Chapter Seven
He couldn’t believe the female could break free from his control. Never in all his centuries had anyone, male or female, from any species been able to do as the tiny being below accomplished such a feat.
Savage inhaled, eliminating scents until he found the one belonging to her. His female. Mine.
“What is it, Boss?”
Savage ignored Royer, focusing on the retreating figure of the female. She moved with grace, as if she were someone who’d had to disappear before. A vampire he recognized also seemed to take notice of his female.
“I want him escorted out,” Savage said, nodding toward the male below.
Royer whistled through his teeth. “Are you sure you want to piss off Astaroth? His enclave is a big supporter of ours.”
“I don’t give a fuck if he’s the King of England and our only blood supply across the pond.
I want him gone from the premises, now.” He held up his hand before Royer could piss him off.
His prey became too close to males that Savage recognized as part of Astaroth’s clan.
Without another word, he launched himself over the ledge, landing in a crouch near the edge of the dance floor.
Startled yelps and gasps filled the air as he stood to his full height.
“Savage, you are making a scene,” Scepter said through their mind link.
“I will kill everyone who steps in my way if I feel it’s necessary.
My mate is here, and she’s in danger.” Savage voiced the last bit even though he was the King and didn’t need to explain himself.
His actions were out of character, which he understood could cause concern.
Many thought he’d lose his mind long before now and feared they’d need to take his head, or he’d go batshit crazy and kill them all.
Since he’d found her, they wouldn’t need to worry much.
Scepter met him on the other side of the dance floor. His friend’s face was grim. “Trystina and Trystan are on damage control. Where is your female?”
“Follow me. I have her scent. They went this way with Astaroth and his males closing in on her,” he replied evenly, maintaining the professional tone that had become his armor.
“Let’s go, Savage. If we have to take them all out, we’ll handle the shitshow as it comes.” Scepter and he glided through the crowd, becoming mist at the same time.
“So, what does your female look like?” Scepter asked.
Savage concentrated for a moment, allowing an image to appear.
“She’s stunning, with long dark hair like a curtain of silk that swayed when she walked.
She has curves in all the right places, like a.
..a runner. Yes, I could picture her running, but you should not.
In fact, I am making it a mandate that no one picture my mate as anything but what she is. Mine!”
Scepter’s chuckle set his teeth on edge, but Savage didn’t have time to yell at him as he found a wall of males surrounding his female.
A rumbling growl, the likes of which he’d never expelled before, left him, shaking the walls and floor of the club.
Lights flickered all around them as terrified patrons' shrieks began to swell.
“Move out of my way or die,” he said, his smile sharp as a scalpel.
Four males turned to face him, their teeth elongated in snarls.
He noticed they’d fixed their gazes on him, their lips curled in familiar sneers.
Something in the expression of the one closest to him sent a warning signal through his system—the same instinct that had kept him alive for hundreds of years.
He always listened. Sending a warning to Scepter as he disappeared just as the four males sent shards of silver flying from their palms, hitting nothing but air where he and his second had stood moments ago.
Savage took the head off of the first male, followed by the second, before either had realized they’d missed their marks, while Scepter did the same to the remaining two males.
A barrier he’d crafted formed around them, keeping those from the club safely outside the danger zone, while he stalked forward. Blood dripped from his claws.
“Savage? To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” Astaroth asked, smiling at Savage as he backed toward the female.
“I suggest you halt your movements, or you’ll find yourself in the same position as the males I dispatched a few moments ago, Roth,” Savage announced, motioning toward the bloody trail behind him where they couldn’t miss the piles of clothing that were left behind.
The slight intake of air revealed to Savage that his actions had surprised the other vampire, but Astaroth quickly masked his emotions.
“What did my males do to upset you?” he asked, his voice dripping with false concern.
He raised a brow. “They, like you, are attempting to come between my female and me. They tried to attack me on my home ground. Are you saying you were unaware they did such a thing? Are you and they not connected on a level where you are aware when one of yours does such a thing that violates an agreement that deems an instant death warrant?” His tone didn’t leave room for debate.
The accusation could lead only to one of two conclusions.
If he said yes, Astaroth knew he, too, would be dealt with; if he said no, it meant his males had gone rogue.
If the latter were true, then Astaroth would have to admit he didn’t have control of his clan, which could lead others to believe he wasn’t as powerful as he claimed.
Astaroth let out a sigh. His feet shuffled slightly. Savage saw what the other vampire tried to do. With his female, unclaimed by him and too close to the other vampire, he flashed to her side. Leaving Scepter alone and placing himself between the male and her.
“Ah, you think to claim her for yourself, but I saw her first,” Astaroth growled.
“Um, excuse me, but I have a say in who and wh...what I mean is I’m not anybody’s anything.”
Savage brushed his hand over his female’s side without turning to look at her. “We’ll discuss it after I dispatch these fools, my love.”
Her warm breath fanned across his neck, making his cock jerk beneath the denim.
Astaroth’s laugh was a brittle thing, like breaking glass.
“You’re crazy, aren’t you? This isn’t some backwater town where you can just waltz in and expect to take whatever you want, Savage.
Around here, there are rules, and as such, you should realize you can’t lay claim to every female because you decide you want her.
I have a connection that supersedes your want,” he hissed.
“Rules,” Savage repeated, his voice flat. “How fascinating.”
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “She’s nothing but a little nobody that waltzed into your club claiming to be here with another one of your...clan. All of a sudden, you say she’s yours. Which is it, Savage?”
Savage tilted his head, studying the female.
She was trembling, her eyes bright with a mixture of rage and fear.
This wasn’t just about claiming her. Although she was his, he’d kill anyone who thought to take her from him.
This was about territory, about proving to her and everyone else that she was more than a little nobody as the fucker claimed.
