Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(30)

“Actually, I don’t think I know you at all, Samuel,” she said, her voice carefully devoid of emotion. No use provoking the crazy vampire. “If you don’t want sex, then what do you want?”

He shrugged. “I’m not an animal, but I am ambitious.”

“Big shocker,” she muttered.

Since her arrival at the compound she’d been aware of Samuel’s insatiable obsession with gaining the approval of the Ruah. She truly thought he would get on his knees and kiss Kostas’s ass if it would earn him brownie points.

“So long as you’re around I’m always going to come in second place.”

“Second place?” She frowned at the bitterness in his voice. “Are we in a competition I didn’t know about?”

“We’ve been competing since we were brought here, sweetie.” He reached to grasp her chin in a crushing grip. “Of all the recruits the two of us have emerged the strongest. Why else do you think the Ruah have pitted us against one another over and over?”

She made no effort to escape his hold, still hoping to bring an end to the madness without violence.

“I thought we were supposed to be a team?”

“There’s only room for one at the top.” His smile faded to reveal the cold, empty hunger that burned deep in his eyes. “And since I’m honest enough to admit that I can’t win in a fair fight, I’ve decided to get rid of you with less than honorable means.”

Okay.

Any hope of ending this with a smile and a handshake died a painful death.

“This is crazy, Samuel,” she breathed. “I’m not your enemy.”

“But you are.” He tightened his grip, her jaw cracking beneath the strain. “So long as you exist you will always be the golden child of the Addonexus.”

She hissed at the pain flooding through her body. “What the hell does that mean?”

“You’ll always be given the best assignments, along with the glory.”

“What glory? We work in secret.”

He shook his head, refusing to acknowledge the truth of her accusation.

“No. I won’t live in your shadow.”

“Samuel ...”

She slumped forward, as if overcome by the silver poisoning her body and sapping her strength. Instinctively he reached to catch her, which was all the opening Jaelyn needed. Using his forward momentum to her advantage, she grasped his arms and flipped him over her hip.

He cursed, landing on his feet at an awkward angle. He swiftly recovered. He was, after all, blessed with the same gifts that she was. But it gave her just enough room to leap over the desk, covertly snatching the letter opener out of its stand on the way.

Samuel straightened, his eyes glittering with a hate he’d kept hidden for years.

“You’ll pay for that, bitch.”

Jaelyn didn’t bother to respond, her concentration narrowed to the smooth pearl handle of the letter knife that was clutched in her fingers and the distance to her opponent’s heart. Samuel’s problem had always been his love for the dramatic.

Jaelyn was a killer. Cold, clean, efficient.

Samuel was a braggart.

“Nothing to say before you die?” he taunted, reaching behind his back to pull out the handgun he’d tucked in the waistband of his shorts. “No pleas for mercy? Or perhaps you’d rather barter? Are you ready to spread your legs now, my dear?”

She balanced her weight, her gaze never wavering from the center of his chest.

The silver was draining her strength at a dangerous pace. She would have one chance to strike.

She intended to make it a killing blow.

“Fine, I’ll make up some cool shit for you when I describe your death scene for the poor, grieving Ruah.”

She sensed the moment his finger squeezed the trigger, and with one fluid motion she was leaping through the air. The bullet sliced through her lower calf, but she ignored the pain as she landed directly before him. She would have a fraction of a second before he could shoot again.

All the time she needed.

With blinding speed she was stabbing the knife directly into Samuel’s heart, watching as the blue eyes widened in agonized shock.

“No ...”

Allowing his panic to overcome his training, Samuel dropped the gun and grasped her wrist, attempting to yank the weapon from his heart. Jaelyn, however, was already slicing through his chest, ruthlessly ignoring his hoarse cry.

The crimson blood spilled down the ivory skin of his chest, filling the room with the scent of death.

Distantly Jaelyn was aware of the door being pushed open and the cold rush of power that warned a vampire was entering the room, but she didn’t allow her concentration to waver.

Samuel was weakening, but so was she.

Driving him backward, she pinned his flailing body against the wall. Then, with the clinical detachment that had been drilled into her over the past three decades, she used the knife to cut off his head.

It was a slow, messy business, but she never wavered. Not until Samuel’s head rolled across the floor, halting at the heavily booted feet of the large vampire standing near the door.

Feeling oddly hollow, Jaelyn allowed her gaze to travel from the lifeless eyes of Samuel up the well-honed body covered in black fatigues to the square face that was all too familiar.

“Kostas,” she breathed, dropping the bloody knife.