Page 75 of Bite of Sin

“That’s not what we were told,” the guy replied.

A shot rang out, and Warner let out a grunt of pain, his footsteps stumbling farther away from me.

“No,” I cried out, jerking forward, only to freeze when the guy pressed the gun harder against my forehead.

“Don’t fucking move,” he warned. “I have a choice. Bring you back alive. Or kill you here. What do you think I should do?”

“We should probably hurry. We don’t want any vampires running in here,” one of the others said nervously.

I swallowed thickly, wanting to look behind me, but the gun on my head made that impossible. I could hear Warner’s labored breathing, meaning he was still alive. For now, at least.

“Have you two been in this city the whole time?” The guy cocked his head. “We’ve been looking in the wrong place. What a waste of our fucking time.”

Without warning, he moved the gun, backhanding me across the face with his other hand. I felt my lip split, tasting blood on my tongue as I glared at him, my chest heaving. My body was shaking, and I couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard I tried. Everything fucking hurt, and I couldn’t even shift slightly without feeling like I was choking for a breath. I had at least one broken rib. But that was the least of my worries when the guy holstered his gun and took out his own knife.

“You stabbed one of my men. It’s only fair I do the same to you.”

He didn’t hesitate, and the scream didn’t leave my throat before he plunged it into my stomach.

Chapter29

Kali

Pain like I’d never felt traveled through my body like a wildfire, and I let out a tortured wail when he twisted the blade that was still buried inside me.

“Kali. Fuck. Kali.” Warner was shouting, but he sounded so far away. I sagged against the cage, slipping more toward the floor when the guy yanked the blade out of me. My hands went to my wound, the blood already seeping out. I blinked rapidly, trying to stay alert, but the pain—fuck—it was so bad. The guy climbed off me, and I fell to the side, my head hitting the floor as I curled into myself.

There was a muffled scream, and I forced my head up slightly to see that one of the men with a helmet on had fallen. The other two were drawing their weapons until one was thrown into a nearby table. Black spots dotted my vision when hands wrapped around the other guy’s helmet. There was a sickening crack when the man’s head was twisted at an unnatural angle before he fell to the floor.

I couldn’t see where the third guy went, but the man who’d stabbed me was up and rushing away until someone stepped in his way. If I wasn’t slowly dying, the shock of seeing Zan would have been much more jolting. He looked downright fucking terrifying. His eyes were dark, clouded with fury. Blood soaked nearly every inch of his clothes, and I had a feeling it wasn’t his. I choked out shallow breaths, keeping my eyes on Zan as he threw a punch to the man’s face before gripping the collar of his jacket and yanking him close.

“If I had more time, I’d fucking tear you limb from limb. I could make it last days,” Zan murmured, his icy tone holding only violent promises.

“Because you’re all killers,” the guy spat out. “Nothing but filthy fucking monsters.”

Zan’s chuckle was cruel. “I’ll gladly live up to that name. But merciful? That word isn’t in my vocabulary.”

In a quick move, Zan ripped the guy’s neck protection off before going for the two stakes that were on the man’s belt. He threw the stakes across the room while keeping his other hand wrapped in the guy’s jacket to hold him in place when he tried getting away. Zan’s fangs slid down, and with a growl, he lowered his head as the man screamed in horror. His fangs ripped into the guy’s throat, but he didn’t feed. He literally bit down and then ripped his head away, taking part of the guy’s throat with him.

The man’s mouth was open in a silent scream, and his face was twisted in agony as he fell to the floor. Blood slowly poured out of his neck as Zan reached down, ripping his jacket open and then tearing at his Kevlar vest. The knife stained with my blood was on the floor, and Zan snatched it up, stabbing the guy in the chest. He leaned over him, twisting the blade slowly as the man writhed under him.

“Those two wounds are some of the slowest—and most fucking painful—ways to go.” Zan pulled the blade from the guy’s chest, tossing it on the floor. “Enjoy your last minutes.”

I struggled to keep my eyes open as he turned to me. I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. My body was going numb, my head in a hazy fog. His gaze trailed over my battered body as he strode closer before suddenly halting and looking past me.

“Leave her alone,” Warner snapped, his voice weak.

A muscle in Zan’s jaw flexed as his eyes darted back to me before he stepped past me. Warner let out a shout before there was a loud thud.

“Let me go,” Warner’s voice was right behind me, and with huge effort, I twisted my neck to see Zan gripping Warner’s arm, keeping him right by the bars.

“Look at me,” Zan commanded, his voice sharp. He finally caught Warner’s gaze, and Warner’s face fell flat, his emotions suddenly gone. “You’re going to forget the last twenty minutes. You did not see anything that happened in here. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Warner answered, his voice expressionless.

“You did not see Kali get hurt. All you remember is getting knocked out and waking up to see Kali on the floor. Understand?”

“Yes.”

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