Julian’s mouth quirked in a smile as he leaned against the doorway of the room. “You’ve got that fucking right!” he announced.
Startled sounds accompanied his statement as vampires spun toward him. They pushed against the others as they stepped hurriedly away from him. Their eyes filled with fear as they gazed between him and Devon. Julian could feel the power within him pouring forth when the crowd parted enough to let him see Quinn on the stage again. A small noise escaped her and her fingers twitched on the floor of the stage, but she made no other movement as she remained mentally restrained. Julian’s eyes never left hers as Earl began to laugh.
“Do you really think so?” Earl inquired. Quinn’s eyes closed as he ran a hand over her cheek before cupping her chin. He squeezed hard enough that he drew blood and caused her to wince.
“Don’t!” Julian barked and took a step forward.
“See, as long as we control her, we control him,” Earl announced proudly to the room. “Take him,” he commanded.
“You touch me and I’ll tear your arms off and feed them to you!” he snarled at the vampire who stepped toward him. The man took a hasty step away.
“Will you?” Earl grabbed hold of Quinn’s arms, jerking her to her feet. He brushed the hair back from her face and neck to reveal her pale throat. “From what I understand, mates are extremely possessive of what is theirs.”
Earl ran a finger down the side of Quinn’s neck. His lips skimmed back to reveal his fangs. The fire in Quinn’s eyes blazed brighter. Julian took an involuntary step toward her, torn between trying to keep his control and racing across the room to her.
“I’ll tear her throat out if you take another step toward us. It may not kill her, but it will hurt like hell,” Earl said, his finger dipping toward her cleavage. A bellow tore from Julian when Earl’s finger trailed around the upper swell of her breast. “And then perhaps I’ll let every man in this room take a turn with her. And you will watch, helplessly, if it means keeping her alive. But if you play nice, so will we.”
CHAPTER 29
Quinn remained immobile in Earl’s grasp, her gaze locked on Julian. She savored the sight of him, but she also wanted him to leave and never come back to this hideous place. These vampires couldn’t have him too. He deserved to be free from this insanity, but she knew he would never walk away from here, not without her.
Looking at him, she believed he might be able to take on every vampire in this room. Barely leashed power oozed from his pores; his eyes were the color of rubies as they shone hotly in the torchlight of the room.
The jeans he wore hugged his powerful thighs. The black t-shirt was a little bigger on him than she was used to seeing. She didn’t know what had happened, but his hair was now shaved into a buzz cut that emphasized his chiseled features. The black spots amongst the platinum of his hair looked like burn marks.
Dried blood clung to his right hand and streaked his cheek. The muscles in his arm stood out sharply. His fangs hung over his lip as he watched Earl with a look that would have many pissing themselves. She’d never seen anyone look so merciless before. If he got his chance, she had no doubt he’d tear everyone in this room apart.
Not so tough when you don’t have control of someone, hey asshole? She thought as Earl’s hand trembled against her throat.
More of the vampires fell back, eager to get out of the way as Julian took a step forward. A vampire she didn’t recognize stood by his side. The vampire’s black hair glimmered in the light; his emerald eyes surveyed the crowd with a dismissive air that would have made Quinn laugh at any other time. The vamp grabbed hold of Julian’s arm, holding him back when Julian took another step forward.
The man’s eyes focused on her before sliding to Earl. She didn’t know how she knew, but she would bet money on the vamp holding him being Devon. Her gaze slid past him, but she saw no one else in the hall beyond. She’d never met them, but she knew Devon wouldn’t be here without Cassie, and where were the others? There was no way they would have agreed to stay away. She may not have known them for long, but she knew they were loyal friends who didn’t shy away from a battle. They wouldn’t have left Julian and Devon to face this on their own. She glanced at the second floor balcony, but nothing moved up there.
“Seize him!” Earl ordered.
