but a writhing black cloud encircled him. His pale face glistened with sweat, and his gold vest was nearly hidden by the thick shadows. Other vampires cried out in pain as Sky repeated his demand. Christoph flinched, his entire body jerking behind Nolan, but he didn’t release him. His fingers dug deeper.
“I’d rather him die right now than hand him over to a witch,” Christoph whispered through clenched teeth.
“Just a sec,” the stranger next to Sky called out. The man stepped up and quickly dragged his left hand across the palm of his right. When he held up his right palm, there was a cut and a small trickle of blood. As his right hand arced through the air, a glowing red circle filled with red symbols followed. Once complete, the unknown witch shoved the circle directly at Nolan.
He tensed, waiting for the impact. Maybe burning flesh. At least the feeling of something hitting him. But there was nothing. Only the faint feeling of warmth wrapping around him, even sliding between Christoph’s fingers and his flesh.
“Got him,” the stranger announced with a sigh.
“No!” Christoph screamed.
Nolan floated free of Christoph and drifted across the room. It was as if he’d grown wings. He looked at himself to find a faint red glow completely covering him.
“You can’t have him!” Christoph raged.
“Nolan Walter Banks doesn’t belong to you. He’s never going to belong to you. He’s his own person!” Sky shouted.
For the first time since his kidnapping, Nolan smiled. Sky was still stuck on his middle name being Walter. If he survived this, he’d legally change it to Walter if it made Sky happy.
“You can’t have him!”
“You want to go a few rounds, Fangs McFuckface? Because I’m happy to go!” Sky bellowed. “I will always be right there between you and Nolan. I guaran-damn-tee it!”
“No! Not in my library!” Marcus cried out.
Nolan’s gaze snapped over to Marcus, who was watching them with wide eyes and a pale face. Another vampire stood next to him, rubbing his arm. Nolan felt for him. This was one of the most amazing libraries he’d ever seen. There were probably countless first editions in here. It would be a crime against humanity for anything to be destroyed in here.
“Outside!” King Aiden shouted.
“What?” Nolan shrieked, but it was as if no one heard him. Everyone was hurrying toward the exit. The king was going to allow this fight? Shouldn’t he be trying to stop this insanity? Be the voice of reason?
A gentle hand patted him between his shoulder blades, and he jerked around to see the other witch grinning at him. “It’ll be okay. Sky can totally handle this guy. I’m Moon, by the way. One of Sky’s coven mates.”
“Wait! But Sky! This isn’t safe!” Nolan continued to cry out, but no one was paying him any attention other than Moon, who was softly chuckling in his left ear. He was being herded outside with the other vampires. Sky was already ahead of him, flanked by Winter and Fox, who both seemed to be urgently talking to him. Christoph was at the bottom of the stairs, followed by his own clan members.
“It’ll be okay.”
Nolan glanced up to see Aiden weakly smiling at him. His brown eyes were soft and filled with worry. Not reassuring in the least.
“Can’t you stop this?”
Aiden shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no. Christoph is stubborn. He won’t willingly release you, and I have to recognize Sky’s right to fight for you.”
Nolan slapped his hand on his face and groaned. “Why the hell is my life so weird now? I used to be a normal, boring author who never went outside. Now everything is magic and vampires and underworld creatures who want sandwiches.”
Moon chortled. “You met Frank! He leaves an impression the first time you see him.”
He shoved that entire line of thought aside. This didn’t seem like a good Frank situation. “Can Sky win this fight? Christoph is old and fucking strong. Sky doesn’t seem like…the fighting type.”
Okay, fuck it.Sky was his sweet, cuddly marshmallow baby and he wouldn’t change a damn thing about him, but he had no business in a fight with a vampire clan master.Right?
