by Maya Daniels
“Release me,” he repeats, taking a step closer.
“No.”
“No?” One of his eyebrows crawls to an arch. It should look ridiculous, but it doesn’t.
My knees go weak.
“Last time you were out of the cage you almost killed me.” Which is the stupidest reason I can give him for not letting him out.
The truth is, I’m not sure I won’t throw myself at him and cling to his body for dear life if the bars aren’t there to hold me back. It takes everything in me to not crumple into a weeping, slobbering mess on the floor. I must be a good liar because he jerks back like I’ve slapped him, guilt and pain flashing through his gaze. My stomach clenches at the lie but I stay silent.
“I assure you, Ms. Drake, that I am myself.” His shoulders stiffen and the heat in his eyes disappears. I miss it fiercely. “I would never harm you if I had control of my mind.” He sounds like I needed reassurance of that. Which I don’t.
I never did.
Since I’m back to being Ms. Drake and I’m good at ignoring the pain that stabs me in the heart from hearing it, I turn away from him. Keeping my spine straight, I walk to the switch Myst flipped to release the iron bars. I’m halfway there when the door above me flings open and two hunters rush down the stairs. They already have their weapons drawn, fortunately with no black sludge on the blades. We’ve had enough feral dealings for this century thanks to Zoltan. They don’t need my unstable and unknown crazy added to the mix.
Both the hunters are large, closer to Zoltan’s frame instead of Fenrir’s tall and lean swimmer’s build. If I wait for them to come down, they’ll dwarf me and I’ll be hard pressed to fight. But like most males large enough to look intimidating to a female, they’ll underestimate my reaction. I know they expect me to take a step back … or the fates forbid, flee.
As soon as the first one is close enough—thank you stairs and tight enough spaces to allow one sword wielding person at a time—I step into him instead of backing away. The swinging of his arm goes over me as I lean into his chest and grab his forearm with both my hands. Slamming his back into the wall, I wrench his arm until it pops out of the socket, eliciting a girly scream of pain from his throat. The sword he holds drops to the hard floor with a clink from metal hitting concrete.
The momentum lifts his lower body, his legs hitting his friend who can’t stop in time to avoid it. The second hunter hits the stairs and sprawls on his back, a grunt of pain rumbling his chest when his spine lodges against an edge. My head jerks back, slamming the first hunter in the face. The force rattles my brain for a second and bright spots dance at the edges of my eyes. Blinking fast, I do my best to clear them as quickly as I can. The second hunter doesn’t stay down long. He scrambles to his feet, snarling at the same time.
Reaching for the fallen sword, my leg flips into a high kick and my foot connects with his chest. The hunter goes down a second time as I straighten with the sword clutched in my hand. Falling at my feet, the first hunter curls into a ball while clenching his messed-up arm to his side. Without overthinking it too much, I take the lesson Myst gave me seriously for the first time. The hunters are not trying to kill me because Roberti has a use for me. Otherwise, I would never have been captured in the first place; I would be dead. However, some of them may be killing my friends at this very moment, and that thought doesn’t sit well with me.
The second hunter jerks his head up where he is sprawled on the stairs and his soulless eyes send dread through the marrow of my bones. Swinging the sword over my head, I grab the hilt with both hands and crouch, stabbing the hunter at my feet through his neck and almost decapitating him. Blood sprays in an arch above his body covering my chest and face. I blink it out of my eyes, not taking my eyes off the second hunter.
With a roar he jumps at me. The two daggers he holds in his hands are as long as my forearm, and they slice the air in fast, jerky movements. My sword keeps them away from my body, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing and bouncing off the walls in the close-knit space. He kicks out, swiping my feet from under me the second he corners me at the bottom of the stairs sending my weapon cluttering away. My back hits the ground, the air exiting my lungs with a loud oomph. The hunter jumps a foot in the air, his knees curling and his arm lifting over his head. The dagger aimed at my chest is coming too fast. My only hope of stopping it rests in flinging my forearm across my breasts.
