The corners of his mouth curved into a maddening grin. “Time will tell, I suppose.” Lilly’s eyes shifted to the four male vampires standing on the other side of Kait. Then, a smear of movement, a shout, a jostle. In the next instant, the sound of shattering glass filled the room as Caden crashed through a stained-glass window. Max’s massive body soared dangerously close to the fireplace, and a strong hand squeezed my jaw, twisting my head back to expose my neck. My knees buckled but my captor held me firm.
In another flash, Mage was across the room, restraining Caden who was covered in glass, speckles of quickly healing cuts on his face and neck. Mortimer had his broad arms wrapped around a snarling Max, yelling at him to keep back. Amelie had shoved Julian back behind one of the columns and stood in front of him in a fighting stance. Behind us, the doors crashed open and two giant wolves in full form appeared, growling, waiting for the order from Sofie to attack. In under five seconds, complete chaos had taken over the situation.
Only Sofie, Viggo, Kait, and Lilly remained motionless and composed.
“So what happens if Galen bites her?” Lilly asked calmly. I assumed Galen was the one holding me.
“Ask the last vampire who did,” Viggo responded.
“And where is—” Lilly began.
“Dead,” came his quick, flippant response. “Her teeth marks are still there on her neck if you don’t believe me.”
Sofie threw a fiery glare at him, a warning to shut up and stop goading her. His taunts were clearly working, based on Lilly’s glower as she regarded her nemesis. God—what have you done to her, you psycho? She paused for a moment and then she rephrased her question, her eyebrow arching. “What happens if Galen breaks her neck?”
“As we’ve already explained,” Sofie began, and I heard the ice trickle into her voice, “we cannot convert her because of the poison in her body. If Galen bites her, he will die.” The next sentence she delivered not as a warning or a possibility. It was with the certainty that the sun would rise and set. “If he breaks her neck, you will all die, right here, right now.” By the gleam in her eyes, by her stance, by the fury radiating off her like a fire’s heat, there was no doubt to anyone that Sofie was ready to unleash a magical assault that would rival Hiroshima’s blast. Even though it would be the worst mistake she could make, even though she would be dooming the fate of the entire world by retaliating, I could bet my life that she would torch this entire building if they killed me.
In that second, despite my perilous position, I silently thanked myself for keeping Veronique’s predicament a secret.
Sofie’s warning had the desired effect. With the smallest head tilt from Lilly, the viselike grip on my face loosened and the four vampires reformed their solid line. I stumbled back a step, struggling to stay upright as my legs wobbled. I needed Caden, his arms, his chest, his strength. Right now.
His furious eyes were glued on Galen, his nostrils flaring, pure hatred marring his beautiful face. I knew he was picturing how he would rip the vampire apart. I pleaded to Mage with my eyes. Don’t let him! Mage leaned in and whispered something in Caden’s ear and, as if her words slapped him out of whatever murderous rampage he was about to undertake, his head snapped back to me. Her hands slipped off his body and he moved behind me again, his arms wrapped tightly around me in a protective embrace. No one was separating us again, he was saying. I let my body fall into him.
“Now that we’ve cleared all that up.” Mage reassumed her position beside Sofie.
“Fine,” Kait spat, crossing her arms over her ample chest. “We have humans without poison coursing through their bodies. Let’s bring them here and test your venom on them.”
Viggo burst out laughing. “Well, then, what incentive would you have for helping us?” He made a tsking sound. “That’s not how these negotiations work. First you help us. Then we help you.”
“When have you ever helped anyone but yourself, Viggo?” she growled.
He answered with that infuriating grin of his.
“What exactly are you asking for help with?” Lilly interrupted their banter, annoyance obvious in her voice. She stepped forward and took a seat in the chair in front of her. It was a sign of good will, of trust that they wouldn’t try to strike her down. The others followed suit. Following and protecting their leader.
“We need to stop the end of the world as we know it,” Sofie answered without a moment of preamble. I surveyed their faces intently. To me, that should have garnered some sort of reaction. An eyebrow raise, a mouth twitch, something.