Page 100 of Halfblood Deceived

Diana leaned slightly forward.

Aella trapped her forearm, afraid for her sister even if logic dictated the two females would not dare hurt her with so many witnesses.

Aylana moved to stand near Diana’s side. “You better start talking right fucking now, Chloe.”

“Or what?” Cassidy demanded. “You have no authority over us, bitch.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Alejandro said. “Aylana is the strongest, most powerful member of our pack now. Hells, she always was. She is our de facto leader.”

Chloe smacked her teeth with her tongue as she gave Aylana a disgusted look. “I’d rather eat dirt than be bossed around by a halfbreed bitch.”

Aella flinched along with Diana.

A muscle moved in Aylana’s jaw. “And I’m not interested in having to babysit stupid assholes who go around bullying innocent people, so we are fucking even. Now, answer to Kamilla or Morrigan help me, I’ll kick your asses right fucking now.”

Chloe sneered, returning her vicious glance at Kamilla. “We were ridding our city of one of those beasts. We thought you’d appreciate it, Lady Davashkov.”

“I most certainly do not appreciate you trying to kill one of my citizens,” Kamilla responded with a frown.

“A citizen?” Cassidy protested, looking at Aella as if she were dog poo. “One fucking gargoyle is more than enough for this city. Zero would be better, but why are more coming? They’re like rats. You let one live and suddenly there’s a hundred.”

Aella flinched. She’d heard similar statements about vampires and werewolves from the gargoyles. Never did she imagine being at the other end of such hatred.

“Aella is as much a citizen of Darkwood as you are,” Kamilla said, expression and tone leaving no room for argument. “She signed the same pledge you made, a pledge you broke by attacking her just because of her species, and I won’t allow it.”

“This city is supposed to be safe for us,” Chloe hissed. “Not for them.” She aimed a finger at Aella and Diana. “They can’t be trusted. No matter if they try to cover up their stench and kiss your ass, Kamilla.”

Everyone stared at the werewolf in confused surprise.

Aella was certain no one ever spoke like that to Kamilla unless they had a death wish.

“Diana and Aella are trustworthy, decent people, unlike you two narrow-minded idiots,” Aylana said. “And watch that fucking tone.”

“Or what?” Cassidy needled. “The little princess will break her own laws and hurt us without a just cause? I don’t think so.”

Chloe shot Aylana a nasty smile. “It’s hardly surprising you defend the stinky little beasts, considering who you’re fucking, is it?”

Aylana’s upper lip twitched.

“We don’t take advice from crossbreed abominations,” Cassidy agreed with her sister.

“And even less from a vampire-loving traitor,” Chloe spat.

Aella flinched along with everyone else. She didn’t know exactly why the term was so insulting, but she felt the wrongness of it in the bile stirring in her stomach.

One second Aylana was standing next to Diana, the next she had a hand clamped around each of the werewolf twins’ throats.

Aylana was a few inches taller than both, and given how she lifted them off the floor as if they were weightless, the werewolf-fey hybrid was also much stronger. Chloe tried to kick Aylana and received such a shaking that her eyes crossed. Cassidy’s attempt to knee Aylana in the stomach had the same result.

Aylana’s emerald aura flared to life. The growl that left her throat was far more terrifying than the ones Cassidy and Chloe had uttered in their wolf forms as they stalked Aella in the woods. The contained power buzzing from her made Aella’s skin prickle.

Kamilla sighed. “Aylana, let them go. It is still, unfortunately, illegal to kill someone just for the disgusting shit that comes out of their mouths.”

Aylana squeezed the werewolves’ necks a bit harder. Their faces were turning purple.

“Aylana, corazón,” Alejandro said. “You’ll regret it.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Aylana said, voice deepened and outright feral, but she released both females.

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