Page 82 of Blood of Vengeance

The door opened inward, a simple act followed by a not-so-simple visage. A man appeared in the opening, one who didn’t belong here. An average yet fit man wearing a bright-red tracksuit and an absolutely terrifying smile.

“Oh, how delightful. I see I found the party.”

Zella moved closer to me, both of us reaching for the other as subtly as possible.

“Who are you?” I asked.

His smile grew, the skin around his mouth moving and stretching in ways that were wholly inhuman.

“My name is Adam, and I’ve been waiting to meet you, daughter of the one known as Wolf Chiggy.”

The mention of my dad made my blood run cold. “Are you the one who killed him?”

He shrugged, obviously trying to look casual even as something in his eyes gave away his predatory nature. “No, dear. I am not the villain in his story. From what I understand, Chiggy was in the way. His death was nothing more than clearing the road.”

Zella grabbed me by the elbow, holding me in place beside her as my blood ran like fire through my veins.

“Nothing more than…” I huffed a breath, practically pushing my weight into my heels to keep from running up on the guy. “He was loved.”

Adam pinned me with his gaze, cooling my ire immediately. His expression filling me with dread.

“There is no love, sweet Locklyn. Only lust and need.”

Suddenly, Adam appeared directly before us. So fast it was almost as if he hadn’t moved and simply teleported. Not touching, just close. Really close. Close enough that he was able to lean in and sniff us.

That was definitely not something a human would do.

“Amazing energy you have, my sweet. Addictive, really. So much chaos and wreckage. You would be a delicious treat for me.” He grinned in that terrifying way of his, taking a step away and giving us back our space. I didn’t trust his retreat, though. Neither did Zella, it seemed.

“Why are you here?” she asked him, creeping into my side even more. Turning us into a united front.

Adam shrugged. “I like the energy of supernatural fights. It feeds the demon within me.”

So, he was a demon. Zella glanced my way for a fleeting moment then refocused on the man. That flicker of a look gave away her surprise at the fact that demons actually existed, though she hid it well. Had we not been such good friends, I might not have even noticed the look she had shot me.

“You carry a similar energy as Wolf Flinch,” Adam said, focusing on me. Creeping closer as his eyes darkened, not even trying to appear human. “What is it? The feeling is delightful.”

Before I could stop him, he grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand to his face. His fingers burned as they gripped me, his eyes completely wild and almost glowing as they focused on my hand and thumb. I tried to pull away, but he held me tight, the burn of his hold growing hotter and more painful. Inescapable.

“Such a delight,” he murmured against my flesh, his lips grazing against my palm in a way that made me gag.

“Zella.” I gasped and yanked as his tongue made contact with my skin, the acid-like touch something I couldn’t stand. “Zella, run.”

But she didn’t run. She never would. Instead, she linked her hand with mine, distracting Adam. Gaining his attention. Those wild eyes met hers for a moment before his entire being seemed to turn toward her. Before his breathing increased and he curled over our hands in a posture that made my insides crawl.

“Ah, there it is. You also carry an energy about you, but not for Wolf Flinch. No. And not as strong. The local wolf pack has been very blessed this season, I do believe.” Adam clutched Zella’s wrist like mine, both of us resisting but without success. Not that we tried hard. Something about Adam—about whatever spell his demon wove—kept us much more complicit than normal. Had a man at the bar grabbed me this way, I would have punched him in the throat and kept walking. But Adam? He had a presence that almost locked me in place. That had my brain resisting the instinct to leave, even as something inside me screamed to run away from him. The man controlled me with nothing more than his presence, and that terrified me more than whatever it was that seemed to have set my wrist on fire.

“Please,” I finally whispered, still trying to pull away, though meekly. “Please stop.”

His red, flame-filled eyes met mine, and I froze. Completely under his control as he stared and made it seem like he was cataloging my soul. I may have whimpered, the feeling of losing control of my own body so foreign and terrifying as to garner such a ridiculous response instead of any sort of self-defense. My sense of survival had ceased to exist, apparently. All because of a demon in a tracksuit.

“Of course, dear,” Adam finally said, breaking eye contact and giving me a reprieve from whatever the hell sort of magic he had just spun over me. “I wouldn’t want to anger my good friend Wolf Flinch.”

The demon released us both, giving up his hold on our wrists, and the haze of his control ebbed. I grabbed Zella and shoved her back, both of us trying to put as much space as possible between Adam and ourselves. Something he noticed if the smirk that slid across his face like a snake was any indication.

“The energy is one-sided. That’s why I couldn’t place it.” He cocked his head, looking over me once more but not making eye contact. “How fascinating.”

I shook my head, making sure I still had full control of my body. My mind. “What energy?”

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