“Bore?”
He nodded. “You no longer seem to carry it. Whoever your bed partner is, he is quite powerful. To break another’s hold is something only the most powerful of each species can do.”
“Can you do it?” I asked, hope surging through me.
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Because I want his claim on me broken.” It hurt to say the words but it was true. I needed Riston’s hold severed. I refused to take him with me when I died. I loved him too much to do let him die too.
Riston’s power clenched me tight and I could almost hear his protests in my head. He reminded silent to all around, no doubt knowing that we would end up under attack should we reveal who were really were.
“I thought it was your wish to be free of me.” Jean-Paul picked up his glass of champagne and took a sip. “You made it so clear at our last meeting.”
“Jean-Paul, don’t. I’m offering you a chance to have what you want. Take it and don’t question why.”
A slow smile moved over his face. “And what is it I wish to have, ma chéri?”
Branson slammed his fist down. “Oh like fucking hell! I see where this is going and I will not let her hand herself over to the likes of you. And I’m not the only one,” he glanced towards Riston, “I’m guessing that this husband of hers is not going to take having his bond with her broken lightly.”
“He doesn’t have a say in the matter, Branson!” I spat back.
Jean-Paul stiffened. “We may have a problem.”
I followed his gaze and found Matty pushing some demon hard near the bar. I sighed. “I’ll go fish him back in. And for the record, I have told you all not to let him have bar duty. He can’t handle the temptation when some jackass of a demon makes a snide comment.”
“I’ll get him,” Branson said, pushing his chair out.
Jean-Paul tossed his hand in the air. “Non, he is one of Karri’s little boys. She will handle him. You will stay.”
“Talk to one of them again like that and you’ll find yourself on the pointing end of a stake.”
He licked his lower lip. “Funny, I seem to recall you saying that very same thing when I first brought you down here some eight or so years ago. You warned that if I tried anything ‘funny’ that I would wake to find that very thing.” He winked. “It is rather amusing that it was you who ended up on the end of my ‘stake,’ ma chéri.”
“You slept with him?” Branson asked, not bothering to stay in his seat. His brow furrowed and then he stepped back fast. “Oh, I’m going to be sick. That’s why you bought a new bed. You’re always touching shit and knowing things about it. You got rid of the old one because ... uhh ... yep. I’m going to hurl.”
Jean-Paul laughed. “I would assume that she did get a new bed since she set the other on fire. I do so hope that the next time she also assures that I am not in it at the time.”
I wanted to lash out at him. I wanted to kick him in the head again. I didn’t. Instead, I took a long calming breath and smiled. “Break the hold and,” I swallowed hard, “I am yours. You have my word. I’ll sign another contract if you want. I’ll do anything just promise that the bond will be erased, that he can’t follow me wherever I go, Jean-Paul.”
I didn’t stay to hear his answer. I already knew what it would be. I dropped my magik and headed towards Matty who was now holding a demon in a headlock. As I neared, he turned and locked gazes with me. Instantly, he let go of the demon who then tried to attack him once more. I tossed a bit of magik at it and sent it flying in the other direction.
I gave Matty a cross look. He dropped his head down and came to me quickly. The demon stood fast. “That’s it, coward. Run like the whipped puppy you are to your master’s whore.”
Matty stopped next to me, squared his shoulders and prepared to turn to fight again. Tossing my arms out, I let the dark power in me unleash. It caused a wind to sweep through the club. “I’m sorry but you were saying?”
The people around began to move out of the way no doubt sensing my anger. The demon morphed into human form, his hair long, almost to his waist and as white as snow. His pale grey eyes found mine. I could see the fear, the question in them. Could I take him? He wasn’t sure. I was.
“Mattyson, what seems to be the problem here?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the demon.
“My lady, there’s not problem.” He bit back a smile knowing how much I hated it when he called me my lady. “Please accept my apologies for drawing you away from the Master’s celebration.”
The master’s? I wanted to vomit every time the men had to call Jean-Paul that while undercover.
