Adalric burst from the limo. His claws out and his eyes
hazed as he streaked around the building, his steps silent on
the grass. Rounding the corner, he swept his gaze over the
lawn. He saw nothing, but his sense of smell picked up his
beloved s scent.
What part of the garden are you in?
Near the spitting mermaid.
Spitting mermaid? What? Where is that? He paused at the
entrance and listened. He could hear the occasional scuff of
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shoe on paving stone or crunch on woodchips, but due to
the many twists and turns of the garden path, he couldn t
accurately ascertain direction.
Shit! You don t know your own fucking garden?
A fact I ll be sure to remedy, Adalric snapped mentally. Just
give me a damn clue.
The thud of bodies and a cry of pain reached Adalric.
Figuring he had a better shot at finding them in there by
scent, Adalric sprinted down the path.
He could mentally hear Seth s exasperation when he
answered. It s near where we had lunch yesterday! Hurry! I don t
think Spieron can fight these two alone much longer!
That made Adalric s steps falter before he charged down
a path on the left. He was pretty certain that was the way
toward the noise. Wait, Spieron is fighting two vampires, one
being my second enforcer? Damn! He felt a bit guilty, knowing
how badly he d misjudged the guy. He could even imagine
why the vampire hadn t come to him with his suspicions. He
probably would have either dismissed them out of hand, or
questioned Edwin, which would have put Spieron in even
more danger.
When he burst into the area where the hedges were
carved out into three discreet domes with lovers benches
tucked in each one, Adalric could hear the thud of fists on
flesh and the snarling sound only an angry vampire could
make. No one was in the clearing, and the sounds were
coming from his right& which appeared to be a solid hedge.
Taking in the height, Adalric crouched low, then leaped
over the nine-foot bush. He landed in a crouch, and looked
around quickly. A shiver worked down his spine as he took
in the scene.
Chad lay crumpled near a tree, not far from a watchful
Seth. Spieron fought Edwin and Loren valiantly, doing his
best to keep between the pair and Seth. He kept his left arm
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Charlie Richards
tucked to his side, indicating either a cracked or broken rib.
The vampire s swift movements and ability to counter most
of the attacking pair s strikes made Adalric think of a martial
artist.
But it was the blood dripping from his beloved s lip that
incensed Adalric.
Roaring, he launched at Loren. The vampire spun in
shock, but didn t react to his presence fast enough. Adalric
landed on his chest, taking him to the ground. Without
remorse, he wrapped his hands around the man s throat and
twisted. The sickening crack told him he d snapped his neck
and he released the vampire, who lay still beneath him.
Adalric knew the difficulties of actually killing a vampire,
so he didn t stop there. He sank his claws into Loren s chest
and tore out his heart. Tossing the still beating, bloody organ
away, he watched the red bleed out of the other guy s eyes,
showing shocked blue which quickly drained of life.
Hearing Spieron s cry of pain, Adalric s head snap up just
in time to see the vampire thud to the ground after hitting a
tree& hard, since the guy wasn t rising. Seeing the way his
right arm bent awkwardly at the elbow making him fight
back a cringe Adalric knew it was broken.
You re in so much trouble, Edwin, he snarled.
Edwin spun to face him, his lip curling to reveal his fangs.
You ve outlived your usefulness, old man. You should
have moved on decades ago.
Tsk, tsk, that s no way to speak to your coven leader.
He put just enough dryness in his tone to piss his ex-buddy
off. Knowing a vampire for that many years, Adalric had
learned how to push his buttons.
You don t deserve that title, Edwin snapped. And
soon, everyone will know it!
Ignoring the comment, Adalric glanced toward his lover,
taking in the man s red-hazed form it was tough to see
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injuries. You all right, Seth? he asked, somehow keeping
the growl out of his tone, well& mostly anyway.
Yeah, I m fine. Bout time you got here.
Adalric grinned. His beloved s snarky attitude told him
his lover was just fine, or would be as soon as he got rid of
this asshole threatening him. Just then, Toni, Darian, Gerald,
and even Daystrum although a bit more slowly came
streaking around the corner.
He pointed at Spieron. Check him, he ordered, and
back off. Edwin is mine.
Edwin curled his lip and sneered, Oh, this is even better.
I will beat you in front of your inner circle and your coven
will be mine!
Come and try it.
Adalric had seen his enforcer fight a few times over the
years, but he couldn t remember if Edwin had seen him
fight. Of course, he hadn t actually had to indulge in a brawl
with another vampire in some time not counting the
incident where he d tracked down the rogue that had
attacked Gallo. That had been kids play.
He grinned and flexed his hands, readying the three inch,
slender claws extending from his fingertips. Watching the
other man circle, Adalric stood at the ready, easily keeping
himself between Edwin and Seth.
Smirking, Adalric asked, Are you going to take all night?
I have things to attend to. From the corner of his eye, he
saw Darian help Daystrum back out of the clearing. Just the
fact that his second had attempted to come to his beloved s
aid warmed his heart. Gerard dropped to his knees beside
Spieron and started checking for injuries. Toni stood over
both of them, but eyed Adalric and Edwin.
When Edwin roared and leaped forward, swinging a
clawed hand at his chest, Adalric stepped neatly to the left
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Charlie Richards
and shoved the other vampire, using the male s momentum
to send him stumbling into a tree. Edwin recovered quickly.
The vampire enforcer spun around and spread his arms,
his claws gleaming in the moonlight. Adalric adopted a cat-
stance, his hands lifted in a defensive posture while keeping
his weight on his back leg. Keeping just a bit of weight on
the toes of his front leg, he watched carefully for tells to
Edwin s next move.
He didn t have long to wait.
Adalric saw Edwin s weight shift as his body tilted
slightly forward right before the traitor snapped his leg up
in a round house kick that, if landed, would probably have
cracked a rib or two.
Stepping forward, Adalric captured Edwin s leg against
his side and pulled. The other vampire stumbled forward,
trying to wrench his leg free while still remaining upright.
Not giving him a chance to catch his balance, Adalric
slammed an elbow into Edwin s now exposed side.
The vampire cried out in pain and shock and started to
crumple. On his way down, Edwin sank his claws into
Adalric s thigh. Snarling as agony shot through the
punctured muscle, he jerked away, out of Edwin s grasp.
Adalric didn t stay back. He pushed the pain to the back
of his mind and as soon as Edwin s claws were visible, blood
dripping from the one, Adalric leaped beside his opponent,
grabbed the vampire s clean arm, and used the hold to roll
Edwin to his stomach. With the guy s arm locked behind his
back and Adalric s knee on the small of his back, he subdued [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]