Bad Mouth(38)

Her hand gripped Ezra’s and the words burst from her like floodwaters behind a dam. “I love him, Ezra.”

He nodded. “I know that.”

“I never told him.” A panicky feeling struck her at that thought.

He smiled and squeezed her hand soothingly. “Come, let’s stand back here. He can’t afford to know you’re here.”

She didn’t need to ask why—she couldn’t distract Kade.

The pair of adversaries were both sweating and out of breath. Both wore blood from a few strikes that had landed at some point, but neither looked as if they were ready to lose the battle. They faced each other with swords at the ready, though a lull had fallen between them. Val couldn’t help scrutinizing every visible inch of Kade for injuries. It took everything she had not to rush in between the vampires and put an end to this senseless duel.

“Why try so hard, Kade?” the Rex taunted. “I will always be your better. I’ve lived more than twice your lifetime.”

Kade circled Olen slowly, most likely watching for a moment of weakness. “So when’s the last time you’ve actually fought, Old One? Longer than I’ve been alive.”

“You can’t lead the Immortalis. You haven’t lived long enough.” Olen matched steps with Kade, keeping them face-to-face He didn’t seem worried about the outcome of the battle.

“That won’t stop me from taking it.” Kade grinned in that cocky way of his, and it did the trick, if enraging his father was the goal.

Olen roared and lunged. Val choked off a gasp, but Kade leaned into the attack. Her man didn’t ever shy away from a fight, and he’d been waiting for this one a long time. He kept his stance and his balance. Still he couldn’t force his father back. The older vampire was incredibly strong. Olen swung in rapid succession several times. Kade blocked each strike, but he seemed to be slowing down.

“You think even if you win that you can get away with creating deranged to do your bidding?” Kade’s breath heaved as he spoke. He was losing position inch by inch as he spoke, backing away from the power of Olen’s hits. Val’s tension ramped up so high she thought she’d scream. “You think the masses will appreciate the bloodings you allow with your abominations? The Legion will never respect and follow a madman who preys on his own kind.”

Olen reeled back suddenly as if a spring had broken. Kade advanced on him, but Olen held up a hand and lowered his sword. “Stop.”

Val thought he should keep going, but Kade did as he’d been ordered, although his merry men readied their weapons. As she scanned the room, she noticed Ptolomy lounging against the wall like he hadn’t a care in the world. Whose side was he playing this evening? Her focus went back to the center of the circle until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

She caught sight of Evangeline. The woman’s hands covered her mouth and a look of stricken horror paled her face to a corpse-like color. Val had never seen the woman have one real emotion until that moment. Graham stood beside Evangeline, obviously clueless.

“What say you, Kade? What are your accusations?” Olen asked. Val’s attention snapped back to the Rex. He seemed genuinely surprised by Kade’s words.

“Accusations? I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Kade yelled. He lowered his sword and approached his father, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a snarl. “We caught Will, a deranged responsible for several bloodings. We had him in chains at an empty warehouse. And then your Enforcers broke in, attacked me and my men, and shot a VLO agent. You know damn well what you’ve done, and whether I take the Immortalis from you or not, you will pay.”

Olen dropped his sword and left his hands limp at his sides. “My son,” he said. “I have done many terrible things in my lifetime. Humanity treated me poorly, and when I had the opportunity to change my fate, to become, I swore I’d have my vengeance. And I’ve had it, many times over. The grand finale was in raising a perfectly hateful child.”

“You’re f*cking warped.” Kade’s words were hoarse. Olen had wounded him, and he hated that more than the wound itself. She could hear it in his agonized voice.

“Keeping you out of caste politics and leaving your upbringing to subjugates turned out a sound strategy. With your strong ties to both castes and your outlook on humans, you were perfectly groomed to dominate humanity without dividing the Immortalis. Sending the liaisons was our last effort to get you where you needed to be.”

“Not where I needed to be. Where you wanted me to be. This was never about me.” Kade tossed his sword aside. “But that doesn’t explain why you’d disgrace the Immortalis.”

“I did not.” Olen’s voice echoed through the hall. “The Immortalis is my life. I would not disgrace it for all the vengeance in the world.”

“What do you call creating Will and sending your Enforcers to free him? Ask Graham what happened in that warehouse.” Kade gestured in Graham’s direction. “He was there when Val was shot.”

“Val was shot?”

Val glanced at Graham, who’d yelled the question with a look of absolute shock on his face. “Where is she? Is she all right? Is she—”

Obviously he hadn’t seen her yet.

“What the f*ck do you care?” Kade growled. “You left her to die at the hands of Dominorum Enforcers. You betrayed her. You’re no better than that deranged f*ck, Will.”

“She wasn’t supposed to be there. That trap was for you,” Graham insisted.

Evangeline slapped Graham hard across the face. “Shut your mouth, you little fool.”

Olen straightened with a jerk, his face growing cold and stony. “Evangeline.” He’d said only a name, but his tone made her shiver. Lord, the Ancients were scary creatures. Would Kade ever seem that scary to her? Her eyes found him, and the sight of him warmed her. No, she could never be frightened of him. After all she’d learned of him, she had no doubt he’d use his last breath to protect her.

Evangeline stepped forward to face her mate. “My darling,” she said in her sweetest voice. “We wanted revenge. You wanted a war. I only wished to give you your greatest desire.”

“By creating abominations of our own kind?” Olen advanced on Evangeline. “You lied to me. You tried to kill our son. You would have had me kill my own child.”

Her simpering persona dropped and she hissed. “He was useless! All these years waiting and planning and waiting even more, but he never became what we’d intended.”

“He didn’t walk the path we’d chosen for him, but I’ve never been anything but proud of what he’s become. He is everything a pure vampire should be. He will rule the Immortalis with iron limbs one day.”

“He will never have the Immortalis!” Evangeline shrieked, and her arm flew up, pulling a gun from the folds of her dress and firing three shots into Kade before Olen knocked the gun from her hand.





Chapter Twenty-nine


Someone screamed, and Val realized it was her. Her out-of-body sensation left her and she raced toward Kade. He’d dropped to his knees, and his hands were at his throat. Bloody spray flecked his left shoulder and the side of his face.

“Kade!” She searched frantically for his wounds to apply pressure. “Please open your eyes. Where are you hit?” After surviving a swordfight with an Ancient, he couldn’t possibly die from a mere bullet wound.

Ezra knelt next to Kade. “Dead doesn’t suit you, my prince. Get your lazy ass up and take care of business.”

Val pushed at Ezra’s chest. “You’re not funny. Can’t you do something useful?”

Kade laughed weakly, his pain-glazed eyes opening finally to look between her and his friend. “I thought it was funny.”

Oh God, he was okay. She nearly sagged with relief. Then a wrenching wail reached through the fog of her mind. Evangeline.

Olen’s hands framed Evangeline’s face, and his voice dipped to a whisper. “What have you done? What have you become?”

“No, Olen! We can be perfect again.” She sobbed. “Don’t do this. What will you do without me?”

Don’t do what? Val frowned and then gasped when she realized Olen’s intent. To her horror, Olen gripped Evangeline’s head tighter and with a violent twist, ripped it from her body with his bare hands. Blood sprayed and Evangeline’s body thumped onto the floor. Val’s stomach rioted and shock numbed her body.

“Without you, my Domina? Without you, I will die.” Olen knelt to place Evangeline’s head lovingly on her body. Val had never seen such emotion on Olen’s face. His grief was all consuming, but when he arose, he appeared calm and collected. “Ezra,” he called.

Ezra’s head snapped up. “Yes, my lord.”

“How is the prince?”