Tacet a Mortuis (The Elite King's Club 3)

“Madison!” Bishop shouted, enough to cut the silence. Madison winced. My fists clenched at her discomfort. “What the fuck are you all doing here?”

“Oh!” Katsia taunted. “This is perfect. The Elite ladies, all in one place…” Katsia stepped forward. I leaped in front of Madison, shielding her.

Katsia snorted. “The stray Lost Boy, move, Daemon.” As much as she tried to sound strong and demanding, the edge of each syllable fell off her tongue with a small shake. She knew what I was capable of—truly capable of. She sat with the therapists when they diagnosed me, then turned me into her own weapon. I was always loyal to her, right up until the point where Madison came back into my life. She was the game changer.

“No.”

Madison’s hand came to my arm. “It’s ok, Daemon.”

Bishop pulled Madison behind him, his eyes slanting on her. “I will beat your ass for this.”

Madison smiled. “I count on it.”

Turning back to face Katsia, Scarlet stopped beside me, her arms crossed. “I have a bone to pick with you, oh sacred one.” She tilted her head. “Turns out, you’re not the final line of your blood. Congratulations, you’ve just made yourself disposable.”

Katsia stilled.

I smiled.

Hector pulled Scarlet into him, but she shoved him away. “Don’t touch me.” Then her eyes went to Khales. “Ever again.”

“As much as we all love this song and dance,” Spyder announced, walking between us all. “I have a party to get back to, well the fuck away from all you fuckers!” Bishop’s wild older cousin who led the Kings in the previous generation with Jase, Saint, Ace, and Ollie, announced. There were only five that year, where there were seven this generation.

“Your pussy fest can wait,” Bishop snapped, his head turning over his shoulder.

“‘Cause, they really can’t…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Scarlet.” Katsia played dumb, stepping forward.

This is getting boring. Let’s kill someone. Start with her. Start with Katsia. Always hated her. It will start bloodshed! Yes, let’s do it.

Quiet! I roared inside my head, but they continued to push.

Yes, now. Let’s do it now. Now, Daemon, enforce it, let it happen. Feel the power seep into your fingertips and embrace it. My eyes slammed shut, my lips pursing. Shut up! A loud round of hyena-like giggles erupted in my head, bouncing off the empty walls of my scarred soul.

Mine.

“As much as I’d love to continue this cute little chitchat” —darkness cloaked my vision, and my lip curled— “I’m feeling like I’d prefer to see the color red.” I slowly slipped my knife down from under my sleeve, grasping the heavy metal handle, then launched forward to Katsia, slicing it across her neck until her blood sprayed across my clothes and her death danced on the tip of my tongue to a metallic melody. My eyes rolled back in euphoria. It was like my first hit of heroin, the feeling of clouds seeping into my bones. A charge erupted through me at the same time as relaxation drifted through the air.

“Oh my God!” Madison screeched, and then hell broke loose. I smirked as one of Katsia’s guards hit Nate square in the face with his fist, and a loud crack sounding out. Nate fell to the floor. The guard jumped on him, pulling out his own knife and sinking it into Nate’s stomach. Madison started screaming again in the background. Scarlet jumped in front of a stray bullet that was heading straight for Madison. It hit her in the throat with a loud clap and she fell to the ground, Hector’s arm shooting out to catch her. “Scarlet!”

I pounced forward, grabbing hold of the guard’s throat that stabbed Nate and twisted effortlessly until the snap vibrated through my bones. My head whipped to where Bishop was fighting with two of Katsia’s men. One had a knife and the other had nothing but his hands. I was about to walk towards him when a sharp pain ripped through my leg. I paused, slowly turning around. My attention went down to the long machete that was sticking out of my leg, and then I smirked, bringing my eyes to Katsia’s man. I pulled it out, flicked it around on my fingers, and then launched it into his neck, where it sliced it right off. A puddle of blood bubbled where his head was once attached before he finally slid to the ground. I could see Tate lying on the floor heaving, blood was coming out of her mouth and she had a knife sticking out of her upper thigh.

“I’m fine!” she snapped at me. “Go help Madison!”

Spyder pulled Tate into his arms and flicked his wrist to Bishop. “Fucking go, demon boy!” I spun around, just in time to see Madison weeping near Scarlet, holding her hand.

Bishop roared, “Mom!” shoving one of the men off him. More Kings flew in behind Bishop, after fighting off more of Katsia’s men and taking out the two that he was fighting.