force that had replaced his demon radiated furious purpose, but what that purpose was, he still could not fathom. “Foiled? You sure you want to go with foiled? Surely thwarted is a better word in this context. I mean, if I have prevented you from killing my brother all these years you’d have to be feeling pretty bloody frustrated by now. And really, the word foiled is just so melodramatic.” He shook his head, scanning the room as he did so from the corners of his eyes, tasting the air for any sign of Amy.
Maybe…
He uncrossed his arms and shoved them into the pockets of his jeans, baring his fangs at Pestilence in a cold smile. “Sounds to me like you just weren’t good enough.”
The man’s eyes bulged and he leapt from his throne, lunging at Ven in a blur of screaming rage.
But Ven was faster. He met Pestilence halfway, sinking his claws into the Horseman’s skinny neck and shoulders, driving him backward. Backward. Back into the depraved piece of furniture, ramming him against the bone seat with brutal force.
“You made a mistake trying to kill my brother,” he growled into Pestilence’s pain-contorted face, grinding his bony shoulders into the throne’s backrest. “And now I’m going to—”
“Ven.”
Amy’s terrified scream punched through Ven’s ice-cold fury. He froze.
“Foiled again, Steven?” Pestilence smirked up at him. “Or should that be thwarted?” With barely a shift in his subjugated position, he planted his palms on Ven’s chest and pushed, flinging Ven backward.
He arched high through the air before crashing to the floor on his shoulder, sliding across the room’s granite floor at a wild, out-of-control speed, before coming to rest at two pairs of feet.
One pair booted, one pair bare.
“Ven,” Amy cried, the overpowering stench of her fear and blood pouring into his nose as she reached for him.
“If it isn’t the surfboard-riding vampire.” Raziel chuckled, hand clamped around her neck. “You smell hungry.” He raised his leg and smashed his booted heel down into Ven’s chest.
Agony erupted through Ven. He snatched out at Raziel’s ankle, hooking his growing claws into the vampire’s leg. “I’m going to tear you apart,” he ground out, struggling to escape Raziel’s brutal stomp.
But with every ounce of energy he expelled, the monstrous hunger he’d denied for too long grew stronger. He writhed under Raziel’s boot, drawing on the entity within to come to the surface, to consume him and destroy the vampire who’d brought Amy to this hellish place.
The only thing that consumed him however, was his hunger. Sucking him of his strength, of the entity’s strength.
Draining him. Draining them both.
A wave of sick giddiness rolled over him and he let out an enraged roar, the sound weak even to his own ears. Forcing his starving body to obey—come on, damn it—he sank his claws harder into Raziel’s ankle, fighting another crushing wave of lightheadedness. “Let…Amy…”
The vampire laughed, his clawed fingers closing tighter around Amy’s throat. Her blood oozed between his fingers, and as Ven watched through a smoky curtain of grey starvation, Raziel dropped his head to her neck, extended his long tongue from between his thin lips and licked the bright red liquid from his knuckles.
“No,” Ven shouted, the word barely a rasp.
Raziel snorted, his eyes flaring violent yellow, Amy’s blood painting his lips and gums bright red. “It seems we have something in common, doesn’t it. Thanks for neglecting her, by the way. If you hadn’t missed a feed or two, she never would have gone looking for another vamp to sate her appetites.”
Hunger devouring him, depleting him, Ven struggled with Raziel’s pinning hold one more time, trying to escape the booted foot grinding into his breastbone. Trying, and failing. His stare rolled to Amy and he moaned, the sight of her fear sucking what little strength there was left in him. Oh, baby, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…
“You see, Steven,” Pestilence said, arising from his throne. “You are correct. I did make the mistake of trying to kill your brother all these years.” He crossed the distance between them and lowered himself into a crouch beside Ven, studying him with glowing eyes. “What I should have done is exactly what I did today.” He grabbed Ven’s chin, increasing the pressure of his grip until Ven’s jaws began to separate. “Bring the older brother to me so the younger brother will follow.” He smiled, tracing Ven’s parted lips with cold fingertips. “Simple really. Use the Cure’s weakness against him.”
His smile grew wider and, eyes glowing