And together, they watched.
* * * * *
Gregor
“Shit, one of the dudes is there,” headphone man stated, and Gregor’s mouth got tight.
Her dreams.
Abel had gone to his mate in her dream.
“Have you located where the signal is coming from?” he asked.
“I got Control on it,” the man answered.
“Get them to move faster,” Gregor ordered.
“They’re doin’ the best—”
“Get them. To move. Faster,” Gregor hissed.
The guy nodded his head.
Gregor turned his eyes back to the monitors.
* * * * *
Delilah
“Retrieve her,” Etienne ordered.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Abel warned.
“Now,” Etienne snapped.
A vampire flew forward in a blur, but he dropped headless to the ground very visibly right beside me with Abel standing over him, the dead vampire’s head in his hands.
My man.
Awesome.
Even if that was serious gross.
Etienne turned to his other side.
“You, both of you, go,” Etienne commanded.
“We gonna do this?” Abel asked tauntingly before they did as Etienne demanded, tossing the head he held underarm like it was a soccer ball being thrown in for play. “Or are you gonna get smart real fast, get on your knees, and wait for The Council to get here and take you in so you can answer for all your fucked-up shit?”
“I have two hundred and fifty immortals at my back, young Abel. Do you honestly think you can take us all?” Etienne returned, brows lifting.
“Man, wise up,” Abel shot back derisively. “I’m a destined member of The Three for a reason. So is my mate. Trust me, you do not wanna learn those reasons.”
“Honey,” I said, sidling toward him, not taking my eyes off Etienne, “don’t give away the good stuff.”
Abel’s hand shot out in a wink, capturing mine and tugging me behind his back.
“Don’t worry. She will not die. I have uses for her.” Etienne’s eyes slid down me in a way that made my stomach turn over nauseatingly and caused fury to start beating from my man. “You, we’ll take your head. But she will watch.”
“Done with this. You’re not gonna get on your knees, quit talkin’,” Abel demanded. “Time to play.”
Etienne shook his head like Abel was all kinds of stupid.
Then he said, “As you wish.” He turned to his right and nodded. “The both of you.” He turned to his left. “And both of you.” He twisted his torso and nodded three times. “You, you, and you.” He pointed beyond the supernaturals to an extra-large, extra-scary golem. “And you.”
He turned back to us and smiled, not quite finished, showing clear as day he was enjoying this.
Immensely.
“Secure the mate. Bring the hybrid to me alive.”
Eight-on-one and Abel had no weapons.
My stomach dropped.
“Now,” Etienne whispered.
* * * * *
In an Apartment Somewhere in Washington DC
“Thank God, he saved the girl,” a woman whispered, her coffee cup forgotten on the counter beside her, her eyes glued to the TV hanging from underneath her cabinets. “Now, I hope those two know what they’re doing.”
It kept going.
She kept watching.
And hoping.
* * * * *
Gregor
“Oh God, I can’t watch!” the woman with the clipboard cried, her board crashing to the ground as she turned, lifting her hands to her ears, her eyes shut tight.
Gregor turned his face to the ceiling.
“Where are The Three?” he boomed.
* * * * *
Delilah
The supernaturals shot forward.
I heard grunts.
All Abel’s.
I felt wind whipping around me.
I saw blood splatter on the Tarmac of the street.
And I knew it was the end.
Wild and free.
Wild, okay.
But not free.
Never free.
Suddenly, I heard other grunts and saw action that I could actually focus on.
My heart slid up, lodging in my throat.
Xun, Wei, and Chen were there.
Weaponless.
But also fearless.
I saw an opportunity, bent low, whipped my leg out, and hit hard. The pain spiraled from ankle to hip as I connected with what felt like a tree trunk, but I’d caught him unawares.
The golem teetered, and with ungainly swings of his arms, he fell.
He was barely on the ground for a moment before his limbs and head were torn free in a haze of motion, the parts of him tossed haphazardly but powerfully, landing houses away.
It didn’t take three minutes before all eight were headless (and one limbless), their remains scattered around me.
Xun, Wei, and Chen stood, surrounding me close, breathing heavily, their clothes bloodied, their eyes pinned to the army in front of them as Abel sauntered to the golem, picked up his torso, tore it in half, and tossed each half away from him, one at either side.
More awesome and more gross.
Whatever.
Not taking a moment even to glance at his brothers to get a lock on how they were there, he faced Etienne.
“We done now?” he asked. “Or do you want more?”
Etienne apparently was unconcerned with the loss of his followers, their headless corpses littering the street.
He was still smiling.
Man, this guy was whacked.
Suddenly, he shouted, “Humans!”
Abel, the boys, and I all braced. Abel was crouching, obviously to prepare to turn wolf; Xun, Wei, and Chen were lifting their hands and shifting their legs, bending just at the knees as if they were track stars at the starting line. But before any of us could take a breath, a line of vampires in front of us held humans in front of them.