“Fuck off,” Tambra growled.
“Such language. I may have to cut out your tongue if you can’t learn manners,” Miguel admonished.
“Marcus is coming for me. You won’t stand a chance against him,” Tambra warned. She knew it was childish on her part, but she just couldn’t keep from taunting him.
Miguel moved in behind her, wrapped his hands around her hair and jerked hard, slamming her head into the pole. Sparks flashed in her vision as pain spread out, pounding heavily in her head.
She felt his hot breath against her ear as he whispered, “If you’re good, I will kill him quickly, if not, he will suffer. I promise you.”
“Go to hell,” she spat back, gritting her teeth against the hard, cold knot of rage building inside her chest.
A large, heavily muscled man moved toward Miguel as he bound Tambra’s hair. They spoke in a soft whisper before Miguel waved the man off.
“It seems that Marcus has kept his appointment after all. And he is alone. I am looking forward to placing you lover in his grave.”
“That will never happen. Now you die.”
Marcus’s voice was soft and deadly as he stepped into the ring of light, looking like the dark angel of death as he raised his sword.
Chapter Fourteen
“Foolish vampire, do you think I am not prepared for you? Do you think I’m stupid enough to meet you in battle?” Miguel laughed. “Ferals! Take him down,” Miguel yelled into the darkness.
Tambra watched in horror as twenty feral Weres moved out of the darkness and surrounded Marcus. They advanced, growling menacingly. Saliva dripped from their long canines, malice in their yellow eyes.
Marcus didn’t stand a chance, there were too many of them. Miguel clapped his hands and laughed as Marcus was backed into a corner, dodging swipes from lethal claws.
Marcus let loose a shrill whistle and the front doors exploded inward as the Enforcers rushed to join the fray. Swords and claws clashed, the metallic smell of blood strong in the air as the Weres pressed their advantage of sheer numbers.
Frantic, Tambra scanned the crowd for any sign of Marcus. Fear sluiced through her at the thought of him hurt, or worse. More ferals poured into the room to join the fight, not only Weres, but other Breeds as well. With a sense of dread tightening in her gut, Tambra recognized elves, vampires, and harpies. The Enforcers were losing, and Tambra could only watch with helpless frustration.
“Soon I will have Marcus’s head. The final stroke to those who hold tightly to the Tribunal’s laws. This is the dawn of a new world,” Miguel laughed.
Tambra struggled harder against her bonds, desperate to get free. Miguel only laughed harder. Hot tears wet her cheeks as a black rage like she had never experienced gripped her. She could feel her body contorting as she began to shift.
Something hard slammed into the side of her face, whipping her head back to crash into the pole a second time. Pain throbbed along her cheekbone and the back of her head. Losing concentration, and the momentum of her shift, she slumped against the pole in defeat.
She watched helplessly as Marcus fought, rising his sword high before bringing it down, cutting into the muscle and bone of the Were in front of him. Howling in pain, the Were crumpled to the ground. Two more took its place, swiping at Marcus with vicious accuracy. His shirt was hanging off him in bloody tatters, his blood flowing out of his many wounds.
Tambra’s heart sank as she saw his men weren’t faring any better than he was. She knew they were sorely outnumbered, and with the tables and chairs in the way, they had very little room to maneuver. She watched as Marcus brought his sword down again, severing a Harpy’s body from her head. With a backward swipe, he cut another Were in half. The floor was slippery with blood and gore.
A shot rang out and the head of a Were in front of Marcus exploded, another shot and another feral dropped to the floor. Tambra glanced up to see a dozen uniformed cops surrounding Cody, guns raised. Cody took only a second to nod in her direction before disappearing into the crowded room. The sound of gunfire and howls of pain were music to her ears. Perhaps they stood a chance after all.
Hope made Tambra’s heart pound painfully in her chest. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Marcus moved slowly closer. She held her breath as he neatly dodged the flying claws and snapping teeth of the Weres.
“No!” Miguel screamed. His fingers closed around the back of Tambra’s neck, dragging her up to her feet. Tambra felt the cold press of the knife against her jugular.
“Stop or she dies!” Miguel shouted into the melee.