A few of the vampires exchanged nervous glances. Three of them stepped forward. Before she could blink, Julian lunged to the side and grabbed the arm of the one who had made a move toward him before. Quinn’s stomach turned as a sickly wet, tearing sound filled the air. The vampire screamed as blood sprayed from his now empty shoulder socket.
Julian spun the arm he’d torn from the man around. He shoved the man’s hand into his mouth and down his throat, muffling his screams. With barely a glance at the floundering man, Julian placed his foot in his stomach and shoved him back. The crowd flowed away from him as the vampire fell to the floor, writhing in agony as blood continued to pulse from his missing arm socket.
“Classy,” Devon commented dryly.
“I warned him,” Julian replied flippantly.
Julian’s face was as chilly as the arctic ice his eyes normally mirrored when his gaze came back to Earl. Blood streaked his short, white-blond hair. He took another step toward them but stopped when Earl wrapped his hand around her throat and lifted her so her toes barely touched the ground. His fingers dug into her throat, drawing blood as he tore into her flesh.
“Did she tell you how I pinned her to the ground the first time we met?” Earl inquired as his index finger stroked Quinn’s neck. “That was just the beginning of what I’ll do to her if you take another step.”
A few of the vampires started to edge toward the doors. “Shut the doors!” Julian bellowed.
She didn’t know whom he yelled at, but the doors banged closed. Everyone within the room jumped, including Quinn. Whispers of alarm washed through the crowd. A few of them took a menacing step toward Julian.
“You can’t take us all down,” one of them growled at him.
“If you behave, you may walk out of this alive,” Julian replied without looking at the man. “We’re not here for you.”
“Is that Devon?” Helena asked Marvin in a whisper that didn’t carry beyond the stage.
Earl’s hand squeezed Quinn’s throat. A small whimper escaped her before she could bite it back. Beneath his hand, her windpipe began to collapse as he dug deeper into her flesh. Julian’s nostrils flared; he took two more steps toward them. When blood spilled freely down her skin, he halted abruptly.
Devon walked forward behind him, his eyes turning crimson in color as his gaze bored into Earl.
“Earl,” Helena said as she spun toward him. “You need to take her and get out of here, right now.”
Quinn didn’t understand the note of panic in Helena’s voice, but Earl took a step back with her. Her heels dragged across the stage when he took three more steps before stopping.
“I don’t run,” Earl growled. “They are greatly outnumbered.”
Some of the vampires closed in on Julian and Devon. Others moved back further as they tried to stay out of the way of the impending battle. The power radiating from Julian and Devon caused the hair on her arms to stand up as they remained standing side by side.
They looked completely different from each other, Devon so dark and Julian so fair, but they’d hunted, killed, and fought together for centuries, and it showed in the way they moved simultaneously without saying a word to each other.
Devon’s eyes continued to bore into Earl.
“Earl, take her out of here now!” Helena snapped.
Earl kept her pinned against his chest as he reluctantly took another step back. Quinn’s foot brushed against the girl’s unmoving body on the stage when Earl came to an abrupt halt.
“Earl!” Helena spat. “Go!”
The invisible grip that had kept rigid control over her mind suddenly eased and retreated. Stunned, Quinn remained unmoving as the pain of Earl’s ment
al hold on her vanished. It couldn’t be, but when she commanded her fingers to move, they did.
Free! She was free. Devon had mind control, she recalled dazedly. No wonder Helena had been so adamant that Earl take her out of here, but it was too late now. Devon had sprung her free, and now he had a hold on Earl’s mind.
She almost laughed aloud, almost shouted with glee, but her momentary elation was buried beneath her fury. She threw up her arm, knocking Earl’s grip on her free before she snatched him by the throat. The tentacles of her power whipped free and tore into him. He bellowed and tried to jerk away from her, but she kept a stronger hold on him than an octopus on a fish.
She’d never unleashed her ability with such wrath before, but years of pent-up hatred for this man burst free. She would make him feel vulnerable in the same way he’d repeatedly made her feel vulnerable. They fell onto the stage together. The fingers of her free hand curled into his throat as she pinned him beneath her.