“Ah, Lynn Dupre, I thought I sensed you,” Drogo Lazarus said, appearing out of thin air. It didn’t surprise me. He owned the joint. What did surprise me was the blood on his hand. Granted, vampires tended to like blood more than the average Joe but they didn’t wear it around especially not when wearing a suit that easily cost over four grand.
Drogo followed my gaze and lifted his hand. “Ah, my apologies, Lynn. A spy was found among us and I was handling the situation.”
“A spy?” I asked, watching as he withdrew a handkerchief from his breast pocket and began wiping the fresh blood from his hand. “And you’ve taken to torturing them yourself now? I am impressed.”
The laugh that came from Drogo made the others around us back up more. “Ah, Jean-Paul, do share how it is you managed to find such a beautiful wife with such a taste for death.”
Jean-Paul took another sip of his champagne and nodded. “I would say I was blessed however you have not had to deal with her when she is not happy. It is most unpleasant.”
Various chuckles sounded from around the room. Drogo tossed the handkerchief into the air and it caught fire, burning up before it could fall to the ground. “She has brought me much pleasure, allowing me to listen to her voice while she performs only for you. I should like to return the favor.”
He motioned towards the stage and a man appeared. He was tied to a chair, his shirt missing and was covered in blood. Two guards appeared next to him and lifted his head. The minute I saw green eyes staring out from the bruised face my chest tightened. They had Hansen. Images of Tripp and finding him slaughtered came at me fast. I clenched my fists, trying to push them from my mind.
Matty touched my shoulder lightly, offering me his strength to draw from. I did my best to stay in character. “Drogo, I know this man. He is no spy. Who told you these lies?”
“He was sent on an important mission. One that he could not fail. We should now have either the Dark Angel among our ranks or her head staked to the wall. We have neither. Nor do we have the shadow demons sent to clean up the mess. That tells me that he let her go.” Drogo moved up next to me and ran his ice cold fingers over my bare shoulders. To my credit, I didn’t shiver. “He is my gift to you, Lynn. I have heard many stories of your creative torture techniques. I wish to witness them for myself.”
“Drogo, as gracious as this offer is, my wife does not make torturing men a habit while we are out. My work kept us apart for more than a week. I wish to spend the evening with her. Not with her and her pet whipping boy,” Jean-Paul said, doing his best to keep this from going any further.
Drop lifted his hand. “Very well, kill him then.”
I grabbed his arm and drew it to me, letting the back of his hand scrape over my cleavage. “Don’t be so hasty, Drogo. I didn’t get a say.”
“No,” he brought his face down close to mine and I wanted to gauge his eyes out, “you did not. I am sorry for that. Do you wish to accept my gift?”
“Of course, I never pass on an opportunity like this one.”
He laughed from the gut. “Should you ever decide that a Frenchman is not who you want to share your bed with please keep me in mind, Lynn. There is something so incredibly tempting about you.” He caressed the top of my breast lightly, clearly trying to keep Jean-Paul from seeing the action. “Now, please have your way with this one. I am sorry that I did not thin
k to allow you to torture the one who shared his face.”
I froze. Tripp. “There was another?”
“Indeed. Though, it perhaps is for the best that you were not able to attend his torture.”
I fought to keep my breathing under control. “Why is that?”
“One of the enemies happened upon the group of men I sent. He managed to kill every one of them and then,” Drogo touched my cheek lightly, “he lured an entire legion of my men to their deaths. I would have not wished to lose something as precious as you to that.”
“That’s most thoughtful of you, Drogo.”
He raked his gaze over me, making me nauseous as he went. “Ah, Lynn, you would have enjoyed it. Before I lost communication with the men I had sent in, I had an open line with them, allowing me to hear all that went on.” He smiled, licking his fang as he did. “The one they were sent to torture had a female who lived with him. I instructed my men to seek her out and destroy her. I also forced the knowledge that they would do this into his head.”
I swallowed hard.