No one paid attention to him. The ferals continued to fall to swords and bullets. The tide had turned in the Enforcer’s favor and Tambra caught a glimpse of Marcus, torn and bloodied, but still standing and fighting. Relief flowed through her, making her knees weak. Again she caught a movement as Cody rose to the stage with his gun aimed at Miguel.
The sharp blade of the knife pressed painfully into her skin, drawing a drop of blood that trailed down her throat.
“One more step and I will kill her,” Miguel warned.
“You will be dead before you even get the chance,” Cody cautioned coldly. “Step away from her and you live.”
She heard her name over the sound of fighting and raised her eyes to see Marcus running toward her. His fear and outrage were etched in the tight lines of his face, the promise of death in eyes. Beautiful as a fallen angel, he pulled his lips back to show white, glistening fangs.
“Do you think you’re fast enough to beat me, Miguel? I’m a vampire thousands of years old. I can break you with a thought! ” Marcus spat.
The knife shook in Miguel’s hand, the blade tightening against Tambra’s throat.
“You know nothing about what I’m capable of!” he sneered, his face a twisted in hate. “Are you fast enough to get to her before I slit her throat?
“Back down or I swear to God I’ll put a bullet in your brain!” Cody demanded.
Miguel gave Cody a smug look. “Pathetic. You will learn respect for your superiors soon enough.”
Cody drawing Miguel’s attention was clearly the opening Marcus had been waiting for. With a burst of speed Marcus closed the distance between them and grabbed a hold of Miguel’s wrist, swinging him hard, away from Tambra. Miguel flew off the end of the stage and crumpled in a heap on the floor.
Tambra rubbed her hands together once Marcus untied her. He enveloped her in a tight embrace. Holding onto him tightly, she let his strength seep into her. With Marcus’s arms around her she could almost believe this was nothing more than a nightmare. She stared up into his beautifully chiseled face and her breath caught at the depth of his love, naked and raw in his dark eyes. His mouth claimed hers in a gentle kiss, filled with promise. He placed his forehead against hers with a ragged breath.
“I thought I lost you,” his voice shook.
She smiled softly. “I thought you lost me too.”
The sudden quiet in the room brought Tambra’s head around to see the Enforcers and Metro’s finest still standing, though much worse for wear. The ferals lay at their feet, either dead or dying.
Cody’s sudden scream of warning came a moment too late.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She turned in time to see Miguel, his face twisted with hate, throw the knife he had just held to her throat. She watched it tumble, end over end, directly for her. Marcus shoved her behind him in the same moment that Cody leapt.
Cody’s body shuddered at the knife drove deep into his chest. His legs buckled as he sank to the floor, his blood spreading quickly, seeping though his shirt to pool on the floor around his deathly still body. Tambra sunk to the floor beside him.
With a bellow of rage, Marcus was suddenly on top of Miguel. His sword swung toward Miguel’s neck, slicing effortlessly through muscle and bone, severing his head from his shoulders. Marcus let Miguel fall to the floor with a look of disgust.
Marcus approached the small circle of cops that surrounde
d Tambra. She had Cody’s head in her lap as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Sobs wracked her body as she stroked his hair. Judging by his labored breathing, and the grayness to his skin, he didn’t have long. Marcus hunched down by Tambra’s side and looked into Cody’s glazed eyes.
“I can turn you, but it must be your choice,” Marcus offered, never breaking eye contact with the dying man. Cody gave a barely perceptible nod.
“Give him to me, love, I will take care of him,” Marcus asked gently.
“Stop!” Christophe’s voice rang out. “I will do it. The blood in my veins is strong enough to turn him without complications,” he said as he pushed his way past the officers, who were looking uneasily at them. Tambra looked at these men whom she knew and worked with every day. They were good men, every one of them.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but these men are the good guys, okay? If they can save Cody, then they will.”
“Are you sure about this, Christophe? Once he’s turned there is no going back. There will be a bond between the two of you that only death will sever,” Marcus warned.
“He is my friend,” Christophe said simply, but the sadness in his grey eyes spoke more than words ever could.
