Page 76 of Slay Me

“What else was he planning?”

Conal closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“Come on, Conal, don’t break your favorable streak with me now.”

“He…he said he was gonna see what Ernesto’s obsession was all about by taking her for a spin before returning her. Said Ernesto wouldn’t know the difference,” Conal chokes out. “But I swear, as soon as he said that, I tried to leave! I would never have hurt—”

“Shut your fucking mouth.” I straighten and turn to Duncan. Bracken’s lion stands beside him, the top of his head up to Duncan’s chest.

“We caught them because that one tried to run, and that fucker yelled.” Duncan points to the dead guy on the floor.

I turn toward Conal. “You did good,” I say. “For that, your death will be quick.” I grip his head and snap his neck.

The shifter slumps into his chair, and I straighten. “Ernesto is going to keep coming for her.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“Not we,” I reply, my anger barely restrained. “Me. Get them to the roof. It’s time Ernesto knows who he’s dealing with.”

“D, this is a bad idea,” Duncan warns.

Bracken shifts, the sound of his bones popping the only evidence since my gaze is still on Duncan. “Not a bad idea,” he interjects. “A fucking horrible one. You show this fucker what you are and that’s it. Everyone will know.”

“They’ll come for you,” Duncan warns.

“Then let them fucking come,” I snarl.

* * *

Wings stretchedout to the sides, I drop the bodies on the ground in front of Ernesto’s house. Then, I land, remaining in my dragon form until the front door is ripped open and two dozen men with guns trained on me rush outside.

A man wearing stark white pants and a matching shirt steps out, sunglasses shielding his eyes despite it being well after ten in the evening.Ernesto.

I shift, shrinking down until I’m on two feet. “Ernesto,” I greet.

“You’re the Ringmaster,” he replies. “Guess I lost fifty vials of vamp blood. I thought you were a warlock.”

“You keep coming for what’s mine.”

Ernesto’s grin spreads, and he steps closer to me. “I think you mean what youstolefrom me.”

“Stealing infers you ever possessed her. Liv left. Ran from you the second she realized what a limp dick motherfucker you were.”

Ernesto’s expression shifts from amusement to anger, his mouth flattening in a tight line. “That what she told you? Funny, when my dick was buried in her mouth, she wasn’t complaining.”

My dragon surges beneath my skin, urging me to show this fucker who’s the most powerful. “And yet she ran. The second she broke free. Though you forcing her onto her knees shows what a fucking bastard you are.”

“She was begging for my cock,” he growls. “As I imagine the little whore is begging for yours now. Has she let anyone watch you two fuck yet?” He gestures to the men standing on either side of him. “They’ve all had a taste of what she looks like when I’m pounding into that tight pussy of hers.”

I clench my hands into fists. “This is your one warning. Cross me again and I’ll burn this entire empire of yours to the fucking ground.”

“If that were the case, you would have done it already, wouldn’t you, Ringmaster?”

Truthfully, if I thought I could survive killing him and the small army he has, I’d have burnt it down already. Magic may have no effect on me, but bullets sure as fuck do. “Final warning,” I repeat. “Do not make me come back.”

Ernesto reaches up and rips his glasses off. His eyes brighten, and I grin when I feel his magic attempt to breach my scales. When he realizes it won’t, his eyes widen. “You are not more powerful than I am,” he says, though his tone is far from the casual one it was when I first arrived.

“See you soon,” I say. Then I jump up and shift, taking off into the sky.

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