The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(78)

Time to drop a house on a bitch.

I lowered my arm as I moved into place, so that I stood directly in the center of the entranceway of the room. “I have a better idea,” I stated, voice level. “How about we make sure that the two of them are the only ones to make it out of the room alive?”

A shrug sent my jacket falling to the floor. I reached for the Browning under my left arm and removed it. Then I leveled the barrel at Revenald.

He didn’t even flinch. “I knew I should have killed you.”

“You’re right.” I smiled and flicked off the safety. “You should have.”

“Bring her to me.” He waved at the vampires around him. “I want her on her knees.”

All of the vampires moved to do as he said—with the exception of Joseph. I wanted to congratulate him on remembering my warning to him weeks before.

“You heard him.” I kept my gun up, smile intact, and issued the order that would make things so much easier. “On. Your. Knees.”

The amulet burned my flesh, coming to life, strengthening my necromancy and allowing me to control the undead in the room. They dropped like flies, the motion seamless and instant. Even poor Joseph plopped down like a good little puppy waiting for a Scooby Snack. It took Revenald a moment to comprehend what he was seeing, but when the message sank in, he went from carefree to furious.

“This isn’t possible. The rumor was a hoax. If you held such power you would have protected your lovers and sibling when you had the chance.”

So that was what he wanted. To see if the rumors were true. And he was right, I would have tried to save Paine and Disco if I’d had the amulet earlier. The timing was off, but he was about to get the show he expected. Once I started, I wouldn’t finish until the bastard begged for forgiveness.

“Shit happens,” I replied, striding into the room, fury and desolation raging through my veins. “Rules change.”

Revenald stood, jaw clenching. “I’m going to kill you.”

“You’ve said that already, and I don’t think so.”

When he rushed me, I was ready. Silver wouldn’t kill him, but it would slow him down. I took aim and fired, nailing him with a bullet in the eye. The second shot was slightly off, hitting him just below the socket, creating a large, gooey hole in his face. He stopped in his tracks, roared like an enraged lion, and brought his hands up to cover his wounds.

“You, you, you, and you.” I looked at the vampires to my right. “Don’t let Revenald leave this room. Pin him to the ground and keep him there.” They obeyed the order, rising to their feet and running to Revenald. They took him to the ground, pinning his arms and legs.

I peered to my left, motioning at the vampires who watched me with a heavy dose of fear in their eyes. “You, you, you, and you, make sure Lady Victoria here keeps her ass in her chair. She’s not to go anywhere.”

To her credit, Victoria tried to run. She made it from the chair only to be caught mid-run and returned to her seat. The vampires wrapped their arms around her shoulders and forearms, keeping her in place. The electricity under my skin tingled, continuing to grow. It seemed that with each order, the amulet became more powerful. It beckoned to me, wanting me to demolish the entire room. I fought the urge, focusing instead of my primary target.


Anton.

The cocky f*cker hadn’t even moved. No sir, he remained exactly where he was, a sadistic smirk on his face. So he wanted a fight? Good. So did I.

I clicked on the safety to the Browning and tucked it back under my arm. I wouldn’t go easy on the half-demon. I would make him suffer for what he’d done. He’d taken not only my friend, but the man Disco considered a brother. Although nothing could bring Paine back, I could make sure that his death was avenged. I owed him that much at least.

“I’ve grown tired of you,” I said, advancing on him, gauging his response.

“So you’re going to kill me?” Anton asked, arching a brow. “That is what your master said before I ripped apart his chest and feasted on his heart’s blood.”

“Oh yeah, I’m going to kill you.” My voice lowered into a snarl, a mirror of my misery. “Dead. Deaded. Gone.”

He placed his hands on the arms of his chair, preparing to rise. “I’m going to love seeing you try.”

Then he was flying at me, barreling across the short distance. We met in a flurry of fists, hard punches landing on each of our faces. I embraced the pain, allowed it to feed me. I tasted the blood creeping from the corner of my mouth, saw that despite my fist, Anton showed no signs of injury. He tried to use his incredible speed to get behind me and seemed shocked when I countered his move, ensuring we remained facing each other.

“So it wasn’t a hoax. You are not what you seem,” he said, eyes narrowed, green irises glowing like neon.

I refused to answer as we circled each other, looking for an opening, anxious to make a move. He threw another punch and I slapped his fist away with my open hand. When he repeated himself, I did the same thing, only this time I used my free arm to clock him in the chin. His next move was a kick that landed in the center of my stomach, knocking me back several feet. I huffed and tried to breathe, remaining upright. Again we circled, two animals searching for weaknesses, beasts on the hunt for blood. One wrong move and a victor would be chosen.

I knew I was prolonging the inevitable. All I had to do was to take the bastard down, pull out Sucker and put an end to the miserable creature’s life. But it didn’t seem fair to let him go so easily, to kill him without removing the arrogance from his face.