“He begged for her life, Lynn. A solider for the other side’s front line actually begged for the life of one he held dear. Is that not pathetic? It shows how weak they are, Lynn.” He brushed his lips past mine and I tipped my head back. “Imagine how powerful we would be together,” he whispered so soft that I barely heard it. “With Jean-Paul out of the way we would rule.”
“Are you asking me to kill my husband?”
He chuckled. “I would never ask you to do that. In fact, I am saving you the heartache.”
“What?” I asked, suddenly scared for Jean-Paul’s life. I glanced over at him and watched as he lifted his glass of champagne to his lips. I knew then what was going on. I thrust power out, knocking the glass from his hand and tipping any more that were on our table over. All the men glanced my way. Well, all except Riston.
Drogo laughed. “I see that you truly are concerned for him but with the amount of poison that was in it, it matters not if he ingests anymore. Now, shall we start our reign?”
“No.” I went to go to Jean-Paul but found Drogo holding me back.
Matty made a move and Drogo instantly had several of his guards surrounding him. I hated that the vampire had the power make men materialize. Basically, I hated him and knew I would be the one to kill him.
“Let go of me.”
“What does it matter if you go to him or not? He will be dead, or rather, deader than he already is, very soon. You cannot save him. You have not the ability to heal.” Drogo pulled me close and tried to kiss my cheek. I jerked my head back. “Do not try to tell me that you actually love your husband.”
I locked gazes with Jean-Paul just in time to see the color begin to fade from his. My heart thumped wildly. He was a major pain in my ass but he was also my friend. Glancing over, I found that Riston had turned to meet my gaze. As I stared at him I nodded. “I love my husband.”
Riston tipped his head, seeming surprised by my public admission. I tugged harder to be free. “I love my husband, now let go of me.”
Riston stood fast, followed by the rest of group. Jean-Paul attempted to stand but failed. I gave Riston a pleading look and he closed his eyes. I thought he’d tell me no, that he wouldn’t help Jean-Paul but when he opened them, he nodded.
I mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and watched him try to go to Jean-Paul only to find vampires and shifters materializing in his path. They all went at him at once. Something stopped them from actually touching Riston. Confused, I paused. So did Drogo.
Seizing the opportunity, I brought my elbow up fast, catching him in the throat. “Matty!”
He launched into action, pulling his weapon and firing it at the men who surrounded him. Seger came leaping out, his claws erect and took the remaining men away from Matty and I, leaving only Drogo standing. I jerked him hard, pulling him to me.
Putting my hand out, I let my power rise. “Stake.” One appeared on demand, causing the crowd to whisper. The men surrounding Jean-Paul and Riston stared at me as though they weren’t sure what to do.
“Back away from them, now,” I said, lifting the stake high ready and itching to kill Drogo.
Drogo gasped. “Lynn, I do not understand. I sense that you want me yet you....”
“You sense I what?”
Seger cleared his throat. “You tend to ooze that sex magik when you sing. I think he took it as a sign that you, uhh, you know.”
“What did you give Jean-Paul?” I glared at Drogo. The need to stake him was great. “Tell me what you gave him. I will not play games with you, Drogo.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Matty, get Hansen, we’re taking him with us.”
“He is a spy, Lynn, he will turn you over to the enemy.” Drogo moved to embrace me and I thrust the stake into his stomach and yanked back fast. He held himself, clearly in pain. “You did not kill me?”
My breathing came in ragged intakes as I saw Jean-Paul’s skin graying. “What did you give him and how can I fix it?”
“You cannot heal a vampire, Lynn. Even if you had the touch of healing you could not.”
“Jean-Paul?”
He averted his gaze from me and sat there, slowly decaying before my eyes. “He is correct. I am technically already dead, ma chéri. To attempt to heal me would be to sign your own death warrant.”
I jerked Drogo hard. “You fucking demon piece of ... wait, demon, that’s it.” I handed Seger the stake. “If he so much as blinks, kill him. Do your best to keep him alive. I’d love to try some of my famous torture techniques on him.”
