Page 19 of Our Sins in Shadows (Coven of Sin 2)

I woke with a gasp as a symphony of chaos roused me from my sleep, echoing through the prison. When I bolted up, my forehead slapped against the coffin lid. “Ow, bloody fuck!”

Rubbing my forehead with one hand, I shoved the coffin lid off with the other.

The scene that met me made my stomach twist with a volatile mixture of dread and anger.

Erik stood in the center of the cell with his back turned to me as he watched his men beat Vincent with iron chains. It seemed they had just begun their vile beating, but the atmosphere hung heavy with the thick scent of singed flesh, and burns on the vampire hybrid’s chest made his muscles seize. On the next hammer of my heart, he began to convulse on the floor.

Judging by the headless corpse lying beside Vincent and the severed head resting just beside my coffin, he’d taken at least one of them down with him before he’d succumbed to the iron.

Eros pressed against the bars of his cell, helpless to do anything but spit out death threats and obscenities at the Boston Coven’s leader as he watched his brother take the vicious beating.

I didn’t need to stop to think what my next move should be. The dark and dangerous part of me came lurching to the surface, ready to tear out throats, not stopping to ask for permission.

Before I fully realized it, I was already on Erik’s back. Grabbing his head, I moved to twist it off. Before I had the chance to make that deadly snap with my hands, he reached up and plucked me off like I weighed nothing.

His hand found my throat on the next wild beat of my heart. He held me in front of him, seething. “Fucking little half-blood slut. Do you really think you’ve got the strength to rival a vampire twelve hundred years your senior?”

Twelve hundred years? Holy shit. Older than Sterling, but not as strong. I thrashed against him, trying to wrestle my way free. I got way too much satisfaction seeing the shock on his face as he had to fight to keep his hold over me. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow, and his teeth gnashed. “You’re strong.”

“You have no idea, asshole. Now take your hands off me before I rip them off.” I had just about wrangled myself from his grip when, to my bafflement, he justlet go.

I moved to hit him but froze the second he screamed for me to stop.

It wasn’t because I had suddenly developed the ability to listen to instructions given by male vampires who considered themselves my superior. Nope. Hell would freeze over before that happened.

My heart plummeted to the concrete, and I didn’t dare move so much as an inch closer when I registered Erik’s boot hovering over Vincent’s head.

Vincent’s hulking frame was now pinned to the floor under several ropes of iron chains, unable to budge.

Erik’s feet were encased in heavy, old-fashioned boots with iron soles. Where in the hell had he gotten those? The resourcefulness of this coven made me freaking sick.

“Stop resisting, and perhaps I won’t brand the imprint of my foot into your lover’s face.”

I let loose a low, frustrated growl, but my shoulders sagged in defeat.

The moment I’d visibly given in, Erik’s fingers curled around my wrist. “Good girl,” he crooned in a tone that made my skin creep. “Follow me.”

“Wait! Let me get dressed.” I looked to where my jeans still lie crumpled on the floor beside Eros’ cell. Now all I wore was the thin, scratchy blanket they had provided with the coffin, wrapped around me like a towel.

“Why?” Erik snickered as he dragged me out of the cell. “You’ve already proven yourself quite the little exhibitionist.”

So, therewerecameras in this prison. I’d expected as much. I wondered if there’d been audio too? It didn’t matter. Even if they had heard my plans to overthrow the Elders and gather support from the covens directly, there wasn’t shit they could do about it. With so few forces, their only card to play was the meager hope that they’d resurrect my father.

I wouldn’t let that happen. Sterling, especially, wouldn’t let that happen.

Where are they?

The youngblood and my silver prince had to have something up their sleeves. Sterling was close. I could feel his mark nearby, and it caused a comforting ache to rise inside me.

Whatever those two were planning, I hoped they did it soon. Because the way Erik was leering at me as he yanked me into the elevator next to him made my insides heave.

The foreboding sensation unfurled into full bloom in my gut, and my nerves ran riot when he pushed the button to close the elevator doors, but not any of the floor buttons that would take us up.

Eros shouting for me bounced down the concrete hallway that led back to the prison.

“I’ll be alright!” I yelled back, but the elevator doors slid shut before the words had left my mouth. A bitter-cold feeling settled in my chest, making my breath come out in short, uneven bursts.

I became acutely aware of Erik’s heated eyes as they made a slow descent down the length of my body. He took a step toward me, forcing my back against the smooth metal of the elevator.

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