Page 33 of Reign of the Beast

With a final heft of impressive strength, they managed to haul him off me.

I heard a nasty thud, then a thundering voice, “Bloodsucker!”

Scrambling back up into a sitting position, I hastily pulled my covers up to my chest and looked out to see Jaxon trapping a rabid, snarling Lucian in a body lock over on the far side of the room. There was a massive dent inthe drywall, clearly from Jaxon tossing him into the wall so brutally.

Fingers grasped my arm and I jumped.

That was when I realized how freaked out I was by what had just happened.

I was trembling, clutching my covers tightly to me, my eyes darting every which way.

“Come, sweetness,” Ryker called in a gentle voice.

I turned to see himholding my arm, trying to urge me off the bed.

“What’s going on?” I asked, as I let him help me out of bed.

He caught me against him as I stumbled into him. It had him staggering back a step or two.

I looked him over quickly, frowning when I saw just how weak and exhausted he looked. We’d been arguing nonstop so I hadn’t even noticed.

I smiled up at him. He was barely able to stand, yet he was fighting so hard to do so, while taking my weight against him as well.

“I need to get you out of here,” he urged, tugging me toward the door.

“No. Jaxon can’t hold an Ancient for long. Especially not when he’s like this.”

He grunted, irritated. From my refusal, or because of my concern for Jaxon? “It’s not a request, Mia. You’re down for the count and my magic is tapped out.”

“What? You’re tapped out?” I uttered on a gasp.

“Nobody else I care about is gonna be hurt today!” Jaxon yelled, capturing both mine and Ryker's attention.

He hauled Lucian around, shoving him against the wall, holding him there with his inked arm to his throat. He drew something from the pocket of his robe with suchspeed that it took me a few seconds to make out what it was.

A stake!

“No!” Ryker bellowed.

But it was too late.

Jaxon brought it down, driving it deep.

Lucian stilled and choked as blood spewed from his mouth.

He slid down the wall, landing on his ass with a heavy thud.

Ryker blocked my view, bolting forward, frantic.

As he skidded to his knees beside a fallen Lucian, I finally saw where Jaxon had stabbed him.

Relief filled me when I saw the stake protruding from his gut.

A non-fatal wound.

Jaxon stepped back, watching warily, still on high alert and ready for anything.

I could almostfeelthe tension leave the room when Lucian’s demon face dissolved, his human features returning, fangs retracting.

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