Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(95)

Christian smiled with provoking mockery as if to say "bad luck mate," and Gabriel gnashed his teeth in frustration. For the first time, Gabriel looked confused and furious as if he couldn't fathom how his opponent kept getting the best of him. In aggravated rage, his gaze locked on Victoria and something ugly kindled in his eyes.

He teleported again, but this time it was into Victoria's cell. He grasped her by her hair and kissed her wetly on the mouth. She fought him, clumps of hair coming loose in his hand and scratching at his face with her nails. His mouth curled. He backhanded her across the face, and she stumbled back, her head colliding with the wall. Victoria slid to the floor, barely conscious. Gabriel regarded Christian through the transparent door and smirked before teleporting back into the main room.

Game on.

Christian was livid. The fury drove through his muscles but despite its intensity, he knew that he had to be careful. Gabriel was a warlock, a powerful warlock if his offensive magic was any indication. Christian waited, his fury simmering.

"I'm going to have to teach her how to do that correctly," Gabriel said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"What? Have her scratch your face off properly you mean?" Christian said, unable to resist the jibe. Gabriel's fingers went automatically to his face where he felt the slight sting where she had scratched him. Little hellcat. He lunged toward Christian with the knife and at the same time summoned his energy, blasting a ball of energy exactly to where Christian leapt.

"Noceo!"

The force of the physical attack spell threw Christian off his feet and slammed him against the wall. The sharp crack of bone echoed. Christian's body slumped to the ground and he pulled himself to his knees just as Gabriel appeared, brandishing the knife like a conquering hero. Christian let Gabriel haul him up, pretending to be insensible from the blow and waited for it. Sure enough, Gabriel's next action was predictable and he sliced him from shoulder to waist with the knife. Christian heard Victoria's muffled scream and saw Gabriel's eyes grow giddy with success.

"Your luck just ran out," Gabriel hissed triumphantly. Blood darkened the light blue shirt in an unerring line, the material billowing open. He was so busy waiting for the sounds of agony that his eyes barely registered that the sheared skin was rapidly knitting itself together until the white expanse of skin was smooth and unmarred as if it had never been slashed. He raised incredulous eyes to Christian's silvery, feral gaze that was not at all insensible as his lips pulled back over glistening white long, sharp incisors in a ferocious snarl.

Vampire!

"My turn," whispered Christian. He swung his arm with inhuman speed, smashing Gabriel's head so hard that it snapped to the side and his body tumbled back into a faded club chair. Christian whirled and pounced on him before he could even get up. He grabbed the fallen knife and carved Gabriel's face from hairline to lip.

Gabriel screamed in agony, kicking savagely to lessen Christian's hold and screaming a fire curse at the same time. Moving with incredible speed, Christian dodged the spell with some effort and spun around to land just to Gabriel's left, the curse exploding like a Molotov cocktail against the wall behind him.

The blood leaking down the side of Gabriel's face drove Christian mad—he could feel the hunger and rage obliterating all conscious thought as he twisted Gabriel's arm up behind his back and sank his teeth into Gabriel's neck. His blood was so unexpectedly sweet, forbidden as it was to vampires that the shocking taste if it befuddled Christian's senses briefly, and the blow to his head caught him off-guard, sending him spinning.

Christian sprang to the side in a low crouch wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. No wonder it was forbidden for vampires to bite them, their blood was like a rich elixir infused by magic. Gabriel glared at him, sneering as he said a spell that healed the oozing tear on his face and the wound on his neck.

"Touch me again, you filth, and it will be the last thing you do," he seethed.

"Surprised, warlock?" Christian said. Gabriel scowled, the stunned shock on his face evident. His eyes flickered to Victoria's. Hers, however, showed no surprise. Gabriel's face turned black with rage as the realization hit him.

"You knew? You knew about him?" he spat at Victoria. "You knew what he was all along and you still chose that animal over me? You would defile yourself and who you are with him? You disgust me. When I'm through with him, you're going to pay for your disloyalty to your own kind ... and to me."

He flicked his hand and a slight murmur of his lips made her skin blister fiercely as if it had been doused with lye, and a second flick of his wrist made the door became opaque. Her scream echoed through the door. Gabriel's lip curled in a sneer as momentary rage cracked Christian's composure.

"Don't worry, that was just a teaser of what awaits her when I'm done with you." He smiled. "I like the sound of her screaming, don't you? Shall we hear it again?" he said, starting to wave his hand to inflict more pain on Victoria. Christian moved so quickly that Gabriel had barely registered the movement until he was right in front of him.

"Do that again and I promise it will be the last thing you do," Christian said, echoing Gabriel's threat. In one swift motion, his fist crunched into Gabriel's face, the force of his blow shattering the bones beneath it as Gabriel's body flew backward across the room. Gabriel gurgled something in mid-air, buffeting himself magically as he landed safely on the ground. He spat a mouthful of blood to the floor.