His breath left him, and his ramblings ceased. He stared down at our clasped hands, dozens of emotions flashing across his face. Shock. Astonishment. Excitement.
Clarity.
“Did I ever tell you that I hate being what I am? Who I am? Or is it whom?” I rambled. Putting a finger to my chin, I waited a beat before continuing. Outside, the rasping wind toyed with the shutters, opening and closing them at intermittent intervals. “Did you notice how many people were outside? How many doors? How many windows? How many vehicles?”
His nose crinkled adorably. That was not a word I would normally associate with any male, least of all a Nightmare, but it fit him.
“Who would notice that?” he asked somewhat dazedly.
“Twenty-four people. Seven doors. Eighteen windows. Two vehicles,” I said, ticking them off on my fingers. “It’s my job to see everything. To know everything. To hear everything. And…” I shrugged helplessly. “It’s daunting.”
“Daunting?” he parroted. Once more, that delicate brown eyebrow arched.
“Daunting,” I said with a firm nod. “I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, now more so than ever.” Throwing my head back, I released a humorless laugh. Jax continued to watch me, eyes narrowed, but did not interrupt. “I hated you guys for as long as I could remember. The seven princes. Now, look at me. You guys are my mates.”
The world really did have a sick sense of humor.
His thumb padded against my knuckles, the barest of grazes, as he stared upwards. His expression was almost contemplative, as if he was attempting to solve a difficult chemistry formula. After a moment, he lowered his head and met my eyes. I couldn’t quite read the expression on his face.
“I understand what you’re saying,” he said after a long moment of silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable by any means. Just long.
“Huh?” I asked.
A brilliant grin took over his face. “I understand what you mean,” he repeated. And then he laughed, a jovial sound that went straight to my core. “Tell me more!”
The poor Vamp really had lost his mind.
At a loss for words, I gestured around me with my free hand.
“I used to live in this house,” I admitted.
“Did you, my love?” he asked, that smile still firmly in place.
What was even happening?
It felt...natural speaking with Jax. As if we were longtime friends instead of virtual strangers. I knew it was the mate bond causing that inherent reaction, but it still unnerved me. It wasn’t normal to feel this comfortable with a Vampire.
Then again, nothing about my life had ever been normal.
“With S,” I said with a nod. It no longer hurt to say his name.
I envisioned his face then: eyes crinkling with his smile and a shock of brown hair.
“S…” Jax said the name, face twisting oddly. It wasn’t jealousy necessarily - I wasn’t sure if he was even capable of thinking such a normal emotion - but something that made me almost suspicious. “Was that your human lover?”
“I don’t want to talk about him,” I said stiffly. Maybe I should. Maybe I should air my dirty laundry for the entire world to see. Maybe I should tell him I killed the last man I loved and to stay clear of me.
I should...but I was selfish.
From outside, muted voices reached me. Their words were mostly inarticulate, but I managed to gather a few important words and phrases.
Z. Prince Jax. Aaliyah.
Releasing Jax’s hand, I jumped like my body was on fire. Before he could protest, I grabbed the blade out of my shirt sleeve and held it up, aiming it towards the door.
“Monsters are coming,” Jax whispered softly. He began to mutter under his breath, but I no longer heard him. Instead, I focused on the door. Waiting.
Ready.
It blew off its hinges, shattering against the back wall.
A young man entered, eyes livid and a cruel grin on his face. Immediately, I catalogued him as a Mage.
He lifted his hand, and I was thrown across the room, back ricocheting off the wood. Pain erupted in my spine, but I shakily got back to my feet.
There were a few rules when fighting a Mage, but I only ever focused on one.
Take him out as soon as possible.
The longer you remained fighting, the more power he was able to collect and use. Mages, unless they were using potions and talisman, relied heavily on internal magic. They could gather this magic from anything - nature, sex, blood. It all depended on the type of magic they wielded. It was for this reason, I suspected, that a Mage couldn’t get erect after he had come into contact with his mate. The powers that be didn’t want them replenishing their magic with anyone other than their fated mate.
Before the asshole could draw more power into him, I charged forward, knife raised. Quickly, I slammed the blade into his shoulder. I had meant to hit his heart, but he had moved at the last second.
Grunting, he pulled the dagger out of his skin, blood dripping down the blade. I kneed him in the stomach, simultaneously reaching for my second dagger in my other sleeve.
Dimly, I was aware of Jax fighting against two Vampires behind me. With Vampires the rules were different: don’t get too close, especially if you were human. One blow to the head with a Vampire’s strength had the capacity to decapitate you.
“What does Aaliyah want with me?” I asked, blocking each blow. I had no doubt the she-bitch had sent them as she had sent Zack. He swiped the knife - the knife I had used on him - and I deftly backed out of its offending arc.
Balancing the copper handle of the second knife in my palm, holding it the way one would hold a violin bow, I jabbed it into his stomach
