Page 140 of Burn for Her

“I’ll come back for you,” she said without looking at him.

To kill him or free him, she wasn’t sure yet. That would be Dorian’s call.

Serial Killer Pro Tip: When staring death down, keep your cool. Show no fear. If not, it only made the process more pleasant for the one doing the killing. When Dorian saw the cleaver come at his face, he thundered with rage and felt himself combust.

Or… rather flash in an awful, painful way.

It wasn’t far enough away from the cleaver’s strike but at least his face didn’t take the hit.

His arm had. Nearly severed at the elbow, Dorian’s forearm dangled like a useless accessory as he stood up and swayed on shaky legs. He wasn’t going to die on his back like a wounded animal.

He staggered forward, headed straight for his father.

Fuck cleavers. Fuck weapons. He’d kill this monster with his bare hands and teeth.

His father kicked him back, sending him sailing into the countertop and part of his spine snapped, making his legs go numb.

Damn his blood curse. Damn his father. Damn himself.

He wasn’t making it out of here. “Lena,” Dorian wheezed.

Fight off Stryx and get to safety.

Swaying, he was just about to give in when two bodies crashed through the already broken windows on either side of the cabin. Going into shock, Dorian stood rooted to the spot.

Xin… Lucian.

A third person kicked down the door.

Victoria.

How had they found him?

“What the hell kinda b-rated horror movie stunt double mayhem you get us into, man?” Xin stalked right over to Dorian’s father and cold-cocked the bastard. “Jesus, you’re an ugly one.”

While they started fighting, Lena ran over and grabbed Dorian by the back of his neck, helping him sit up. “Drink.” She bit into her wrist and held it up to his mouth. “Drink, hurry!”

But he couldn’t. Not now. Probably never again. Dorian couldn’t move his jaw to even open it. Teeth clenched, he focused only on his father. The monster was going head-to-head with both Lucian and Xin.

Die.

His father needed to die.

In the distant parts of his mind, Dorian heard Lena’s pleading, muffled voice urging him to drink from her. He was vaguely aware of his skin sizzling as he began to incinerate. Tears welled in his eyes. He wasn’t getting a pardon from this death sentence.

His curse would kill him before he kissed his alakhai again… or before he could slay the monster who never died all those years ago.

I’m so sorry.

If he had to chose one over the other, then he’d go to his grave with this one regret. But choosing his father was the only way to keep Lena safe from him once Dorian died.

He shoved himself off the floor and staggered across broken glass and splintered wood. Picking up a piece of the broken beam, he stumbled forward hellbent on ending this. His heart barely beat anymore. His face tingled. The high-pitched ringing in his ears was awful.

Dorian crashed, desperate for this all to end—his torment, pain, regrets and hate. All the things laced in the blood of those victims now burned and set him in motion.

Lena kept screaming his name.

Dorian closed his eyes, wishing her screams wouldn’t be the last thing he heard before he burned alive.