Page 34 of Outcast Island

“You know what, Ja’ar?” I say as I slowly saunter toward him. Not all my muscles are intact, making me awkwardly limp, but based on Ja’ar’s flicker of fear in his expression, it only makes me more terrifying. “I think I don’t need a liaison with Alpha Fare anymore,” I say with a grin, glad that I finally get to indulge in this fantasy. “Which means I don’t needyou.”

He pales as he backs against a wall while I approach. He holds up both hands in surrender, as if he could possibly save himself now.

“Look, it was just a misunderstanding, okay? Alpha Fare said the Omega was free game. Well, you won the game, yeah? She’s all yours.”

I slowly wrap my fingers around his neck and I ignore the flames that crawl up his skin when he tries to burn me again. I can’t even feel the fire anymore.

He threatened my Omega. Alpha Fare just did what assholes like him do best.

He gave his underlings a carrot to chase. He will get his due in time. I won’t have to kill him. Someone else eventually will do that job for me. There is no doubt in my mind about that.

But a vampire like Ja’ar? He is like a cockroach.

I have to make sure he doesn’t weasel out of this one alive.

I lean into his ear and whisper a command that had been coming to a vampire like Ja’ar for a very long time.

“Burn yourself until youdie.”

CHAPTER 11

MAGNUS

I had always beencurious if that command would work on Ja’ar. He never seemed to burn himself whenever he showed it off.

So ordering him to burn himself until he died had an interesting effect. He ignites with flames, going up with the rest of my lair in a spectacular blaze of light.

He snarls at me, but he can’t do anything but obey the command. I had just drained a Vampire Alpha dry—I have enough blood to force him to do what I want.

It sends him to his knees as his healing instinct expends all of his reserves. His skin tries to harden to protect himself from the fire, but it starts to blister with holes.

His trigger finger is stuck on the torch as he keeps it aimed at himself. When that finally falters, the wall behind him burns, so he leans into it, forced by my command.

The effort to heal uses up all the blood in his system—most of it likely unwilling Omega blood that he doesn’t deserve.

I wait until I watch him sanguinate before my eyes. He practically melts until there are only bones left, and finally his fire-resistant blood marker can’t protect his form from the flames anymore.

Even his bones burn until they turn to ash.

“It’s time to go, my diamond,” I murmur as I return to the nest.

It is a surreal sight. The bed is the only part of the lair that remains untouched with my little diamond deep in peaceful torpor on top of it.

Nothing had disturbed her. Her face still holds complete and utter trust that I will protect her as her golden hair flickers with the light of the flames all around us.

Your trust will not be misplaced,I vow as I carefully pick my way through the nest. Soft embers are falling now, so I lay my hands over her as I wrap her as much as I can.

I’ve never bloodmisted this kind of distance while injured. But, for my Omega, I will try.

Imbibing in Vampire Alpha blood helps, so I draw what energy from the sour notes in my stomach while I collect my Omega and myself into my focus.

Then I take us to the one place I never thought I would return.

Welcome home,I think as the familiar lilac scent of my childhood home rushes all around me.

The bedsheets beneath us are fresh, pinching my chest because it means my family keeps up my bedroom even though there’s no way I was ever going to return.

And yet, here I am.

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