From all around the room, the vampires lunged. Rosalind gripped the stake, crouching as a female vamp leapt for her. She thrust the stake upward, right into the vamp’s heart. This time, she didn’t miss, but another had already grabbed her from behind. She slammed her elbows into his ribs. She caught a glimpse of Caine cutting through a line of vamps in a whirlwind of silver and black, sword through bone. His jaw-dropping speed seemed almost otherworldly.
She whipped out the flamethrower, and as a hulking vamp leapt for her she depressed the button, unleashing a torrent of flames. Fire engulfed him, and his agonized shrieks turned her stomach. He flailed, screaming, until Caine sliced off his head in one smooth arc.
She glanced at Ambrose, but he was no longer in his throne. Her mouth went dry. He was right next to her, his fangs bared. Holy shit. She’d neither seen him nor heard him approach.
His green eyes locked on hers, and though her mind screamed run, her body wouldn’t obey. The Vampire Lord was a perfect predator, freezing her in place with his penetrating gaze. She stood in stunned silence as he licked his lips.
“Ambrose,” Caine spoke sharply. “Step back. That’s Rosalind.”
Ambrose growled, closing his eyes. His blond hair was unruffled—as if he hadn’t just witnessed a massacre in his own home. He reached out, swiping a cold finger through the blood dripping down her neck. He licked it, moaning almost imperceptibly. “Heal her before I rip her little body to shreds. She tastes exquisite.” He spoke with a clipped English accent. As he backed away, she saw that his eyes were a deep red.
Caine rushed to her, his body soaked with vampire blood. He looked like something from a nightmare. She had no idea how a human had managed to cut down a roomful of vampire nobility. Aside from Ambrose, only one vampire remained, a willowy female with dark skin.
Caine lifted his fingers to Rosalind’s neck, sending a hot thrill through her skin—an almost addictive sensation. He closed his eyes, chanting in the Angelic language, and the sharp pain in her neck subsided. As her wound healed, the Vampire Lord’s shoulders visibly relaxed, but his eyes remained fixed on Caine with a lethal glint.
“Why did you bring her here?”
“I didn’t,” Caine said. “She was supposed to stay in Abduxiel Mansion. Instead, she followed me through the portal.”
Ambrose steepled his fingers. With his perfect lips and sharp cheekbones, he could have been a model. Just like Caine. It was almost as though vampire aristocracy was determined by sheer beauty alone; maybe that was why Caine commanded such respect around here.
Ambrose’s eyes burned with ferocity. “You let her follow you here. A Hunter, who might tell the Brotherhood how to find us. And you see what’s happened. Eight of my best advisors, slaughtered. Not to mention that Rosalind nearly died. Has your mind become muddled because of your familial connection?”
Familial connection?
Caine’s mouth twitched with apparent irritation. “My mind is perfectly sound, Ambrose. I had no idea she’d be so stupid as to rush through a portal into a demon realm.”
Now that is just insulting. “Okay, hang on a second,” Rosalind said. “First of all, I’m not stupid. Apart from everything I’ve done tonight. But I was acting desperate because I needed answers. This is the first I’ve ever heard of this mage thing, and it seems that both the Brotherhood and the demons know more than I do about my two souls. And why do you all care if I live or die? No one has explained that to me yet.”
The female vampire crossed to Ambrose, handing him a cloth. The Vampire Lord wiped the blood off his hands, green eyes locked on Rosalind. “Why did you come, girl? What exactly was your plan?”
“I wouldn’t say I had a plan, as it were.” She added that last bit to sound more formal. It wasn’t like she’d ever spoken to a Lord before, even if he was a demon.
“Not a plan.” His eyes roamed over her wet clothes, lingering on her transparent white shirt. “Just a desire.”
She flushed. She could imagine what he was thinking. “Exactly.”
“I can understand that.” He licked his lips. “And what was your desire?”
“I needed to learn why the Brotherhood think I’m a witch. I needed to know where I came from. I need to know how to get my life back.”
Ambrose cocked his head. “Your life back? Why would you want that?”
“I was happy.”
He frowned. “No, you weren’t. And now you know why you’re important. You have the potential for great power, just like Caine. In fact, you’ve just seen him demonstrate a bit of that power, when he cut down half my Council.”
Caine shrugged. “Horace was an ass, and he needed to be put down. I did you a favor. And now, I must return her to her own world. I’m going to need to open another portal.”
“I hope that when you train Rosalind, you’ll instill obedience in her even if the concept doesn’t suit you.” Ambrose’s green eyes drank in Rosalind. “Her blood tastes of hawthorn bark. Funny, that.”