Page 73 of The Baritone's Rival

Trent kept his mouth shut, hoping not to draw attention to his location in the room. Elliott did the opposite.

“You fuckers are all gonna die now,” he growled, “and the wolf, too. You could have come peacefully. You could have been the coven master’s mate, and you threw it away for a weak little human.”

Elliott slowed his momentum. He couldn’t fight without some idea of where his enemies were. He slowly turned around in a circle.

“No one is dying here but you.” Oscar stepped forward and stood tall in front of the beast.

“There you are. You could have been my mate. Not anymore. Time to die, freak.” Elliott roared and lunged for him, stumbling but pushing through to inflict the damage he’d promised.

Oscar turned his head toward Justin, who was standing off to the side. Justin reached into his pocket and tossed Oscar his wooden stake.

“Trent is my mate!Youare nothing!” Oscar shouted, goading Elliott to strike in his direction as he dodged. Elliott’s momentum propelled him forward, and he smashed his face against the porthole with a scream.

As he did, Oscar pressed the stake between two back ribs andpushedit into Elliott’s heart. Elliott screamed as he did. Every hour of torture, starvation, and manipulation at the hand of this monster had culminated in this moment of revenge. Trent witnessed the pure triumph in Oscar’s eyes as Elliott crumpled to the floor.

Trent was a little disappointed that he hadn’t landed the killing blow, but if someone else had to do it, he was glad it was his mate. He soaked up the agony of Elliott’s defeat. Trent stared into his bully’s eyes as the light went out of them. There was no consciousness left. A surge of relief rippled through his body.

“Trent,” Oscar shouted, crouching down to take Trent’s head in his hands. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“He’s here without permission.” Everyone’s head turned to the door. Freddie stood there, his flaming red hair just barely fitting under the top of the entryway. Anger and frustration flashed across his face. “He should have waited.”

Freddie glanced down at Oscar holding Trent in his arms and sighed. “But sometimes that’s what mates do.”

“I need you to be okay,” Oscar said, bending down and inspecting Trent for any sign of injury. He pushed aside the torn fabric of Trent’s shirt to reveal the cuts across his chest. “I can’t…I just need you to be okay.”

Tears welled in Oscar’s eyes, full of fear and relief and something else. “I…I love you,” Oscar said. “You’re my mate and I love you.”

Trent took in the raw emotion written on Oscar’s face. He reached out and squeezed Oscar’s hand. “Oscar, I’m fine. He barely scratched me.”

“You’re okay. You’re okay. Elliott’s dead and you’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

“Trent’s better than okay. He’s a fucking killer.” Justin giggled from next to Freddie.

“What are you doing here?” Oscar asked with a scowl. “Shouldn’t you be locked up somewhere?”

“Yes, shouldn’t you?” A deep woman’s voice came from the far corner of the room. Lavinia stood there, leaning, her arms crossed, somehow looking regal in her rumpled orange skirt suit.

Justin’s went white. “I just…I was trying to save you.”

“Do you think I need to be saved, little boy?”

Justin pressed his lips together and shook his head vigorously. Anger flashed across Oscar’s face. Trent had to diffuse this. He sat up and put a hand on Oscar’s thigh.

“He was scared, Oscar. He was worried about his aunt, and he made a bad decision. I have no reason to trust vampires, but I trust him. He’s your friend.”

Oscar didn’t say anything.

Trent squeezed his thigh affectionately. “At least talk to him.”

Oscar’s eyes softened. He looked over at Justin, who was draped in an aura of sadness, and then back to Trent.

“Okay.”

“Good,” Trent said. “Now kiss me.”

Trent tugged Oscar’s head closer to his and, even though they were surrounded by people, bestowed on Oscar the hottest, dirtiest kiss he could manage, tender and filthy, sweet andravenous. When he broke off, the look on Oscar’s face was one of wonder and lust.

Trent smiled. “There’s more where that came from.”

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