Page 209 of Nyx

Juliet.

I shake my head, shoving both voices away. They're not necessary right now, and I'll deal with the consequences once I know she's safe.

"Please don't," she begs, but my fists keep flying as I fight the urge to gag, feeling this animal's blood marking my skin.

My mother begged me to stop also, but I knew stopping meant she'd continue to be hurt, and that wasn't something I could live with.

"I lost two babies and twelve years of safety because of him," she says, her words somehow filtering into my head even as my fists fly. "I won't let him take you from me, too."

She isn't begging me to stop because she loves him. She isn't concerned about him. She's worried about what doing this could mean for me.

"He's going to kill him," she snaps. "Make him stop."

I look up, confused about why Kincaid is standing there, unsure of how long I've had Graham on the ground.

"He has to decide," Kincaid says, his eyes locked on me, his body frozen, indicating he'll let this play out however it goes.

I shift my eyes to Juliet. She's beautiful even after what she's been through tonight, her face tear-streaked.

I scan her body, checking for injuries. Rage renews itself inside me at the trickle of blood on her neck.

"Please stop," she begs.

Graham, regaining consciousness, begins to struggle, and when I look down at him, I realize my hands are tightly wrapped around his throat.

"Nyx, please stop," she begs again, and it's as if those words hold all the power.

My hands loosen on his throat, and his quick gasp of air tells me just how close I'd gotten to putting an end to his terror for good.

I inch back, standing over him, and as much as I'd like to give him a few quick kicks to the ribs, I know that my fight with him is done.

Hound and Shadow drag Whitmore to his feet, and I reposition my body when his swollen eyes search for Juliet.

"Clara, baby," he says, his words slurred and watery from the blood in his mouth. "Tell them you love me. We're meant to be together forever."

Hound shakes him in an attempt to get him to shut his fucking mouth, but it doesn't even slow him down.

"Tell them this isn't what it looks like," he pleads.

The sound of sirens grow louder as police units draw closer.

I turn and look at Juliet, finding her eyes locked on me.

"I love you," Whitmore insists, his begging tone shifting as she ignores him.

She gives me a weak smile, and I attempt to manage one as well, but I know it's more of a snarl.

"You did this!" Whitmore rages as Hound and Shadow drag him further away. "You ruined our family. You killed my children. You stole so many years of my life."

I turn to face the man. Shadow and Hound halt their movements as I walk closer in that direction.

Whitmore, seeming smarter than I initially thought, flinches at my approach.

"If you ever breathe free air again, I'll know," I warn. "It won't last long."

Whitmore is taken around the corner, and I know it's procedure to get the abuser out of the line of sight of the abused in order to help them calm down, but I don't like the idea of not seeing where he is.

I pull in a breath, reminding myself that I can have full faith in my brothers to make sure he's subdued until the cops arrive.