do. And I have someone I want to start with first.”
“Who?” I query.
“Someone who touched what wasn’t theirs,” she snarls, her eyes bleeding black and her power rising. Our hair whips all around as her energy rushes down the corridor in a punch. My mate is powerful, that is for sure, and it only seems to be growing.
I can’t wait. She’s the best treasure I have ever found.
I march down the corridors with my mates. The dungeon is alive. Banging, yelling, and howling fills the winding passageways with life. Where there was once pain and suffering, now anger and hate bloom. They call for blood, crave it, need it. They want revenge. I know that feeling.
They will get it, my monsters. Those deemed wrong, not perfect enough, rich enough, strong enough. I will free them all and let them fill their aching souls and hearts with the pain and screams of those who hurt them.
For now, I have my own blood to bathe in. We have a few hours until the morning where the meeting will take place, and I know exactly how I will spend those hours. That man, Derrin, he hurt what is mine.
I’m going to show him what real pain feels like, what real hopelessness and panic tastes like. He thought he was the most powerful and smartest being in the room, just using his power to get what he wants, not thinking about the consequences of his actions. I will remind him exactly how wrong he was.
Actions have penalties.
He won’t answer in the next life, but will in this one, to me. A monster.
Somewhere between my pain and hate, a need to right wrongs arose, a need to protect those I love and care for. Because I know the pain, the hurt. Griffin is strong, so strong, and has survived things that others would not. He doesn’t know how to ask for help, but he came to me when he needed me most. He will never have to ask, I will always protect him. Always hurt those who try to hurt him.
He is mine. He’s damaged, broken, mad, and angry and all mine.
I lead them from the dungeons and to the house above, no longer sneaking. I almost wish Amos or his men would find me—let them. I will kill them all right now, fuck the plan. Fuck the meeting. I’m too filled with hate and anger to care.
They need to die.
But lucky for them, no one is about. They are busy preparing for the meeting or sleeping as we head through the hallways and up the stairs until we reach the incubus’s suite. I stand at the doors, feeling Griffin’s hand shaking in mine, and I look to him with black eyes. “Wait here.”
“No,” he snaps, his eyes swirling with our madness.
“You do not have to be there,” I tell him, giving him a way out.
“No, I need to see it. I need to see him die, and I won’t let you near him alone,” he growls.
“Baby—” I start, and he slams me into the wall. I hold my hand up to stop the others as Griffin lowers his head, his eyes angry and locked on mine.
“Where you go, I go, no more apart. We do this together, get that through your fucking skull, skinwalker.”
I shiver from the violence in his eyes and voice. “Got it, you can pin me to a wall and fuck me later, baby. Let’s go.”
He blinks, staring down at his hand like he didn’t even realise he had me pinned. Releasing me, he takes a small step back, not letting me too go far as I wink at Jair, Dume, and Aska to let them know I’m okay before turning to the door.
“You three wait out here, block the door. Kill anyone who gets too close, we need to do this,” I order. I can feel them wanting to come with me, but I look back and something in my eyes stops them.
“Be careful, my love,” Jair murmurs, and turns to watch the hallway.
“Neriso.” Aska nods and copies the vampire, crossing his arms.
Dume meets my eyes and, saying nothing, puts his back to the door, not letting anyone past as we slip in and shut them behind us. To the left is a hallway. It’s dark in here with no lights on, and the scent of blood and death wafts towards me, making my heart slam in my chest.
I’m called by it. I follow it down the corridor, Griffin on