Page 21 of Thorn of Sorrow

Dane rolled onto his stomach with a groan. “I think I broke my common sense… and possibly my wrist.”

“Seriously?” Malachi was definitely going to have my head for this. The prince wasn’t just protective of Dane. He was obsessed with his safety.

I could already feel him ripping me a new— “Dane, watch out!”

My mouth went bone-dry as part of the shadows came to life, red eyes glowing as it shot straight for Dane. I yanked my socks off then raced toward him, the cold marble unforgiving under my bare feet.

The vampire dropped to his knees right next to Dane and reached for him.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” I shouted, my heart thundering. Dane had slid much farther than I thought. It felt like I was sprinting a mile just to reach him.

Dane screamed and recoiled, shielding his neck with his arms, but there was more than one vein on the body to drink from.

The vampire grabbed Dane’s shirtfront and lifted him off the floor, causing his feet to dangle helplessly.

Taking advantage of my momentum, I rammed into the vampire, the impact sending all three of us crashing into the wall.

I grunted as I bounced off the vampire and stumbled backward, desperately grabbing air to stop my fall. Right before I hit the floor, strong hands gripped my shoulders and gently lowered me down.

As quickly as they’d appeared, the hands were gone.

Giovanni stepped into view, pulling two daggers from sheaths attached to his waistband.

In that moment, I didn’t see the guy who’d sat outside with me, teasing me until I’d been comfortable enough to kiss him.

I saw the warrior on the battlefield—honed muscles flexing, a deadly red glow in his eyes.

“Step away from the human, Baron.” Giovanni bared his fangs. I had never seen him look so powerful and deadly.

My gaze flicked to Dane, who had his hands curled around Baron’s wrist as he held on. His eyes met mine, and I saw the raw panic in them.

Painfully, I pushed to my feet, ready to rescue him any way I could. I knew for a fact vampires left the castle to feed, but apparently, Baron couldn’t pass up a free snack.

His gaze strayed to me, and I could tell my scent was having an effect on him. His nose wrinkled, and he swallowed several times.

“You can’t hold me accountable for this,” Baron argued, ripping his eyes away from me to glare at Giovanni. “It’s like placing gazelle in a lion’s den. Sooner or later instinct is going to take over.”

“You were stalking us,” I snapped. “You came right out of the shadows, which means you were hiding in them.”

“When I heard you two talking in the hallway,” he shot back.

“Put. Him. Down.” Giovanni’s voice carried a controlled fury, like a storm restrained by sheer force of will.

I was finished waiting for Baron to comply. Knowing how much I repulsed him—and the fact Giovanni was right there—I limped forward, bringing my scent closer.

But I’d caught the way Giovanni glanced at my leg.

Baron clenched his jaw, clearly trying not to breathe.

Giovanni moved in slowly, his daggers gripped tightly, his expression growing darker. Then he raised his right hand and tucked the edge of the blade under Baron’s chin. When Giovanni spoke, it was slow and menacingly low. “Put him down or not even your memory will survive me.”

My breaths grew shallow as my veins filled with ice. Memories of being on Osiris’s table, of that fucking knife carving into my body surfaced.

That deadly, sinister voice still haunted my dreams. The way the demon cut into my body, asking how it felt with that velvety tone that was filled with pure enjoyment.

A trickle of sweat slid down my temple as I started shaking. Osiris had returned a month ago, but for one fractured second, the past and present blurred. My mind screamed that it was Osiris’s hand curled around Dane’s shirt, Osiris’s grip lifting him off the ground. The memory of being helpless, of knowing no one would save me, made bile rise in my throat.

Despite knowing the demon was dead, killed by Giovanni himself, my brain refused to acknowledge the fact.

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