19. ~Vorzyr~
~Vorzyr~
Ah, brutal justice.
My favorite.
Now, a little known fact about me? I did like to draw a line at lethal justice. Although, truth be told, it was a line in the sand, because there were circumstances where it couldn’t always be helped.
But this wasn’t one such circumstance.
It was one that was doing wonders for cutting through some of the shit clawing at me and eating me up inside.
The situation with Ariana that I couldn’t stand being so up in the air, especially after we’d slept together—and under circumstances that I regretted.
Call me sentimental, but it should’ve been special, not amid a whole lot of dirty and degrading talk and sexual acts.
No, it wasn’t sentimentality, it was much more than that.
I’d been drawn to her for a long while, and doing it that way with her had felt not only anticlimactic, but a betrayal of the bond I’d wanted to form with her, that I still wanted to form with her. It had felt… wrong.
But on the flip side, if Kai hadn’t been there, the animalistic ferocity of it might have taken me over. I’d fucking tasted her blood, and I’d wanted to do even more than that.
I might have gone too far.
And that had been then. Things had severely worsened in that respect ever since I’d performed that primal magic to cure Kai of that Celestial infection. Actually, ever since I’d first touched that white smoke and somehow made it submit to my will.
The animal in me had been so strong since then that I’d been afraid to be alone with Ariana, afraid of what I might do.
And then there was the whole overwhelming issue of how I’d been able to perform that submission on Celestial magic like that.
What did it mean? For me? For the bigger picture?
And, more worryingly than that, for Ariana?
She was a Celestial being. If I could do that, have the ability to fight against magic borne of her kind, what did it say about me in relation to her?
Were we natural born enemies? Star-crossed lovers? Something worse?
I’d known I’d possessed abilities beyond that of a standard dragon, but this was the first time any of that power had been shown to be directly connected to anything Celestial.
Those issues… the questions… the worries… all of it had just been compounding.
But, here in this moment, as we dealt out this warranted justice and put our enemies in their place, it served to block a lot of that out, to clear a path through.
The violence, the bloodletting, the punishment… it soothed my animal side. It gave it a much-needed outlet. It gave me the feeling of control—or, perhaps, more like the illusion of it right now.
A fresh set of screams drew my attention and I blinked back to the moment to see Kai basically magically-electrocuting the Dark Fae motherfucker, Sorin.
His layered dark-red hair flew wildly from side-to-side as he convulsed in the metal chair we’d strapped him to in a basement of an abandoned house a few miles from Maven Academy grounds.
His dark blazer was hanging off either side of him, his turtleneck shredded, both courtesy of me and my deliciously sharp talons.
Wounds I’d scored into his chiseled chest were rapidly healing thanks to his powerful Fae blood, blood that was drenching his gray jeans, its scent filling the air and making me draw in gulps of air to savor it as much as possible.
I tried to tell myself that it was the sweetest blood that I’d ever scented—definitely much more than mere vampire blood.
But hers was. Nothing outshone that. Stop!
Motherfucking temptation and obsession was driving me out of my mind.
My phone buzzed, but I ignored it, and focused on Sorin’s body shuddering as Kai’s magic tore through him like fucking lightning strikes.
“Sympathizer…” Sorin somehow managed to croak out during it.
Kai stilled and pulled his magic back in an instant.
There were very few sorcerers who could do that with the speed that he did, and even barely feel the slam of it as it re-entered their body. He barely grunted at it.
Hisses came from the two vampires tied to identical metal chairs either side of Sorin.
The one to my left was Drake, the guy with the dark auburn hair that was always wild. His button up was in tatters as well, with him just down to his slim-fit jeans.
On my right, the other side of Sorin, was Jace, the guy who had a whole grunge thing going on.
His plaid shirt was still on but shredded across the chest—Kai’s work this time with him generating fire magic, which had been impressive even to me, somebody who wielded ultimate fire.
Jace’s white-blond hair fell over his eyes, and he tried to whip it out of the way to no avail as he hissed at Kai and me in turn for daring to harm his leader.
Kai grasped Sorin’s jaw. “What did you mean by that word?”
Sorin smirked nastily. “You already know. That’s why you’re reacting so intensely, and even stopping your torture session.”
“There are none of those here at the Academy.”
Sorin scoffed. “You can’t even say the name, can you?”