She dug in deeply and tore backward, ripping his throat out. She barely felt the warm blood spraying over her as she clawed and tore at him with her hands. In places where her hands didn’t touch, his skin sliced open like she’d taken a whip to him beneath the lashing assault of her ability. He’d destroyed her family, he’d had Julian killed, he’d killed her friends, and he’d used her as if she were nothing more than garbage. She would make him pay for every one of those acts.
Blood coated her and the stage as she continued to pummel and tear at him while savaging his body with the full force of her power. This release was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She loved the feeling of finally allowing her power to have free rein. Earl’s body took on the appearance of a year-old corpse as it shrank inward. His graying skin flaked and fell off as she gorged on his life force.
***
Julian’s heart leapt into his throat when Quinn spun and threw herself on Earl. Cries of rage emanated from her as she tore at him with a savagery Julian had never expected of her. He’d always known she was lethal, but Earl had pushed her to a breaking point, and now she looked like one of the furies of legend as his blood splattered over her.
“Quinn!” he shouted, but she didn’t hesitate in her attack.
Vampires swelled around them; their fear made them braver than they’d been before. Julian punched one in the nose before kicking another in the stomach. He kept his back pressed against Devon’s as they fought to make their way toward Quinn.
A vampire grabbed hold of his arm, trying to jerk him back as another sank their fangs into his arm. He smashed his fist so violently into the man’s forehead that the vamp’s fangs were still embedded in his muscle when the vamp fell away. Julian yanked the fangs free and threw them away as he grabbed hold of another vamp and twisted her head around.
For every vampire they took out, five more rose around them. Someone landed a blow against the side of his head that caused blood to trickle into his eye. He lashed out, tearing the man’s throat away and flinging it across the room. He lurched toward another vampire, but she was flung across the room before Julian could get his hands on her.
Cassie, he realized as more vampires were thrown aside by her telekinetic ability. Some of the other vampires screamed as they scrambled to get away from their unseen foe. Julian leapt forward, racing toward the stage while they were briefly distracted. A vamp seized hold of his ankle, snatching him back and nearly causing him to fall on the floor.
Spinning around, he drew his foot back and smashed it into the vamp’s face until it was nothing but mush beneath his boot. The vamp released him, but ten more jumped on top of him, burying him beneath the pig pile of their bodies. He punched and kicked at them as they clawed at his face and belly. The weight of them caused his knees to give out.
One scrambled over his chest, seeking to find his heart as its fingers tore into his flesh. He grabbed hold of the hand, snapping it back. One of the other vamps was lifted off him and tossed aside. Through the hole the vampire’s missing body created, he spotted Devon as he pulled some of the other vampires away. Over Devon’s shoulder, Julian saw Luther rising on the opposite side of the balcony from where they’d left him. He lifted his crossbow and took aim at the crowd. Chris rose up ten feet to Luther’s left and Dani ten feet to his right.
Dani didn’t have anything in her hands, but he felt a change in the pulse of the earth as she drew electricity from it. She released the wave of electricity in a rush that bowled over the vamps at the back of the room. From the other side of Chris, Melissa rose and fired arrows into the crowd. On the opposite side of the balcony, Clint and Lou emerged about fifty feet away from where they’d left them with Cassie.
Cassie’s head popped up above the wall for a second before she disappeared behind it again. Devon grabbed for a vamp; it was lifted and thrown out of the way before he could touch it. Devon blinked at the empty space before turning toward the next vampire. Julian lifted his elbow and smashed it into the cheek of another vamp, finally freeing himself from the bottom of the pile.
Howls erupted from the vamps as arrows continued to rain down on them. Some of them leapt at the balconies and grabbed hold of the red material dangling beneath the seats. They used the material to climb upward. Another draw of power shook the earth beneath his feet, but this one wasn’t coming from Dani.
“Watch out!” Dani shouted as an electrical blast erupted from a female vamp climbing one of the thick red drapes.
