Chapter 9
The feeling of euphoria fades, and a rush of anger comes flooding in as I come to my senses.
“What the hell did you just do?” I demand, trying to push myself off of him.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he murmurs, tightening his hold on me.
“Yes, you do! You did something to make me react like—”
“Like you wanted it?” he interrupts with a seductive look that makes my stomach hollow with regret.
“It was your stupid bite!” I snap, trying to rub away the mark he left on my neck.
His wicked laugh is cut off by the announcement that Kole has won the fight.
I watch Thane’s eyes track Kole’s movements and realize that something about me staring at Kole moments ago is what made him bite me.
I’m not sure if it’s because of brotherly rivalry or because his ego couldn’t take that my heartbeat quickened for someone other than him, but whatever the reason is, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that I know what triggers him now, and I plan on using it to get back at him for what he just did.
Even if I had liked it in the moment, I know he did some vampire mojo thing to cloud my judgment.
I clap my hands as Kole puts his shirt back on and rejoins the vampires. “He’s impressive,” I mutter to Thane, knowing damn well the thought of his brother earning my praise will provoke him.
“Hardly,” Thane dismisses, failing to hide the bitterness in his tone. “He should’ve won this fight in less than a minute.”
“Perhaps he wanted to put on a show for the other leaders,” I counter with a shrug. “He certainly looks like he could’ve ended it quicker.”
A low growl escapes Thane’s throat, letting me know I’m pushing the right buttons.
“Your standards are low, Grey.”
“You sound jealous,” I bait, turning my attention back to Kole.
“Kole is the last person I’d be jealous of.”
Something about the way he says it makes me think he’s trying to convince himself of that fact.
“So I take it the two of you aren’t close?”
“We’ve had our issues.”
“Let me guess… Mommy loved him more?”
Thane grabs onto my arm that he burned and digs his nails into the bandage. I try to wrangle myself from his grip, but it feels like the tips of knives are stabbing my arm beneath the bandage. Blood begins to seep through as the pain intensifies.
“Let go of me!” His hold on me tightens the more I struggle against him, and I clench my teeth, desperately trying to hold back the scream wanting to break free. “Stop!”
The fight that had just started comes to a halt, and the leaders turn their attention toward us. Thane finally lets go of my arm, and I see that it wasn’t his nails digging into me, but his claws. They retract, but the rage seething from him remains fully intact, matching my own.
I do my best to ignore the throbbing pain radiating from my forearm and focus on getting my revenge. By now, all eyes are on us, and for whatever reason, Thane still has me pinned to his lap.
Something he’ll soon regret.
Time seems to slow as I wait for him to make his next move, but there’s a sense of hesitation coming from him. Maybe he’s just trying to figure out which punishment to inflict next, but either way, it’s buying me the time I need.
The poofy dress I’m wearing has created a thick barrier between me and him, so I’ll have to go with Plan B.
Even though he still has a hold on me, I’m able to scoot forward to the edge of his thigh.
I bunch the skirt of my dress into my left hand to keep it from falling, and with a deep exhale, I relax my body, focusing all of my attention on releasing the water I had lapped up earlier.
I feel it trickle down my leg, making its way to the floor.
To my surprise, it just keeps flowing out of me, and I silently thank myself for finishing all of the water.
“Continue the fights!” Thane finally orders with the wave of his hand.
“Of course, Alpha.” The guard motions for the two fighters to make their way back to the center of the circle.
“Is that pee?” a vampire murmurs, pointing to the pool of liquid forming around my feet.
“Oh my god! Did she pee on him?” another woman gasps in disgust.
Similar remarks echo through the crowd, but they’re too quiet for me to fully make out.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
I hit the marble floor so hard that it feels like the entire right half of my body has shattered into a million pieces.
Thane looks down on me from the top step with his hands balled into fists and veins protruding from his neck.
The few snickers and laughs that came from the crowd a second ago have fallen completely silent as the entire room stills.
Every part of my body screams at me to stop moving, but I push myself up into a half-sitting position, determined to not look weak.
“No one disrespects me in my own house!”
Thane’s voice is so powerful it feels like the room is shaking around me as he slowly descends the steps, stopping in front of me. He’s already a man of monstrous proportions, but as he towers over me, he looks like he could squash me with a single stomp of his foot.
Thane crouches down and clutches my face in his hand. I want to turn away from him, but I know even if I try, I won’t be able to, so instead, I mirror his fury with my own, letting it whip through me like a summer storm. He brought this upon himself, and he deserves far worse than what I’ve done.
His lips curl back as he glares at me with venom before tossing my face away from him like the sight of me disgusts him.
“Get up, Grey.” Even though every move I make feels like I’m being beaten with a bat, I rise to my feet, fueled by my unwavering refusal to let him see me give up.
Once again, my eyes meet his, only this time, a depraved smile spreads across his face while a crazed look enters his moonlight eyes. “Run.”
I hesitate, taking a few steps back, but out of the corner of my eyes, I see the crowd part, continuing to watch me carefully.
“I’d run if I were you!” someone shouts from my right.
“Yeah, you’d better get going!” another one calls out.
I turn on my heel as the room erupts with excited cheers, chanting “Alpha!” as I run for the double doors.
Just as I’m about to burst through them, I take one last look back at the man who makes my soul burn with insurmountable hatred.
Our eyes lock for only a split second before he explodes into his wolf form.
My heart lurches at the sight of the beast, and I take off into a full sprint, not bothering to look back again.