Page 41 of The Vampire's Lament
The enemy was falling, fast.
“And envy,” I pressed on. “I bet you hate the thought of me?—”
“He knew we were coming,” he cut me off.
I froze, every organ inside me on pause.
The mage howled with laughter. “I had a message delivered to him the night of that ball. Danced with a human woman, didn’t he? Chatted away with her mentally, and she assured him he’d be free of you soon.”
Paris knew this was coming and didn’t tell me?
I blinked, my mind sinking into a mire of confusion.
Why would he tell me? What loyalty did he have to me? None. He’d want to be free, to see the palace attacked.
But his kiss….
But our?—
Our what? Our nothing. Our differences were unshakable, always lurking on the perimeter. He’d been bred in hate, and I’d slaughtered many of his kind. Whatever shades of gray I believed there to be, things would always be black-and-white when it came down to us.
He knew…
He knew…
He knew…
The swirling thoughts stoked the embers of my rage, every muscle tense, my fangs throbbing with bloodthirst.
“What’s the matter, Silvanus?” Hal taunted. “Sandcat got your tongue?” His laughter was obnoxious. “I love a cliché!”
A feral growl rumbled in my chest. I moved closer, his arrogance taking chunks out of my thin layer of reason.
He didn’t move, confident in his magical protection.
“Majesty.” Vaughn appeared by my side. “They’re all dead.”
I barely heard him, slowly closing in on the mage.
Lord Vaughn took me by the arm. “My King.”
I shook him off, surging forward, my fingers inches away from the sizzling magical light.
Hal cleared his throat, his pride wavering. “You can’t hurt me.”
“And you can’t stay in there forever,” I countered.
He scoffed. “So, what? You’re going to wait this out until I keel over? I won’t.”
His palpable fear was on the verge of making me hard. “No. I’m not that patient.”
I drove my hand into the light, terrific heat blazing up my arm, ribbons of light snapping tightly around me crushing me as hard as Medusa, biting into my skin.
Hal bared his teeth, leaning forward, staring me down.
I smiled even as the magic was tearing my flesh open. My blood sizzled as it spilled from my veins. The pain was incredible, yet my determination to get to him superseded it. Sparked a riot of want nothing could deter.
“You won’t have me!” he roared. “You’ll burn up! You’ll burn up!”