“No,” he said simply, turning his back on Astaroth. “I have better things to do than bicker with you like a child. You have exactly five seconds to leave before I take your head.”
For a moment, time froze. Savage watched the female’s face twist in fear and knew if she could, she’d storm off.
She shifted from left to right, the leather soles of her tennis shoes squeaking on the concrete floor like a ticking bomb.
He wanted to see her in a pair of high heels and a sexy, curve-hugging dress.
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The image of her morphed into one of them tangled together with nothing between them but skin, making it painfully obvious what he was thinking.
Her eyes widened as they flicked from his face down his body, bouncing back to his face.
The swift intake of her breath made him smile.
“I’d apologize, Vita Mea, but we both know it would be a lie.” He brushed his thumb over her lips, feeling the puff of air for himself. Fuck, this woman was like his own personal elixir.
“Boss, it’s been five seconds, and they’re still here,” Scepter said.
He didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he snapped his fingers. The room shifted, the air charged with anticipation. The club disappeared, replaced with a large room filled with his clan. Astaroth’s smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty.
Savage placed the female behind him with Trystan, with Trystina flanking her.
“What is the meaning of this?” the other vampire asked, spinning in a circle, his arms wide, no doubt searching for an exit.
“This is my chamber. I didn’t want to cause any more damage in the club that humans might see. You never know when one might have abilities,” Savage said, rubbing his chin.
“You truly think you can kill me and my enforcers without repercussions?” Astaroth asked, taking a step toward Savage.
Savage eliminated the space separating them. “I gave you chances, multiple chances to leave of your own accord, but you continued to challenge me. This is my territory. She is MINE,” he roared.
The very walls shook with his anger. Astaroth was an older vampire that Savage had held back from taking out due to the power he held within their infrastructure. He wasn’t sure he could keep from taking the male's head if he didn’t capitulate.
“Fine, I see you have a—connection with her that is greater than what I thought I had sensed. I will take my leave if you allow it?” Astaroth gritted out. His face flushed a deep red.
“Hmm, you almost sound sincere. How can I be sure you won’t return with an army to try and take me and mine out?” Savage asked, walking back to where he’d left his female. He needed to find out more about her, starting with her name and what magic she wielded.
Trystan and his twin Trystina kept her between them without physically touching her, yet they knew to place her to the right of his throne. Smart.
He spun before taking his seat, facing Astaroth. “A blood oath?” Savage asked, raising his brow.
Astaroth sucked in an audible breath. “You know that is not something one usually does.”
With one leg draped casually over the arm of his chair, Savage waited for the other vampire to realize he had no other recourse.
“You’re a true bastard, Savage Rossi. Fine, I will do it.”
Before the other male could take the words back, Savage flashed in front of him. “I’m glad you made that decision, Astaroth. The last thing I wanted to do was wipe your clan from this Earth.” He grabbed Astaroth’s right arm, baring his wrist. “Scepter, a cup if you will.”
At his words, a large black goblet appeared below Astaroth’s wrist. No fucking way was he going to risk a permanent connection by biting into the male’s skin.
However, he’d take the blood and bind his words in the way of their kind.
Astaroth’s blood would mix into a ritual as old as time, ensuring his oath would keep him from trying to take back his word.
Savage sliced open the male’s vein, allowing blood to fill the cup halfway, then lifted Astaroth’s arm. “Seal your wound.”
The hate emanating wasn’t shocking, but Savage didn’t flinch from the heat burning back at him.
“Lift the block so we may leave.” Astaroth’s words were more than a request. His resolve hardened, but he waved his hand, bringing them back outside the club, leaving Scepter to guard his female.
Astaroth and his males stared at him as if he were an anomaly.
Savage didn’t mind showing them the power he wielded effortlessly.
It was why he was King, and they were lesser males.
“Do not take my kindness for weakness, Astaroth. I allowed you and your males to live with little to no damage. Although you did lose a few, I could’ve taken all of your heads. Don’t make me regret being lenient.”
With a slight bow that looked more mocking than gracious, Astaroth didn’t say a word before he and the others dispersed into a fine mist, and then they were gone.
“You’ve made an enemy of that one, Boss,” Oakley said from the darkness behind him.
Savage nodded, knowing the truth of what his friend said.
“He gave a false oath. I’ve put a tag on all of them, but I don’t trust him or his clan.
He is several centuries older than I am.
I’ve always known he wants to be in my position as King.
Until recently, he didn’t have the power or backing.
He said you met my female?” He turned to face Oakley.
Oakley nodded.
“Did you feel an overwhelming need to claim her as yours?”
Oakley tipped his head to the side. “No. I felt this need to protect her, more so than I do when single females come to the club. It was strange, you know. I’m not sure why I felt it necessary to tell her my name and give her the explanation on keeping her drink safe, along with using me if she felt bothered. ”
Savage let out a breath. “She’s mine. I sensed her from the moment she entered the club.”
“I knew there was something about her I just wasn’t sure what it was that drew me to her.” He held his hands up. “Not like that, but in the same way I feel towards Harlie, Trystina, and Cleo.”
“What about Maryse and Thana?” Savage asked Oakley, wondering why he’d omitted two of the female clan members.
Oakley shook his head. A grimace replaced his friend's usual neutral demeanor. “Thane would never allow anything to happen to his twin sister, so I never have to worry about Thana, and if I so much as pretend Maryse might need my protection, that female would have my nuts in a silver vice. I’d need the help of a deity to resuscitate me. Nope, I’ll keep my brotherly protective instincts to those who need it, thank you very much. ”
Savage chuckled. “Point taken. I will leave you to do your duty here. If you notice any disturbance, Godsven is on backup tonight.”
He gripped Oakley’s forearm before flashing back to where he’d left the others. The scent of his female’s fear hit him like a ton of bricks.