Her Vampire Addiction - Tabitha Black Page 0,56

me and his eyes flash first with recognition, then loathing. “It’s a free country,” he rasps.

“Outside, it may be. Not in here.”

“Then it’s just as well I was on my way outside.”

“I’ll escort you.”

If he senses the danger he’s in, he doesn’t show it. “There’s no need.”

“Oh, but there’s every need.” I grip his arm just above the elbow, digging the tip of my thumb into the nerve which runs between the muscle and the bone. To the casual observer it looks like I’m merely steering him in the right direction but the pain is intense, especially for one who prefers dishing it out to taking it. Ethan proves that by letting out a pathetic whine.

“Not so hard!”

“Stop bitching.” We’re practically flying up the stairs. I’m taking them two at a time and he has no choice but to keep up. Once we reach the ground floor, instead of taking Ethan to the exit, I steer him past the bar and into the back hallway reserved for employee access only.

“Where are you taking me? I thought we were going outside.”

“You thought wrong.” I punch the code into the keypad and the door to the back stairwell opens. “You think I’m just going to let you go after you violated not one but two guests of this establishment?”

“What do you care? They’re only humans.” Even now, Ethan is being a haughty prick.

Instead of rising to his bait, I rap on the door to Lucius’s office.

“Enter.”

Lucius is sitting behind his enormous desk. He takes one look at Ethan and the way I’m gripping him, and raises a single eyebrow.

“Problem?” he says.

“This prick needs to go,” I tell him, resisting the urge to shake Ethan. “He assaulted a guest last week and I gave him another chance, told him never to come back. He didn’t listen, and went for Leann tonight.”

An expression of cold rage comes over Lucius’s face. He takes Club Toxic’s reputation very seriously. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asks Ethan in a quiet, dangerous voice.

“Fuck you,” Ethan spits. “I don’t know why you’d get your panties in a knot over a couple of pathetic little girls. Both of them agreed to play with me.”

“Both of them were coerced,” I argue, then meet Lucius’s gaze. “Do I have your permission to deal with him?”

“Absolutely.” Lucius opens a drawer, retrieves a stake, then gets up and walks over to us. Suddenly I’m worried that he’s going to do it. I want it so bad I can taste it. This fucker I’m holding assaulted Sabina. I want to make him pay.

“Please let me do the honors,” I say.

Nothing gets past Lucius. “I get the feeling this is personal,” he says.

“Yep.” There’s no point in lying.

“All right then.” He hands me the stake.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ethan snarls as soon as he realizes what’s about to happen. “You’re actually going to kill me? For a little thrall?”

I don’t bother replying. Instead, I give Lucius a little nod and drag Ethan out of the office and down the stairs. There’s a fire exit in the back hallway and I shove it open with my free hand, the stake clenched in my fist.

“Look,” my captive begins. His previously dismissive tone now has a note of desperation. I think he’s finally realized he’s in serious shit he’s not going to get out of. “Let’s talk about this. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll never do it again. I won’t come back here.”

“You had your second chance. That’s more than some get.” It’s true. Vampires are dangerous. Regardless of what Ethan is promising now, I know he won’t stick to it. And even if he never comes back here, he’ll only go and hurt women somewhere else. I’m doing the world a favor.

We’re outside now, in the private little courtyard which belongs to the club. I drag Ethan between two industrial-sized garbage bins. For the first time, the little fucker really tries to resist me, fighting against my hold on him, trying to wrench his arm free. He’s strong.

I’m stronger.

“Any last words?” I ask him.

“Yes. You’re pathetic. I can’t believe you’d side with some fucking humans when our kind should stick together. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I slide the stake into his heart with a swift, smooth thrust, remembering the expression of fear on Sabina’s gorgeous face when I first saw her, when she was in this snake’s clutches.

I’ve taken countless lives, but few were ever this satisfying. The light fades from Ethan’s eyes