Page 13 of Princess Broken

I will not be a hostage, held for ransom or demands. I assume the Mariano Syndicate thinks holding me hostage will get the vampire world to bend to their will. It won’t work. I may be a princess, but there is no chance the Marianos will get what they want, not even if they kill me.

“Follow orders, complete the mission, protect the innocent.” Flame steps back into my line of sight.

“What are you talking about?” I shake my head.

“You asked about our code,” Flame replies. Even though I’m using my night vision, his blond hair is bright and vivid, and he reminds me a bit of that actor who plays the Norse God in those comic book movies. Except way bigger.

“Whose orders? Who ordered you to kidnap me?” I ask. “Mariano?” Of course it was him. “Timur was innocent, so you’ve already broken your code.”

“Timur?” asks Phil. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Shit.” Blade steps forward. “I should have realized. The one who got staked was your mate.” Eyes filling with concern, he bows forward. “For our part in the death of your mate, we owe you our lives.”

“What?” Phil turns toward the tall Black vampire, then looks between the other three.

“Wasn’t me.” Flame lifts his hands palms forward, and Crusher’s body shifts.

“Regardless of who wielded the stake,” Blade says. “We are complicit in the death of her mate.” He drops to his knees. “Princess, I hereby pledge my life to you.” He stares up toward me. “I am now and forever in your service, and I pledge to protect your life with my own.”

Crusher lowers my feet to the ground, but I’m too stunned to take advantage of the chance to run. All four men kneel and repeat Blade’s words, all pledging their lives to me.

For kidnappers, these four vampires are acting strangely.

And they’ve made an incorrect assumption. But if it will keep them from killing me, I’m happy for them to believe that Timur was my mate.

Chapter Five

Crusher

Even though I’ve released her, the princess’s scent consumes my mind, and the imprint of her soft body remains seared into mine like her form is still against me.

As I kneel before her, my cock throbs with hardness and my heart fills with shame. Shame that my body’s experiencing this base physical reaction, one I should be able to control. Holding her against me was not a pre-fucking situation.

And I feel even more shame for the death of her mate and how it happened. Thinking his crossbow was aimed toward the princess, I was the one who killed her mate.

But we are not responsible for the chaos that preceded my actions. Nor were we informed it would happen. And for that, Mariano will pay. And I mean with more than our fee.

The princess backs toward the wall of the tunnel, her body tense, poised to flee.

“You can’t outrun us,” I tell her. But I don’t allow my gaze to fall upon her. I don’t deserve the pleasure of viewing her beauty. “If you run, we will catch you. And there is nothing in these tunnels but danger.”

“So you claim,” she says sharply, then a heated pause fills the air, lasting for what feels like five minutes.

“Fine.” She breaks the silence. “Get off your knees, then. All of you. And someone please explain what the hell is going on.”

I rise, along with my three brothers, and we stand at attention in front of her—legs wide, hands clasped behind our backs. The last part is no small feat for Phil, or for me. The expanse of our chests nearly outsizes the spans of our arms.

“What’s Mariano’s plan?” she asks, her chin rising. “Why did your boss order you to take me hostage?”

“Mariano is not our boss,” I bark.

Her head snaps back, and I realize how loudly I spoke.

But she recovers quickly. “Then, whom are you working for?”

“We work for ourselves,” Flame tells her.

“Independent contractors,” Phil adds, his slight Scottish brogue sneaking in to roll his r’s.

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