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The Deadly One

Lusian stoed face lined with dark, rugged stubble A miasmic smear rereen eyes slanting in a dark gaze, and he knew she was about to get what she wanted again, hearing the intentions within both of theirhis eyes at her before turning back to Lusian "I&039;d say you&039;ve had enough to drink tonight," Valek growled "Get out" He wound his fists tightly at his sides, atte fury

"I&039;ll tell you when I&039;ve had enough I&039;d ask you to hit ht take that request a tad too literally" He snickered "Brought you houre, sending whoamy smell of human fear, tears, and warh to make him stuht, he looked down at alike a hunted rabbit, collapsed onto the floor She clutched her chest as her wide eyes traveled froest on Charlotte&039;s That girl&039;s not a hts sputter in her head-that girl&039;s liketo kill her, too? Maybe I can save us both

"Don&039;t be a hero," Lusian responded, though he locked his glare on Valek

Valek ility, her ar up in front of her face, as if she meant them for a shield Gently, he closed his hands around one of her wrists and felt the fraught pulsations thu under her skin Perspiration collected in silvery beads on her forehead

"Trust an to forht come in handy, indeed But in order for it to work, he needed to calm her

She lowered her ar Struck with his i back a grin She was moderately attractive Around thirty years old, Valek assessed She sarlic The scent was mostly on her hands He narrowed his eyes Had she attenorant several-hundred-year-old legend? Valek snorted

Quickly, he shoved the mortal woman behind him to block her from Lusian, just in case He didn&039;t quite knohat the obnoxious Vaame was yet "If you&039;ve fed to your satisfaction, I bid you a good evening Get out"

"I aain "I did not have dessert" His glare shot to Charlotte&039;s face and quickly grazed the level of her shoulders and breasts as he grinned "And you knohat a horrible sweet tooth I have"

Charlotte sat up in the bed Valek&039;s stourations in her ht, Lusian" Valek blockaded hih satisfaction for one night Consider this "

Dusana raced in then fro from face to face to land specifically on Lusian&039;s

"Don&039;t worry, friend," Lusian said confidently "I&039;ll be gentle with her" He swiftly darted behind Charlotte and cupped her chin, pulling her back against his chest "After all, she is such a delicate thing"

"Lusian, don&039;t!" Dusana pleaded from the door

Charlotte&039;s back arched out of huh Valek could hear in her mind how badly she needed this He only pretended that he could not hear how intensely her addiction ailed her-how much pain she was really in But the truth was, that was the only thing he could hear, the only thing he could think about Every single hour of every day, hearing her pain justwith the fact that he was responsible for her suffering was the worst punishrate before his very eyes

He winced as he watched Lusian sink his fangs deep and drink from Charlotte&039;s neck The mortal woed in froht around her aroing anywhere Charlotte let out a little sigh as Valek cut out the distraction and tuned in to her ain Relief rolled down froe of the bed, she slit her eyes to peer at hi as he watched her

Valek turned his back on her "You are insatiable"

Lusian tore hisfrorinned "Who? Me or her?"

"What is that we smell?" The twins, Ana and Aneta, appeared at the threshold as well, both sets of almond eyes black They rushed to either side of Charlotte on thea wrist

"Get away fro his talons into Ana&039;s shoulder, and sending her hurtling into the wall Aneta released Charlotte and gnashed at Valek, who quickly wrapped his ar to snap her neck Fear cohts so entirely loud, they deafened Valek as she sat shriveled up in a corner and sobbing She knew she was going to die He&039;d deal with her later

Lusian swiftly pushed away fro her like a piece of rubbish, and tore Valek away from Aneta before he could act on his impulse Valek&039;s body crushed the bedside table to splinters The three of the

"So tell ives you a piece of that every ti?" Lusian snickered "Lucky bastard"

Valek lunged at hi to the floor The sound of their fury rolled deep like thunder as a battle cry spewed from Valek into Lusian&039;s face

"I will tear your head off!" he threatened as Lusian rolled on top of hi Valek up by the material of his jacket shoulders, and threw hih, and he caught himself with one hand to the floor as he skidded backward He quickly stood, adjusting hishis eyes off Lusian for a moment

Ana and Aneta just watched, co on each of their pointy faces

"If I wanted to kill you, Lusian, believe me, I could do it in an instant"

"Why don&039;t you try, then?" He opened his arms wide in an invitation

"Stop!"

Valek adjusted his focus, re in the threshold

Lusian rolled his neck, the joints cracking Valek guessed how ecstatic he ression and could tell he wanted to go for round two "And they say Vampires don&039;t have reflections Just look at her! She&039;s the spitting iht down to the dead soul inside"

"Lusian, can&039;t you contain yourself for one night?" Dusana growled "Why is it that every ti claim yourself as some sort of alpha?"

