Page 66 of Midwinter Night's Prince

"Kill him!" Aveka ordered.

The vacant vampire moved to obey, almost fast enough to break Seth's focus, but he kept his storm raging through the onslaught.

The man was strong. Too strong. Each of his blows hurt like a motherfucker. Seth sent one lightning bolt straight to him, and the man stopped it with an open fist.

What was he? Certainly not a normal vampire. Not that it mattered. He had one mission and he intended to complete it.

Give Greer time.

"I can help you break whatever spell she has you under," Seth told the man.

He showed fangs and growled low.

Or not.

Seth pulled two daggers—his and one of Blair's—and launched himself at the tool in earnest, parrying blows, stabbing him when he could. He wasn't given the opportunity more than twice, and each time, the man didn't so much as flinch, all his sense of self gone.

He was a shell.

A high-pitched scream resounded. Seth couldn't focus on anything other than the creature before him, but the man looked back.

Givenan opening, Seth took it, wrapping his arms around the man's throat to immobilize him. He lifted his dagger high.

Then the man went limp, collapsing where he stood.

Confused, Seth let go.

It was only then that he noticed the silence. The stillness.

Chloe seemed to holdAveka in a tender embrace, head buried against her throat as she sucked, and sucked, and sucked her blood.

Her heart had already stopped beating, but still, Chloe kept sucking.

Then, finally, she must have tired of it, because she ripped out Aveka’s throat and let her fall at her feet.

Chloe's eyes shone with excitement as she casually wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Then she turned to face the hall.

There must have been twenty of Aveka's men left—the best of her army. The rest had already fallen.

They rushed out the doors, attempting to flee, but hit Greer's wall.

"Please!"

"Let us go!"

"We were…we were under a spell."

Finn snorted. “How I wish I could lie. It’s fascinating.”

Seth also doubted it. The only one who'd been controlled for sure was passed out cold.

Chloe turned to Levi, lifting one questioning brow.

Her husband extended his fangs. All these people had sided with Aveka because they were terrified of Chloe. They wanted her gone, and that wasn't even remotely tenable for Levi. None of them would last the night.

"Let us go, or we kill her!"

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