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For a split second, fear gripped me. I’d tried so hard to keep my emotions under control. I didn’t want to let any panic escape for Stefan to feel while he testified. This little outburst from Kian had sent out an unintentional SOS to him. I could sense his rising panic, merging with mine. He was still giving his testimony and could do nothing but wait for the Council to finish with him.
“You’re wrong about that,” I taunted in a singsong voice. “I know it all. Every dirty secret you’ve tried to bury, every lie you’ve told. I’m not Armes, Kian. You won’t control me and I won’t try to amuse you to keep you entertained. You need to decide now if you’re going to accept that, or if you’re going to kill me. This is exactly the same situation you were in when you killed my mother, Kian. Isn’t it funny how history has a way of repeating itself? So now you choose: let me live or rip out my throat and watch me die like Armes. Tick, tock Daddy dearest. You need to decide what to do. The Council’s in the next room.”
His hands tightened on my shoulders, squeezing them so tightly I thought the bones would crack under the pressure of his hands. “How?”
“How? What kind of question is that?” I hissed. “After everything I just said to you, the only thing you ask me is ‘how’?”
“What you know. What you can do. How?” Kian sputtered. His fangs were fully exposed and finally, his smooth veneer had completely disappeared. The true monster he kept tightly under wraps was revealed. I knew instantly that this was what my mother had seen before she met her death.
“It’s not about what I can do. You’ve made enemies, Kian. Centuries of arrogance and disregard for others will eventually cause dissension in the ranks,” I pointed out. My eyes met his and his murderous stare was unwavering. “So choose, Kian. Kill me or let me go.”
“You know too much,” Kian muttered, more to himself than to me. “This cannot be happening. Not here. Not now.”
“You chose an unfortunate place to murder your daughter with all of the witnesses in the next room. How will you explain that a half-human vampire attacked you? You can’t,” I clicked my tongue against my teeth. “No one will believe that you own daughter came after you, and a half-human one at that. Seems to be unfortunate planning on your part. You’ve made your messy little bed, and now you have to sleep in it. The clock is ticking. Before you decide one way or the other, remember that I’m not the only one that knows what you’ve done. You can silence me, but it’s a drop in the bucket.”
His head moved in towards my neck and in that instant, my shield shot out of me, slamming into Kian with enough force to knock him into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. It pinned him in place, wrapping around him like an invisible snake. I let it squeeze around him, watching with undisguised glee as his body moved against its will. His body constricted and contorted, the pain apparent on his face.
Kian watched me with undisguised horror and amazement. His voice sounded weak when he finally spoke in a series of grunts. “What are you?”
Grinning widely, I stood in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders. Leaning in one final time, I placed a kiss on his cheek. “I can’t answer that now, but in the interim I’m going to be your worst fucking nightmare, Daddy. All of your sick little experiments finally paid off, didn’t they? You just didn’t expect your finest creations to turn on you. First Nikolaus and now me.”
A burst of strength flooded my body as Stefan rushed into the hallway. I turned my head slightly to see his eyes focused on me intently as he blurred to my side. Stefan’s face was murderous, his blue eyes blazing a bright blue in his fury. His mind was intent on killing Kian. I was amazed when I was able to wrap my shield around Stefan as well, effectively holding both of them in place.
The link between us bellowed out in anger at my ability to thwart his plans. Now I had two vampires to hold and they both struggled frantically to break free, but I found my mental hold was stronger than their physical strength.
Refocusing on Kian, I jutted my chin at Stefan. “This man standing here is my life. I’ll kill for him and I’ll die for him if given the choice to protect him. You mean nothing to me, Kian. Don’t ever underestimate me and what I’ll do if you continue to threaten me.”
Tensing the grasp my shield had on Kian a little tighter, I heard him audibly groan. It would only take a little more pressure to crush him like dry tinder.
“This is the way it’s going to be. I’m going to let you go, Kian. And you’re going to stay the hell out of my family’s life. And when I say family that doesn’t include you. You leave my brother, Stefan and my friends alone. If I even suspect that you’re causing problems I’ll be back and only one of us will walk away. Do we understand each other?”
Kian glared at me, powerless against my ability. Part of me wanted to gloat at being able to hold my own with him. The other part of me knew I’d provoked a madman with my demands. To allow my father to leave with the knowledge of my strength and potential was a dangerous risk. I was not only leaving myself exposed, I was putting those I loved at risk: Stefan, Anna, Nikolaus, Lukas. But what other choice did I have? I couldn’t kill my father in such close proximity of the Council. I’d be signing my own death warrant. No matter how badly I wanted Kian dead, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my own life to take him down.
I’d have to let him go. But the next time, I’d be better prepared. He wouldn’t walk away, and I knew he’d be planning my own demise as I plotted out his.
He hadn’t answered me. My shield closed squeezed tighter and Kian struggled, gasping loudly. My voice was shrill as I screeched at him. “Answer me!”
Stefan refused to stop struggling, shoving at the shield. Increasing my hold on him, I stopped him with a slight shake of my head. “Let me handle this. Stop fighting me, Stefan. This is difficult enough without you working against me too.”
The struggle from his side stopped instantly, relieving some of the tension I was feeling. It was easier to control one person than trying to direct the shield around two struggling bodies.
“Understood,” Kian agreed. Reluctantly letting him go, I watched as he backed away from me slowly. He didn’t turn his back on me until he was at the end of the hallway. He scurried out of eyeshot, disappearing behind a set of double doors.
Only then did I release Stefan from my shield. He was infuriated with me, unable to believe I’d held him back.
“We need to leave. Now,” Stefan growled through his clenched teeth. He stormed ahead of me, his wide shoulders rigid as he stalked quickly towards the elevator. As I stepped inside, he pressed the button for the main lobby and stared straight ahead at the metal doors. He refused to look at me, the bond between us seething with his fury. Not only was he incensed at being bound, he was furious that I’d revealed my ability to Kian. To him, I’d given Kian an advantage the next time we met. He’d find a way to neutralize my shield.
I'd only used my shield to stop them both. Kian had intended to kill me. Stefan had intended to kill Kian. I knew I'd only postponed the inevitable. It was just a matter of time before they faced off again.
The car ride home was still filled with silence, but his anger had morphed into heavy sexual tension that slammed into me like a brick wall. Stefan had been both furious and aroused at my growing power. He was warring over which emotion he wanted to take over.
Stefan had made the decision to channel his anger into lust. It radiated from him like a pulsing heartbeat as he drove back to our apartment. His hands gripped the steering wheel of the Mercedes, his jaw clenched tightly. He refused to look at me, staring straight ahead as he drove. Even as he pulled into the underground parking, he averted my eyes. During the elevator ride, the intensity between us increased.
We stepped off the elevator and headed towards our apartment. My eyes were drawn to his sexy, confident stride as he swaggered down the hall. It was only after he unlocked the door that he finally met my anxious stare. His eyes were nearly black and heavy-lidded. He didn't look like the Stefan that I loved. He reminded me of a lion stalking his prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.
He held the door open for me and I rushed inside. He shut the door, methodically securing each lock. He rested his hand against the wall with his head lowered.
"Stefan?" I breathed, my voice coming out in a raspy gasp.
