She watched me. I sensed her the whole time. Even when Brayden hauled her by the chain to sit on his lap as he groped her in front of others, she kept glancing at me. She kept shoving against Brayden, and I loved seeing her fighting the bastard.
I’m not going anywhere, baby.
“Did you hear me, or are you stupid?” the man barked in my face.
I swallowed hard, and just as I reluctantly said, “Sure,” Hendrix charged the party. Ten feet tall, black fur all over his body, he’d unleashed his monster. Sharp spikes ran down his back, his black fur glinting beneath the lights. Claws extended, he threw himself at the nearest table, his eyes red at the blood he’d spilled from the throat of the old fart he’d just slashed open.
Oh, fun. The real party was starting.
It all happened so fast, and the moment he unleashed an ungodly road, exposing his serrated shark-like teeth, the whole room turned into chaos.
Caspian was on his heels, hurling blades at everyone and anyone, with a gun in his other hand peppering the crowd, taking them out so fast you’d miss it if you blinked.
My heart thundered with adrenaline for Syn.
I turned toward her, the man who seconds ago was in my face racing back in her direction. I lunged, snatched him by the scruff of his neck, and yanked him back. Snatching the sides of his head, I twisted it so hard, so aggressively, that the cruel snap of his spine announced his finality.
That was when the strange woman in the black dress charged for my brothers. I already felt the sizzle of power running up my arms. She was a fucking witch.
Just as she hurled her hands out, sparks dancing on her fingertips, a silvery glint caught my attention. An envelope opener spun through the air with lightning speed, coming from Caspian’s direction.
Thwack.
It struck the witch, right in the eye, piercing deeply, and I didn’t need to be a doctor to know she wasn’t going to be getting up any time soon. She convulsed, her knees dropping, and she fell hard, her body shuddering, her cries ignored. Those around her ran over her in their panic.
Hell yeah.
Caspian punched the air in his own victory dance, then flung himself toward three guards. Hendrix was leaving a trail of blood behind him, torn bodies, and terrifying screeches from those trying to escape him.
Gunshots rang in the air, and I ducked as I tossed the man in front of me aside.
I sprinted toward Syn while most of the guards charged for my brothers. Our backup guards poured into the area too, and like planned…the night turned into a bloodbath.
But nothing mattered unless we saved Syn. I threw myself toward her as she frantically pulled against the chain Brayden held. He was attempting to escape back through the ballroom while a group of guards flanked him on either side. “Protect me,” he yelled at them like the sullen shithead he was.
“Stop fighting me, you bitch,” he snarled, hatred in his eyes for Syn. Then he slapped her hard across her face. In an instant, Syn flew at him, her small fist knocking right into his nose. My girl was fierce and I fucking loved it. He shoved her backward, raising a hand to her when a guard grabbed his arm to drag him away. Syn stumbled behind them no matter how much she dug her heels in and yanked against him.
Fire torched my insides.
She kept looking at me frantically, tears running down her cheek, then stared out at Hendrix and Caspian who carved a path of death and destruction through the crowd. Others screamed and tried to escape back through the ballroom as well thanks to the large fence with spikes that surrounded the courtyard.
“Syn,” I called out, rushing up behind them.
I grabbed her wrist, whispering, “I’ve got you. I’m here for you.” Then I tore at the metal fetter around her neck, unlatching it, freeing her. Syn’s skin was red from where it rubbed her, and a growl ripped from my throat at the marks.
“Get the fuck away from her,” Brayden snarled, but I was so fucking furious that I hurled the metal collar in my hand right at his fucking face with all the force behind me. It whacked him dead center in the face, blood gushing from his already broken nose, not to mention the huge scratch across the face.
He recoiled, crying out like a child, clasping his bloody face.
“You sonofabitch,” I cried out. “I’m going to chop you up and feed you to the sharks. And even then, that’s not enough punishment to make up for what you’ve done.”
“She’s not yours. She never will be,” he snarled, blood rolling down his nose.
“River.” My angel tugged at my arm. “You came for me.”
I turned to her, my heart bleeding for her… knowing that deep in my soul, I’d give her anything she wanted. My emotions were not things I often shared or even permitted myself luxury in exploring. But now, they ran rampant.
“We’ll get out of here in just a minute. But first, Brayden is going to suffer as are the others in this place.” I grabbed her arm, holding her close just as a furious Caspian arrived, hurling himself at Brayden’s guards.
Blood. Death…anarchy surrounded us. I welcomed it, but I also needed to get Syn somewhere safe.
A sudden boom exploded around us. It was earth-shattering, my ears ringing. It came so fast, so hungry, that it ripped the ballroom in half.
Walls shaking, floors cracking open, and everyone thrown in every direction. The front wall of the ballroom fell away. Plumes of smoke billowed around us, chunks of the ceiling falling down.
Fuck, had someone bombed the mansion? The smell of something burning filled my nostrils, the smell stinging my eyes.
Syn’s terror-filled scream covered me in shivers, and in a flash, she was ripped from my grasp. I frantically called out after her, panic tearing me in two.
She vanished behind the wall of grey dust. Everyone was screaming, running madly in every direction, and I no longer heard her. But I threw myself in the direction I saw her vanish, blindly rushing into anyone in my way.
“Syn. Syn!” I bellowed, my heart thumping against my ribcage.