Page 62 of Beneath the Watching

“Not now.” I sent them away and shut the door, intent on showing Mabel everything about the benefits of her solitary choice.

21

STEFAN

There were bodies everywhere,legions of the Black Guard lay fallen like trees after a fierce wind. I stepped through streams of their blood as I made my way back into the ballroom through a set of broken doors. It’d happened soundlessly, leaving me no doubt the demon had cloaked his attack.

More members of the Guard rushed past me as I sought out Ilya and Lucian just to see my best friend at the end of the devil’s blade.

Kiara inserted herself between the two men because of course she would.

Alexander and I slowly inched our way up to the stand-off, where Ilya now had a gun aimed at Ramone. Kiara was pleading with the man to leave, begging him to, and the surviving members of the castle’s security team slowly filed in behind us.

When I slid my handguns from their holsters, Kiara looked me dead in the eye, daring me to interfere and get in her way. As bad as she wanted to, she couldn’t have both men.

Ilya spoke up, “Kiara, get out of the way.”

You could’ve heard a pin drop in the dead silence. The woman didn’t move and then suddenly, Ramone’s swordclattered to the ground and the two of them instantly disappeared.

“Fuck!” Ilya yelled. Alexander ran a hand through his hair, turned around, and left.

“Was he going to defend you, or fight for Ramone?” I nodded after the man striding away.

Ilya shrugged. “Probably Ramone, if I had to guess.” He waved his hand as if batting away a fly.

“So, what now?”

Ilya let out a deep sigh. “I’m going to go pretend I can get drunk.”

I nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “You do that.” Our bodies metabolized alcohol much too fast, even after consuming enough liquor to kill an elephant. I didn’t doubt he’d try, though.

My best friend turned to me before he left. “I got some more of her blood the other day.”

“Oh?”

“I tested it further.” He buttoned his suit jacket and straightened the collar.

“And?”

He grinned. “If there’s anything like the mother of all witches, Kiara would be one.”

No wonder he wanted her so badly. “No shit...”

“Yep. And she loves me. I know she does.”

My jaw ticked. “And you love her?”

“I do.”

Did he really? I wasn’t sure. As a full-blooded demon, it was impossible for him to selflessly love another. Demon love was tainted. Rather than remind him of that fact, I asked, “Are you going to go get her?”

Ilya pushed an errant strand of hair back. “She has to choose me; you know that’s what I want.”

“Just go take her. Since when have you not taken whatever you want?” He was being stubborn and catering to an overblown ego, and I was tired of his incessant whining about the woman.

Arrogance hardened his face. “I don’t want there to be any question in anyone’s mind that she choseme.”

22

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