Page 25 of Dancing with Daggers

Ares walked on silent feet out onto the third floor. He had done this kind of thing more than once, and Zia knew she probably shouldn't find it as attractive as she did. Fuck it. She was in love with him and just had to have the strength to walk away before they both destroyed each other. Apart from her friend Asteria, Zia couldn't say she loved anyone. She pulled her dagger free. She protected those she loved, just like Ares did.

He stopped by a frosted door. It had Samuel's full name and credentials on it. Ares pointed to the lock that had been busted, and Zia nodded. She was with him no matter what. Ares went in first, and Zia slipped into the shadows behind him. The office had broken furniture and overturned bookshelves. Zia could smell blood and fear in the air.

Samuel had been tied to a chair and was bleeding from multiple wounds. A dhampir that looked like a stockier version of Ares was sitting on the counter of a small kitchenette. He had blood on his hands and was flicking a dagger in the air and catching it again. He smiled at Zia like she was dinner.

Zia smiled back because she was one meal that the fucker would choke on.

"Baby brother! I hear you've been looking for me after all these years," Mars said, his predator eyes going to Ares.

"Not because I missed you," Ares replied, stepping closer to Samuel and checking his pulse.

"Aw, but I missed you. I forgot how much fun it was to play with you. I did keep tabs on you," Mars said, hopping off the counter. "You've been so busy being a climber. Made lots of time for little Kristofer though. He was like the soft brother you always wanted. Did you cry when he washed up?"

"Why kill Kris? He never did anything to you."

Mars laughed. "He was the only one you got close to in decades. Do you really think I wasn't going to get even with you for Dad? I've been your ghost your entire life, you little fuck. Every time you get close to someone, I'm going to be there to take them away from you."

Ares's eyes bled crimson, but he didn't move. He was letting Mars run his mouth, and Zia was ready to cut out the bastard's tongue.

"Getting angry, little brother? Good. You've been slipping." Mars looked Zia over. "Now, you've brought me this sweet little cupcake to play with. I had my doubts whether or not you liked your newest family member, but the way you turned my hitman into shredded shit was proof that she had struck a chord. Hit a few of his protective instincts, did you, sweetheart?"

"Funny that you think I'm the one who needs protecting, cupcake," she replied, letting her true face shine through.

"Kitty has claws, does she? Good. I'm a freak too, and I'm going to enjoy breaking you before?—"

Ares collided with Mars, raining down a flurry of punches. Zia moved to help Samuel, cutting the ropes binding him and dragging him out of the way of the brawling dhampir. He was still alive, but he was going to need a doctor with some magical abilities in order to heal the damage. Zia propped the unconscious man by the front door before a heavy crash had her hurrying back to Ares.

"I should have drowned you when you were born like an unwanted puppy," Mars hissed. He had Ares pinned to the floor with his hands around his neck. Zia didn't wait to see what Ares would do next. She saw him down, and all her restraint snapped. Two of her blades flew from her hands, hitting Mars in the arm and the other in his chest.

"Fuck, kitty does have claws. Good. I have some too, bitch," Mars said, punching Ares once in the face with his good hand before leaping off him and towards Zia. He was fast, but she was better trained. She ducked and slid like water around him, sticking dagger after dagger into him.

"You know knives don't kill dhampirs," Mars hissed.

"I'm not trying to kill you, cupcake. And good luck getting these out." Zia flew at him and, and with well-practiced strikes, she hit the hilts of the daggers stuck in him. They snapped and dropped to the floor.

"What the...actual fuck..." Mars growled, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Glass daggers? Zia, you are my dream woman," Ares said, wiping blood from his nose.

"Glass daggers dipped in silver chloride. He's all yours, baby," Zia said and dodged the lazy swipe Mars made for her before he collapsed to his knees on the carpet.

"Gods, you are the most perfect woman in the world," Ares said with a heated look. Magic danced in the air, and Ares's back turned to his brother. "You always did underestimate those you thought were weaker than you. It's the last mistake you'll ever make." The illusion wrapped around Mars like a shimmering blanket. He convulsed, trying to pull away from it. "Feel every bit of fear, every cracked bone and burn you helped our father inflict on me."

Zia's heart was in her throat as she watched Ares break his brother's mind with an effortless flick of his fingers. When Mars started to foam at the mouth, Ares pulled out a black blade as long as his forearm and sawed off Mars's head. It hit the carpet with a wet thud.

Zia knew they needed to move, but Ares was still staring at his brother's corpse with unseeing eyes.

"We need to get this cleaned up, and Samuel needs medical attention," Zia said, using her most efficient tone on him. "Do you have a cleaner? If not, I have one that owes me a favor."

"What?" Ares said, his eyes not focusing on her.

Zia rested a hand on his arm. "It's okay, let me take care of it." She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"Speak," a deep voice answered after two rings.

"Vanth, it's Zia. I'm calling in my favor. I need a crew for a dhampir disposal, office clean, and I need a med-mage that can do a discreet job," she replied.

"Give me an address and fifteen minutes. Don't make any more mess," Vanth replied.

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