shaking all over, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or from pain.
“Let her go,” I hissed.
The Marquis hopped off the hood of the car and sauntered over to me. He touched my stomach, and I shivered. I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let him see my fear.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled.
He smirked and stepped away. “I was just remembering old times. I apologize.”
“Kaden,” Jessica croaked.
“I know,” I told her. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
The knot in my stomach tightened. I didn’t want to move. I was inches away from the devil himself, smelling more fresh blood than I had in a long time, and I wanted my human back.
“We’ll let you take her body with you.” Francesca glowered.
“Enough,” I hissed. “I’ve had enough. Give her to me.”
Both Francesca and the Marquis laughed, setting me over the edge. I picked up a steel bar and threw it at the Marquis’s chest. He dodged it, grabbed it in midair, and plunged it into Jessica’s heart.
Jessica’s breath caught in her throat as blood began to pour out of her wound. She looked at me, pleading with her eyes for help, but it was too late. Her head fell limp, and she stopped feeling pain.
My hands balled, and my Nikes sunk into the mud as I got ready to charge at the Marquis. Francesca dropped Jessica’s body into the mud and appeared between us. My fist met her face, sending her tumbling backward.
The Marquis’s ivory cane landed on my shoulder. The scales, carved carefully to replicate a dragon body, dug into my skin. The top of the cane, the dragon’s head complete with ruby eyes, ripped through my clothing as he dragged it back toward him.
I grabbed onto it with my left hand and pulled. The Marquis pulled even harder, and I stumbled. Francesca took the chance and sank her fangs into my forearm. Blood poured freely from the wound, and I was struck by a wave of dizziness. I hissed and tore her off my arm, taking a chunk of flesh with her. Searing pain ran up my arm, and I fought not to black out.
“You’ve gotten weak,” Francesca said, wiping her mouth.
She was right. I had. After years of peace, with no one to fight, I had lost my touch. I was out of practice. But it was like riding a bicycle. My body remembered. I just had to trust it.
“It’s the diet,” the Marquis said solemnly. “The master won’t like it.”
That was also true, but there was nothing I could do about it. To break my promise to myself now would put me back at the beginning. With Merv dead, I was going to have to find some other way of getting around it.
A helicopter with a spotlight started circling above us. The propellers were cutting the air with a loud whoosh. It would only be a matter of seconds before it spotted us. Even if we could evade the police after being spotted, it was better not to be seen at all.
Francesca and the Marquis took off into the night, leaving me standing in the muddy yard with Jessica. The sleeve of my sweater had a huge gaping hole where my skin had already healed. But the blood had soaked through it and the left leg of my jeans. The tear in my right shoulder wasn’t nearly as bad, but it still left a bloody trail. I was soaked and covered in mud and was completely pissed.
I spared one last look at Jessica before forcing my feet to carry me out of that yard. “I’m sorry,” I told her body. And I was.
Chapter 10
The slush stopped when I got home as if on cue. Flo was on the porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She was shielding her eyes, watching me stumble up the driveway. The fact that she was waiting for me raised a red flag. I could only imagine what she had to tell me. I walked by her shaking my head. I wasn’t ready to hear it. I couldn’t process anything else tonight. I wanted to take a shower, crawl into bed, and forget the evening had ever happened.
“What happened?” she demanded, following me into the house.
I kicked off my soggy
“Let her go,” I hissed.
The Marquis hopped off the hood of the car and sauntered over to me. He touched my stomach, and I shivered. I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let him see my fear.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled.
He smirked and stepped away. “I was just remembering old times. I apologize.”
“Kaden,” Jessica croaked.
“I know,” I told her. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
The knot in my stomach tightened. I didn’t want to move. I was inches away from the devil himself, smelling more fresh blood than I had in a long time, and I wanted my human back.
“We’ll let you take her body with you.” Francesca glowered.
“Enough,” I hissed. “I’ve had enough. Give her to me.”
Both Francesca and the Marquis laughed, setting me over the edge. I picked up a steel bar and threw it at the Marquis’s chest. He dodged it, grabbed it in midair, and plunged it into Jessica’s heart.
Jessica’s breath caught in her throat as blood began to pour out of her wound. She looked at me, pleading with her eyes for help, but it was too late. Her head fell limp, and she stopped feeling pain.
My hands balled, and my Nikes sunk into the mud as I got ready to charge at the Marquis. Francesca dropped Jessica’s body into the mud and appeared between us. My fist met her face, sending her tumbling backward.
The Marquis’s ivory cane landed on my shoulder. The scales, carved carefully to replicate a dragon body, dug into my skin. The top of the cane, the dragon’s head complete with ruby eyes, ripped through my clothing as he dragged it back toward him.
I grabbed onto it with my left hand and pulled. The Marquis pulled even harder, and I stumbled. Francesca took the chance and sank her fangs into my forearm. Blood poured freely from the wound, and I was struck by a wave of dizziness. I hissed and tore her off my arm, taking a chunk of flesh with her. Searing pain ran up my arm, and I fought not to black out.
“You’ve gotten weak,” Francesca said, wiping her mouth.
She was right. I had. After years of peace, with no one to fight, I had lost my touch. I was out of practice. But it was like riding a bicycle. My body remembered. I just had to trust it.
“It’s the diet,” the Marquis said solemnly. “The master won’t like it.”
That was also true, but there was nothing I could do about it. To break my promise to myself now would put me back at the beginning. With Merv dead, I was going to have to find some other way of getting around it.
A helicopter with a spotlight started circling above us. The propellers were cutting the air with a loud whoosh. It would only be a matter of seconds before it spotted us. Even if we could evade the police after being spotted, it was better not to be seen at all.
Francesca and the Marquis took off into the night, leaving me standing in the muddy yard with Jessica. The sleeve of my sweater had a huge gaping hole where my skin had already healed. But the blood had soaked through it and the left leg of my jeans. The tear in my right shoulder wasn’t nearly as bad, but it still left a bloody trail. I was soaked and covered in mud and was completely pissed.
I spared one last look at Jessica before forcing my feet to carry me out of that yard. “I’m sorry,” I told her body. And I was.
Chapter 10
The slush stopped when I got home as if on cue. Flo was on the porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She was shielding her eyes, watching me stumble up the driveway. The fact that she was waiting for me raised a red flag. I could only imagine what she had to tell me. I walked by her shaking my head. I wasn’t ready to hear it. I couldn’t process anything else tonight. I wanted to take a shower, crawl into bed, and forget the evening had ever happened.
“What happened?” she demanded, following me into the house.
I kicked off my soggy
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