“It would be a fatal flaw to underestimate me right now, Laura. You see, I am very young, but I am highly trained in the call of silver,” I stated, standing to come nose to nose with her as my finger lifted, trailing down her cheek. I felt Rhys rising behind me, standing ready to protect me, unaware that I wouldn’t need it. “At the moment, I can sense the Ben Wa Balls shoved up that pussy of yours that you’re clenching so hard to hold in. There’s also a hint of silver sitting in your ass. I’m willing to bet it has enough within it that when I call, it will come. You won’t, because well, I’m not trying to get you off here, after all. You have piercings in your nipples, your naval, and your clit. I dig it. Did it hurt? I’ve actually been considering getting mine done, but I was iffy about it since vaginas are very sensitive areas. Also, the clit has about eighteen thousand nerves in it, and one fuck-up and bye-bye orgasms. Oh, I’m off subject, aren’t I? Anyway. Before you strike me, those Ben Wa Balls will come out your eye sockets, ripping their way free through them via every major organ in your body. That bullet in your ass? I’ll call it too, and instead of your eyes, it will come out your mouth, which would probably be a shitty deal for you, pun intended.
“Those nipple rings will go into your body, shredding that worthless organ in your chest. And while it doesn’t beat, it is needed to run everyone else’s blood through your ice-filled veins. That clit ring? Well, I’ll just let it rip that vital part of your anatomy apart, because I’m a total bitch like that. I’ll be a darling and leave your naval alone, since by then, you’ll already be dead enough for me to grab that sword and take that pretty head of yours off your neck. So, I mean, you could try, but in the time I’ve wagged my tongue, I’ve called your silver, and I’m willing to watch it work for me, because honestly, I want to see how big those balls are that you’re clenching so hard, trying to hold onto.” I crossed my arms, watching the anger burning in her eyes as I gave a little yank on the silver, and she shivered. “I can’t believe you’d be so stupid to get a text message sent to you about a Silversmith and run right over with all that silver, just begging me to play with it inside your body, Laura. Considering I have been hunting you down with my silver for the last five years after you murdered a ten-year-old child because you wanted her fucking ice cream, that’s rather sloppy.”
“I will fucking destroy you.”
“No, you won’t.”
She lunged, and I ignited with power, watching as she dropped to her knees. The silver rushing through her as it ripped her apart. My eyes swirled as my veins glowed, filling with power. My hair floated, igniting as the power surged through me. I grabbed the blade, swinging it in a wide arch as the other vampires moved forward, following their maker to their grave as their heads bounced across the floor.
I smiled coldly, bending with the blade in my hand to wipe it clean on Laura’s gaudy dress. I placed the sword back on the table and sat down with a bored expression as Rhys slid his hand to my thigh silently.
“I didn’t know Laura would come intending to harm her, Rhys, you have to believe me,” Eloisa said through trembling lips, slowly moving to stand beside him as she slipped into his lap.
Her arms wrapped around Rhys’s neck, and she tried to kiss him. But Cole pulled Eloisa over to him, his eyes slowly noting Rhys’s hand on my thigh. I relaxed, grateful that I wouldn’t be exposing my weakness to a room full of immortal alphas who would seek to use it against me.
“Now, Eloisa, why the fuck would we believe you? Haven’t you murdered the last nineteen women that Rhys showed interest in seeing for more than just feeding?” Cole asked, chuckling coldly as he stared at me. His smile turned dark as Eloisa gagged. My eyes lowered to her chest, where Cole’s hand protruded through the center, holding her heart out in front of her on display. “Hear me very clearly, everyone. Remington Silversmith is under Van Helsing protection, and an attempt on her life is an attempt on ours. You all know who wins in this fight if we go to war. Remington may have promised Rhys her silver, but her heart,” Cole stated, popping Eloisa’s like a mushy, oozing balloon of slime, “isn’t claimed yet, and at the end of the day, I couldn’t give two fucks about who owns her silver, as long as I get her heart.” His eyes held mine, forcing me to stare at the blood dripping from his hand.
Rhys snorted, gripping my thigh tightly. He turned, studying me before his eyes dipped to the corpse beside us, who unfortunately wasn’t dead yet. Not unless I picked up that sword and removed Laura’s head, or Rhys did it. That would start a war, though, and we both knew it. I was willing to do it, considering how evil the cold-hearted bitch was. Killing children was a hard limit for me, and anyone who enjoyed their deaths deserved to die.
“As Remington Silversmith has given me her silver, I stand beside my brother’s claim. Other than him claiming her heart, as I have claimed her for myself for now,” Rhys stated, watching me carefully to see if I would argue with him. “If anyone has an issue with that, I will hear it now and challenge them and their house to honor my promise of protection. As you all know, a Van Helsing can only give one woman his protection in a lifetime, and I chose Remington Silversmith. I am duty-bound to protect my silver, and I mean to keep that promise.” Did that mean he’d married me too? I was so confused about how this shit worked.
“If you’re serious about her being the strongest Silversmith you’ve ever met, then Lord have mercy on you, Rhys Van Helsing, because I don’t think she intends to,” Griselda said, smiling as she took in the disgruntled look my face. “However, my house will stand with yours, as we have since the beginning. I do, however, think I will remain close by, in the event that something larger is brewing, and you need me at your side, and yours, Silversmith. You may not have the correct coloring, but you hold the fire of a forge within you, which Laura’s unfortunate ire exposed.”
“Thank you, Griselda,” Rhys acknowledged, bowing his head.
One by one, the houses gave Rhys a vow to honor the bond between us, whatever that meant. I hadn’t quite figured that part out yet. Nyx’s eyes held mine from where she sat on top of the bar, tapping her finger on the glass she held. There was worry in her eyes, and it sent a tightening to the pit of my stomach as she looked away.
If I were a better friend, I’d send Nyx away from the mess I had ended up in, but I was certain after I’d just harmed the alpha vampire’s second-in-command, he would be seeking revenge against me in any shape or form he could get it.
Chapter Sixteen
I sat at the bar, gulping down my third margarita as Nyx danced seductively to a heady beat. Acyn watched her with heat banked in his eyes, while Rhys argued with someone over the phone at the bar’s far end. Cole sat beside me, our legs touching to maintain contact, to counter the effects of my curse. He studied me as if he stared long enough, I’d cave and fall into his lap. Every few minutes, Rhys would go silent and turn to stare at Cole with a murderous expression. I just wished the alcohol would work quickly, and I could forget the sight of the Ben-Wa balls coming out of Laura’s eye sockets.
No matter how hard I lied to myself, I hated inflicting pain on people, even murderous monsters such as Laura. I much preferred to remain in the armory with the forge, creating weapons to wage the silent war against them. It might make me seem weak to these beings, but at least I didn’t suffer nightmares for days afterward.