The Rebel Queen (Outlaw 1)

I fired again but he was ready, twisting his body and moving faster than my eye could track.

“Silly bitch,” Alexander said, brushing off the bullet like it was nothing more than a mosquito bite. It seemed to have gone through and hadn’t lodged inside him like I needed it to. He kicked out and pain flared in my wrist as the gun flew out of my hand. There was a thud as it hit the floor somewhere behind me. Alexander stood over me like the elegant death bringer he was in his tailored suit and thousand dollar shoes. He’d likely worn only the best Victorian clothes back in the day, the genteel garments covering the monster he truly was. “That wasn’t ever going to stop me.”

I had to buy Lee a little time. He was moving, though slowly. I didn’t think I could pick him up or even drag him inside the apartment where he would be protected. The good news was I happened to know I was a much bigger target. I knew what this predator liked to prey on. Women. At his core, he hated all women.

It should have been no surprise he would follow Myrddin.

And I bet he was a talker. Lee’s chest was still moving. I needed time, and goddess, I needed a freaking stake. “How are you daywalking?”

I pushed myself back away from where my son was dying, tempting the beast to follow me. I dragged the bag along and had to hope I could get the gun in my hands again. If I could take out both lungs, I might have a shot at getting Lee behind the wards. When he was safely locked away, I would run like hell and get my husbands. We would do whatever it took to get Lee out, safe and whole. Surely Myrddin wouldn’t want a crazed newbie vamp running around the Council building.

Or the wizard would simply find a way to kill Lee the minute he left the safety of the wards, and that was a sure thing. If he turned here, he would rise and he would need to feed. He wouldn’t think of anything beyond blood, and that would leave him vulnerable.

I couldn’t let Myrddin kill him again. Oh, I knew it hadn’t been Myrddin who fired the shots, but he’d led Lee to that first devastating death. I couldn’t give him another chance.

Alexander held up his left hand, showing off the heavy gold ring there. It was wide and ornate, covering his ring finger almost up to the knuckle. It was the one he’d seemed fascinated with when we’d talked before. “A gift from the Dark One. Myrddin has all kinds of gifts for vampires. He’s done what Donovan should have done years ago. He’s made a deal with our brethren.”

“You mean with the demons.” I didn’t know how much time Lee had. The vampire blood he took on a regular basis should start to work soon. “He’s been making deals with demons.”

“Of course. They’re our family, so to speak. Our cousins. Donovan tried to find some supernatural utopia. He was naïve but strong. It’s why I supported him the first time around. When he disappeared, I hedged my bets. Myrddin fumbled at first, and I decided to play both sides in this war. I like to come out on top, you see. I knew something was going to happen during this meeting. I wasn’t sure what since our spymaster played it close to the vest. I decided it would be a good time to follow poor old Christine. She didn’t seem to want to go with the rest of the group to help protect our leader. Sure enough, her instincts were right and so were mine. You should know I’ve already told Myrddin you’re here. Now, I’ll take that bag and then you and I can go somewhere quiet. There are lessons I’ve longed to teach you.”

I was sure there were. I was surely the whore of his world now. That was what women were to a thing like Sharpe. Jack the Ripper had been the mask he’d worn once, but the beast underneath had never truly gone away. “He lets you kill, doesn’t he?”

“Myrddin understands that humans are less than worthless. Human females are responsible for covering the planet with their mewling, wasteful spawn.” Every word out of his mouth sounded toxic and poisonous. “When we close the gates to the celestial planes, I will be given free rein to kill as I will. The Earth plane will be my hunting grounds, and I will live as I should.”

My dumbass son wasn’t moving toward the apartment. He was starting to crawl my way. Like he could kill the vampire while he had a hole in his chest and blood pouring out of his body. Why wasn’t the vampire blood he’d taken earlier working? Danny had made sure he had it. He’d taken an extra shot. He should be healing.