Dark Desire by Lauren Dawes

gun muzzles pointed in their directions and ducking under sharp blades aimed for their chests. Before any blow could land, Galen would fade to a new position, confusing his opponent, opening them up for a fatal hit. He made sure his kills were extra violent—instead of going for a straight slash to the throat, he chose to cut open the humans’ bellies first to let their intestines spill out onto the floor. He materialized directly in front of one human, wrenching the butterfly knife the man had been brandishing free of his hand before he could strike. With practiced movements, he slid the man’s own weapon into his solar plexus before punching the handle in and up, into his heart.
    When there was no other movement in the warehouse, Galen looked up to see where Rhys was. The Mare was literally dripping in warm blood, the spray from severed arteries covering his face and neck until only his stark white teeth and pale blue eyes could be seen.
    Taking a look around, Galen counted fourteen humans. Their blood was pooling into tacky puddles on the floor around their dead bodies.
    “Let’s go find Allesi.”
    Stalking through the warehouse, Galen was surprised that he hadn’t already seen the cocksucker. Perhaps he was the kind of man who didn’t like to get his hands dirty. Yeah, that had to be it. After scouring the lower level, Galen moved towards a set of metal stairs. Music was pouring out from under the door of the room perched at the top.
    Rhys followed at his back, protecting him against possible attack. There was no doubt in Galen’s mind that Rhys would give up his life for him. His loyalty was embedded in his DNA.
    There was a small window beside the door. Galen looked in, seeing the man from the dossier asleep in an office chair—his legs propped up on a desk covered in bricks of white powder. Galen frowned. For someone who was supposedly running a clandestine operation, it didn’t seem smart to fall asleep on the job.
    Bringing the tip of his machete up to the glass, Galen tapped once, twice, three times. Allesi awoke with a start. The man blinked dumbly at the bloodied weapon, a crease forming between his brows … then his eyes widened as he realized the blade was attached to a hand and that hand was attached to Galen.
    Allesi began reaching under his arm, but Galen stopped him with a measured shake of his head. The man froze, thinking for a heartbeat before going for his weapon in any case. Before Allesi could point the muzzle at the window, Galen and Rhys were already inside the room, sharing the same air, breathing in his fear and his anger.
    “Who the fuck—” he sputtered, stopping abruptly when Galen tutted at him as though he were a recalcitrant child. He really was in no position to be making demands. After hauling him out of the chair, Rhys pressed the length of his bloody hunting knife along Allesi’s neck.
    “You’ve been a very naughty boy, haven’t you, Allesi?” Galen taunted, looking the man square in the eye. Allesi’s brown eyes widened with fear, a new wave of the acrid stench hitting Galen’s nostrils. He breathed in deeply, holding it in his lungs for a moment.
    “Oh, God,” Allesi whispered, realization dawning. “Whatever Craine is paying you, I’ll pay you double,” he said, his voice quivering.
    Galen stared coldly.
    “I … I can give you a cut of my profits.” Allesi spoke rapidly, his voice getting higher.
    “How much?” Galen inquired, meeting Rhys’s eyes with a smirk. He liked this game.
    “Three percent.”
    “I’m sure you could do better than that,” Rhys murmured darkly beside his head.
    Allesi’s whole body shook, his bladder releasing in fear. Galen stared down at the puddle of piss collecting on the floor before looking back into Allesi’s face.
    “F-f-five percent,” Allesi stammered.
    “Ten,” Galen countered, thoroughly enjoying himself.
    The human’s eyes darted around wildly. “Ten,” he agreed, still shaking, still stinking of fear.