Dani remained the only one standing as the force of the electrical current threw the others back. Cassie’s hand shot up, a pulse of power erupting from her. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, becoming distorted and blurry as she used her Spinner ability to warp the room.
The vamps who had been climbing toward the balcony lost their grip on the material. They screamed as they toppled to the ground. Cassie could have probably burnt them all, but there was a chance she’d set the whole place on fire if she released a fireball, and he still hadn’t seen any of the others pop up again after that last electrical current.
Julian grabbed hold of another vamp and heaved him away. The man flew across the room and smashed against the back wall. Vampires scattered, running toward the doors that remained closed by Cassie’s power. Bangs resonated through the hall as the vampires beat on the doors and howled for release. Some of the others came back at him and Devon; their fangs exposed and their eyes a shining crimson color.
Julian rolled to the side and shoved himself to his feet. Quinn shouted and released Earl. She sprinted across the stage to where Helena was heading toward the back of it. Julian jumped toward the stage, but the heavy weight of a vampire slamming against his waist knocked him to the side.
CHAPTER 30
Helena stumbled back before turning to run. “No!” Quinn shouted.
She leapt off Earl and pounced on the woman before she could escape. Helena toppled beneath her weight when Quinn landed on her back. Grabbing hold of her hair, Quinn smashed her head into the floor. Helena’s movements slowed, and Quinn delved into her and latched onto her life force.
A sigh of pleasure escaped her when she felt the rush of Helena’s power filling her. There was so much of it. She’d been denied for too long, and now she had the opportunity to feast on those who had imprisoned and humiliated her. Helena’s hands shriveled on the ground; her skin turned gray and peeled back from her muscle. Her red nails sparkled in the light as a few of them fell off her brittle fingertips.
Around her, Quinn could hear shouts and the smell of blood intensified, but she continued to devour the woman beneath her. Unlike Earl, whose death she planned to savor for hours, she didn’t care if Helena died now.
Helena’s body shriveled until nothing remained of her. The dress she’d worn lay flat on the ground with her ashes around it. Quinn flicked Helena’s ashes off the tips of her fingers as she fell away from the remains.
She staggered to her feet and nearly fell over as power surged through her body and into her head. She stumbled to the
side and fell beside Earl, who was trying to drag his useless legs across the stage away from her. “No!” she yelled.
Arms wrapped around her, pulling her against a solid chest. Unable to control it, she felt the tentacles slithering out again, seeking the vast amounts of power and life she sensed in the arms embracing her.
“I’ve got you, Dewdrop,” Julian whispered against her ear. “I’m here.”
She shuddered against him. The tentacles instantly retreated as love and warmth flooded her body. “It’s okay,” he whispered, his lips brushing over her forehead. “Feed from me if you must. Take whatever you need from me.”
Helena and Earl’s life force flitted through her like a ghost trapped in a house. Julian’s life slipped in and out too, flowing to mingle within her as she returned what she’d taken from him, plus some. There was too much in her, she couldn’t handle it, but Julian was older and stronger, he could. She had used him before to fuel her power and as a source to funnel it into.
“Quinn,” he breathed. His arms clenched around her when she continued to feed life and power into him.
He launched to his feet and spun her out of the way when Marvin leapt at them with his fangs snapping. One of Julian’s arms remained latched around her waist; his other hand shot out to take hold of Marvin’s throat. The flood of life continued to flow from Quinn and into Julian. At the same time, she kept her eyes narrowed on Marvin as she began to draw from him again.
“Shit,” Julian breathed against her ear when Marvin withered and shrank within his grasp.
Julian’s heart gave a mighty kick. It pumped for fifteen beats before stopping once more. Those beats hadn’t gone unnoticed by the vampires within the room. They’d all frozen at the booming sound of life pumping within a dead man’s chest.
Quinn continued to use Julian as a conductor to drain Marvin. She relied on his vast strength to curb the rush of power and the feeling of being out of control as her body craved more and more life.