Illusion(67)

Stefan had him by the neck, his large hand wrapped around the smaller vampire’s throat. His blue eyes were dark as he glanced away from Derek to focus on me. “Josephine, did he harm you?”

Tears filled my eyes as I struggled to find my voice. “I’m fine. Stefan...”

“Lukas, take care of her while I finish this.” Stefan focused back on Derek, his deep voice missing its normal inflection. The Enforcer had surfaced and Stefan had taken a backseat to his other side, the dark part of himself I’d never seen. I felt his mind close off from mine, severing the link between us.

Lukas sped to my side and ripped the thick cords away with his fingers, freeing my hands and legs. Rubbing my already healing wrists, I collapsed to the floor to cradle Anna in my arms, pulling the gag from her mouth. She stirred weakly and coughed, her eyelids fluttering and blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

I looked at Lukas anxiously. “Lukas, she’s dying.”

Lukas was motionless as he stared down at Anna in horror. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked at me with his frightened, arctic blue eyes.

“Lukas, you have to help me!” I shrieked at him frantically. “Look at her!”

He shuddered and shook his head. “I’ll kill her, Josie. I won’t be able to stop. I can’t do it.”

Gasping back a sob, I held Anna closer to me. I smoothed her hair back from her pale, clammy face as I spoke to her and put my hand against her neck, applying pressure to try to stop the flow of blood. “Don’t you die on me, Anna. Hold on, please hold on.”

Derek’s sudden scream of pain brought my attention back to the one-sided battle playing out in front of me. Stefan was slowly and systematically torturing Derek, inflicting blow after brutal blow to Derek’s face and torso. He was unrecognizable, his eyes almost swollen shut and his lips split and bloody. Stefan stopped his punishing attack and gripped Derek’s right arm. He leaned down so his face loomed in front of him, his expression deadly and calm.

“I had hoped that when I had my opportunity to kill you I would have more time to torture you. However, we have a plane to catch. This is for touching what is mine,” Stefan growled as he ripped the arm from the socket, the sound making a wet, snapping noise. He let the limb fall from his hand to roll across the kitchen floor, the fingers of Derek’s hand still twitching.

Derek’s face contorted in pain, letting out an anguished scream as he dropped to his knees in front of Stefan. “Please, no more. I’ll give you anything you want.”

Stefan’s expression never changed but his voice dripped with contempt as he spoke. “Look at you. You beg and cry like a child. You had no issue torturing my mate and her friend. Neither begged as you do now. The only thing you can offer me in return for their pain is your agony. This is for hurting what is mine.”

Stefan slammed his fist repeatedly into Derek’s sternum in a series of powerful blows. Derek fell backwards to the floor, making a futile attempt to pull himself away with his one remaining arm.

“You cannot leave now, Derek. We are just beginning to have fun.” Stefan took a step and placed his enormous boot against Derek’s chest, stopping his failed escape. Stefan reached down to yank Derek’s other arm off with one swift pull, ignoring his tortured wail as he carelessly tossed it over his shoulder to join the other appendage.

There was a part of me that knew I should be disgusted and should look away. Instead, I stared transfixed as Stefan grasped him by his torn and bloody shirt, jerking him to his feet. He held Derek’s head in his large hands. A menacing smile was on Stefan’s lips as he brought Derek’s face within inches of his. Derek tried to instinctively recoil from him, making Stefan snicker with enjoyment as resignation flashed across Derek’s face.

“Here we are again, Derek. How many centuries have we danced around your death? You have been lucky. Each time your life was spared by the Board because of your talent.” Stefan taunted coldly. “This time there is no one to save you. You attacked my mate and now your life is mine to dispose of. The fate of your life…your depraved, vile existence is in my willing hands.”

Stefan’s voice lowered to a murmur. “Må gudarna skicka dig direkt till helvetet.” With a flick of his wrists, Derek’s head detached from his neck with a sickening crunch. His body began disintegrating as it fell to the floor, slowly turning into a pile of ash. Stefan didn’t give a second glance at the head in his hands. He let it slip from his fingers and Derek’s head wobbled and twirled across the wood floor until it came to rest against the refrigerator.