264

~Carmen~

But Kennedy is not weak by any means. The boy, the sweet boy who spent all his time with me, protecting me from what he could, giving me a reason to live, to endure what I suffered, encouraging me to be strong and go on, has honed himself into a strong, lethal weapon.

“I’m going to fucking kill him!” Zegulf shoves Brody out of the way and launches himself at me.

Zegulf may not want to hurt me, but I won’t be returning the favor. I have no qualms about causing him pain. I want to hurt him. I want to make him bleed for everything he’s done to Kennedy. For everything he’s done to me.

When Zegulf is nearly within reach, I lash out with the chain, striking him across the chest and kissing his neck with the end. The thick links of the chain slap against his skin, marking him with red, and he staggers back in shock.

“Carmen...” Zegulf exhales and then looks down at himself.

I hit him hard enough to mar his perfect skin, but not hard enough to break it. Almost instantly, the inflamed flesh begins to heal, leaving no trace of what I did.

This makes me furious. Gripping the chain tighter, I gather it up, forming a loop, and brace for the next attack, ready to slap him across the face.

But damn, his face is so beautiful. Still, I want to break his skull. I want to shatter his nose and rip off his chiseled jaw. The desire to destroy him is so strong that I struggle to keep my feet in place.

I have to stay between him and Kennedy. I can’t give Zegulf an opening to get around me.

When Zegulf finally looks back up at me, his eyes are guarded, his thoughts pitch-black and impregnable.

“So,” Zegulf says as he takes a slow, cautious step to the left. Beginning to circle around Kennedy and me as if we’re dancing. “That’s how you want to play, angel?”

He moves with a sleek, supernatural grace. I also feel the other men in the room, their presence and powers itching at the back of my neck. They are not like Zegulf, I know it. Still, I'm certain they are not human.

My instincts warn me not to take their current lack of action for granted. At any second, they could jump in and all overpower me, but for now, they seem content to wait and observe.

“Play?” I sneer and resist the urge to grip the chain even tighter, afraid I’ll snap it in half. “This isn’t a game, Zegulf.”

Trying to lure me into the depths of his eyes, Zegulf holds my gaze for a while before he makes another grab for me.

More than ready to cause him more pain, I lash out with the loop of chain, cracking him across the arm and shoulder.

He jumps back with a hiss this time, and I can’t help but smile, some of my bloodlust satisfied. The skin down the middle of his shoulder splits open and weeps out blood, and I lick my lips, wishing I could taste it.

All too soon, though, the wound knits back together.

“Isn’t it?” Zegulf asks with a hint of a growl.

He takes a step, then quickly launches himself at me again, trying to catch me off guard. I swing the loop at him, cracking it across his other shoulder. “No! This is not a game, Zegulf. This is me fighting you for the life of my friend!”

“Friend?” Zegulf laughs dismissively. I swear he’s doing everything in his power to rile me up even more. “The hunter is not your friend.”

Before I can respond, Zegulf jumps at me, forcing me to lash out in desperation. I only crack him across the chest, but he jumps back.

“He is my friend,” I pant at him, my emotions starting to boil over. “And he has a name; Kennedy.”

I’m turning into a broken record, but I hate how he keeps reducing Kennedy down to a title, like he’s not a person.

“Very well,” Zegulf says smugly, “Kennedy is not your friend. Kennedy is a fucking abomination that should be exterminated.”

“Abomination?” I scoff at the insult. “You’re the only abomination I see here!”

Zegulf grins, his eyes glowing brighter as he prowls around the chair. “He’s even more perverted and deviant than I am. Why don’t you tell her what you’ve been doing, Kennedy? Tell her why we’ve been bleeding you out for days and purging your body.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kennedy’s hands fumble with the tape he was peeling off around his middle.

“I haven’t been doing anything,” Kennedy grumbles, shooting me a furtive glance. “Besides trying to save my best friend.”

My chest squeezes with tightness to hear him call me his best friend, but I can taste the lie in the air, despite his expression imploring me to believe him.

He’s clearly been doing something. What, I don’t know, and I’m not sure if it should matter. I doubt whatever he has been doing is any worse than what Zegulf has done.

No, it’s merely Zegulf trying to mess with my head. Trying to make me second-guess my actions and intentions. I won’t fall for his trick.

“Oh, don’t play coy now, Kennedy,” Zegulf purrs. He takes a quick step toward me, but slips away before I can touch him with the chain. Chuckling and toying with me. “Tell us what you’ve been drinking.”

Kennedy tries to fight the compulsion, his body visibly stiffening and his hands clenching. But ultimately, he’s forced to grit out, “Holy water and... blood.”

My step falters, but I quickly recover. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m tempted to look fully at Kennedy, but can’t risk it.

“So what?” I say, bringing my chin up and stiffening my spine, still standing my ground, even if I’m a little doubtful now.

A ball of apprehension is starting to form in the pit of my stomach. Zegulf obviously knows something I don’t. Something I probably don’t want to know.

“It’s not like anyone else here is a saint,” I add, more for myself than in support.

Zegulf laughs at me and speaks my worry out loud. Pounding more doubt into me with every word that hits the air between us.

“Yes, we’re not saints, my love, we’re werewolves and a vampire.”

OH, I thought as much. I just knew these men were not humans. No wonder their heartbeats were so faint.