Page 8 of Blood Moon

There was a whir of movement, and suddenly Viktor was standing in front of Strain, blocking his way to the door. I don’t know how he got from the back of the building to the entrance so quickly. It wasn’t humanly possible. Then Viktor’s fist collided with Strain’s jaw. It threw him off balance enough that I was able to wrench my arm free and dive behind the bar. I couldn’t stop myself from peeking at the fight. They were like feral animals, trying to rip each other apart. As I watched, hiding behind the corner of the bar, I started to shiver. I was freezing, my teeth chattering, as I watched the scene play out before me.

There was a flash of red in Viktor’s eyes, and I swore that his teeth looked different, longer somehow, when he growled at Strain. They kept going around in circles so it was hard to keep up. Then Strain was facing me, and I saw a similar flash of red, and what looked like fangs extending from his teeth. What the hell was going on here? Terrified, I ducked back behind the bar and started crawling toward the backroom.

It took everything in me not to run to Uncle Vinny, but I knew that if I did, I’d be in the middle of these two hunks trying to kill each other. It didn’t matter how attractive they were if I got killed in the middle of their fight. And with my growing suspicions, I was certain they’d kill me if I interfered.

I stopped to watch as Viktor lifted Strain over his head and threw him, barely missing Uncle Vinny. There was something incredibly sexy about that show of strength. Strain didn’t stay down, jumping back up to launch himself at Viktor again. Mmm, I’d like to be in the middle of that hot, hunky, man sandwich. What is wrong with me? I should not be having sexual fantasies while I watch two grown men try to kill each other. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as they beat each other. How much more could either of them take?

Wait, are they biting each other? This is really strange. Could they be—? I stopped the thought before it could form. There was no way. Those were just stories, fairy tales, legends, designed to keep young women inside at night. It wasn’t possible. Vampires weren’t real. Right?

I didn’t have time to overthink that, as Strain soared through the air again, landing only a few feet from where I was hiding. I imagined Viktor using that strength to subdue me while he had his way with me. What is with me being attracted to psychotic behavior lately? Never mind, I’ll have to figure that out later. Now I have to get somewhere safe.

Instinct kicked in and I scrambled backward, trying not to get Strain’s attention. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. He latched onto my arm again and tried to drag me with him. “I told you that you belong to me now. We’re leaving.”

His deep growl was terrifying, and I hoped that Viktor wouldn’t step aside and let him take me. Of course, I’d only known him for a little while, so I had no idea what he would do. Strain’s hand was large and covered most of my bicep. His thick fingers dug into my skin, and I was certain there would be a bruise in the shape of his handprint there tomorrow. If I lived that long. Of course, if he squeezed a little harder, I was sure my arm would snap in half. Any of these scenarios were terrifying.

Out of nowhere, a machete came down on his arm, inches from mine, severing the hand that gripped me. Once removed from its arm, the hand loosened its grip on me and fell to the floor. I screamed and tried to run for the backroom as Strain’s blood spattered on me. I slipped in the growing puddle but didn’t let it stop me from getting as far away from him as I could.

No matter how many times I hit the ground, I kept crawling, running, sliding as far away as I could, as quickly as I could. When I ducked in the backroom, I closed and locked the door, then leaned against it. I hoped that the heavy door combined with the lock would keep everyone out. The shaking got worse as terror took over.

I didn’t know how to process what just happened. With an injury like that, it wouldn’t take long for a man to bleed out. Viktor had just killed this man because he had objected to his bill. Or because he tried to take me, I really wasn’t sure. What was he being billed for, exactly? Was Strain a buyer for the women who were in the backroom? If he was, what did he do with them?

It didn’t make sense, and my mind couldn’t wrap around the strangeness of the situation. What would I tell the cops when they came? How would this all be explained? If this was about the nefarious backroom dealings, would the cops even be involved? Was I an accessory to murder? I started to hyperventilate, then a strange sensation came over me and everything just stopped.

