if you even think about using those daggers on me tonight, you’ll find out how I prefer to use a knife. Got it?”
“You’re the one who told me to attack you,” I reminded him. This wasn’t the time for a debate, but my exhausted mind couldn’t help throwing words back at him. Everything he did went against the norm.
Shouldn’t his Vigils be handling the attack outside? Wasn’t that one of their key responsibilities—to ensure the safety of their royal vampire?
Is Ryder even who he says he is?
His eyes narrowed. “Now isn’t the time for being clever, little pet.”
“I’m just saying, you keep changing your rules.” Making it impossible to know what to expect from him.
“Then learn to read me better,” he replied, tightening his grip on my chin. “Those assholes want to kill me. That’s why they’re here. I strongly suggest you do what I say if you want to survive.”
I held his gaze. “What do you want me to do?”
“Help me kill them.”
“How?”
“By protecting my interior,” he murmured, his grasp loosening just a little. “And try not to die. I’m not done with you yet.”
That sounds promising, I thought with a mental snort.
“The power is going to go out in about sixty seconds as a result of my emergency protocols,” he added. “Now go find a decent hiding spot before that happens. If anyone who isn’t me touches you, stab them. Understand?”
Part of me wanted to deliver a snarky retort, but the moving blobs on the screen had me reevaluating my stance and nodding instead. “Okay.”
“Good girl,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips that sent a tingle down my spine. “Happy killing.”
7
Ryder
These assholes thought they could sneak up on me. I would have laughed if it weren’t such a fucking insult.
I crept over the roof of my home, careful to stick to the shadows. My security had sprung to life about forty seconds ago, cloaking my property in darkness. But I couldn’t do anything about the moon hanging overhead.
The idiots with death wishes were coming in on all sides, making it difficult for me to pick a position. So I went with the corner facing the three with minimal body heat. They would be the oldest. Vampires didn’t grow colder over time; we just required less blood to survive. And my thermal scans picked up on that aspect of the body signature. It helped me know whom I was up against before they arrived.
None of them would compare to me in age unless Kylan had decided to pay me an unexpected visit. But last I checked, he had a brain. So no way in hell would he be creeping over my yard now.
I rolled my neck, loosening my shoulders, and lowered myself into position near the sniper rifle I kept up here just for this purpose. I had seven, all in different areas and facing opposite directions.
One could never be too prepared in my position.
I’d pissed a few vampires off when I originally opted to remain here instead of taking a leadership role. Most had given up trying to punish me for it. So I suspected these bastards were here for an entirely different reason.
All right, Dick Number One, let’s see where you are.
My scope had night vision equipment enabled, allowing me to easily spy my target about seven hundred yards out. This was precisely why I had my security equipment set up at my borders. It gave me time to prepare, and the alarms wouldn’t be heard that far out, even by lycan ears.
I scanned the area for Dick Number Two and Dick Number Three.
They’d spaced out a little, making it difficult to take them all down in sequence. Which meant one or two might disappear after I fired off the first bullet.
I waited half a beat, measuring the distance of their varied trajectories, then fired one bullet directly into Dick Number Two’s skull. He’d survive with a mild headache but wouldn’t wake for at least an hour. That would give me enough time to take down some of the others permanently and leave him alive for questioning.
Dick Number One tried to fall to the ground, just like I expected him to. I pulled the trigger to ensure he stayed there permanently, then focused on Dick Number Three. He’d also collapsed to the ground, my lack of trees making hiding difficult.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
I pulled the trigger, his angle of escape predictable.
And those were the oldest of the group, leaving nine young vampires left to play with.