Page 116 of Heathens

I make another deep cut in my arm and force Sofie’s mouth onto it, pulling her into my lap to protect her as Ruby pushes herself back onto her knees. She’s weak and unsteady, like a newborn foal.

More soft footsteps, and his whistling gets louder and louder.

Blood trickles down her chin and I pray she’s actually ingested some of it. There’s a very limited window.

Suddenly, the door to the foyer swings open and Rene stands on the threshold, casually looking around at the carnage. He clicks his tongue and takes a few steps toward what’s left of Theo’s head.

“First you blow up my front door, then you kill my new best friend…” He looks up at me. “And now, just look at you, trying to make yourself a little army.”

Ruby scrambles to her feet, her instinctual loyalty to her sire kicking in. She tries to run at Rene, but she’s far too weak, falling on her hands and knees and scrambling toward him on all fours instead. Rene grins, meeting her halfway with a long stride, kicking her straight on the chin, and sending her flying backward. She breaks a bookshelf into pieces while I struggle to rise, Sofie convulsing beneath me as she begins the change. The veins in her forehead and neck protrude just like Ruby’s.

Rene grins.

“Kind of a little cunt, don’t you think? I thought you liked them obedient.”

I glare at him.

“I think that’s you, asshole.”

He heaves a dramatic sigh.

“Oh, Dominic. When are you going to give this up?”

“When you’re in the fucking ground,” I growl.

Rene smooths out his dark suit jacket as he shakes his head. His black snakeskin boots have a pearlescent sheen to them. He has tattoos scattered across his knuckles, along with rings that adorn every single finger. One of them is mine. I left it for him when I turned on him.

“You’ve been promising to kill me for years!” He exclaims. “All you do is concoct these little schemes toruinmy empire, but you barely ever even make a dent! Do you think that last grab for territory hurt me? I’ve got more money and power now than ever. I’ve even expanded, little one! I’ve got territory in other cities. Just think, if you just joined me again we could–”

I draw my gun and fire in a single motion. The bullet skims past his skull, searing the flesh on the side of his head. He hisses as he brings his hand up to the wound, a look of amusement taking over his face.

“You missed? I’m standing here talking right at you and you missed?!”

“Think of it as a warning.”

He scoffs.

“You know, I’ve changed my mind. You can’t do anything right. I thought you’d have finished my formula by now, but you’re so pathetic you can’t even do that!”

“The formula’s gone, Rene. We destroyed it.”

“You know, you really are a terrible liar.”

He walks toward me lazily, taking in the surroundings.

“I have to say, despite how terrible a leader you are, I was surprised how easy it was to turn your men against you. You know how much shit they talk behind your back?”

I swallow my rage as he smirks.

“You’re a loser, kiddo. The only one who was foolish enough to stay loyal was Mateo. And I gut him like a fucking pig.”

Instinctively, I step in front of Sofie, leveling my gun again. He doesn’t bat an eyelash, gazing down at her with a grin as he chews on his lip.

“What are you gonna do with her, hmm? Do you think she’ll love you? Do you think she’ll be loyal after you break promise after promise? One way or another, somebody’s going to take you out. If not me, it could be her, or maybe even the one dying against the wall.”

“Fuck you!” I roar, taking another shot and watching him absorb the impact like it’s nothing.

He’s just fucking smiling at me.

---