Oh, that’s not good. That’s really not good.
“Well, well, well,” he purrs again, this time a full, proper purr, the soft silky voice of a predator. “I should have known, based on your smell. You’re fae.”
Everyone in the room reacts to this. The supernaturals all around us crowd closer, and I can see the vampires baring their fangs as various other creatures get battle spells ready.
Donovan won’t really try to kill the men just to drink my blood, will he?
Hell, I shouldn’t put it past him. We’re in his lair, after all, and we’re outnumbered ten to one.
“But not just any fae. Oh, no.” Donovan clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “You’re pure. Extremely pure. You have the blood of the ancient ones.” He smiles, and it’s the most chilling thing I’ve ever seen. “My master will have great use for you.”
As if those words are some kind of secret signal to all of his fucking henchmen, everyone around us attacks en masse.
I whirl around to defend against a vampire who lunges for me, catching sight of Cain, North, and Raven throwing themselves into the fight too. The sounds of snarls, shouts, and grunts fill the space, but somehow, Donovan’s deep laugh manages to rise up above it.
There’s a good chance he’ll lose people in this battle, even if they manage to overpower us in the end—but he doesn’t seem to give a single fuck about that. I catch sight of him grinning as he watches the chaos before him, and then I have to yank my attention away, diving and rolling as my vampire attacker nearly gets a hold on me.
I start to phase out, but before I can, rough hands grab me from behind. Someone hits me with a spell so potent that it feels like I got punched in the chest, and all of a sudden, my body becomes fully solid. I try again to phase out, but I’m locked in corporeal form by whatever magic they just did.
On either side of me, I can see Donovan’s lackeys swarming my three mates. They must’ve hit them with spells that keep them from transforming into their more deadly forms, just like they did to me to stop me from phasing.
My stomach drops all the way down to my feet.
Panic rips through me, and I redouble my efforts, fighting like I’ve been possessed. The men fight harder too, growling and snarling like animals.
But it’s not enough.
An arm hooks around my neck from behind, cutting off my air as it squeezes tighter and tighter. I throw elbows and try to kick backward to take out my captor’s knees, but he holds on tight, and my struggles get weaker as my vision darkens at the edges. Raven, North, and Cain have all been captured too, and for one heart-wrenching second, my gaze locks with Raven’s, seeing the fury and fear burning in his eyes.
These three men are here because of me. They’ve been caught by a dangerous vampire crime lord because they accompanied me into his lair.
Damn it. I shouldn’t have let them come. If Donovan kills any of them, I’ll find a way to kill him.
That’s the last thought I have before the world goes completely black.
* * *