Page 190 of Memories Like Fangs
He tilted his head with the calculated appraisal of an apex predator, always thinking one step ahead. “So, that’s what this is really all about then? Quinn thinks she got one of the good ones in you?”
Byrd’s answering roar shook the house like an earthquake. She pounced at him, but Diego caught her mid-air and tossedher back. She landed in a crouch with her tail lashing. She was able to dodge his next grab with a fluid twist of her wings.
Gods, I love this woman to death.
“You truly think the Council will hear you two out? Really? You? A lizard who lost her mommy and a little coward until she got some shifter pussy and now thinks she stands a chance against daddy?”
Byrd’s loud, dangerous snarl drowned out the growl that rumbled from my chest as I managed to push myself to my feet. I swayed, but at least I was standing.
“My mother never killed anyone out of malice!” Byrd said, her voice vibrating with barely restrained fury. “They attacked her while she waspregnant. It was self-defense!”
“The hunters saw an opportunity, and they took advantage. I would have done the same but with a better strategy and team. That was their mistake.”
His words hit me like one of his punches then. “Wait. Youknew. You knew about why she had the bounty and the circumstances.”
“Of course I did,” My father said as if the admission meant nothing.
“So, you knew she just wanted to protect her family,” Byrd stood from her crouch and said softly under her breath, verging on incredulity.
Father waved off the idea. “All you fucking lizards will turn eventually. All monsters do. You will always kill. It’s inevitable. Just look at you. How many have you killed?”
Byrd shook her head. “The only ones who turn and kill are hunters like you. You are worse than Cooper. At least, he wanted revenge. You are just a monster for the hell of it that needs to be taken down.”
Byrd held out her hands. Her tawny skin shimmered first. Then, an iridescent sparkle rippled from her fingertips uptoward her shoulders. Every inch of her arms was sheathed in her chrysalis magic. The glow was mesmerizing, a soft opalescence swirling with flecks of gold and shimmering pastel sheens. Then, it crystallized, hardening into opal-inspired armor along her arms. Her claws lengthened into needlepoint shards, each tip gleaming wickedly. From empty air, twin blades matching her arms and scales cascaded into existence in her open hands. Long and rapier-thin, their hilts contoured to Byrd’s palms like they had been made for her alone. I didn’t know whether to call the sight impossibly beautiful or inappropriately hot, which was a quandary I didn’t need in a moment like this.
Before I could settle on one or the other, Byrd attacked.
In the span of one heartbeat, Byrd’s wings fluttered, carrying her toward my father. My father showed no sign of fear. Instead, he reached into his pocket and snapped his hand out. A long, sharp sword that appeared to be made of diamond and steel unfolded, fully formed in his hand with a ringing sound. With it, Diego met Byrd head-on, his sword intercepting her twin blades in a burst of singing metal and crystal. Sparks flew out, lighting their faces in flashes of color. They circled before breaking apart at the same time. Then, they clashed again. Byrd ducked under his next swing. Then, her blade whispered across his side, slicing through fabric and biting into his skin. Blood flowed from the wound. He barely flinched.
For a while, it looked like my mate might have the upper hand. As much of a commanding powerhouse as my father was as a fighter, Byrd was a fluid ballerina when she fought, and I would never be able to get enough of seeing her in motion. She was quick and clever, small and fast. Her movements weaved light between his heavier strikes. With her wings, she could twirl to dodge and create distance. Her tail kept my father on his toes as he couldn’t predict how she was going to use itnext. My girl was able to slip in cuts on my father’s arms. She landed a shallow slice almost completely around his thigh. She slashed his stomach and managed to leave a pretty decent gash on his chest.Her blade and the crystals on her tail sang at every contact. Byrdie was holding her own.
But, just barely.
Because my father wasn’t just a hunter. He was a fuckingbeast. He was more calculated and faster than Cooper could have dreamed. He was far more cruel and vicious than Lilah. He moved with ruthless efficiency. Every strike was intended to maim and disable.
It happened in a blink and forever all at once.
A glint of steel and clear stone.
A weight shift.
She didn’t expect him to be that fast out of nowhere like that.
Then, my father’s blade slipped past her guard.
His sword plunged into Byrd’s side.
The dull, wet crunch of it hollowed out the air around me.
Agony in the same spot for me, but I couldn’t have cared less.
Byrd’s breath tore out of her in a wet gasp.
Her lips were suddenly painted red.
My father leaned in, poison dripping from his words. “That was for Harry, little killer fledgling. Maybe now I can get a nice little bounty for you. I bet you’ll look so good mounted next to your mother.”
My pulse slammed hard against my eardrums.
