Page 67 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

“Vlad! Catch!” she barked as she tossed them over.

The incubus looked up where he was slowly rising from the ground. His pupils flared.

Santana’s eyes widened. “No!”

He lunged for the items.

Her roundhouse kick caught him in the chest and sent him flying.

Vlad’s trembling fingers closed around the dolls and the lighter. He reached for the bloodied miniature dolls.

Santana climbed back to his feet and charged at the incubus with an enraged scream, his saber a silver arc as it carved the air.

Delphine blocked his attack.

The click of the lighter when it came sounded unnaturally loud in the gloom of the warehouse.

The scent of burning cloth and hair filled her nostrils.

Santana screamed.

The ground trembled as a violent force detonated across the warehouse, its power warming her flesh on a crimson haze.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Heat explodedinside Vlad’s body as the dolls burned brightly and turned to ash on the ground before him. The tidal wave of energy that surged through his veins from his reawakened core made him gasp and arch. His blood sang and his heart soared as his incubus magic roared back to life, filling the void that had left him feeling hollow these past days.

The bond he’d shared with Tarang since they were small flared like a supernova. The tiger stirred and rose, shaking himself off as if waking from a long sleep.

The triumphant roar that left his familiar brought dust down from the rafters. Tarang’s eyes blazed crimson, demonic energy crackling across his white fur.

Vlad’s pulse raced with elation as their cores connected, the power that was theirs and theirs alone to wield the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. His gaze found Santana as he rose, his brief moment of joy replaced by a fury that made the very air around him shimmer.

“You tried to kill my familiar.” His voice dropped dangerously as he faced the crime lord. “You tried to killme. And you almost succeeded.”

Delphine pulled back to give them space, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched him.

Vlad’s heart clenched at the look in her eyes. The super soldier’s steady gaze was full of confidence that he would see this through and something else that made a different kind of fire lick through his veins.

There was motion opposite him.

Santana backpedaled across the ground, his face draining of color as he registered the red aura surrounding Vlad. His gaze darted to Manuel’s unconscious form.

“Uncle!” Fear cracked his voice. “Manuel!Wake up!”

“He can’t help you now.” One of the diamond studs in Vlad’s ears transformed at his silent command, the gleaming sword humming with deadly intent as it dropped eagerly into his hand. “No one can.”

Santana grasped his saber with trembling fingers and pushed up to his feet.

“Stay back!Stay away from me, you monster!” he shrieked.

Vlad narrowed his eyes. “You think I’m the monster? Then allow me to demonstrate exactly what this monster can do.”

Tarang’s pupils blazed with unholy fire as he lent Vlad his strength.

Vlad moved.

Santana barely managed to block his first strike. The second shattered his saber into a dozen pieces. The crime lord tripped and stumbled, terror overwhelming whatever magical ability his uncle had granted him.

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