“What’s he talking about?” I asked, coming up on Kai’s side.
“They’re recruiting all the time,” Sorin told Kai.
He tried to hide how impacted he was by whatever Sorin was referring to, but I heard his pulse pick up, and saw him swallow hard, before he was able to tell me, “He’s talking about Puritas.”
“Never heard of them.”
“They’re a group of fanatics who abhor the existence of hybrid beings, what they believe is the sullying of the bloodlines. Their goal is to purify the supernatural world again, and rid it of hybrid kind.”
“That’s some extremism right there,” I muttered.
“It’s what needs to be done!” Sorin yelled, pulling at his restraints and trying to call his magic yet again, despite the fact that it was impossible because Kai had temporarily bound it.
“So, going after Nyx wasn’t just bullying, or you being enraged that his allure accidentally impacted your woman?” I put to him.
He glared out at me. “It didn’t impact her.”
“What?”
“He needed to think that was the case.”
Sick motherfucker.
“Do you really think I’d allow a fucking Incubus to impact anyone close to me?
Dark Fae magic can work wonders with violations of free will like that.
The important thing is that he believed he’d had that much of an impact.
On those who he believed were innocent, too.
He’s the type who would be haunted by that.
And, better for us and our cause, the type to be broken by that.
It’ll eat him up inside. A few more incidents here and there and he’ll do our job for us—he’ll end his torment.
One less hybrid to concern ourselves with. ”
Kai roared and thrust a bolt of his magic at Sorin. It knocked him out in a second, his head lolling to the side.
My phone buzzed again, but I ignored it, watching Kai.
That hadn’t been enough for him, and he stormed toward one of the vampires, both whom were cursing him out and snarling at their leader being knocked out.
“You were gonna break my love’s face, yes?” Kai spoke as he rounded the chair that Drake was strapped to. He eyed me. “Show him what that feels like, V.”
“With pleasure,” I growled, Sorin’s plans for Nyx getting under my skin, too. And the bigger picture of it all, this Puritas … it was truly sickening.
I threw my fist, pouring a whole lot of my strength into it.
The moment it made contact, it had him shrieking as the impact crushed bone beneath my knuckles, blood spewed, and it created a cavern in one side of his face.
“There you go,” Kai said, sadistic glee in his voice. “You see how different it is to use supernatural strength to attack another who doesn’t possess your same durability? Vorzyr’s durability and strength is far beyond yours.”
“Shithead sorcerer,” Drake struggled to get out.
Kai fisted his hand in his hair and wrenched his head back.
“Disrespect really won’t serve you well here.
” He released him roughly. “Let’s delay the vampiric healing process, shall we?
Let you suffer for a little while longer in the exact pain that Nyx would’ve been in if you’d thrown that punch.
” With a sweep of his magic, he had the vampire grunting as the graze that was healing rapidly, slowed to a crawl.
Just like the broken bones would be doing now.
Kai grasped his jaw, the guy whimpering, as the hold worsened the agony for him. “Really feel it, fucker.”
A snarl came from him.
Hell, no.
I stepped forward, brushed past Kai and let out a dragon roar, that had the asshole’s eyes shooting wide, his hair flying every which way, the chair wavering. Real fear stared back at me.
“That’s how a real beast does it,” I told him. “Don’t test that again. Don’t you so much as threaten him with the demon in you, because it’ll be decimated in no time by me.”
He shuddered and managed a nod.
I caught Kai’s eye and he was beaming out at me, a whole lot of lust along for the ride as well.
Jace’s grating voice cut into the moment, as he bit at Kai, “You can only dare to deliver punishment while we’re tied up, while Sorin’s magic is bound, while we’re at an unfair advantage.”
Kai strode in front of him and upturned both hands, his palms sparking with rose-gold flames. “Your ignorance is astounding. It’s clear why you need somebody to lead you around by a proverbial leash. You’re tied up for your own protection.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kai stepped closer. “If it was an all-out battle, I’d kill you, fool.”
His response hit me hard.
Of course I’d come to know very quickly that Kai had a nastier streak, a darkness in him, the full force which he held at bay and controlled very well.
But, here, in this moment, I saw him opening the door so Jace could truly see what he was actually up against, the monster that stood before him.
In the next second, I darted forward, and snapped Jace’s neck.
With barely a breath in between, I did the same to Drake.