Page 113 of Bite of Vengeance
Dread coiled through me. “Is she in that building?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “Her and Keeva were fighting. But they can’t kill each other, right? Go find her. We’ll help your brother get out of here.”
Pax. I whirled around, seeing him in a heap on the ground. He was still alive, but someone had staked him enough times that he was too weak to get up. A few Shadows were near him, fighting with soldiers. I spotted Amaros not too far away, still being carried by two men.
Indecision tore through me. Every part of me was screaming to get to Kali, but I couldn’t leave Pax here alone. Rya promised to help, but he was my brother. And Amaros? He couldn’t leave here alive. Even if he was human, it was too risky. Kali would be in danger if he survived. I cursed under my breath when another missile hit right near the building Kali was in. Smoke was getting thick, making it harder to see.
“Hey—”
One of the soldiers who was holding Amaros yelled, but it was cut off when a bullet hit him in the forehead. He crumpled to the ground as Viggo appeared and shot the other man. Our father fell to his knees, choking out short breaths. Viggo glanced at Pax, worry splashing his face for his twin. A second later he spotted me, and he gave me a small, relieved grin.
“Go get your girl,” he said. “I’ll take care of him and get Pax out. There are trucks outside the city that are shooting the missiles. They aren’t stopping until this place is nothing but dust.”
The Shadows were everywhere, dealing with PARA soldiers. Though by now, most of the humans were fleeing as the cityburned. Whoever was calling the shots didn’t care who survived this. They were trying to kill as many vampires and Shadows as they could. They’d lost control. In their eyes, it would be better to destroy as many as possible rather than try to build the Shadow army they’d wanted.
Amaros raised a shaky hand, grabbing Viggo’s leg. “Son. Help me.”
I froze, knots twisting in my gut. A muscle in Viggo’s jaw ticked as he slowly gazed at our father. He looked nothing like the monster we’d grown up with. Right now, he was a bloody, weak mess.
“Viggo—”
“Shut up, Zan,” he cut me off sharply. “Go get Kali.”
I scowled. “You don’t have to do this. It’s on me.”
He ignored me, and my heart constricted painfully. The reason we were here was because of me. I chose Kali, and my brothers chose me.
“Son,” Amaros said hoarsely, his voice barely recognizable.
Viggo blew out a shaky breath, and grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. He was so weak that he couldn’t stand without Viggo holding him. Pax was watching, still lying on the muddy ground as his wounds slowly healed. PARA wasn’t even paying attention to any of us anymore as they tried running. Although, the Shadows were bringing down as many as they could. Rya was still standing next to me, her eyes spitting hatred at Amaros.
“Heal me,” Amaros demanded weakly.
Viggo didn’t reply as he gripped the collar of Amaros’s shirt and tore it off him. Covering his bloody chest was a black, stiff cloth and it was strapped to his shoulders. I knew from experience that it was a steel plate to protect his heart. It never even crossed my mind to think he would have worn that since he hadn’t used it since the war had ended years ago. It was probably the only reason he was still alive after how badly the soldiersbeat him. Amaros protested when Viggo undid the straps, letting the steel fall to the ground.
“What are you doing?” Amaros hissed before choking on blood that was dripping from his mouth.
Viggo stepped in front of him, meeting his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dad. My loyalty is to my brothers. It always has been. And if you walk away from this? Even as a human, they would never be safe from you. Zan and Pax deserve a life—one that you can’t destroy.”
Chapter 45
Zan
Viggo plunged his hand into our father’s chest, making Amaros’s eyes bulge. Disbelief flooded his face as his body jerked when Viggo pulled his hand out, holding his heart. Red blood dripped from Viggo’s fingers as he dropped the heart. I watched it land in the mud before Viggo let go of Amaros’s body, letting it slump to the ground.
A whirl of emotions hit me, and I wasn’t sure exactly how to feel. Was I glad he was dead? Yes. Kali would never have to fear him again. I was happy he was gone. Maybe my soul was as dark as the humans believed.
Another blast shook the ground, and Rya screamed in panic. I followed her gaze, looking at the building that Kali was in. The top few floors were now engulfed in flames. Another missile struck right near the cliff, making another part of the building slide into the choppy water.
“No,” I choked out hoarsely.
“The whole thing is going to come down,” Rya screamed at the same time.
We both began sprinting, and I didn’t stop when I heard Viggo bellowing my name. A few moments later he crashedinto me, sending us both to the ground. Rya kept running, disappearing through the door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarled, shoving him away.
He grabbed me. “Zan. Look at it. It’s coming down. The whole fucking cliff is going into the ocean. Even Shadows can’t survive getting blown to damn pieces.”
