“Silly girl,” Revenald scolded. “You are never going home. The life you once had is over. You belong to me now.”
“We haven’t done anything to you!” Mark screamed, his body shaking. “Let us go!”
Revenald leaned forward, amused. “Impudent boy. You couldn’t do anything to us even if you tried. And you’re not going anywhere. I thought we established that.”
“Why are you doing this?” Christy whimpered, her blonde hair in tangles around her shoulders.
Anton angled his head to the side, a sneer on his face. “The better question would be: why not?”
“Shall we start, then?” Victoria ran her tongue along her teeth and tapped the tip against one of her fangs. “Her fear smells divine, and I’m hungry.”
Time to drop a house on a bitch.
I lowered my arm as I moved into place, so that I stood directly in the center of the entranceway of the room. “I have a better idea,” I stated, voice level. “How about we make sure that the two of them are the only ones to make it out of the room alive?”
A shrug sent my jacket falling to the floor. I reached for the Browning under my left arm and removed it. Then I leveled the barrel at Revenald.
He didn’t even flinch. “I knew I should have killed you.”
“You’re right.” I smiled and flicked off the safety. “You should have.”
“Bring her to me.” He waved at the vampires around him. “I want her on her knees.”
All of the vampires moved to do as he said—with the exception of Joseph. I wanted to congratulate him on remembering my warning to him weeks before.
“You heard him.” I kept my gun up, smile intact, and issued the order that would make things so much easier. “On. Your. Knees.”
The amulet burned my flesh, coming to life, strengthening my necromancy and allowing me to control the undead in the room. They dropped like flies, the motion seamless and instant. Even poor Joseph plopped down like a good little puppy waiting for a Scooby Snack. It took Revenald a moment to comprehend what he was seeing, but when the message sank in, he went from carefree to furious.
“This isn’t possible. The rumor was a hoax. If you held such power you would have protected your lovers and sibling when you had the chance.”
So that was what he wanted. To see if the rumors were true. And he was right, I would have tried to save Paine and Disco if I’d had the amulet earlier. The timing was off, but he was about to get the show he expected. Once I started, I wouldn’t finish until the bastard begged for forgiveness.
“Shit happens,” I replied, striding into the room, fury and desolation raging through my veins. “Rules change.”
Revenald stood, jaw clenching. “I’m going to kill you.”
“You’ve said that already, and I don’t think so.”
When he rushed me, I was ready. Silver wouldn’t kill him, but it would slow him down. I took aim and fired, nailing him with a bullet in the eye. The second shot was slightly off, hitting him just below the socket, creating a large, gooey hole in his face. He stopped in his tracks, roared like an enraged lion, and brought his hands up to cover his wounds.
“You, you, you, and you.” I looked at the vampires to my right. “Don’t let Revenald leave this room. Pin him to the ground and keep him there.” They obeyed the order, rising to their feet and running to Revenald. They took him to the ground, pinning his arms and legs.
I peered to my left, motioning at the vampires who watched me with a heavy dose of fear in their eyes. “You, you, you, and you, make sure Lady Victoria here keeps her ass in her chair. She’s not to go anywhere.”
To her credit, Victoria tried to run. She made it from the chair only to be caught mid-run and returned to her seat. The vampires wrapped their arms around her shoulders and forearms, keeping her in place. The electricity under my skin tingled, continuing to grow. It seemed that with each order, the amulet became more powerful. It beckoned to me, wanting me to demolish the entire room. I fought the urge, focusing instead of my primary target.