I let the anger coil in my gut, calling to the shadows. Darkness races towards me, dousing streetlamps and lighted windows. It drapes itself around my shoulders and head, like a midnight cloak. My nails sharpen to claws and I feel all of my fangs descend. Each tooth is replaced by a razor-sharp fang, so long I can hardly close my mouth. I stalk through the alley noiselessly, letting the shadows hail my arrival.
The man who wrestles with Briar is twice her size. She struggles against him, but in her tight gown, she can hardly move. His face is buried against her neck and he grunts. Her cheeks glisten with tears. Briar's gray eyes find mine and she hiccups softly. My muscles tighten with anger at the sight of her. No one touches her. I pause behind the man, letting the darkness and cold caress him. He pauses in his assault, glancing callously over his shoulder.
“I’m busy here, fuck off,” he growls. The man freezes at the sight of me, shrouded in darkness with empty, black eyes. “What the fuck?”
“Release her,” I hiss, voice echoing unnaturally, coming from every direction at once.
“This one is mine,” the man says uncertainly. “Go find your own.”
I bare my teeth at him, and he lurches backward. Briar sinks down onto the filthy cobblestones, shrinking against the wall. I run my tongue over my fangs and lift a hand. Shadows materialize in my palm, solidifying into a long scythe. I can feel the man’s fear like a hot wind, and I bask in it for a moment. But then I hear Briar’s soft cries and the spell is broken. All I want is blood and death.
In a blur, I lunge at him, scythe raised. His scream is cut short as the shadows I command, curl around his neck. His eyes bulge from their sockets, locked on my nightmarish face. I lift my palm towards him and send him hurtling back into a brick wall. He slams into it with a grunt and slumps to the ground. I'm on him again before he moves, claws tearing through his gut. Blood gushes over my fingers, hot and sticky. Quiet joy swells in my chest with the adrenaline, and I dig into him with my claws over and over again. He doesn't fight back as I gut him – he can't. The sickening squelch of his death brings a grin to my face. He's half-dead now, barely breathing. His eyes are unfocused. I drop the shadows, revealing myself, and toss the scythe aside.
Blood coats my hands, like red gloves. I lift a finger to my lips and taste it, savoring the sweet coppery taste. It’s been months since I tasted fresh blood. I haven’t felt the need since Briar arrived. A shiver slips up my spine and I wonder what Briar might taste like. The ragged breath of the dying man tears me from my thoughts. I cock my head at him and smile, showing him the full breadth of my fangs. He’ll die and his last thoughts will be of the demon that slaughtered him.
“Do you believe in an afterlife?” I ask him softly.
“I-I do,” he stutters. More blood gushes out of his abdomen with the short words.
“You must know there is a place where the wicked go,” I say, running a claw over his exposed intestines.
He shudders in pain. “Please,” he whispers.
“I could never bear it if I knew you were at peace in my realm,” I murmur. “Not when you’ve attempted something so vile with my bride.”
“I-I didn’t know,” he says pleadingly.
I pat his head, staining his cheeks with his own blood. “That’s what makes you so wicked,” I say. “You didn’t care who she was.”
Before the man can respond, I plunge my hand into that gaping wound. He screams in pain, writing on the ground. I reach up through the mess of his mortal frame, hot blood soaking through my sleeve until I can feel his heart pulsing. I wrap my hand around it, and he freezes. His eyes roll back into his head, body trembling with a fit. Shadows seep from my fingertips, infiltrating his body, filling every crevice and opening with my dark power. The man's body relaxes, sinking to the ground as he dies. I watch the life leave his eyes with a small, satisfied smile.
Willem appears at my side. His pale hand snatches the soul and slips it into his pocket. I rise from my crouch, blood dripping from my fingertips. Aiden has joined us, lingering near the entrance of the alley with wide eyes. I merely glance at him before searching for Briar. She rises shakily, eyes wide and filled with fear. Fear of me. She doesn’t reach for me or dive into my arms as she did when I rescued her from the room filled with corpses or after I saved her from the Nephilim. But she hadn’t seen the true form of my cruelty then. And now, she’s right to be afraid.
I meet her gaze emotionlessly and slip another bloodied finger into my mouth. Her lips pinch with fear. Good. It will make breaking her much easier.
Chapter 10
Briar
I can still feel the man’s cold hands slithering over my exposed breasts. Even now, while I stare at his corpse, the shadow of his assault remains. Kane stands a few feet away, casually wiping his bloodied hands on his cloak. I drag my eyes away from the mutilated corpse to watch. His beautiful, full lips are lifted in the smallest of satisfied smiles. A shiver trails up my spine. He saved me from the man in the alley to be sure, but he did it in the most gruesome, painful way possible. And it was breathtaking to watch.
I bite my lip, picturing the way Kane stalked down the alley.
