Page 13 of These Dangerous Fates

Fuck.

My nerves racket up a notch higher, firing through me like lightning. Unable to sit still any longer, I stand from my bed, wincing as knife-like pain radiates outward from my ribs, and pace the length of my room. I glance at the clock at the same time something crashes on a lower level. It sounded like splintering wood. Good. I hope they destroy this house.

Distant shouts and curses reach my ear and I know people must be getting closer if I can hear them with my subpar human hearing. Silence follows and I strain to catch any sound, any hint of what might be coming my way. The silence stretches and my heart pounds faster in my chest, a cold sweat breaking out over my skin.

The door to my room bursts open, and I jump, the throbbing from Sam’s beating pushed to the back of my mind, my fear taking over. My heart tries to eject from my body through my throat and I barely contain a scream, clapping my hand over my mouth. When my gaze lands on the man standing in my doorway, bloodied and grinning like a maniac, I think I might actually faint from fear as the room wobbles and my vision blurs.

Fucking hell. Those dark gray eyes set in that pale, classically handsome face. Unruly black hair, styled into messy perfection, longer on top than the sides. Broad shoulders and long, lean muscles shifting under leather armor. I don’t need an introduction to know who’s here to abduct me. There is only one vampire as terrifying and sexy as the one standing before me.

Malakai Thorne. Prince of Darkness. Ruler of Nightmares.

Holy. Shit. The crown prince of the vampires is kidnapping me. Malakai takes two steps toward me and his steps falter for the barest second, his nostrils flaring. He recovers quickly, and his fangs glint as his smile grows wider. My breaths are coming rapidly, each one sends stabbing pain through my torso, and I think I’m on the verge of hyperventilating. I take an involuntary step backward, my eyes never leave those fangs, as dread curls in my gut.

Even as every instinct in my body screams at me to run, there’s something inside me that wants me to move closer instead. It’s like a magnetic pull that is fighting the urge to get as far away as possible. The polarizing sensations make my stomach tumble uncomfortably, and I fist my hands against my belly.

“Malakai Thorne, at your service.” He bows dramatically with a feral smile, the hand on his chest holding a bloody knife dripping crimson drops onto my pristine white carpet.

My eyes widen, glued to the blade and the blood staining the surface. It’s like there’s a boa wrapping around my chest, squeezing me until I’ll pop, constricting my lungs and forcing the oxygen from my body. I’ve completely forgotten how to breathe, and even if I remembered, I don’t think I’d be able to. My lungs burn with the need for oxygen and my vision wavers, blackness creeping in to slowly claim me.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, the smile slipping from his face. Malakai steps toward me, the gray of his irises taking on an eerie glow. “Breathe,” he says, staring into my eyes, his voice low and melodic with an undercurrent of command ringing through my room.

I gasp, oxygen flooding my system, and I suck in mouthfuls of the air my body needs.

He looks at me, his eyes no longer glowing. “You good?” One pierced brow raises questioningly.

Panting, I stare at him. “Good? Good?” My voice has taken on a hint of hysteria. “No, I’m not fucking good! Malakai fucking Thorne just broke into my room, brandishing a bloody dagger, ready to abduct me. Why the fuck would I be good?”

“Malakai fucking Thorne?” His mouth pulls down in a frown. “I think I like that,” he mumbles.

Oh, shit. I just yelled at a vampire. And not just any vampire, but the Prince of Darkness himself. A small sound escapes me as I step back. “I … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It was the lack of oxygen. I’m good now. It’s good. We’re good.” I clamp my mouth shut to stop any more words from spewing forth.

He hums in the back of his throat and looks around my room. “Well, isn’t this cozy?” He spots my bag by the door and snatches it up. “I assume you want to bring this?”

I make a sound he must take for consent, because he throws my bag over his shoulder and heads for the window.

“You know,” he says casually as he opens the window, “I never thought I’d play the role of Prince Charming rescuing the princess from her tower, but here we are. Guess there’s a first time for everything, huh?”

I’d laugh at his joke if I wasn’t scared shitless. I certainly feel like a princess locked in her tower waiting for Prince Charming. Prince of the vampires isn’t who I would have chosen, though. He’s sexy and all, but absolutely terrifying.

“Come along, now,” he says in a fake formal accent. “Time is of the essence.” He gestures to the open window and leans out.

I stare at him. He can’t be serious. Climbing out the window? It’s four stories high. I’ll surely die on my way down. He turns to look at me over his shoulder with one brow raised in question as I’m frozen in place.

“I can’t climb out the window,” I gasp. “I’m only human.”

His brows lower over his gray eyes, darkening them ominously. I almost apologize for disappointing him, although I’m a little surprised he doesn’t know. I thought everyone knew how worthless I am.

He stalks toward me with slow, steady steps. “What do you mean—” A quiet growl works its way up Malakai’s chest and stops whatever he was going to say. His gaze roams over my face and my attempt to cover the bruises with makeup.

He raises his hand as if to stroke my cheek, and I flinch. Something flashes in his eyes that I can’t read, and instead of touching my face, he grasps my upper arm in a surprisingly gentle grip, pulling me to the window. Right. He won’t be so patient with me as I break down in utter terror.

“Cade, we’re ready,” Malakai says, pressing on something tucked into his ear I hadn’t noticed before.

When he turns to face me again, he smiles, although it doesn’t reach his eyes. The tips of his fangs are still visible, and I can’t repress the shiver that races down my spine at the sight of them. “Cade is down there, waiting. He’ll use his magic to lower you to the ground.”

Cade Campbell? It has to be. Where one of the Triad goes, the others go as well.

Despite having been raised by parents who were mages and experiencing magic frequently, something about trusting a stranger to lower me to the ground safely doesn’t sit well with me. Not to mention all my recent experiences with magic have been less than desirable.

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