Page 4 of Hitched to the Vampire King

Shock flickered across Adrian’s face, clearly stunned I knew so much about his so-called family. That shock quickly morphed into fury and he lunged for the bars, his hand held up as though he meant to strike me. Good luck with that. He’d have to open the cage to do so, and I would enjoy that immensely. A truth he saw in my own wicked grin.

“You have noideawhat you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but I do,” I taunted, taking great pleasure in this moment. “You loved her. She was your whole world. But you weren’t hers. It had to hurt when you learned you weren’t your wife’s mate. I couldn’t imagine how that felt.” My face hardened. “But that’s no excuse for your behavior. She caused a lot of pain, and you sat by and did nothing. And because you did nothing, you forced your son to step up and take matters into his own hands. You don’t like how he handled things? Well, guess you should have been there to help him. But no, you’re just another absentee father who only cares about legacy and bloodlines. Well, fuck you. Fuck all of you.”

Clearly, I had some pent-up daddy issues to release.

Something akin to pure rage rippled across Adrian’s face. It took a moment, but he calmed down and appraised me with a cool expression. “I can’t tell if you’re brave or incredibly stupid. You realize I could kill you right now?”

I threw my arms open, practically daring him to make a move. “Do it then.”

Adrian drew a long, and unnecessary, breath. Once he released it, he took a step back, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I said, my chiding tone clearly rankling him. “Because you aren’t the one pulling the strings here, are you? You’re waiting for someone else to arrive before you do anything. The question is, who?”

Adrian sneered, flashing his fangs at me. He didn’t answer the question. Instead, he stalked toward Gabriel’s cage. At the sight of his son unresponsive and unconscious, Adrian’s sneer turned into a smirk. One that curdled my blood.

The second Adrian reached for the lock, I lunged at the bars with a snarl I’d only heard myself make when in wolf form. I grabbed the cold metal and shook the cage as hard as I could. “Get the fuck away from him.”

Adrian turned to face me, our gazes locking. I held his stare, all the while imagining the many ways I could kill him.

“Not so cocky now, are you?” he taunted.

He pushed his hand into a pocket and withdrew a set of keys and another syringe. I rattled the bars again and cried out. “Leave him alone!”

Adrian’s lips curled in a taunting smile as he lifted the syringe in the air and uncapped it. Apparently, it washisturn to taunt me.

“Shouting won’t help you, Maddie,” he commented, his voice completely devoid of the anger I’d seen only moments ago. “There’s no one around for miles. No one would hear you.”

I slammed my hands against the bars, the metallic clang echoing in the dark room. “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill all of you.”

That smirk only grew. “You werewolves. Always so arrogant. But in the end, every single one of you is just another animal. Easily caged.” He inserted the key into the lock and twisted it with a click that sent a spike of dread right through my heart. He wrenched open the door and stepped inside. “You can roar and growl and gnash your teeth, but soon, you won’t be my problem anymore.”

He crouched and inserted a syringe into Gabriel’s neck for the second time that night.

My fingers gripped the bars so hard, I hoped they’d break. The instant the holy water hit Gabriel’s veins, his body gave the slightest twitch. I sucked in a sharp breath, hope blooming in my chest. It was the first time he’d moved in a day, but I took it to mean he was still fighting, still holding on.

I tore my focus from my mate and glared at Adrian. “I am going to rip you to pieces. Do you hear me?” I released the bars and took three slow steps backward. “And I’m going to keep you alive as long as I can so you canwatchme tear you apart.”

Adrian gave a derisive snort, then stood. “Good luck with that,luv.”

I jerked at the sound of Gabriel’s pet name for me. Adrian’s mocking use of it twisted the knife deeper, fueling a rage within me that burned hotter than any fire. My heart pounded against my ribs, a wild drumbeat urging me to take action, to deliver on my promises, but until I escaped this cage, I was useless.

Adrian stepped out of Gabriel’s cage and locked it behind him. With a wink, he pocketed the key, then turned to leave.

I started pacing, all the while wracking my brain for any sort of plan. Ihadto get us out of here, I just didn’t know how. And didn’t that realization just chap my ass. I was supposed to be this badass vampire slayer, and here I was, trapped in this godforsaken cage without the slightest idea about how to escape.

As Adrian turned to leave, another set of footsteps, slow and measured, approached the room. I frowned and glanced from the door to Adrian, alarmed at the sight of his smug grin.

“Finally,” he murmured, more to himself than me.

That wasn’t a good sign. Anything that made him that happy spelled disaster for me.

The footsteps drew closer, then paused at the threshold. Muffled voices carried down into the room, the guards’ tones unmistakable. But it was theothervoice—a third one I didn’t know—that caught my attention and stirred something in my memory.

Frowning, I inched closer to my cage door and listened. The voice was deep and accented. Unsurprising, considering most of Adrian’s people were British. But there was something about the playful lilt and dramatic pauses that sparked familiarity.

Before I could place it, the door swung open, and our visitor slowly entered. My gaze started low and slowly climbed upward, taking in every detail. Black combat boots, dark acid-washed jeans, a plaid long-sleeved shirt rolled up past his elbows, and an angular face with freckled cheeks, brown eyes, and blond hair.

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