I sat there as shock took over, covered in a dead man’s blood, and stared off into space. A wave of calm washed over me. I should have been more upset, but I wasn’t. As attracted as I had been to the blonde man called Strain, I was relieved that Viktor had done it. Did that make me a monster? Did I even care?

Chapter 7

Viktor

Once I knew that Delilah was safely in the backroom, I was able to entirely focus on Strain. I was shocked that he thought he could come into my bar and lay claim to any of my employees.

Who was I kidding? I wouldn’t have reacted that way if he had claimed Vinny, or anyone else on the staff. It was only because he claimed her. I would have let him take all of the others, including Vinny. No one will touch Delilah. She’s mine. The thought sprung up out of nowhere, although I’d been feeling it since I met her. There’s something about her that makes me feel protective, like a feral animal defending his mate.

I can’t let thoughts like that get to me. We aren’t together. We can’t be. She doesn’t know who I really am—what I really am. There’s no way she could ever love a monster like me. And even if she did, I hadn’t been this possessive since I lost my wife. That thought brought even more rage.

I punched Strain in the face again, knocking out one of his fangs. By the time I was done, I’d have to remodel the entire place to get his blood off everything. I didn’t care. He had to learn that he couldn’t just come in and lay claim to things that were mine. I knew I should push that thought away, but the more I let it linger, the stronger I felt.

Had I been wrong all these years? I thought caring for people who weren’t family made a person weak. Maybe it was the opposite and caring for Delilah was giving me the strength to finally demolish Strain.

I didn’t stop pounding my fists into his face until Vinny grabbed my arm. I was surprised to see him up and moving after the position he’d been in when I came into the bar. Horror showed on his face when I turned to him. I must have looked like a mess, but I didn’t care. I was kneeling on top of a barely conscious Strain in a growing pool of blood. We both knew it wouldn’t kill him.

“Mr. Maxwell? Are you okay? I think he’s had enough. Do you want me to call someone to pick him up?” Vinny offered, stepping away from me.

No, I want to kill him for having the nerve to touch Delilah, I thought. But I knew better than to express that thought. There may not have been actual laws that applied to us vampires, but there were certain courtesies that each coven followed. This would not be considered an acceptable reason to kill another vampire, and it wasn’t worth giving up my own life for revenge.

“Yes, that would be good, Vinny. Then call the clean-up crew and close the bar for as long as it takes to remove any evidence of this happening, but put his hand in a jar in my office. I’m going to make sure Delilah wasn’t injured. I don’t want anything else to upset her. Call my cell if you need anything.”

I didn’t wait for a response, instead turning toward the backroom. Vinny knew what was expected. We’d talked at length about his new responsibilities before we finalized the paperwork, and I had reminded him several times since everything was settled. I trusted him to do his job, and he trusted me to protect his family from people like Strain. Now I had to see if I’d held up my end of the bargain.

I paused at the door. I knew it would be locked and could hear her breathing, so she was alive at least. From the sound of it, she was leaning against the door and was in shock. I tapped gingerly on the reinforced steel before calling out. My finger on the metal echoed. She didn’t budge. I took a moment to wipe some of the blood off my face and hands. I didn’t want to terrify her more when I convinced her to let me in.

“Myshka? It’s me, Viktor. Are you okay? Please open the door so I can see if you are injured.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but I was terrified that Strain had managed to seriously injure her before I could get there. I held my breath for a moment while I waited for my words to register with her.

There was a slow scuffling noise, and the lock clicked. I turned the knob slowly and pushed the heavy door open just enough for me to slip through before closing and locking it back. I assumed she would feel safer that way.

I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when I turned toward her. She was covered in blood. There was no way to tell if it was hers or Strain’s. I could feel the tears threatening to fall.

“Myshka, please look at me. Are you injured?” I stepped closer, but she stepped back as if she was scared. She kept staring past me. “It’s okay. Everything is taken care of now. He can’t hurt you anymore. Will you let me see if you’re hurt?”