Page 13 of Rescued By the Vampire Assassin

“Mate, obey us,” she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Keri couldn’t believe the vampires were buying this, but they didn’t even question it.

“I will obey,” he intoned.

“The fun part of all this is you both are aware of everything we’re doing, but the human is powerless to go against our orders, and you’re powerless to go against your mate’s orders.”

Boy, was this bitch in for a surprise.

Keri hoped that the vampire would monologue a little more so she could understand just what the heck they were doing to vampires and humans, but no luck. She would have to find that out on her own once they escaped from this hell hole.

The female vampire gestured to her companion. "Lower the wards. Our new friend won't be needing them anymore."

The male vampire frowned. “Are you sure?” He pulled a device out of his pocket that pulsed with a strange energy. “He’s dangerous.”

“Of course, I’m sure. They’re bound by so many ties, they should be a shoelace.”

Keri didn’t even know what the hell that meant. She kept her gaze wide-eyed and innocent, acutely aware of Joshua's tension.

“We need to send him back to his clan so he can eliminate them.”

The male vampire fiddled with the device. A faint shimmer in the air went out, and the energy was gone. Did that mean the wards had dropped?

Time seemed to slow. In the space of a heartbeat, several things happened at once. The male vampire's grip on Keri's arm loosened as he turned towards Joshua. Joshua exploded into motion, a blur of speed and fury. Operating on pure instinct, she drove her elbow into the vampire’s solar plexus. He crumbled in surprise. She might not have been able to bend bars, but she could tell she had put extra oomph into that shot.

Chaos erupted. Keri's new senses struggled to keep up with the whirlwind of movement around her. She caught flashes of Joshua grappling with the female guard, fangs bared. The male vampire recovered quickly, lunging at Keri with inhuman speed. But she twisted, narrowly avoiding razor-sharp claws.

Whoot! She was fast!

A primal, animal part of her brain took over. She ducked and weaved, her body responding with a grace and speed she'd never possessed before. The vampire snarled in frustration, his attacks growing wilder. But then he got in a lucky shot, and his punch snapped her head around.

Ow, that fucking hurt.

The next thing she knew, Joshua had the male guard pinned against the wall, fangs sunk deep into his throat. The sight should have horrified her. Instead, a thrill ran through her body. Joshua's eyes met hers over the guard's shoulder, blazing with a predatory hunger that made her breath catch.

“Tell him to stop,” the female vampire said.

“Kill them,” Keri said instead. “Kill them both.”

Where had that bloodthirsty command come from? Keri put a hand to her lips in shock. Her moment of distraction cost her, though. The female vampire's hand closed around Keri's throat, slamming her against the dungeon wall. Spots danced in her vision as she struggled for air.

"Stupid little bitch," the vampire hissed. "Did you really think you could fight us? You're nothing but a snack."

Keri clawed at the hand around her neck, panic rising. Her lungs burned. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

And then, suddenly, she could.

The pressure on her throat vanished. Keri collapsed to the ground, gasping. Through watering eyes, she saw Joshua standing over the female vampire's crumpled form. Blood — so much blood — stained his mouth and chin. He looked savage. Terrifying.

Beautiful.

"Are you all right?" His voice was rough.

She nodded, unable to speak just yet. Joshua crouched beside her, his cool hands gentle as they examined her throat. The contrast between his tenderness now and the violence of moments before made her head spin.

"We need to move," he said. "More guards will be coming soon."

Keri found her voice. "What about them?" She nodded towards the unconscious vampires.

Joshua's expression hardened. "What about them?"

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