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He stuttered. His expression remained unreadable, but his heart was pounding, and that whiff of fear ramped up even stronger. “What? I— I don’t know what you mean?”
I cocked my head. “Don’t you?”
He shook his head, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “No...” But his voice held no conviction.
He knew he was caught; he just didn’t know he was dead yet.
I frowned, squeezing my hands into fists and releasing a few times. “I’m afraid the seraphim signed your death warrant when they approached you. I’msosorry tohave to do this.”
And technically, I was. We really did try to do as little harm as we could, though humans and seraphim both made that difficult, if not impossible. I leaped at him, pulling a dagger out of my boot, slicing across his neck and reveling in the blood spurting all over me.
The room erupted into chaos, cloaked men shouting and pushing, rushing toward the exit over one another. I threw Adrian to the floor and phased to the doorway in front of the crowd. The few stood before me pulled back, one of them stumbling to the floor. I swiped my dagger across the neck of one, two, three men within reach. Most had retreated by then.
Phasing to the corner, I took out two more men. Then I phased back to the doorway, wrenching a guy off the doorknob and throwing him to the floor.
Most of the cloaked men were shaking and pressed up against the wall now, which made killing them so much harder. I wasn’t a monster, but the fear in the room was a delicious smorgasbord for my power.
Okay, maybe I was somewhat of a monster, but not an immoral one. The seraphim really didn’t give them what they needed to stay safe from me. Not information, nor power, nor weapons. It was irresponsible, really.
Luckily for me, two men were prepared to give me a fight. Grateful for the aid, I decided to get them first. When one guy rushed at me, I dodged right into the path of the other. His sword pierced through my ribs, and I roared, my arm rebounding and sending the dagger into the side of his head. He didn’t even know what hit him.
After wrenching it out, I took the opportunity to toss it at one of the cowards in the corner while kicking backward at the guy barrelling toward me, sending him to the floor.
I phased to nab my dagger back from the guy, now dying, slumped against the floor, and swiped across the neck of the guy next to him. He choked and gurgled as his blood spilled from his chest and stared up at me. The greasy ache of guilt spread through my gut, making me want to squirm.
But someone was nearly at the door, so I quickly shut down that weakness inside and phased over to stop him. I shoved my blade in his belly and then swung around and seized the guy who was launching right for my face. With a twist, I had him in a chokehold before he knew he’d lost. But I didn’t give him time to brood over it, I slit his throat and threw him to the stone floor.
There were still three men cowering from me to address, and then I could go home. Sighing, I stomped over to one and nabbed him by the shirt.
“It’s not personal.” I sliced his throat so he’d die quickly and side-stepped to the next guy. He didn’t run, didn’t even try for the door. I darted down and clutched him by his head, twisting until it cracked. He didn’t feel a thing.
The last guy wouldn’t even look at me. “Please don’t,” he whimpered. He actually cried.
I gritted my teeth. “Fucking seraphim assholes,” I muttered. “Dude, get a hold of yourself.” Instead, he pissed himself. I tutted at him. “Pathetic. Shame you didn’t get into PC games instead of all this shit.” I reached down and pulled him up, cracking his neck before he got to his feet.
Giving them less time to anticipate their own death was the best I could do for them. See? Not a monster.
I glanced around at the bloody scene and mashed my lips in disgust. “What a fucking waste of a bunch of decent dudes.”
Seraphim ruined everything.
Every time.
Chapter Ten: Torn Between Worlds
Maverick 1556
The sun hung lowon the horizon, bathing the landscape and scattered wildflowers in a warm, golden glow while Susannah and I huddled among the trees and bushes, hoping to stay concealed. We sat on a blanket, a small wicker basket between us filled with the remnants of a simple picnic.
The soft rustle of leaves and the distant song of a lark created a peaceful backdrop, but I was on edge. Constantly waiting for a hunter to pounce or a spying family member to step out from behind a tree.
The loose curls of Susannah’s dark hair cascaded around her shoulders, her eyes the color of a twilight sky. She looked every bit the enchanting witch she could be. She’d unintentionally enchanted me, despite my intentions for our tryst to be only temporary. Her slenderfingers traced the remnants of a bunch of grapes in her lap, her expression a blend of contentment and underlying sorrow. She wouldn’t admit it, but we both knew our time together could not last.
Leaning back on one arm, I watched her intently, my own heart heavy with sorrow. Usually so full of confidence and mischief, I was left clouded with remorse and concern. I reached out, taking her hand, feeling the familiar warmth of her touch.
“Susannah,” I began, trying to keep my voice soft, but even I could hear the strain and tension. “This time, it really has to be our last day together.”
Susannah’s head snapped up, her pupils dilated, tears welling up instantly. “No, Maverick, you can’t mean that,” she pleaded, her voice breaking. The tears threatened to spill over. “You know I can’t bear to be without you.”
