Page 15 of Break Her Heart
How was he so casual? Last night, he was no different from any other vampire. Rage consumed him. And yet now, he actedas if he didn’t have a care in the world. As if there wasn’t a good chance that he would be dead in a matter of months.
Bronwen glanced at him again, seeming to notice the same thing I did.
“Well,” he said, casually dusting off his shoulders, “our ride is here.”
I frowned. “What—”
The door burst open with a bang, cold wind whipping into the room. I spun, hands instinctively going to the hilt of my dagger. Four vampires stormed inside, their red eyes immediately locking on August, then snapping to Bronwen and me.
“He’s not safe,” one of them growled.
They lunged before anyone could speak. One went straight for Bronwen, another closing in on me.
I didn’t hesitate. Dropping my blade, I grabbed the vampire and incapacitated him before pulling a wooden stake from my side and driving it into his heart. Bronwen’s flames roared to life, engulfing her attacker in a searing burst of fire. The vampire shrieked and collapsed.
“Enough!” August’s voice cracked through the air like a whip.
The remaining vampires froze mid-lunge, their fangs bared, eyes flicking nervously between us and August’s furious expression.
August’s eyes burned with fury. He was different now—commanding. Like a switch had flipped, and I realized I barely knew anything about the monster that my sister was leaving with. He was far more dangerous.
“She is your future queen.”
They looked at each other in confusion.
August smiled. “Bow.”
Without objection, they lowered themselves and bowed before Bronwen.
But the part that worried me the most was the spark in Bronwen’s eyes. The same look that burst to life when she pulled magic, bested me in a sword fight, or left a rude person speechless. She’d always craved power in any form that she could get.
And this was something completely in itself.
August’s demeanor shifted once again, back way too casual. “Are you ready to go?”
“Now?” I asked.
She had just agreed. I had barely had time to be with her.
“We’re on a deadline. The sooner, the better.”
Bronwen came to me and hugged me. Something she didn’t do often.
“B—”
“I won’t let him in this time.” I saw it in her eyes this time. The rage behind the submission. She may have agreed, but she was fucking pissed. Good. “But I have to finish this. For Papa.”
August looked at me. “As soon as we wed, I will make the decree. Until then, I suggest you keep to yourself. I don’t think the Legion would be gentle if they see a traitor walking through town.”
I tensed. The Legion that I had given years of my life to wouldn’t hesitate to kill me now.
A vampire glanced at August before taking an uneasy step toward Bronwen. She matched his step, keeping distance between them and raised her arms in defense.
The vampire bowed his head. “My—my lady.”
“Myqueen.”
He glanced at August again, but I could see the rage and the humiliation written all over the vampire’s face. “My queen, I am only trying to escort you out.”
