Hector grabbed me by the throat, his grip like a vice while choking the air out of my lungs.
“You dared to call that bastard?” he growled, eyes gleaming with fury. “Let me show you who really owns you.”
I clawed at his hand, struggling to breathe, my other hand desperately reaching behind me. My fingers brushed against the nightstand, searching for anything—something—to save myself. Then I felt it: a small glass vial. The poison. The one Alyssa had given me. It was the one meant for Dante. She had told me to pour it directly on his heart. It would kill him.
But I wasn’t going to use it on Dante.
As Hector bit into my skin, sinking his teeth with vicious hunger, I wrapped my fingers tightly around the bottle. My hand shook, but I didn’t hesitate. With one sudden motion, I uncorked it and poured the poison onto his back.
He let out a bloodcurdling scream. It was inhuman, raw, guttural pain ripping through him. His skin hissed where the poison touched, like acid on flesh. I had never hear
