Page 48 of The Devil We Know

I rush to the bottom of the altar where they’re standing, a dozen of Matteo’s cronies milling around on the other side.

Kaian pulls on my arm, drawing my attention to him, and then he gives me a hard look as he whispers, “Get it together, man.”

I slow my steps and take a deep breath as I walk toward them and then stop a few feet away as I ask, “What the fuck is going on here?”

Matteo looks over at me and sneers, “None of your fucking business.”

I raise my brows, crossing my arms over my chest as I retort, “I’m making it my fucking business.”

Jessica presses her lips together. I see the panic in her eyes and also the pain. At a glance down her body, I note where he’s gripping her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. “Take your fucking hands off of her.”

He snorts, his whole face twisting as he says, “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want with her. There’s nothing you can fucking do about it, Mathias.”

I grind my teeth together, and Kaian steps closer to me until he’s almost pressing against my back and whispers, “You gotta keep your cool, man.”

I inhale sharply through my nose, doing my best to temper the rage that’s burning inside me, and then I say more calmly, “She may be yours, but that doesn’t mean you can just do what you want without her father present.”

The priest is standing on the other side of them, fidgeting nervously, his eyes wide as he glances from Matteo to me and back to Matteo. He may be a man of God, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fear for his own life when it comes to the whims of an obviously unhinged man.

What he doesn’t know is there are two unhinged men in this room right now, and getting between us would be a mistake.

I take a step closer, my eyes locked with Matteo’s as I say, “Think about it. If you go through with this, there could be hell to pay. And not just from her father, but from your own people.”

He keeps his eyes locked with mine for a moment, but then he blinks, and that vacant coldness is there, so I add, “Are you on something? Are you fucking high or something?”

I look behind him, where all of his cronies are congregated, appearing nervous and on edge. I look back at Kaian, who’s shaking his head, and he whispers, “They’re all fucking gone. There’s no talking to them.”

He pauses, scanning the room before turning back to me and shrugging as he adds, “I got your back, man. Do what you gotta do.”

I don’t get a chance to reply when Jessica’s pained exclamation draws my attention back to her, and I see Matteo gripping her by the hair as he snarls at the priest, “Get the fuck on with it.”

The priest opens his mouth to speak, and I interrupt, “This is your last fucking chance, Matteo. Fucking let her go.”

Matteo laughs humorlessly, and it’s obvious that Kaian is correct; there’s no reasoning with him at this point. Again, I try one last time, “I’m not fucking around right now. Let her go, or you’re a fucking dead man.”

Matteo’s friends squirm nervously, but he laughs, which cues them all to laugh with him, and my blood fucking boils. Matteo lurches forward, his hand in Jessica’s hair yanking viciously as he forces his mouth against hers. Her hands come up between them, and she punches at his chest, a scream of outrage bubbling from her mouth, as he shrieks, “You fucking bitch!”

He steps away from her, one hand moving to his now-bleeding mouth, and Kaian’s hand touches my side, then the hard press of steel in my hand. I close my fingers around it, the familiar coolness heating almost immediately as he whispers, “Fuck around time.”

Matteo is still screaming, his furious gaze directed at Jessica, his hand coming up to attack, but I jump between them. I step into him, and his scream quickly turns to a gurgle as my blade slices cleanly through his windpipe. Blood sprays everywhere, and Jessica lets out a scream as I push her out of the way, stepping into Matteo in the hopes I can save her some of the gore.

Kaian uses the few moments of surprise to initiate an attack against the buffoons standing there watching as the man gurgles his last breath and falls to the ground. Kaian takes out the first one, similarly to how Matteo met his end, and he’s already on the second guy before he even realizes that he’s about to die.

Everyone scurries like rats, pandemonium ensues, and I turn to Marieka, who’s standing in the doorway, and shout, “Secure the door.”

She nods, pulling the door with all her strength, and it slams shut, the locks engaging with a click.

Kaian faces off with another man just as the rest of them realize they’re trapped. They turn on us, realizing their only chance is to fight their way out.

I turn to the priest, snarling, “Stay with her.” I don’t wait for him to respond. I turn back to the swarm of people closing in on me, and I dive in.

Ready to destroy.

21

A Forceful Bride

Jessica

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