“Lynn?”
Ignoring him, I ran at the men blocking Riston and the others. They turned, faced me and laughed. One stepped forward, thrust his chest out and had the nerve to sneer. “We fear no man’s whore.”
A flash of something across the room caught my attention. When I spotted Eric and Seaton moving up slowly I smiled. They nodded.
“So am I just a whore or do you dislike women in general?” I asked, not bothering to keep my darkness up as much as I normally would in this circumstance. “I think I should make it clear that I’m going to help him and none of you are going to stop me.”
The man adjusted the bulge in his pants and laughed. “Babycakes, I love women but they’re only good for one thing, well two if you count when they’re on their knees. Its sick how Jean-Paul let’s you lead him around. It’s even sicker how Drogo is willing to risk the wrath of the council for you. You’re just another piece of ass. Maybe,” he undid his belt, “if you had a real man you’d know your place.”
Snapping my fingers, the music began to play again, its haunting sound filled the air. I smiled before letting a laugh erupt from me. “And you think you’re the man to do this? Whip it out. Come on. Let the room see.”
The man looked confused. I snorted. “It’s not that hard, opps,” I covered my lips with my hand, “slip of the tongue. What I was trying to say before I accused you of impotence. Wait, do you have issues with that? I’m just asking. Most of the time when I meet a guy who wants to play macho bad ass and all women are inferior, he either has size issues or issues in general.”
“She’s stalling, kill them,” another said. I locked gazes with him and let my eyes fill with black. “It can’t be.”
“Why you bitch. You want to see what I’ve got. Fine.” He came charging towards me. I sensed Matty coming and put my hand up. The man was on me in an instant. He took hold of my hair, arching my head back. “Not so tough without your men standing between you and me are you?”
“Oh, yeah, you’re a tough guy. Pulling hair is very manly. Often, when I’m thinking of what gets me hot, I think of big strong men who fight like girls.”
I watched carefully as Eric and Seaton moved into place. Eric winked and I knew he was all set. The man holding me yanked me off my feet by my hair. I winced but didn’t cry out. He brought his hand back and slapped me hard across the face.
“Oran, no!” Drogo yelled out. “You will not harm
her.”
Oran pressed his face to mine and licked my cheek. “Master, she tricks you, using her gifts. She’s a siren. You listen to her voice and she works her way into your head. You can’t see it but it’s true. Just look at how she tries to save Jean-Paul.”
“Psst, Oran, you hit like a girl too.” I stilled and tipped my head a bit before bursting out into laughter. “I think I just brushed past your cock but it was rather small so it might have just been a wrinkle in your pants or something.”
Oran brought his hand back again and I felt it, what I’d been waiting for, Drogo’s power. It ripped Oran from me and seized hold of the other men, the one’s standing between Jean-Paul and I. Eric and Seaton drew their weapons, watching Riston’s six. I ran to Jean-Paul and caught him a moment before he went limb.
“Help me, please.”
Seger was there in an instant, picking him up and putting him over his shoulder. Matty came rushing down from the stage with Hansen over his shoulder as well. I shook my head. “What the fuck went wrong? This was supposed to be an intelligence run not a blood bath.”
They both pointed at Riston. “Their team showed up.”
I glanced behind me to see Drogo battling it out with Oran and the others. “That will only hold them for a little bit. We need to get the hell out of here and get Hansen and Jean-Paul to safety.” I followed behind Seger but stopped when I realized that Riston and the others weren’t coming.
Branson tapped his arm. “Hey, big scary lycan magik guy, are you planning on leaving or not?”
“I think we’ll stay a bit.”
“Riston?”
Branson looked at me and shook his head. “No, get it out of your head. You can’t stay too. Go home, put pearls on, cook dinner, umm, scratch that last comment and wait for your husband there. The shit’s hitting the fan here and you aren’t staying to play in it.”
“Eww, you are nasty.”
He grinned. “Thanks. Now, come on.” As he reached for me, I pulled away.
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