Page 99 of Always Eros

“Not a bad idea,” I answer.

“I’ll call Carina again,” Justice says.

But before he can pull his phone from his pocket, a sharp sting grips my chest. “Shit.”

“I felt it too,” Raphael says. “Yves needs us.”

“Yep. You stay here with Bowie and Tru,” I say to Justice, who just shakes his head.

“Not so much, vampire. Let’s go.”

He tears off before I even blink. Oh, now he uses his vampire speed.

“We got this,” Bowie says. “Go.”

Me, Raph, and Midnight tear off after Justice, arriving to utter pandemonium. It’s even worse than the vampire fight at Lair. And there atop the house is a man in a white caftan, snapping the neck of a man I’ve never seen. He’s a vampire but not one of ours for sure.

When I search the yard for Justice, I spot him climbing the house to get to the man, who I’m pretty sure is the Supreme Being. Torn between helping my brothers and my mate, I’m frozen to my spot until Raphael squeezes my shoulders.

“Go to your mate. Midnight and I can help down here.”

I nod, heading after Justice. I reach him quickly enough, but when I grab his ankle to slow him down, he shakes me off, apparently hell-bent on getting to the man behind all of this. But he’s not just a man, he’s a vampire, and Justice doesn’t know what to do.

From the left, I see Hale and Callias lunging at the man, fighting their way through the throng of vampires coming their way, leaving a clear path for Justice.

Justice leaps over the edge, jumping onto the Supreme Being’s back as he bends to shove another man off the roof. I’m going to guess that some of his own people have turned against him.

He swings around, trying to get Justice off his back, but Justice clings to him like a monkey, clawing at his neck, which unfortunately doesn’t have much of an effect. Hale makes his way there next, helping Justice tackle the Supreme Being to the ground.

Callias disappears as I join Hale and Justice, and Dimas lands on the roof, tossing me a length of silver chain. The risk of a few burns is worth getting this fucker under control. I toss it over his body, but except for a little sizzling he seems immune to that too.

He laughs, shoving us all away. “You fools. I am the product of a thousand vampires. Stronger than all of you. Stronger than any vampire. I am invincible. And now, you will die.”

Flinging his arm out, he tosses Justice across the large roof, and I watch in horror as he lands with a thud. But he’s not a mortal anymore, so he just stands up and stomps right back into it. I grab him around the waist before he can reach the Supreme Being though.

Hale screams as the Supreme Being claws at his chest, drawing blood.

“Hey, fucker!” Callias yells from below.

I scramble to the edge of the roof. Below us on the lawn are Yves, Syn, and Callias, who’s holding the large vat of blood.

The Supreme Being sees this and seethes, heat pouring off of him like rain. “Get away from that.”

“This is it,” Hale says as he leaps down to join the others. “This is what keeps him alive and strong. We have to destroy it.”

“Noooo!” The Supreme Being leaps from the roof, moving at breakneck speed to protect his vessel, but just as he reaches it, Callias punches his hand through the glass, shattering it.

Blood spills onto the ground and the Supreme Being screeches, scrambling for what’s left. We watch as he drinks the remaining liquid, and I clutch Justice in my arms as we leap down and join the others.

“Get ready,” I whisper. “He’s going to be very strong.”

Then he freezes and time seems to stop. His eyes open wide as horror takes over his expression. Callias grins, gazing down at the vampire as he grows paler.

“I heard the myth about the blood king,” Callias says. “He was given poisoned blood to drink and died.” Callias steps forward, pushing the Supreme Being back with a boot to his chest. “I thought it a fitting end to this nightmare. Life imitating art, if you will.”

The Supreme Being clutches his throat as his mouth begins to foam.

“Oh shit,” Justice whispers. “The blood is poisoned.”

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