"Don&039;t compare me to some stupid Lycanthrope!" Lusian&039;s playful words turned venory The twins took their place at Lusian&039;s flanks again, flashing identically devious smiles at Dusana

The tattooed Varabbed his hand, her face turning a pale shade of green Her eyes locked with Valek&039;s under the choppy bangs of her raven hair "All of us fed already"

"So I&039;ve heard within your mind" Valek widened his stance and folded his arht I say how despicable the act was" This part of his stateht at Lusian, who merely chuckled and rolled his eyes Valek heard the curiosity peak in Charlotte&039;s mind as she wondered exactly what Lusian had done "You are absolutely disgusting A poor excuse of e are"

"Not as disgusting as your warped little traain

Dusana glowered at Lusian before shooting an apologetic glance in Valek&039;s direction "We kno you feel about us Your thoughts are just as loud as ours are I apologize if we seem like such an intrusion on your household But we didn&039;t have anywhere else to go If you want us gone, just say so But just know that we&039;d do anything for you and the girl I think we&039;ve already proven that" Dusana&039;s words were sorrowful, though they carried an edge of anger She bid hi Lusian out of the rooned politeness with a curtsy "Dobrý ve&269;er"

The bedrooain Valek wheeled around to face her "Satisfied?"

The ed tightly to her chest as her wide eyes bounced back and forth from Valek, to Charlotte, and to the doors

Charlotte frowned and wrapped her ar at her throat and ruined one sleeve of her new dress Guilt had clearly taken her prisoner "Are you going to begin patronizing h of it from Sarah?"

"You don&039;t need to be patronized! You need to be parented!" he roared

Downstairs, Sarah stood in the middle of the library, alone She twirled a loose strand of her hair around her fingers as she listened to Valek&039;s hollering from all the way upstairs Her forehead crinkled, but she was beyond the point of crying It had been this way since Charlotte had fallen so extremely ill with her new addiction The truth of the matter hen Valek looked at his love nohat he was really saas the monster he&039;d created due to his own carelessness That hat Sarah could not understand Changing her would be the same as what he&039;d already done-would actually be better for Charlotte

This was to be expected after all of the things the girl had been through Sarah listed theuardian, a series of e of and killed by the most powerful Elf in Europe-possibly the world And no matter how many spells she had in her arsenal, she knew that it would take much more power to heal Charlotte now

Sarah reached into her apron pocket and tightened her fingers around one, s ti she knew held anythat could remind her of peace and safety Charlotte&039;s whistle

"I can see that absolutely nothing about your feelings has changed for irl you rescued froutters of the city" Charlotte lay back on the bed and stared up at Sarah&039;s starry bewitchment for a few moments as they twinkled down from above the bed The reflections of the silver ornaments rippled in the tears that had collected in her eyes

Valek ground his teeth together, fighting for ht" Valek&039;s gaze lingered on her face as he watched her bite down on her lower lip, forcing the tears to re over, she hid her face in his pillow and proceeded to cry quietly

"If that&039;s how you really feel" Her mumbles were smothered and buried from under the pillow

"I&039;ll always see you for your innocence, Charlotte Your purity That is what I fell in love with You&039;re the only gliht in ht of you as my child Even when you were little I fear that I as I believe that sorow up Waiting for you to see me for what I am My love is what you are It is what you always have been"

She did not reply to hiain the otherher way toward the door Somehow, she&039;d reotten about her Charlotte got up from the bed and toed over to her Instantly, Valek tuned into herbefore

From her miserable place on the floor, the wo to peer up at Charlotte over her shoulder Her face was a mess, with streaks of tear-soakeddeeper into her mind This person looked so weak-so measly in comparison to those Charlotte considered her adopted family that it was impossible for her to relate to her on any level In Charlotte&039;slike her at all She didn&039;t fear death because she was surrounded by it She&039;d beckoned it-brought it to the doorsteps of so many htly bloodlusts The s he&039;d made Charlotte do for hi like Charlotte at all, and she could hardly identify

Charlotte sed her own, sour hatred for what she was and ot to her feet, her panicked gaze flicking back and forth between Valek&039;s face and Charlotte&039;s Her ape as she stao home Please" The last of her words broke on a dry sob

Charlotte had been hunting too long, been ato let this affect her In actuality, the pity she experienced for the wo more of a bitter realization Charlotte was just like her Weak and expendable-or so that was her perception Valek frowned This was her hoer She lived in it-was unable to escape from it And, just like the woman, she was too weak and vulnerable to help herself now that fate had caught up with her Valek sed the words he was about to say in response to her thoughts, knowing how s-on inside her mind

Abruptly, and before the wo her thumb and index into the sensitive pressure point just in between the woman&039;s neck and shoulder In an instant, the woman collapsed to the floor Not dead-unconscious

Charlotte turned back to Valek, who scowled at her disapprovingly and tsked as though she were an errant child

"Lottie"