The Lion's Den (37 page)

With Xander on his knees, Marcus reached underneath his chin, pulling him to his feet. “I’d kill you if you weren’t already a marked man. Doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with you, though.” Before he could do the Alpha any more harm, Warren shot him in the arm. Marcus turned around with a smirk. He made certain to have Xander in front of him. He looked at Warren, smiling. “You do know that I let you shoot me just so you can see how useless your ultraviolet bullets are against me.”

“
Really?” Warren asked, not really caring if what he said was true or not. He knew the only reason he responded was to buy the others time so they could attack. He watched the ultraviolet gel ooze down the side of Marcus’ arm. Underneath the skin, the gel seemed to evaporate, having no effect on the vampire whatsoever.

Ignacio and Justin saw what was happening to Xander so they rushed toward him and Marcus, combining their attack. The Master vampire used Xander as a shield and weapon, swinging his body in all directions, using him to knock the other two shifters into separate directions. Adrian dove forward, dodging his father’s flailing legs. He managed to grab hold of Marcus’ legs, and he bit down hard. His teeth sliced through skin and bone. Marcus grimaced in pain as he looked down at the shifter attached to his leg. He threw Xander across the room, sending his body crashing into the fireplace. Bricks broke apart, falling in a dusty heap on top of Xander’s semi-conscious body. Before Marcus could focus his attack on Adrian, three other shifters converged on him, each hoping to keep him from killing the others.

Raven had Rachel pinned against the floor. The female shifter struggled to throw the vampire off, but was unsuccessful. She screamed in rage and frustration, gaining Stephanie’s attention. She ran to Rachel’s aid, attempting to pull Raven off of her. The vampire lashed out, slashing her claws across and back again, slicing through skin, muscle and bone. Stephanie’s eyes stared forward in shock. They bulged out of their sockets as a thin line of blood appeared across her throat. Blood began gushing from the opening, splattering the women as the head tumbled over her shoulders to the floor, rolling several inches to a stop. Stephanie’s decapitated body crumpled to the ground next to her severed head. Blood continued to gush from the gaping wound.

“
Your turn, now,” Raven growled in Rachel’s ear. Without waiting another second, she drove her nails into Rachel’s shoulders, severing tendons and cutting through bone. With a wicked smile, Raven yanked her arms outward, ripping away Rachel’s arms, sending the two limbs in separate directions.

At that same moment, Elise was thrown to the ground by Kiren. Pain shot through her body, but she turned when she heard Rachel’s scream. She gasped when she saw what Raven had done. Rolling away from Kiren, she ran toward Rachel.

Raven sensed Elise coming nearer and she rose, bringing Rachel to her feet. “Any last words?” Raven asked Rachel.

“
Die bitch!” Rachel spat out through gritted teeth. The intense pain she was in was unbearable. She could no longer fight, blood gushed from the ragged, gaping, shredded wounds. White bone jutted from the torn flesh where her arms had been, making the shifter weaker.

Elise lunged forward, but it was too late. Rachel fell into her arms, sending both women to their knees. Elise looked up seeing that Raven had disappeared. She looked down at Rachel; her friend and Pride member’s eyes were blank, void of all life. Elise checked her, not wanting to believe she was dead. As her hand ran across Rachel’s back, it dipped into a bloody hole in the middle of her spine. She now knew how her friend had died. Gently she laid her down on the carpeted floor. There was no time for mourning … that would come later if they survived.

Kiren advanced on Richard, who was attacking Alicia, trying to keep her from hurting Miko. He grabbed the Alpha coyote from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Richard struggled in Kiren’s grasp, but was unable to break loose as the shifter’s furry vice-like grip tightened around his throat slowly cutting off his air supply.

