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Duncan was already stepping forward as Phoebe howled her defiance He thrust the shining blade of his power through the spinning shell of his shield, slicing through Phoebe’s defenses as if they weren’t there, stabbing into her chest, shattering her ribs and piercing her heart
Phoebe screamed as her heart exploded, as Ted convulsed and as her vampires died Duncan held the blade in her heart until there was nothing left of the organ, until it was dust in her chest He pulled the blade back then, drawing the power into hiripped a physical hilt Dropping his shield, he took a step backand stu with the force of a sledge hahfor his heart
Chapter Twenty-Nine
E herded She knew Duncan had appointed Baldwin as her protector, probably on pain of death or so equally unpleasant She didn’tshe could do about it If you’re going to fall in love with a big, bad, alpha male, you have to accept the oes with it So, she didn’t fight Baldhen he took her arh it made her feel like one of the potted plants, especially when Phoebe--Phoebe!--showed up
"I’m no one’s pet," the traitorous bitch drawled as she strolled into the roo to throw at her Baldwin clearly felt the saressive step forward, closing ranks with Duncan’s other vaer, ready to defend Duncan E to draw any attention to herself for fear she’d be hustled right out of the roo on!
Her heart squeezed at the obvious grief in Duncan’s voice when he tried to talk Phoebe out of what he clearly considered a suicideabout vaured Phoebe had to die either way She’d tried to burn the to save Phoebe; he was trying to save the others He didn’t seened to what he had to do
And then suddenly everything changed Ey, every hair on her body standing up as a ind appeared out of nowhere and filled the huge roo against the marble floor Dirt and leaves were sucked up by the wind and sent spinning against the walls and s like hail Phoebe was staring at Duncan as if she’d never seen hiht to Phoebe, but E above the noise She heard Max Grafton screa tu clay pots
Wanting to hear what they were saying, E behind and between clusters of plants until she was nearly even here Duncan stood staring at Phoebe
"Emma," Duncan called suddenly
She froze, certain he knew she’d er safely hidden behind Baldwin’s bulk
"Remember your promise," he said, and E to run away if things went south What was he thinking? But she no sooner had the thought, than everything changed again Silence fell over the roo
"Ladies first," Duncan said, his voice thick with a mockery Eled along Eer that what she’d felt only moments before That had been like static electricity on a dry su her nerves She shuddered and closed her eyes in pain, clenching her jaw against the urge to groan When she opened the opposite Duncan, but there was a resigned set to her shoulders, a weariness in the way she held herself despite her defiant gaze
Duncan barely htly apart, his weight on the balls of his feet He raised his arers curled into his pal there He blinked lazily and the pressure in the roo as if all the air was being sucked out at once E to collect enough oxygen A weight crushed her chest, and she leaned back against the wall, suddenly weak and lightheaded, but determined to stay, to witness Phoebe’s execution She blinked, bewildered, as Duncan stabbed his hand outward, and then Phoebe screaony The vaan to fall like flies, collapsing where they stood without a single sound Not far frorunted, and she stiffened to attention While she’d been watching the action and trying to breathe, Grafton had woken enough to pull himself behind one of the few chairs in the roo pale and sweaty, pressing a hand against his ribs as if they were injured Emma hoped his ribs were broken She hoped he’d push too hard and one of the and he’d die of asphyxiation while everyone was too busy to notice Except her
Lost in ilanced over and saw Phoebe had curled into a ball on the floor She was still screaan falling apart Duncan stared at her crule step backward A flash of aze back to Grafton, and she screaun and shot Duncan in the back
E to Duncan’s side Miguel was shouting orders, placing himself between Duncan and as left of Phoebe’s vampires as he searched for the enemy But Eun up, still ai for a second shot as Duncan collapsed to his knees E, three shots, tightly grouped, just like at the range One, two, three, and Grafton went down E to her knees next to hiri fro what she’d done<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>