Page 43 of Fated In Blood

The now-quiet crowd shifted on their feet, some of them escaping up the steps to safety, only to be turned away by the twins.

Idiots.Number one rule of fight club. Nobody leaves until it’s over, especially not the paying customers.

I was blindsided by Collum’s next attack, too, taking a shoulder to the chest, knocking the air out of my lungs, spittle exploding out of my mouth. He landed on top of me, and I was almost too slow to wrap my good hand around his jaw to keep him from tearing out my throat with those long, vicious fangs.

By now the floor was coated in blood, the crowd plastered against the walls, keeping as far away from this shitshow as they humanly could.

“You are going to taste so fucking good.” His tongue wriggled out like a writhing snake between those fangs. “I couldn’t believe my luck when Vincent called me tonight and told me he had a newly turned vamp in the ring. My lucky night, I suppose.”

I squeezed my fingers together and shoved him back another inch, his breath washing over my face in fetid waves that left me gagging. “Fucking hell. What do you eat? Spoiled meat?”

He dragged his fingers down my face, but instead of nails, sharp claws rasped down my cheek, leaving a burn in their wake. “You, in another few minutes. You can’t beat me. You just went through the change, so you’re too weak. Give up now and I’ll kill you quickly.”

“In front of all these good people? Whatever will they think when they see what you really are? They have cell phones. Cameras. We’ll be on the evening news.”

“They’ve seen it all before,” he said dismissively, pressing forward, regaining the scant inch I’d gained, fangs gleaming. “So have you. You served drinks down here, right? I remember you.”

My mind scrambled over what he was saying and desperation gave me the strength to shove him further away. “Liar. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“You always wear those stilettos. Great legs. Maybe I won’t make this quick after all.” He slipped out of my grasp like water and ended up ten feet away, the panicked crowd scattering.

I climbed to my feet, wiping blood from my face. He was lying. I’d never seen Collum before.

Never heard of vampires fighting at Valentine’s.

I spit a mouthful of blood on the floor, risking a glance at Vincent. He didn’t look at all put out by the fangs or the claws or the fact a six-and-a-half-foot tall vampire stalked toward one of his customers, a pretty girl with bleach blond hair, trapped in the corner all alone as her friends scattered.

She cowered down into a ball and Collum licked his lips, grinning.

“Wait.” My voice rang loudly against the cinderblock walls. “Idoremember you. You’re the pussy who can’t take a fucking punch.” I edged closer to a group of faux-gothy college boys inall black, heavy skull rings decorating every finger. “Collum the Cocksucker. Yeah, that was what Vincent called you.”

Across the room, the color drained from Vince’s face. Good. I hoped the fucker was pissing his pants right about now. Collum ignored me and cornered the sobbing blond. Nobody helped her; nobody tried to intervene.

I grabbed goth guy’s arm and stuck out my hand.

“Give me your goddamn rings, or I’ll rip your fingers off and take them myself.”

They all stripped their fingers clean, and when they dropped those rings into my palm…this felt like catching chunks of glowing lava. But I grit my teeth against the pain and slid the enormous things on my good hand, tendrils of actual smoke curling out from where the metal touched my skin.

Okay, now that I was experiencing this for myself, silver hurt like a motherfucker.

But the silver might just work. It had better, or I was dead.

“Hey there, limp dick. Why don’t you come back here and fight instead of terrorizing the locals?” The petrified girl hiccuped out a sob when he turned my way, tears streaking down her pale face.

“That’s it, shit for brains. I’m way more fun anyway.”

Not only was I ready, the bastard was predictable, leading with his right shoulder, all two hundred fifty pounds of muscle propelled straight toward me, backed up by a shit ton of momentum. I plowed my ring-encrusted fist into his face, feeling a burst of satisfaction when the silver met his mouth. It was the perfect punch, backed up by my newfound power. Blood spurted. Things broke.

A fang flew through the air and the splintered shard of bone landed on the disgusting floor as I stripped off the silver rings, cradling my burned hand.

Baby vampire, my ass.

I’d been pitted against bigger and meaner opponents my whole life, and this smug, pompous creep wasn’t taking me out. Collum looked dazed when he pushed up on his elbows, hand pressed to his mouth while blood gushed between his fingers, coating his chin and pooling on the floor.

He made a helpless sound and reached out…trying to pick up his broken fang.

Never one to waste an opportunity, I stomped on his hand and shattered every finger, then his shin, breaking his fibula in half. Another well-placed blow and his femur shattered.

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