Page 12 of Blood Claims
“I still think she needs some convincing, brother,” Talon commented when I had been quietly contemplating my options for too long.
“Something we will have the time to do, seeing as we won’t allow her to escape us again once… and that time we have will increase once this war has been fought,” Victor said. My head snapped up, breaking his hold so I could look at him.
“War?” I asked, giving his amber depths cause to narrow down at me as he frowned.
“Make no mistake, Nessa, my brother and I will fight to get possession of that dagger back, as it is our birth right to rule,” Victor warned, giving me reason to tense knowing how close I had come to doing something foolish enough to start a war.
I reached up and cupped Victor’s cheek, before grabbing hold of Talon’s hand. Then I released a regretful sigh before telling them both,
“Good job I didn’t hand it over then.”
At this, both of their reactions were identical. Shock transformed their features into something more vulnerable. Then Victor gripped the tops of my arms, as if he feared I was about to float away without explaining myself.
“Come again?” he asked first, which was when I leaned up and whispered in his ear,
“I switched the dagger.”The shock on their faces would have been laughable had I not just nearly died. The way the brother’s looked at each other before looking back at me made my heart break for what I nearly took from them.
“You are going to have to explain this, sweetheart,” Tal said, making me grin before suggesting,
“Or I could just show you.” Something that was signal enough for Victor to pull his phone from his pocket and start issuing orders.
“Have the car brought around.” Then he ended the call and helped me up, just as Tal did, until I was back on my feet. Then once both were assured I was steady, Victor took my hand in his and walked me out of the witch’s shop with Tal by his side. The front door opened and I saw the black limo waiting there, with the man I knew was named Andras holding the door open.
“I want a team down here ASAP, find me everything on the witch and who she may have been working for,” Victor told him. Andras nodded before he pulled a cell from his leather jacket and started to make some calls.
“Oh, she was definitely working for someone.” I told them both, once again giving them cause to give each other another silent look.
“We will discuss it in the car,” Victor said tensely, giving me more than enough reason to look at the open door with trepidation. “Get in the car, Nessa,” he ordered. Tal nodded to where he wanted me, and I took in a deep breath before trying to play my last card.
“And if I do, will you let me go after I have shown you where the dagger is?”
Tal actually laughed, while Victor narrowed his eyes down at me.
“It’s cute that you think you have any leverage here, Sweetheart,” he said, making Tal chuckle.
“Cute and deluded.”
I frowned before folding my arms and telling them in my firmest tone,
“Then I am not going anywhere with you.”
Victor grinned and unlike his brother, it was anything but easy going in its nature. More evil and cunning genius with an air of warranted confidence. Something he followed up by crowding me closer to the car, so my body was suspended in front of the open door. Then his hands caged me in, held to the roof of the car, as he leaned in closer. His eyes tracked the way I gulped, making him smirk at my nervousness.
“I wasn’t asking, Firefly,”he told me sternly, his voice taking on a depth that spoke only of who held the authority here out of the two of us. Which then led to him making his order once more and added to it a definitive bite to his words as he got closer with each word spoken.
“Now. Get. In. The. Car.”He ended this with deadly show as his fangs emerged quickly. A sight that caused me to gasp before letting my ass fall to the seat at my back. Then once he had me where he wanted me, he leaned down and praised,
“Good girl.” After which he winked and ran a tongue over one fang in a predatory way that had me scrambling back from him, effectively putting me in the car.
Before they could join me, I made it to the other bench seat that ran along the side of the limo, making it a repeat of last time. However, the difference was that when they each took a seat themselves, they didn’t have any power over me.
“Come here, Little Peach,” Tal ordered, making me shake my head, telling him no.
“I have to say, I am going to miss the compulsion to do as we say,” Talon commented with a smirk that I wanted to slap from his face.
“Indeed,” his brother agreed, making me sneer at them both.
“I am right here, you know!”
