“Why are you fighting?” he hissed, slamming an elbow into my side. I made an oomf sound, pain emitting off of me in tangible waves.
And the asshole wondered why I was fighting?
We parried, each consecutive hit causing my strength to wane. There was always one immense problem when fighting Nightmares. They were supernatural beings, descended from the Devil himself, and I was only human.
A particularly hard hit sent me staggering backwards, landing on a pile of cut glass.
His hair was blowing rapidly in a breeze I couldn’t feel, his power manifesting itself physically. I knew I was seconds away from dying...or whatever else was going to happen to me. This Aaliyah chick was persistent, I would give her that.
I snapped my eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable pain, before I heard a cuss and a gurgle. Unbidden, one eye opened as I took in the room. Almost immediately, I saw Jax, panting heavily. Two Vampires laid dead at his feet. He looked unscathed, thankfully, but slightly tired.
But it wasn’t him who had saved me.
My eyes flickered past the Mage, now spitting out blood as his hands desperately grabbed at his throat. He fell to his knees, eyes blank, before falling over.
Dead.
T smiled at me, spinning a long katana sword.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here, little sister?”
FIVE
Z
T smiled at me, showcasing row after row of perfectly white teeth.
He was handsome, with strawberry blond hair and two dimples that appeared when he smiled. It also didn't hurt that he looked similar to his brother, S.
Despite the similarities, T and I had never had a romantic relationship. Maybe, at one point, we had feelings for each other, but they never happened at the same time. He quickly became a close friend of mine, if not a brother figure to me.
Seeing him standing there, a singularly beautiful smile lighting up his face and blood dripping down the knife he held, caused my own grin to widen.
"T," I whispered, pulling myself off the ground and wrapping my arms around him. He staggered under my weight before returning my hug enthusiastically. His arms comforted me, warmth emanating in palpable waves through his black shirt and skintight jeans. Just as quickly as he grabbed me, he released me, shoving me behind him. He raised his dagger and brandished it threateningly.
At Jax.
My Vampire mate's head was tilted curiously to the side. His wild eyes flickered from my face to T’s and then to the body on the ground, never staying on one area longer than a second. His perfect, cherry red lips tilted up.
"I see there is a dead body," he mused, carefully stepping over said dead body. Before I could scream - whether it would be directed at Jax to stop moving or T not to hurt him, I didn’t know - T exploded. My fingers feebly grasped at air as he charged at Jax, knocking him to the ground.
"STOP!" I screamed, running forward and grabbing T's shoulder. The dagger paused mere centimeters from Jax's neck.
T threw me a bewildered look over his shoulder.
"Don't hurt him," I said, kneeling down. My hand, with a life of its own, stroked Jax's hair. My eyes catalogued each and every injury on his body, mentally planning how I would make the already dead Vampires pay. There were two bruises on both of his arms and a nasty cut beneath his eye. His leg oozed blood, but I was unable to see the extent of that injury. Other than that, he appeared fine, if not slightly confused with the knife dangerously close to his artery.
There were only a few ways you could kill a Vampire, but a beheading was one of them. Most Nightmares were able to heal themselves, particularly Shifters and Vampires who had a higher resilience against certain weapons. But a head shot? Even a heart shot?
Fatal.
I didn't want to think of that word. And I didn't want to think of why I didn't want to think of that word.
"Who the hell is he?" T asked, but he finally relented and removed his knife. Jax's breaths sawed in and out, and he scrambled backwards, away from the offending object. He began to mutter under his breath, words inarticulate. I could've sworn I heard him whisper a name, a female's name, and jealousy roared inside of me. I quickly smothered that emotion down, focusing instead on T.
"His name is Jax," I said breezily, willing him to drop the topic. Unfortunately, I had never been so lucky. T's eyes widened imperceptibly, face tightening. It didn't take long for understanding to dawn, and his expression turned from contemplative to murderous. I was unfamiliar seeing such an emotion on his face...directed at me.
"Jax," he repeated snidely. "As in, the Prince of Vampires?" Without waiting for me to respond, he advanced on me. "The one you were supposed to fucking kill?"
Well, when he put it like that...
"It's complicated," I said, hating how much of an excuse those words seemed to be. But what else could I say? It was complicated. This mission went from being black and white to many shades of grey. No, not grey. The world had suddenly turned colorful, like a brilliant rainbow obscuring my vision. I hadn't realized how long I had been living in the darkness, seeing things through tunnel vision. S's death had killed me, but slowly, these men - my mates - were piecing me back together.
And I fucking hated it.
"It's complicated," T mocked. He ran a trembling hand through his hair. With a shuddering breath, he focused back on me. "Where's Diego and Mali?"
His words were the wakeup call I needed. Immediately, my muscles tensed, and my hands clenched into fists. Try as I might, all I repeatedly saw was the blade meant for me running through Diego's chest. The tears in Mali's eyes as she realized her mate had killed one of her best friends. The fear contaminating the air.
"Fuck," T whispered, reading
