Page 11 of Air of Seduction
The sound of Payton shouting her friend’s name inside the room I just backed out of, makes me snap my head around. What the fuck? She was supposed to wait.
Lucas is already entering the room after her, but he stops dead not two feet from the door. There’s a growl from someone I can’t see, and Payton lets out a scream.
Without hesitation, I lift my knee off the vampire beneath me, before I drive it down into his spine. He gasps when his back snaps like a twig. He will heal, but it will take a few minutes before he can stand on his own two feet again.
I throw myself into the room but immediately freeze when I see the malicious grin on the face of the man who’s got Payton in a chokehold in front of him. The same man who knocked her head against the brick wall in the alley.
Payton’s eyes are wide with fear so stark it’s almost tangible.
My heart slams against my ribs, like a wild animal desperate to get out of its cage. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Precisely why I didn’t want Payton to come with us at all.
Chapter 7
Ronan
“There’s no place for you to go. It’s the middle of the day.” Pushing the fear for Payton away, I let my rage fill me to the brim.
The vamp has the audacity to laugh. “Well, it’s a good thing I have this sweet thing to keep me company then.” He bends his head and brushes his lips against her temple.
She lets out a squeak, and her eyes go even wider. His hand is wrapped around her throat, but at least it doesn’t seem to be tight enough to cut off her air supply.
Fury takes over my body like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It burns through me with an intensity on par with a volcanic eruption. My whole body vibrates with the need to rip this asshole apart limb from limb.
“Let her go, or you’ll never see another night again.” The air starts swirling around me like a small whirlwind. It wasn’t my intention to use my power, but I can’t seem to shut it off.
The vamp’s brows push together for a moment, but then he laughs. Although, it sounds forced. “Is that supposed to scare me? I can snuff this woman’s life out with a little twist of my hand, and you know perfectly well you won’t be able to stop me in time. But if you get out of this house right now, I’ll make sure to leave her alive to do with as you please after I’m done with her.”
It takes all my willpower to stay in place. He’s right. I won’t be able to get to her in time. She’ll be dead by the time I can take her away from him.
The only way to stop him is to render him immobile or dead so swiftly he won’t have time to react, and all without hurting Payton in the process. Decapitation would be the most effective, but I don’t have the tools or the opportunity to carry it out at the moment. And of course, there’s a significant risk of injuring Payton if I tried.
Locking his eyes on me, he bends his head and kisses Payton on the cheek. Her eyes turn pleading as she stares at me, but all I can do is watch.
Then, he stretches out his tongue and licks the corner of her mouth, and she squeezes her eyes shut.
Something snaps inside me, and my power surges before it leaves my body in one giant pulse.
I see it like in slow motion when the air in front of me condenses into a thin sheet and sails clean through his neck without touching Payton’s head less than an inch away. There’s a look of surprise on his face as his body twitches. Then his head slides off his neck and falls to the floor with a thud.
His arms fall away from Payton when his body crumples to the floor and starts turning to ash. He’s clearly young, since his body doesn’t disintegrate instantly.
Payton’s knees give out, but I’m already there to catch her. She slumps against me, gasping for air like she hasn’t breathed in minutes. But I think it’s the fear talking more than a lack of oxygen.
I hold her against my chest while I stare down at the slowly disintegrating body of the vampire. My heart is still racing in my chest, not yet ready to relax and accept that Payton is safe.
I frown. She might not be safe yet. We still have a temporarily incapacitated vampire on the floor right outside the door and one more room to check on this level as well as theattic. Barry and Olivia might still be here, even if they weren’t in this room, or there might be other vampires staying here.
Slowly turning us around, I meet Lucas’s gaze as he enters the room. I didn’t even know he had left.
“The last room is empty. Do you want me to check the attic?” He lifts an eyebrow at me.
I nod, feeling Payton’s hair tickle my chin as I do. “Please. Is the vamp still down?”
“Yes. Erica will burn him to a crisp if he moves.” A proud grin stretches his lips.
The beautiful woman in my arms tips her head back and stares up at me. “Do you think there’s a chance she’s up there?”
I know what she’s asking, and unfortunately, I have to disappoint her. “No. I’m sorry, but I don’t.”