My vision dims from the searing pain when the blade slices through the muscle of my forearm, the sharp tip still managing to stab me in the boob. I’ve never been this happy to have the round globe of muscle sticking out of my chest. Saved by a boob. I laugh in my head, which I know deep down is my irrational brain’s way of protecting me from the pain. Not many can say that. A moment later, hysterical laughter bubbles out of me, and it’s so loud that even the hunter is taken aback.
Grinding my teeth, I push the forearm with the dagger imbedded in it away from my chest, the fingers of my other hand fumbling to grip the sword that dropped from my hand when I hit the ground. I fling it in front of me just in time to stop the second dagger from cutting off my face. Using my legs, I kick the hunter off me, screaming when he takes both daggers with him and rips my skin open. Bright lights burst in front of me and my body moves more fluidly than ever before. Coiling my knees to my chest I kick out jumping to my feet.
The hunter crab-crawls away from whatever he sees on my face, but his end has come. I will enjoy taking his life for daring to bring this on top of our heads. He chose to be what he is. The fates made me what I am. It’s time they understand the consequences of their foolish actions. My skin feels warm, liquid lapping at my face like the gentle waves of the ocean. It takes me long moments to hear someone calling my name.
“Francesca.” Zoltan doesn’t sound so commanding right now. “Look at me, Franky.”
Hearing my nickname on his lips, I blink fast to bring his face into focus. He looks worried but I don’t understand why. That’s until his eyes flick to where I’m kneeling on the floor. I look down, noticing the sleek hold I have on the sword. A pile of limbs and body parts are rearranged like a grotesque painting at my feet. I swallow thickly, my mind going blank. I should be horrified, disgusted, or something.
I feel nothing.
The monstrosity who shares my body purrs in approval. They want to hurt us and everyone we are trying to protect. We will hurt them first, before that happens. No, not we. I. I will hurt them before they lay another finger on anyone I know. A ripple of energy passes through me from the bottom of my feet all the way to the crown of my head.
“Franky, look at me.” Zoltan crouches behind the iron bars, bringing himself level with me. “You were protecting us. It’s over now. Drop the sword and release me. It’s okay.” He gives me a reassuring nod and I tilt my head toward him. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Tha fios agam air, mo ghaol. A bheil thu eòlach air?” my voice purrs and Zoltan’s eyes widen in shock.
Not having a clue what I just said, I shake my head slightly. Rising to my feet slowly, I keep my eyes on him. He does the same. With just one more glance at the mess at my feet, I turn and stride to the wall beside the stairs. I feel ready for something, but I have no idea what it is I’m ready for. Using the tip of the blood drenched sword, I flip the switch and the groan of metal sinking into concrete fills the room. Rotating to face Zoltan again, he stands completely still and doesn’t stop looking at me.
I don’t want to talk about what is going on with me or how I have no regrets of chopping the hunter into stew-sized pieces. Nor do I want to hear how everything is going to be alright. Because it won’t. It’ll never be alright again until Roberti is dealt with and these massacres stop once and for all. When the bars finally disappear inside the floor, I take a deep breath and release it slowly.
“Let’s go.” Spinning on my heel, I race up the stairs leaving Zoltan behind.
17
The hallway is more crowded than last time. Shifte
rs, their animals reaching my chest in size, crawl and bounce off the walls while tearing hunters apart. I jump into the fight, slicing at anything dressed in white that comes my way. It’s shocking how many people are here as back up. Surely nobody woke up this morning suspecting we’d be in the human world starting a war. I didn’t have a clue, not until I got sucked into the portal beside Astara. For a fleeting moment, I hope she is okay.
A large panther shoulders me aside, a paw the size of my head swatting away a blade that is sailing right at my head. The shifter doesn’t stop, instead pouncing on the closest hunter and ripping into his shoulder with a vicious snarl that makes me shiver. The hunters must be retreating towards the basement for this many people to crowd the hallway. The space is wide—wider than a typical house would be—but still narrow thanks to so many bodies everywhere. More than half of them are shifters, too, so they’re a lot larger than their animal cousins would be.
