CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ailsa
SHARDS OF GLASS splintered through the air in what felt like slow motion, the kitchen skylight exploded as men dressed head to toe in black with their faces covered dropped down from the roof.
No human would have casually jumped from the roof and been fine, so we were obviously dealing with supernaturals.
Fucking great.
I stood frozen—probably gawking, because honestly… what the fuck? Until my senses kicked in and reminded me that the newcomers were probably after me, and my life was therefore most likely in danger.
Davien’s tall frame pushed up against mine as he put his body in front of me like a shield, dragging me down.
I couldn’t think.
Couldn't process.
Davien swore under his breath, his movements efficient and controlled, even in the chaos. He threw the kitchen table on its side as he pulled me down and under the line of fire before I’d even registered that guns had been drawn.
Everything blurred—the crash of dishes, the sharp crack of shots, the violent ringing in my ears as my heart slammed against my ribs, climbing higher, and higher, until I could feel it pounding in the back of my head.
Davien’s teeth caught the leather bracelet at his wrist, tearing it free with a quick, brutal motion before spitting it onto the floor.
My wrist was pulled harshly as Davien pulled his weapon from its holster. I hadn’t even realised he’d been carrying it.
Actually I’d never seen a gun up close.
“They fucking tracked me,” he grit out like it was supposed to mean something to me.
“Who tracked you? I gasped. “Why?” Panic clawed up my throat.
What the hell had he gotten me involved in?
More shots rang out, splintering wood, and shattering what little faith I had in the table. I had no idea how many of them there were, no idea what I was supposed to do. My entire experience with anything remotely like this began and ended with films.
I tried to cover my ears, the noise unbearable now, my senses still too new, too raw, but the chain between Davien and me made even that difficult.
Another loud bang.
Louder.
Closer.
This time from behind us.
“Fuck,” Davien muttered. “Eve—”
“Already on it,” she said, her voice cutting through everything, her hands raised, doing what I could only describe as spell weaving? Sparks like little lights danced on her fingertips, and I was definitely gawking now because I’d never seen anything like this.
Magic was real.
As real as fucking vampires.
It was beautiful.
I watched in awe as tendrils of it left her body and weaved through the air, cutting through the chaos like thread being pulled tight.
And then—
Everything in me broke and I watched as blood poured from her throat in a sudden, violent rush as a dark figure dropped from above.
A man—no, not a man—something else, folded huge wings behind him as he landed, Eve’s body discarded at his feet like it meant nothing.
Like she meant nothing.
A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it.
Davien moved instantly, turning and firing two shots in quick succession, so fast I barely registered it. But it didn’t matter because the thing was already moving toward us. A grin spread across his face, slow and deliberate, like he knew exactly what he was doing and he enjoyed it.
Enjoyed my fear.
Enjoyed me.
Fear coursed through my veins, almost stopping my heart completely, and I couldn’t stop the feeling from consuming me as my fangs elongated.
“Well hello there little darling,” he said, his tone disturbingly normal, a voice that was all too human. Too casual, too damn calm. Almost fucking pleasant.
Panic surged, terrifying and suffocating, flooding my chest, my throat, my lungs, until there was no room left for anything else.
He was going to kill me.
I didn’t want to die.
The thought hit with a force that felt physical.
And something inside me answered.
The world shifted.
Not outside.
Inside.