Page 57 of Eternally Yours

He cocked his head, his brows pinched together as if what I said made no sense. “Loren, dear. One cannot interrupt the natural order of things. You don’t stand between a wolf and its prey.”

“There is nothing natural about what you’re doing here.”

“Desperate times. Desperate measures, I’m afraid.” He shuttered his eyes, seeming bored with our conversation. “Once that leech-prince took off with you in his arms, there was no way I would back off from collecting what was mine. My wolves tracked your scent back to his place. I’d sent them for Guerra, not you. I’d assumed you would succumb to your injuries. Never in my wildest imagination did I think a royal prince would offer eternity to a regular human. But then you walked right into our arms. Unscathed and a new… being.”

“I don’t know what it is you think I am, but I am not one of your dogs. I won’t track or kill anyone for you. I won’t let you use me against the vampires.”

His grin widened as he removed his glasses, cleaned the lenses, and perched them back on his nose. “I admire your strength, Loren. I couldn't have asked for a better subject. You are truly quite remarkable. Making my Alpha wolf back down. And what you did to Budrow? Impressive. But I can’t have you asserting your dominance over me. Or my pack. You understand.”

A tingle of warning zipped up my spine, and my gaze caught a man coming toward my cage.

Yellow-teeth.

Holding the collar’s remote in his hand, he entered my cell, his arrogant smirk making my skin crawl. Scooting away from him, I pressed my back against the farther side of the cage, my body trembling.

“Get away from me!” I yelled. With my arms still bound, I couldn’t do much else to get away. “Don’t you fucking dare—”

Electric fire shot through my spine. My skull cracked, my ribs splintered, and my heart stopped beating as I collapsed on my side and the world went blank.

Chapter Nineteen

Nicholas

Flanked by two armed vampire guards, I rode the main elevator down to the second floor—our operations command headquarters. The living facilities were on the 3rd floor, deeper down and guarded by state-of-the-art security technology. As the doors opened, I was handed off to another set of guards.

“Andres. Victoria,” I said, nodding my greeting. “Glad to see familiar faces.”

“Lord Guerra,” Victoria answered, bowing her head in respect.

“Nic is fine.”

She smiled, but when I turned to Andres, the vamp looked less than happy to see me. Still my father’s loyal follower.

I’d come unarmed, except for the blade I always kept holstered to my ankle. True to their training, they patted me down as if I was some type of miscreant.

When Andres found the knife, he held it up close to his face, turning it back and forth as he examined the elaborate hilt.

Noting his interest, I cleared my throat and hardened my gaze. “I’m going to need that back when this is over.”

He cocked his head, whiskey-colored eyes darkening as he grinned with elongated fangs. “Maybe I’ll keep it.”

Shortening the distance between us, I flashed him my own pearly whites. “Not if you want to keep your head.”

His jaw clenched as he took a step back. Regardless of my dishonor, I was still my father’s son. That alone made me stronger and able to deliver on my threat.

“You know our procedures,” he said, lips taut. “You shouldn’t have brought any weapons.”

I shrugged and offered him a frosted smile. “Old habits…”

They escorted me down a long passageway that led to our interrogation rooms. Not much had changed in all the time I’d been gone. Despite the modern amenities and technology, the decor remained the same. Ornate rugs signaled my family’s wealth, and woven tapestries depicted our history in elaborate illustrations of war and glory.

Victoria and Andres led me into a room at the far end of the hall. The square room was bare except for a metal chair positioned in the center. They ushered me inside and closed the iron door behind me. My family had learned early on that as strong as vampires were, there was one element that remained immovable. Iron.

I refused to sit. I’d done my fair share of interrogations in the neighboring rooms in my life as leader of the Iron Guard to know what happened once an enemy sat in those chairs. And now the waiting game would begin. I wanted to remain calm. My father respected resilience and strength, but every second I wasn’t fighting to get Loren back chipped at my self-discipline.

Leaning my head back against the wall, I clenched my jaw so tight I almost cracked my teeth. My hands shook as I tried to reel in the roiling in my gut. Icing me was my father’s way of putting me on edge to get the upper hand.

Fucker.

---