Page 14 of Princess Broken

She frowns. “Contractors hired out to do what, exactly?” Her words are sharp. She clearly doesn’t approve of anyone who’d do any job for the Marianos—anyone who’d take part in what happened. I can’t argue with that.

“We work for whoever pays,” Phil says.

“As long as the work abides by the code,” Blade interjects, looking at her as if he’s seeking approval. I’ll need to keep an eye on that.

“Even murder?” she asks. “Vampircide?”

Her judgmental tone erodes my shame, and I glare at her. “Yes, we are killers. We do whatever, to whomever, for whomever can pay our fee.”

“If the work meets our code,” Blade adds.

Today, at the last minute, Mariano added grabbing the girl to our list of duties. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but after what happened, every instinct inside me said to take her away from him, and tell Phil to block Mariano’s ability to follow us.

In hindsight, Mariano seemed different today from our previous meetings—a crazed, slightly desperate look in his eyes. But I put that down to pre-meeting adrenaline.

The princess’s anger and disgust waft toward me through the damp air and darkness.

She hates me. Hates us all.

Fuck me.

I actually care what she thinks. Not possible. I don’t care what anyone thinks. Not ever. Not since we left the Master.

“Your so-called code is unethical,” the princess says. “Beyond self defense, there’s no legitimate excuse for taking a life—human or vampire.”

“Ever heard of something called duty?” Flame asks.

One of Blade’s many knives flashes in my peripheral vision, and a fierce impulse to protect the princess kicks in, but my brother doesn’t look like he plans to slice open the princess’s flesh. Not now, anyway. He looks more like he’s threatening Flame.

Instead of cowering, the princess steps toward Blade. “Then what’s your plan? Are you going to slit my throat with that knife? Or just threaten me into submission with your weapon?” Her bravery and self-assurance are palpable, filling the air around this diminutive female.

Blade kneels again, holding his dagger’s handle with both hands before her. “We always fulfill our duty.” The dagger’s blade moves in a flash, and every muscle in Blade’s body stays still as he flips the knife, pointing the tip down.

“Duty?” The disdain in the princess’s voice is clear. “Duty to whom?”

“Our duty to Mariano has ended,” he says. “Now we are duty bound to you.”

“At least until our debt is paid,” Phil adds.

“What debt?” she turns toward the big vampire.

“The debt owed for taking the life of your mate,” Phil responds.

She nods, somewhat stiffly, and her eyes flick to the side. The princess seemed devastated when her tall vampire’s heart took that stake, but she doesn’t seem grief stricken right now. She must be in shock.

“And what is the dollar value of such a debt?” she asks, stepping back to face all four of us. “What is the exact price for taking a beloved vampire’s life?” Her tone is angry, her body shaking. “How can you ever repay what you’ve taken from me? Or how you did it?”

Her body crumples and she drops to a crouch, cupping her head in her hands.

My brothers and I encircle her, turning outward and linking our arms to form an impenetrable wall that gives her privacy and protects her as she grieves.

Shame again floods my heart. Because she’s right. Our debt can never be repaid. My brothers and I are duty bound to protect this vampire, this princess, for the rest of our lives.

Chapter Six

Ana

I fight to steady my body’s shaking, refusing to show my captors any sign of weakness.

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