Page 13 of Eternal Kiss

“The woman who tried to kill me,” I hissed. “The same one who killed my father.”

“Do you have a lot of blondes in your coven?” he asked Luke.

“Too many to narrow it down.” Luke pulled me closer and kissed my temple. It was a sweet gesture. One Blake had never given me. Why I wasted four years with him was a mystery.

When we got to the Garden District, Laurent pulled over and put the car in park, killing the engine. Luke tipped my chin and kissed my lips. “You know the plan, and no matter what I say, remember I am playing a part. Now let’s get this over with.”

Laurent disappeared, heading to the back of Doug’s – my – house. It didn’t feel like mine since I had never seen it. Luke glamoured himself to look like Darius, then he helped me from the back seat. Gripping my elbow, he escorted me down the sidewalk until we came to the house my father had called home. It was a white three-story with sage green shutters, surrounded by an ornate wrought-iron fence. It was gorgeous. Luke opened the gate, and we both got into character. When we reached the steps, I pulled against his grip, my claws slashing at his arm.This was the part I hated. I didn’t want to hurt him even though he assured me it didn’t. The gashes would heal quickly.

We made it through the front door, and if Luke hadn’t already warned me about the mess, I would have been pissed upon seeing all my father’s belongings destroyed. Luke pushed me to my knees and “compelled me” to stay there.

“Darius. What the fuck is this?” a dark-skinned man demanded. He appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, and his accent matched.

“Thought you might like a gift. Benoit found her quicker than we thought, but before I could take his head, he grabbed her and took her to a house. I had to fight off several of his coven before I could get inside.”

“And where is Benoit now? I demanded his head!”

The front door opened, and the blonde bitch rushed in. She froze when she saw me. “What’s going on?”

“You!” My part in the scheme flew out the window when my rage took over. Using my newfound speed, I rushed her, grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her off her feet, slamming her onto her back.

“Let her go,” Montrose commanded.

I slowly turned my head, my gaze turning red. “No.”

His eyebrows shot up, and I dropped my fangs. He then took a step toward me, but a sexy voice stopped him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Montrose turned around to confront “Darius.” Luke, with the sword poised to strike, dropped the glamour. “Tell Lillith I said hello.” He swung the sword before the other Ancient realized what was happening, and his head rolled off his shoulders, landing with a thud on the hardwood floor.

“Luke? Oh, thank the goddess you’re here,” the blonde cried, struggling to get out of my grasp. She clawed at my arms, but I had Luke’s blood and was stronger than she realized.

Luke closed the distance and demanded the woman stop fighting. “You sided with the wrong vamp, Arabella. Why?”

“I gave you everything, but to you, I was nothing but someone to boss around. The club should have been mine. This house should have been mine. But instead, you gave everything to a washed-up musician.”

“How did you get Doug alone that night?”

“I told him you were attacked while closing, and he came running.”

Luke stood next to me, staring down at his assistant. “Move back, Sweetheart.” I did as he asked, and Arabella jumped to her feet.

“Lukas, please,” she begged.

Luke swung the sword, slicing from her neck to her groin. “That was for being a duplicitous bitch.” He then closed the distance and kicked her so hard she hit the wall ten feet away. Luke followed, driving the sword into her chest, pinning her to the wall. When she tried to claw him, he broke both her wrists. I cringed at the crunch of bones, but it was also satisfying. Luke grabbed her jaws and wrenched them open, pulling her tongue out. Using a claw, he sliced it off and tossed it on the floor. I was glad Luke had a cleaning service because that was nasty. “That was for turning on me after all these years.” He used his bloody nail to rip open her face. “That’s for killing my best friend. But this?” He removed the sword from her chest, blood dripping everywhere. “This is for trying to kill my beloved.” With one swing, Arabella’s head was separated from her shoulders. Her body followed it to the floor. Within seconds, she turned to ash.

“Dammit, I wanted a shot at her,” I griped until I noticed Luke’s chest heaving. His gaze on me was intense. He was a sight with blood splatter covering his hands. Some had gotten on his face, so I walked over and rubbed it off with my thumb. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Avenging me and my father.”

Luke dropped his forehead to mine as he calmed down.

“So, this is my house, huh?”

“Yeah, Sweetheart, this is your house.”

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