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She spoke as if her father’s desertion didn’t bother her, as if the man had done her a favor "What about Victoria?"
"What about her?"
"He didn’t wash his hands of her?"
"We don’t share the same mother, and he didn’t care to " Stephanie rolled to her side, peering over at him, her hands tucked under her cheek "He pushed her to be his next Lauren If she laughed, she was punished If she disagreed with him, she hat? Punished"
No wonder Victoria was so serious No wonder she rarely relaxed Aden was suddenly glad the ht disturbed hi the fine hairs on the back of his neck to rise and his brain to ache Every tiht about Vlad, he felt this way Why?
"So what are your plans for us?" Stephanie asked "For all the va," he answered honestly "Before that, though, I don’t know"
Her eyes widened, her expression pure puzzle? Really?"
"Really"
"That’s just… I mean,Who doesn’t want to rule the best vampires on the planet?"
"Me"
She popped a bubble "That’s wise, I guess I mean, you’re just a human But in the estions"
"Wait Re place"
"Twelve days, ? When ti by so swiftly and so unmercifully he could barely keep track? Still Once he’d dealt with the witches, he’d have…roughly a week to find his replacement That was doable He hoped
"Meanwhile, you’re the e, so your word is still absolute So will you listen to estions or not?"
"Let’s hear them"
"First, no more black robes You didn’t pitch a fit when I droppedabout my lack of proper dress now, and I thank you for that Anye need color Lots and lots of color Not just me, but all of us Only, everyone else is too afraid to risk punishment to act without approval"
"Color Done" He knew Victoria secretly loved pink
Stephanie clapped "Excellent I’ll spread the hen I return Now Second suggestion" Another of those high-pitched screeches rang out, this one closer, and Aden sat up So did Stephanie "Uh, maybe we should move our blanket closer to the ranch"
A third screech echoed, this one even closer They hopped to their feet, but not before Aden fisted his daggers A few feet away, leaves and branches rattled As he moved in front of Stephanie, a sht for Aden, as if pulled by an invisible rope
"Goblin," Stephanie yelped
Not a ht as Aden’s kneecaps He had pointy ears, yellow skin and eyes of red fire Worse, his teeth were like sharpened sabers Though the goblin wore clothing, thehole where his heart should have rested
Great Not just a goblin, but a dead goblin
"Julian," he muttered If the soul was close to a dead body, that dead body awoke Always And then, of course, that neakened corpse attacked Aden, hungry for his flesh Again, always
My bad
Aden had fought corpses a thousand ti the head was the only way to stop theht a nonhuman one before Would decapitation work this time? Guess he’d find out
When the creature reached hi’s throat, but just before contact, the goblin ducked and bit into his kneecap
Aden howled, fire instantly sparking in his leg and spreading Adrenaline pu hi its teeth--ripping his own jeans and flesh in the process--and sending the little fiend flying to his side
The goblin lay there ahunk of Aden’s skin, ecstasy filling those red eyes--along with hunger forboth his blades, crisscrossing his aroblin rolled out of the way, fast, so fast, escaping the deathblow
Get him! Julian cheered
You can do it, Caleb said Maybe
Steady, Elijah added If you can stall hioblin leapt at hiround before ju the distance, daggers once again raised He would succeed this ti would
A dark wolf burst frooblin, chooblin down, however The creature scratched and bit, angry, hungry, uncaring about pain Corpses never cared Perhaps they sioblin’s face Flesh sizzled, actually burning, and black blood squirted