Demons and mages pair up with each of them, keeping their back protected from flying daggers and deadly stars. If not for having to protect my own neck from being ripped open, I’ll be staring in awe at how well they work together. Like a synchronized deadly dance, they twist and turn around each other, claws and jaws full of razor-sharp teeth seamlessly flowing with their muscled bodies. It’s a pure example of what the Academy is, of what it does for all the species. Not what Roberti said, the snide voice in my head reminds me.
I feel the heat coming at my back, my body reacting to Zoltan’s nearness even when I kick and flip around to keep the hunters determined to slice me open open away from me. His back bumps into mine and we fall into a familiar pattern. It’s funny how he feels more like a partner, someone I trust to never let anything blindside me.
It feels nice.
The screams and roars of the hunters get louder when Zoltan takes his fury for being taken and turned feral out on them. Even the rest of the Daywalkers get more vicious, their attacks intensifying. It feels like seeing him among them removes any hesitancy on their part. I’m so focused on the change in their fighting I don’t see a hunter getting closer until the glint of his blade catches my eye. I have no time to react, either, since my arms are too busy holding off two swords that will decapitate me if I lose focus.
The face of a snarling wolf with drool dripping from his open jaw sails in front of me and shoves me into Zoltan’s back. The shifter clamps sharp teeth on the forearm of the hunter, ripping it off, the crunch of bone splitting the air. Blood splatters all over me and the wolf, the screams of the hunter cutting off when the shifter separates his head from the rest of the body. Another hunter jumps with daggers raised right at the wolf’s back. My sword slices through the air decapitating the hunter, his body dropping at my feet while his head hits the wall over the wolf’s head.
Leo shakes his fur, spraying me with more drops of blood.
“Good timing, mutt.” I grin at his snarl.
“Good to see you, brother.” Zoltan grunts as he punches a hunter in the face, caving his skull in.
Leo is right there ripping the throat as the body falls to the ground. It’s gruesome and I should feel appalled by the remorseful killing, but I’m not. My blood is thrumming through my veins with adrenaline while a purr of satisfaction vibrates my chest. Leo cocks his head to the side, his right ear flicking and turning my way at the sound. I pretend not to see it.
“Are we getting out of here or we are staying until we clean this place up.” I fling to the side, taking Zoltan with me by yanking on his shoulder. The dagger hits the wall with a thump. “We need to find Astara and Fenrir.”
Zoltan pulls me behind him, stepping right in my face. I blink at his back, but he already has a hunter by the neck and is lifting him off the ground. Using just his hands, he rips the body like it’s made of paper and flings the two parts away from one another.
“They were at the foyer last time I saw them,” Leo says, and I turn to him.
Standing in all his naked glory, hair mussed and muscles glinting from the sweat covering his skin, the asshole winks at me when my eyes drop to his erection. It juts out thick and proud like an arrow pointing a direction. I startle when a snarl is followed by my body being picked up and jerked behind Zoltan’s back again.
Leo chuckles like he knows something I don’t.
“Fighting makes the blood pump wherever it wants.” The shifter laughs while Zoltan looms over him. “No offense, brother.”
“Seriously, Zoltan.” Shoving at his back doesn’t move him an inch. “I can look if I feel like it.”
“You will not.” He doesn’t even turn around as he grinds the words between clenched teeth.
“And who will stop me? You?” This is the most ridiculous conversation to have while we’re in the middle of fighting for our lives. Even I can admit that.
“Yes.” That one word sends a thrill through me.
“And this is my cue to get out of here.” Leo chortles, the ass that he is. “I like keeping my dick attached to my body. I need it.” From one blink to the next, he shifts back and loops down the hallway, his tail lashing the air.
I look around to search for someone to fight, but all I see both ways are empty halls, void of any and all signs of life. Just dead bodies litter the ground. My heart jumps to the back of my throat before plummeting to my feet.
Oh, shit.