Marcus nodded and pulled Tambra to her feet, giving Christophe room. Christophe bent over Cody and whispered something in his ear just before biting into his own wrist and putting the bleeding wound to Cody’s mouth.
Christophe allowed Cody to take a few pulls of blood before he reached for the knife still buried deep in Cody’s chest.
“This is going to hurt like hell, buddy,” he said just before he pulled the knife out.
At Cody’s scream of pain, Tambra moved toward them, but Marcus grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“He’ll be fine. Christophe will take good care of him.”
She glanced from Marcus to Cody before she nodded in agreement. Marcus gave her a gentle smile before turning his attention to his men.
“We need to regroup. This, I’m afraid, is only one small battle in the war to come. Officers, thank you for coming to our aid, perhaps we can find a way to work together. Times have changed, both our worlds have been turned upside down, but maybe we can all come out stronger for it. We will be in touch to discuss a possible partnership.”
Without a backward glance, he took Tambra’s hand, led her out the door and suddenly crushed her to him.
“If something had happened to you… God, I kept thinking what if I never held you again, heard your voice speak my name?” With his finger, he raised her face to his and lost himself in her all over again. “You are my life, Tambra. I love you so very much.”
She reached up and stroked his cheek.
“And I love you. I want forever with you, Marcus. Only you.”
He bent and kissed her with all the love within him, telling her without words everything she meant to him. Through their bond, she answered with a sweet promise of her love in an uncertain future.
Whatever happened in this brave new world, they would meet it together.
Epilogue
Tambra snuggled up to Marcus with a contented purr. The past weeks had been filled with challenges. Cody had become withdrawn since his change and tended to spend most of his time by himself or with Christophe. Tambra hoped that with time he would come around and be back to his cocky, mouthy self.
She had told the Enforcers about Miguel. His betrayal had cut deep, and Cody felt its sting more than most. He felt that he should have known something was off with Miguel. The news of the Breeds had spread like wildfire and, as feared, some humans were already on the offensive. A coalition for humans against the Breeds had already formed. Marcus had opened talks with the local law enforcement, and though it was a bit touchy, they had struck an uneasy middle ground from which they could work together.
There still had been no word from any survivors of the Tribunal. All attempts to reach the Enforcer’s numerous contacts met with disconnected service or unanswered messages. Tegan took this the hardest since his step-father, Nicolai Evonavich, was one of the missing Tribunal members. All that the other Enforcers could do was offer their support to the were-panther as they all waited for any updates.
One bright sliver of hope for the future came with the news that Enforcers throughout the world were working with their human counterparts to bring order out of the chaos that had been caused by their discovery. It was a dangerous time for the Breeds and both sides knew every gesture was being watched and dissected for possible threats.
Marcus and his men were furious that they couldn’t find any evidence that the uprising was in part due to Temple Fox. Any damning evidence had died with Miguel, leaving the Enforcers with only suspicion and hearsay. Unwilling to leave it lay, Marcus had wanted to charge into Temple’s lair and confront him, beat the information out of him if needed, knowing Temple was just one out of many who had orchestrated the uprising that had cost so many of their lives. Thankfully, Adrian had talked some sense into the stubborn vampire. The Enforcers placed Temple under surveillance, and were waiting for him to slip up.
Tambra rubbed her cheek against Marcus’s sculpted back and let her finger trace the tattoo on his arm. Morior cum Honoris, Redire in Vester Scutum. Die with Honor, Return on Your Shield. Those words summed him up perfectly. He was honor, integrity and justice, all in one delicious package.
“You keep touching me like that and you won’t get any sleep,” he chuckled, his voice smooth as velvet and sin.
“Who said I wanted to sleep?” She moved her fingers down his back to stroke his hip bone then lower to his erection, letting her fingernails slightly graze the sensitive flesh. He hissed in a breath, turning to face her with a wicked smile playing on his lips.
She watched as her hair caressed his chest with light brushing circles and he shivered with arousal.
“God, woman. You drive me to distraction.”
“What will you do?” she asked with feigned innocence.
“Make love to you until you pass out from exhaustion.”
The End
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Dark Passion Rising Page 12