Page 91 of House of Vampires and Flame

An idea hit me. I had to shoot in the direction of the princes, get past them, reach the edge, then let Sy take control. I’d break an arm or twist an ankle jumping down from the ice rink, but Sy would survive. We’d then escape from the ground floor.

This was the end of our journey in Mist of Cinder. There’d be no haven for us anymore. But it couldn’t be helped.

Shit happens. No need to mope about it.

Mapping out my escape route, I steadied the blades of my skates and shot across the ice like a golden arrow, away from Mistress Ethel and her sentinels. Silas and Louis both headed toward me to intervene. I ducked to the side at the last second and swung my arm at Silas, who was closer to me, and sent him spinning toward Louis. I was lightning fast in my survival mode. The shifter prince collided with the vampire prince with a profanity. Louis dropped to one knee, his hand on the ice to break the fall. Silas grabbed his shoulders to steady himself, and Louis shrugged him off with a growl.

Fuck, I’d struck a prince while sending the other reeling. They’d make sure that I was a dead boy walking. But I no longer cared as one purposed burned in my head—flee.

The entire stadium was shocked to silence for several beats, as no one had expected a low servant boy like me to pull a stunt like that and have the strength to counter a prince. Amid the silence, Silas snarled, and Louis hissed. Both promised retaliation.

“Apologies, Highnesses,” I shouted, remembering my manners. “I’m in a hurry!”

Two twists of elemental magic hurled toward me, but they fizzled off me then dropped like sheets of tissue paper at my feet.

“Nice try!” I shouted my compliment to appease their anger, but more snarls responded.

A thick wall of fire shooting out of the ice in front of me made me do a double take. As I braked for a second and broke my pace, I slipped on a whirlpool on the ice. Before I could gather myself and keep going, thick threads of thorny vines emerged out of the blue and gripped the blades of my skates.

That was a clever move. Magic didn’t work on me, but the skates weren’t a part of me. How did that fae prince figure it out? Or was it a lucky shot? Magic wouldn’t turn against me, but it could still create distractions and roadblocks for me if my opponents knew my weakness.

I rolled on the ice, faster than a thought, before the vines could string me up. My hands grabbed the vines conjured by powerful magic. As soon as I touched them, they withdrew. I got to my feet in a heartbeat, but that beat had already cost me.

I wasn’t dealing with humans. I was facing off with the most powerful immortals. The princes fenced me in from three sides, a united front now, impenetrable walls of steel and muscles. Dixie and all the Sinners joined as reinforcement. Killian blocked my direct path, a lazy smile on his cruel, sensual lips. Mistress Ethel, the druid, America, and their sentinels blocked the fourth side.

My heart pumped like a wild animal wanting to escape its cage, fear infusing my bloodstream. I’d learned to never give my back to my enemies, but right now, whichever way I turned, my back was to many adversaries.

A variety of scenes composed of possible actions and consequences rushed through my mind. If I pulled out Deathsong, it would only make things worse, as supernaturals didn’t take any threat kindly.

And I was one against thousands. The audience had all stood up, ready to swarm me like a mob of vultures.

If I resorted to my second choice, I would drop to the ice, cry my lungs out, and beg for mercy.

But that was too pathetic, and supernaturals hated weakness more than anything. They wouldn’t show mercy since they didn’t have an ounce of empathy in their bones. They’d put me down like I was a weak-ass rabid dog.

We can take them, Sy hissed. She wasn’t the kind who would back off from any situation, and I had to be the strategic one. Let’s suck up every drop of magic in this realm and leave them with nothing! Fuck them all to hell!

I won’t, I said, my jaw clenched. I promised us that we wouldn’t be like our father.

I halted on the ice, my pose casual and disarming, my hands shooting up in a gesture of surrender. My eyes went wide as I put on an innocent look, my lips parting in slightly faked shock.

If worst came to worst and I couldn’t talk my way out of this, I needed to roll with the punches. I’d even let them cuff me. I’d spotted a pair of magical handcuffs in the hand of the druid. It’d work to my benefit if they took me off the ice. I’d then escape on the way to their prison. I had to bet on their intent of imprisoning and torturing me to get some answers before they decided to kill me.

“Hello, guys.” I licked my dry lips, blood still pounding in my ears even though I tried to get this cold panic under control. “What’s up?”

“What the fuck did you do this time, Little Bob?” Silas snarled. “You’ll regret it if you embarrass my house.”

Louis chuckled in vicious delight.

“But I didn’t do anything,” I said, my eyes wide. “It’s a nice day, so I don’t know why they even came after me.”

I held Silas’s potent alpha stare even as it pressed into my chest like a loaded truck. I no longer held back and showed him my belly, since I wouldn’t be in his house after this. I wouldn’t even bother sending him a written notice of my resignation.

He wasn’t a protector. All he cared about was his reputation and ambition. I didn’t respect a man like that, and neither did Sy.

Whispered murmurs spread across the ice as everyone witnessed my boldness and strength at holding the shifter prince’s alpha stare. The other princes watched with mute interest.

Silas’s amber eyes were on fire, as were Mistress Ethel’s.

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