Chapter 7: The Bloodbath at the Gates

The panic room was silent, but the walls seemed to vibrate with the muffled thuds of distant gunfire. I sat on the cold floor, clutching the dagger Malakai had given me. It felt heavy, a "no joke" weight in my hand that reminded me I wasn't that scared girl in the red dress anymore. I was a target. I was a prize. But as I listened to the sounds of war outside, I realized I wanted to be a weapon.

​Outside the reinforced doors, Malakai was a whirlwind of "furious" destruction.

​He didn't hide behind cover; he moved through his estate like a shadow with a blade. The High Council’s "Cleaning Crew" had expected a panicked man protecting a girl. Instead, they found a Primal who had finally found something worth killing for.

​Malakai rounded the corner of the grand foyer, his suppressed weapon spitting hot lead into the chests of two men in tactical gear. They dropped without a sound, their blood staining the white marble floors—the first drops in the "bloodbath" Betty had invited into our lives.

​"Is that all you've got?" Malakai’s voice boomed through the hallway, terrifyingly calm. "I’ve seen 'bitch ass' street thugs with better aim than the Council's elite."

​A grenade detonated near the entrance, shattering the stained-glass windows. Through the smoke, three more men rushed in. Malakai didn't flinch. He dropped his empty gun and drew a serrated combat knife. He moved with a predatory grace that was sickeningly beautiful. In seconds, the hallway was silent again, save for the wet, gasping breaths of the men he had cut down.

​But back in the panic room, I wasn't just waiting. I found the monitor bank.

​I watched the grainy black-and-white screens. I saw Malakai fighting like a demon, but I also saw something he couldn't see. Two men were circling around the back of the estate, heading for the ventilation shafts that led directly to where I was hiding.

​They weren't here to kill Malakai. They were here to steal the Queen back for Betty.

​"Not today," I whispered, my voice cold.

​I stood up, the "sin" of my new life hardening my heart. I looked at the dagger. If Malakai was going to turn the world into a graveyard for me, the least I could do was help him dig the holes.

​I moved to the hidden exit of the panic room—a crawlspace that led to the library. If I could get to Malakai’s desk, I knew he kept a spare piece there. I wasn't going to sit in a box while he bled for me. I was going to stand by his side.

​The vents rattled above me. They were close.

​I pushed open the hidden door and rolled into the library, the smell of gunpowder and expensive wood filling my lungs. I scrambled to the desk, my fingers fumbling for the hidden latch. Just as my hand closed around the cold steel of a compact pistol, the vent cover above me crashed to the floor.

​A man in black landed in front of me, his eyes wide with surprise. "There she is. Grab the girl and let’s—"

​I didn't let him finish. I raised the gun, the "furious" energy of Malakai flowing through my veins.

​Bang.

​The sound was deafening in the small room. The man slumped back, a red flower blooming on his chest. I was shaking, but I didn't look away. I looked at the second man jumping down from the vent.

​"Come on," I hissed, my finger tightening on the trigger again. "Try and take me back to that 'bitch ass' mother of mine. See what happens."