Dark Lies (Magic Side: Wolf Bound 3)

45

Jaxson

“What the hell, Jaxson?” Savannah screamed as I stood, the fight completely drained out of me but my anger still fresh.

“This is on you.” I threw the bloody stake to the side. “He would never have stopped. Just like the drugged-crazed bikers.”

I did what needed to be done. I’d done far worse to protect my sister, once.

“You don’t know that,” she snapped, dismissing her knife.

“I do,” I snarled, closing the distance between us in a single step. “The moment he had a taste, it wasn’t enough. Couldn’t you see the madness in his eyes, or were you too drunk with pleasure?”

She hauled back and slapped me. It was then that I noticed the bastard’s bloody fang marks marring her neck.

Fire burned in my veins as rage and frustration strangled me. “I told you not to give yourself over to him. Why didn’t you listen?”

She turned away. “We had a deal. I did it for the pack. Now he’s dead, and we still don’t have the finger bone, thanks to you. It was all for nothing.” Her voice was venom, and her body quaked with fury, which only added to mine.

“You shouldn’t have let him drink your blood!” I roared, stepping up to her. “I would have rather ripped my arms from their sockets than stand by while he fed on you.”

She backed away slowly. I was already walking a fine line between man and beast, and the way her fear and anger mixed with the intoxicating scent of her arousal was enough to drive me over the edge.

A knock sounded on the door. “Master Rivera, Mr. Bronte is ready for you.”

Fuck.

Savannah dashed toward the door, Alejandro’s blood staining her dress and arms. “Alejandro and I need a few more minutes,” she said breathlessly. “Come back in ten?”

The man outside grunted but turned and left.

Savannah locked the door and turned to me. “Now what?”

I reined in my emotions and focused on the shitfest before us. I’d deal with Savannah later. While she glared daggers at me, I pulled out my phone and called Damian. “We have a problem.”

“How big of a problem?” the fallen angel asked, his tone implying that he could guess.

It was all I could do to not shatter the phone in my hand. “Alejandro is dead, and we made a lot of noise. I figure this whole place is going to be on lockdown in about two minutes. Worse, we don’t have the bone.”

“Fuck. Then we need to get out before all hell breaks loose.”

“Not without the bone. Have you found a way in?”

“I’ve identified the location of his vault. We’ll have to hope the impending chaos will distract from a break-in. Are you sure you want to try this?”

“Yes,” I growled. Everything depended on that now.

“Meet me in the back of the garden.” He hung up.

I glanced at Savannah, who’d surely heard the conversation, and tensed. She was rubbing the bite on her neck. Images of Alejandro licking her throat pummeled me. I strode up to her, boxing her in against the door. “This conversation between us isn’t over.”

“Agreed,” she said defiantly, though her voice was shaking. “This is neither the time nor place. Now how the hell do we get out of here looking like this?”

She motioned to our bloodstained clothes. We’d have a dozen guards on us instantly if we took the stairs.

“The window,” I said, as I lifted a dresser and dropped it in front of the door with a thud. “This should buy us some time.”

“Shit.” She stepped around Alejandro’s body, looking away in revulsion. “At least we don’t have to worry about him cutting off our fingers. Or selling people.”

“Don’t mention that fucker again. Ever,” I growled.

Savannah narrowed her eyes at me and crossed to the window. I shoved it open and helped her out. She hitched up her dress, dug her claws into the stone, and scrambled down the wall.

With a final glare at the vampire’s corpse, I climbed out and dropped to the garden below.

Guards were posted at the windows, so Savy wove shadows to help obscure us from view as we dashed through the well-manicured plants.

“Jaxson,” Damian whispered from the darkness. “Over here.”