Page 78 of Blood that Burns
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LAW
Where’s Maggie?
My eyes dart around the room, and the tightness in my chest loosens minutely when I see her disappear into a hallway. I reach out, tugging at our bond.
I’m relieved when all I feel is determination. No fear.
She’ll get out and she’ll be safe. I have to believe that.
I scan the room for the person we’re here to collect and when my eyes land on him, the breath is knocked out of me. A part of me didn’t believe he’d be here. Didn’twanthim to be. As much damage as he’s caused, the thought of bringing him in and raising charges against him doesn’t sit well.
What if his punishment is death? Could I live with that?
I’ll have to examine those feelings another time, because he’s here, and because of that, he needs to be caught.
“He’s over there, Julian,” I call out, pointing toward the back corner where Marcellus stands at the foot of the stairs that leads to where Marina is currently trying to coax two girls into action.
Some vampires are scattering toward the doors, realizing that something is going down, while others gather around a showdown between Ratilda and Katina. My heart hammers at the thought of Katina getting hurt, but I shove it away.
She’s tough as nails and more than capable of kicking ass.
Marcellus moves through a hidden door behind the stage, and I rush toward it, not bothering to wait for Julian or watch what’s to come of the sibling rivalry between the two vampire women.
The hallway is a series of hallways that all branch out.
“Shit.”
I concentrate, trying to block out the noise coming from the auditorium, to attempt to decipher which hall he went down. I’m met with silence, but a nudge pushes me toward the middle hall.
I don’t second-guess the gut reaction, sprinting down the narrow expanse that’s lit only by small wall sconces that flicker in and out, creating an eerie glow. The hall goes on forever in one straight, unending line. I’m about to turn around when I see him up ahead, leaning against the wall like he hasn’t a care in the godsdamned world.
Fucking Marc.
Always so damn smug. Even in the face of his judgment day.
“Brother,” he croons. “Wish I could say it was good to see you.”
I bark a humorless laugh. “I’ve gotta say, Marc, you have balls of steel.”
He does laugh, carefree, as though these were the days of old. Back when we were all joined at the hip. Brothers by birth, friends by choice.
Those days are long over.
“I won’t pretend that I didn’t know this day would come sooner or later.” He shrugs. “Might as well be now. The day you’ve managed to collapse the auction.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” I ask, brow raised, wondering how he leapt to that conclusion.
So far, we’ve hopefully managed to rush the humans to freedom and chase off some of the participants, but the auction hasn’t officially fallen. Yet Marc stands here as if he knows the conclusion.
“Whom have you been speaking to? Lucresse? Shante? Which one betrayed us?”
He huffs. “Now Lawrence, do you mean to tell me you have that little faith in your circle of allies?”
“You just seem to be pretty damn certain of what’s happening tonight.”
He picks at his fingernails. “I have been clued into your movements, but it’s not a witch who shared those plans with me.”