Page 67 of Incurably Cupid

The ether smeared around me, colors bleeding like someone had thrown acid all over the world, dissolving it. Then we blinked into a castle, into what appeared to be a Great Room.

Except this one held a throne, and Selio was on it.

I chuckled when the vampires in the room recoiled, their eyes widening in shock as one of their own blinked suddenly into existence. The reaction was immediate—exclamations, shouts, the scrape of weapons being drawn. Eyes darted to the shadows, searching for an attack that wasn’t coming.

The only one who seemed to understand what had happened was the vampire on the throne.

Before Selio could even shout for help, I was beside him, slamming my palm against his chest, trying to hit him with the same sleep magic I’d used on the other vampire. But he was ancient—powerful. And apparently, completely immune.

He blinked once or twice slowly before he sneered and caught my invisiblehand in a crushing grip.

I gaped, stunned, before he twisted my wrist in a lightning-fast move andsnappedit.

Pain exploded through me. I screamed but managed to cling to him with my other hand, pouring sleep magic into him as fast as I could.

But it wasn't enough. It didn’t even slow him down.

I’m gonna die here today.

The thought was fleeting before Selio moved—liquid fast—and drove me to the ground. My head slammed against thecement. Stars exploded in my vision, but I gritted my teeth and held on, my unbroken hand still desperately pushing magic into him. When I saw that my sleep magic was having no effect, I tried to blink into the ether and take him with me, but it didn’t work. He was somehow still blocking me.

Then Mordecai blinked into the room, dropping an unconscious vampire to the floor, and chaoserupted.

Cupids and vampires poured in from all over like a raging river. The cupids moved fast, trying to take the vampires down, but the vampires were faster—and deadlier. When the cupids realized they didn’t stand a chance in a straightforward fight, they shifted their strategy, using sleep magic to knock the vampires out.

Across the room, Mordecai spotted me pinned beneath Selio. His eyes locked on mine, and he shouted my name before blinking to me,slamminginto the ancient vampire with all his strength. But Selio was immovable. Undeterred, Mordecai bared his teeth and pressed his palm—now pulsing with red cupid magic—against a sliver of exposed skin on Selio’s neck.

Mesmer and King Draven blinked in with another dozen cupids, and Mesmer’s eyes found me instantly. I barely had time to register the change in his expression—fury, protectiveness, something deeper—before Selio’s griptightenedaround my throat.

Mordecai strained, trying to pry him off, while I kept pushing magic into him, but it wasn’t enough. My vision blurred, my pulse thundered, my limbs grew weak.

Drop. Just drop, already, you stupid vampire!

Mesmer roared.

The sound shattered the room.

He flew across the distance between us and collided with Selio with such ferocity that the ancient vampireflewacross theentire room andslammedinto the opposite stone wall with a sickening crunch.

I coughed, gasping, finally able to breathe, dragging air into my lungs as quickly as I could. My throatburnedand my wristhurt.I held my broken wrist to my stomach, trying to keep it from getting jarred again.

Mesmer had turned away from Selio at my gasp. His eyes landed on me, and then on the wrist that I cradled against me. His eyes began to glow with fury. His skin turned to stone. His bodyexpanded—his muscles thickened, his height increased, and huge, leathery wings erupted from his back, towering over him.

Selio pushed himself up from the floor, trying to shake off the impact. His gaze flicked toward the center of the room—toward King Draven wielding a glowing sword, cutting down vampires like they were nothing—and something like madness flashed in his eyes.

Felix was right. This vampire was insane.

Across the room, some vampires had fled when King Draven arrived. But others charged toward him, trying to break past the line of cupids protecting him. A dozen cupids surrounded him, fighting viciously to protect the king, but despite their best efforts, vampires kept getting through their shield wall. Draven didn’t look the slightest bit concerned. He cut the vampires down with precise, fluid movements, his glowing sword flashing.

I turned back to Mesmer and Selio, refusing to be distracted by the chaos in the Great Hall. Mesmer lifted Selio with one hand and slammed him into the wall again.

Only this time, hesent him straight through it.

Oops.

Mesmer didn’t even hesitate. He followed through, grabbed Selio midair andslammedhim into the cement floor. Theground beneath themshattered, chunks of stone flying in every direction.

Mordecai gently pulled me to my feet, his arm around me, bracing me. We started toward them slowly, waiting for an opening. Because as much as Ilovedthat my mate was pummeling the scumbag who broke my wrist and nearly killed me, I didn’t want him to end up in prison for murder. Conjugal visits were no way to start a relationship.

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