Across the room, Darian witnessed Kiren rendering Richard unconscious. He charged toward him, his long nails slashed down Kiren’s back, forcing the shifter to cry out and turn around. At that point, Darian’s other hand swiped at his throat, nails ripping away flesh. Marcus heard his lover’s gurgled scream. He turned; releasing Ignacio, who was bleeding profusely from a wound in his throat where Marcus had fed. The ancient vampire ran toward Darian punching him hard across his jaw, jerking the younger Master vampire’s head backward. There was a snap of bone and Darian stumbled, his head leaning to one side. Marcus followed up with a backhanded slap, which propelled Darian upward against the wall with an impact so powerful it cracked the plaster. Before Darian could hit the ground, Marcus caught him in midair; punching him twice and knocking him unconscious. He dropped the vampire to the ground, staring down at him with a mixture of malice and lust. Annabelle ran toward the two vampires, stepping in front of Darian’s unconscious body. Enraged, Marcus grabbed her, not giving her a chance to make her move. He took her by the throat, nails digging deeply into her flesh. Instinctively, her hands went to his, trying to force his grip away. Without further hesitation, Marcus punched her torso, burying his fist deeply through her chest. Wrapping his fingers around her still beating heart, he snatched his arm back, ripping her heart through her now shattered rib cage.

Miko crawled to her feet in time to see her lover fall lifeless from Marcus’s hands. She saw him toss her heart onto Darian’s chest. Her vision turned crimson as she ran toward the ancient vampire, screaming out in rage. She never saw him turn or his hand strike her. She only knew her body ached from the hard landing and the room was spinning.

While Marcus was preoccupied with Miko, Adan stealthy finished off what Darian had begun, crawling toward Kiren, who lay on the floor, struggling to heal himself withut the blood of a Matron. Using his claws, he ripped and shredded the muscles, bone and flesh, disconnecting Kiren’s head from his body. “Marcus!” the lion King yelled, getting the Master vampire’s attention.

Marcus turned to see the lion King holding his lover, Kiren’s head in his hands. “What have you done!” he growled, his eyes burning red.

“
Just as I suspected, he really does give great head,” Adan quipped, intent on enraging the Master vampire. He wanted to distract him long enough to allow the others to escape. It was working … for the moment. Alicia was busy battling Miranda, Adrian, Sergio and Nagesa.

A low, menacing growl rumbled through Marcus chest, up toward his throat. He snarled as he advanced toward Adan. He stopped short as several ultra-violet bullets whizzed past his face. He turned, to see Gabriel firing away. Effortlessly, Marcus dodged every bullet. Gabriel was so busy trying to land a shot, he had no idea that Raven was behind him. Her mouth was bloodied, her claws extending as she slashed them across the back of his neck, nearly severing his spinal cord. Gabriel released gurgled gasps as his hands went to the back of his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He fell to the ground, pressing his back against the wall. Never had he been in a battle like this! Marcus looked around the mansion, noticing that Adan had taken advantage of the mere seconds he spent dealing with Gabriel and had escaped his wrath. He smirked, thinking about how crafty the lion was and how he’d pay him back tenfold for killing his lover. He took in the carnage; two of his coven lay dead amongst the many wounded. He was also pleased to see others whom did not belong to him lying dead as well. He was disappointed that he hadn’t killed more before they escaped.

Raven stepped over Rachel’s mangled and mutilated body. “We should have come to kill them all. We shouldn’t have tried to spare any!” She growled, angry and hurt that Mikhail was dead.

“
It’s done. We’ll make the survivors pay for what they’ve taken from us,” Marcus said.

Alicia stood over Sergio’s prone form. He lay gasping for air, desperately clinging to life. “Should I kill him?” she asked.

Marcus looked down at the injured shifter. “No. We take the survivors. Simple death is too quick of an ending for them.” He reached down, taking Darian into his arms and tossing him over his shoulder. “Bring them!”

He left the mansion, tossing Darian into the trunk of his SUV. Alicia and Raven began loading the trucks with the survivors. They laid Sergio on top of Darian and Adrian beside him. Both women were angry that Elise and Tatiana managed to escape in the confusion of the battle. They wanted to hunt them down; they would ask their Master if they could at a later time. After two more trips back into the mansion, they now had Gabriel, Christopher, John and Miranda in their possession as well as the remains of the members of their coven. Raven drove toward Darian’s private jet. They were going back to their own territory with their bounty. Where they were going, the sun would be high in the sky; the vampires would be forced to remain asleep.

It’s what Marcus wanted.