I make it two steps from Zoltan before he grabs my arm and slams my back against the wall. His chest presses against me, freezing the breath in my lungs. My heart stops before it kicks into a frenzy in my chest. He is too close, breathing the same air as me. Instead of pushing him away, my body softens and molds into his like I’m fucking dough.
I knew I hated the stupid dress. Now when his hand grips my hip and the heat of his skin sinks into my bones, I know I’ve never loathed anything in my life as much as I do the silky fabric. My nipples turn into hard points, rasping against Zoltan’s chest with each fast breath I take. His thumb rubbing small circles against my hipbone kicks up my arousal to unbearable levels and my thighs are slick while my channel pulses, clenching the emptiness there.
Zoltan bends his face closer to mine, pressing our foreheads together. My eyes close on their own as I breathe him in. He still smells like sin wrapped in skin, something forbidden but definitely irresistible. I guess this is how moths feel when they get too close to a flame. His sigh tightens my chest and I hold my breath. His thumb never stops moving in circles, sliding the silk over my skin and driving me insane. Even the hem of the dress where it’s ripped feels tantalizing when it moves from the pull of his fingers.
“Thank you.” I barely hear his voice from the thundering in my ears, but it vibrates from his chest into mine.
“Bad timing buddy, our friends are fighting for their lives out there.” It’s really embarrassing how breathless I sound. Each word catches on my heart thumping in my throat, but I don’t move away.
He presses me further into the wall like he is trying to turn our bodies into one being. I’m trying very hard—trying and failing miserably—to ignore the hard erection poking my belly. It’s like a brand short-circuiting my brain. Oh, who am I kidding? That’s all I’m aware of right now. Roberti can be standing with a dagger at my throat and I still won’t be able to get my head out of the gutter. I want him like never before. Maybe seeing him feral and coming close to my own end killed some braincells and turned me into the horny, quivering mess standing in front of him now.
He is a pure blood, Franky. Don’t be stupid. Even that voice in my head sounds too distant to have an effect.
“I should’ve known you’d come for me.” Zoltan is dealing with his own demons, I realize. “I wanted you as far from them as possible, but I should’ve known …” Another sigh is dragged from his chest.
“Roberti kinda made it personal. Don’t think too highly of yourself.” The vampire does not need more fuel for his arrogance.
“You came for me.” There is not even a sliver of doubt in his voice.
&nbs
p; “The Academy needs you.” There, that sounds reasonable, right?
Pulling back slightly, his other hand grips the back of my neck. His damn thumb is still moving, and thanks to the thin fabric, he has surely already seen the reaction he has on me. Unless he’s blind, which he isn’t. His nostrils flare and I wish for a hunter to come out of nowhere and save me from my misery. He can smell my reaction as much as he can see it. Way to go Franky. Way to fuckin’ go.
Caught in his gaze like deer in headlights, I stare back at him, my mouth drying up. I refuse to acknowledge the emotions playing in the blue depths. Master of denial, I wet my dry lips and he locks all his attention on the movement of my tongue. A deep growl sends another wave of arousal through me. I’m soaking wet and the dress will soon show how pathetic I am. Trying to press my thighs together to elevate the need, I squirm restlessly before freezing.
My idiotic movement slides his thigh between my legs, and he takes advantage of it without missing a beat. He hasn’t looked away from my face, cataloging every flutter or my lashes, every hitch of my breath, and the dilation of my pupils. I have no doubt that I have a glazed look in my eyes. Even my head is full of mush as my need for him thrums through it. His gaze flicks to the pulse beating erratically in my neck and his lids drop to half mast. All I hear is myself screaming inside my head. oh fuck, fuck, fuck … fuck. This is so not happening here.
“But you never do what I tell you to do, isn’t that right?” There is a raw edge to his voice that turns my insides into lava. “You love breaking the rules.”
“You break the rules too,” I point out just for the sake of saying something.
“True.” His lips lift at the corners to show just the glimpse of the tips of his fangs under them.
