Vengeance (The Captive #6)(71)

He lurched back to his feet as the other vamp leapt up and drove a solid punch straight into his back. William bit back a cry as one of his ribs gave way beneath the blow. He spun around, swinging his hand out and backhanding the vamp across the cheek. The vampire staggered back, but three more white cloaked vampires surged forward to take his place.

The fist that landed on his cheek knocked him back. He crashed into the wall of the house. He didn’t have a chance to recover before more punches drove into his stomach and chest. Bending over, William tried to protect himself from the group now surrounding him the best he could. Blood filled his mouth; his chest felt as if it were collapsing beneath the battering fists. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought a vertebra broke in his back when a boot pummeled it.

He realized they might beat him to death before Kane stopped them. His plan may have been more insane than he’d first thought. He couldn’t allow them to kill him where Tempest might be able to see it. Launching himself off the wall, he threw his arms out and managed to tackle two of the men beating on him. They crashed into the snow and rolled away from the house.

Don’t be watching. He hoped Tempest was nowhere near the window anymore. That she had fled the living room when Kane had started to approach the building. He hadn’t planned on any of this to happen near the orphanage, but he’d had to stop Kane from going inside.

Hands grabbed at the back of his cloak, jerking him to his feet where more blows landed on his stomach and face. Blood exploded into his mouth when his cheek smashed up against his teeth. His nose shattered with a loud crunch. Agony lanced through his head; his vision blurred, but he couldn’t grab at his nose like he wanted to do as his arms were being held by two other vampires.

Another one stepped forward, but before the vamp could start to beat on him too, a commanding voice rang out, “Stop!”

Distorted and a little garbled most likely from blood in his mouth, William still recognized it immediately as Kane’s voice. Parting the vampires surrounding him, Kane stepped before him and grabbed hold of William’s chin. He tried to jerk away from Kane’s repulsive touch, but Kane’s fingers dug into the flesh of his chin and held firm. The left side of Kane’s face still looked like a smashed pumpkin. The right side had fared better, but not by much.

Kane’s eyes were questioning as they searched his battered and bloody face. “How are you still alive?”

William could feel the blood from inside his mouth smearing across his teeth when he smiled at him. “Funny little thing about my family, we’re tough to kill.”

Kane’s eyes glistened with red, his jaw clenched so tightly that William could hear his teeth grinding together. He continued to smile at Kane, even with knowing what was coming next. His head shot back when Kane punched him square in his already battered nose. Blackness swept over him, threatening to drag him into its depths, but passing out now would get him nowhere and ruin everything.

His head lulled on his shoulders; stars burst before his eyes. He blinked back the blood trickling from his forehead into one of his eyes as he strived to keep his eyes open. The broken vertebra was making it difficult for him to continue standing. It felt like someone was digging needles into his spine and twisting them around in there.

“You have no idea what you walked into here boy, but you will most certainly come in handy,” Kane replied.

He’d been hoping Kane would think him useful when he’d set out to find him. Kane casually wiped his hand on the front of William’s robe, drawing his attention to the once pristine material. Splatters of blood had turned the white robe into a macabre painting of red and pink that matched the snow beneath his feet.

Certain he wouldn’t pass out, William lifted his head to meet Kane’s gaze. “I am going to kill you,” he vowed.

“Doubtful, especially with your aim.” Kane gestured at where the stake had pierced him just shy of his heart. The only sign he’d been impaled there was the hole in his shirt and the large bloodstain around it. “Not as tough or as lethal as you thought you were.”

William smirked at him in response; he’d never missed before, and he hadn’t this time either. Kane’s scar pulled awkwardly at his lips when he sneered at him.

“Are we taking him to the prison?” one of the men holding his arm inquired.

“No, he’s going to the hotel. The queen will want to meet him,” Kane replied.

“Why would she care about this little piss ant?”

“He’s far more than what he seems.”

“Then what is he doing here?”

Kane grinned as he leaned closer to him. “I killed him once and apparently it didn’t take. It will next time. A pity, you made it this far, survived for this long, and all for nothing. How does that make you feel?” he taunted.

“Like a champion.” William smiled back at him before spitting a gob of blood into the snow at Kane’s feet.

Kane’s hand lashed out to strike him across the face so fast he barely saw the movement before his head jerked to the side with enough force to give him whiplash and make his head spin even worse.

“Search him!” Kane commanded.

Before William could recover, the cloak was ripped from his body. The harsh jerk caused the cloth to cut into his neck. He could feel the line of warm blood tickling down his neck and back. Hands searched rapidly over him, grabbing at his armpits, waist, groin and legs. The stakes and crossbow still on him were thrown into the snow.