Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
“Your days are over, warlock,” Fury said. His body bristled as if he thought he might be able to fight the amulet. Might be able to shift then and there into a leopard and attack him with teeth and claws and not just fists and feet.
“That’s a bold statement from a shifter who can’t even shift.” Graves smiled then, and it was dangerous. “And who has to use an entire room of people to try to get me while my magic is down.”
“You have nothing to throw against me,” Fury said, stalking forward. He prowled like a cat, but Graves just stood there and waited with that terrifying look on his face.
Fury launched at him, and Graves dodged. They did that for a minute, playing cat and mouse. Only Fury surely thought he was the cat in this situation. Kierse could see that Graves played chess, moving them away from the edge of the balcony and toward the tables. Then he smashed Fury backward into the table, the glass shattering as Fury’s body took the brunt of it.
Then Graves’s fists collided with Fury’s face. “You’ll never shift again when I’m done with you,” he snarled.
Fury roared then, shoving Graves to the side and rolling back to his feet. Blood ran from Fury’s mouth. He spit to the side. “Empty promises.”
“You’re certainly one to talk,” Graves said with a raised eyebrow. “Considering the bastard child you have stashed in Washington Heights that you think no one knows about.”
Fury froze. His eyes rounded. His body bristled. If he could shift, he absolutely would have. But there was nothing to be done, and instead he looked afraid. Exactly what Graves wanted.
“See the problem,” Graves said not just to Fury, but to the entire assembled audience, “is that when you go up against me, you go up against all of your own secrets. All your hypocrisies. So come get your licks in. Let the whole world know about your indiscretions.”
The rest of the crowd visibly shook at the words, looking amongst themselves and wondering who was going to next go up against someone like that. And for a moment, Kierse thought he had it in hand. That she’d worried for nothing. Who could take him down?
But then they moved together. Ithra, Brix, and Fury rushed him from different parts of the balcony, and they collided in a tangle of angry limbs. Graves fought them off the best he could, but with the different angles, they swept him over, burying him into the floor, beating down his perfect limbs like they meant to crush him into paste.
Kierse jerked forward, but Lorcan grabbed her arms. “Not yet, love.”
Amberdash whistled, and his guards rushed in, pulling Graves to his feet. His assailants retreated with death in their eyes as the guards wrangled Graves back into position for everyone to see.
He lifted his head, the midnight blue of his hair falling into his eyes, the dangerous glint more powerful than ever. He was a little bloodier, but that defiance still lay there for everyone to see.
Then Nova stepped forward, sliding brass knuckles onto her hand in lieu of the claws she had when she could shift into a wolf.
Graves laughed. “This the best you can do?” he asked, spitting at her feet.
“These are runed, darling,” Nova said.
Lorcan hissed behind her.
“What does that mean?”
“They’re going to hurt.”
“Yeah, got that for myself.”
“I can’t see them well enough. I’d guess Norse. Those are the most common. Some are supposed to feel like getting hit with Thor’s hammer.”
“THOR Thor?” she asked.
A few more people peeled off for the exit. She watched Maya tug on Jason’s shirt.
“Come on. I don’t want to watch this. Don’t you want to come with me?”
“Don’t try that shit on me,” Jason snapped as he threw her aside.
“I can’t do anything right now.” She gestured forward toward the balcony. “But I’m not going to stay to watch it.”
“Then leave.”
Maya lifted her chin and defiantly pushed her way out of the crowd. Good for her.
Kierse wanted to do the same. She wanted to get all of her people out of here. Nova with runic brass knuckles would not be good. She needed to stop this.
And then Nova threw the punch. If the guards hadn’t held him up, he would have gone flying again. Instead, his head cracked to the side, and a new trail of blood ran from temple to jaw.
His head hung low as the guards wrestled to hold him up. He spit more blood at Nova’s feet. “Can’t shift. Can’t punch.” His dark eyes looked up at her through the blood. “Couldn’t make alpha.”
“I killed Nate O’Connor. I am the alpha.”
“Surprise attack instead of a challenge?” Graves asked with a distressed laugh. “Looks like his second is still commanding the wolves. Not you.”
Nova hit him again.
The other monsters may thirst for Graves’s blood, but even they had a level of honor. Yeah, beating him up felt good. It wasn’t as fun when he could point out all their flaws and held all their secrets.