Page 134 of Burn for Her
Dorian froze at the sound of that tone.
“Fear Eater.”
The hair rose on his arms. “Get armed,” he snarled.
“Already am,” Lena bounced on the balls of her feet, her back pressed to his.
A frail-framed silhouette stepped around the corner and headed right for them. From the opposite direction, Lucian, Victoria, and Xin had headed in.
Stryx flashed right in front of Lena. “Found you.”
Dorian lunged at Stryx. He flashed out of reach and reformed ten feet away. “You can’t catch me, Reaper. Stop trying.”
Dorian released three throwing stars in quick succession, missing the mark two out of three times. But that third one? It struck Stryx right between the eyes. The vampire’s head tipped back, and he grunted from the force.
“Get behind me,” he ordered Lena.
The young vampire’s face went blank for a second. Dorian used the time to yank two bigger blades out of his arsenal. He threw them both, but Stryx evaded them with ease.
Shit, this kid was fast. It made Dorian wonder if he was about to mature into his full power. He was certainly the age for it. The kid must be about twenty years old now. Or maybe it already happened, and this was the result? If so, Stryx was spindly for his age. Royalty liked to be thin, but this was a little too bony to be considered healthy, and his skin was sallow.
Stryx flashed in front of Dorian, gulping for air. “Help,” he said in a different tone. His voice sounded smaller. Squeakier. With stiff, choppy movements, he reached out to them. “Help me, Reaper.” He stumbled forward and caught himself. Grunting, his back bowed and then he straightened his spine as a long hiss slipped from his thin lips. He started marching forward with his head down, fangs out, an ugly grin spread across his face, contorting his features even further.
What the hell?
Stryx flashed to Lena and pulled her into his chest. Then he yanked her hair hard. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
Lena slammed her fist back and broke his nose just before Dorian tackled him to the ground. But the bastard flashed out of his hold. FUCK!
Lena cried out again. Dorian spun around.
No, no, no!
Fear paralyzed him. Unable to scream, fight, or attack, he remained frozen in place. Something sharp pierced his thigh. He couldn’t even look down to see what it was. An icy sensation flooded his veins, almost cooling his constant burn. Rendered helpless, Dorian was wracked with unholy terror. Something hard and cold pressed against the side of his head next.
“What next, father?” Stryx said eagerly from behind him, holding a gun to Dorian’s temple.
In front of him, Lena was in a choke hold, fighting like a wild animal to free herself from the bastard who’d caught her. Dorian’s heart and soul crashed, robbing him of clarity.
Stryx shoved a knife into Dorian’s back, digging it deep enough to hit bone… and a nerve. It was a well-placed puncture. A familiar, well-placed puncture.
No. no, no no.
The man fighting Lena was too big to be Marius.
“Dorian!” Lena screamed.
He couldn’t move. Not yet…
“Stop fighting me, girl.” His grip tightened and he swung her around, finally giving Dorian a good look at him. “You’ll only make this worse for yourself. Isn’t that right, Reaper?”
That voice. That face. That tone. That smell….
Dorian gagged at the sight of his nightmare come to life.
“We have to go!” Stryx urged. “The others are coming back.”
“Then get moving, son.”