His analytical mind had already surveyed the situation, confirming what he’d already suspected: they were probably fucked. Even with their stolen weapons, their tattered group wouldn’t be much of a match against the rebels.
As if confirming his thoughts, his shoulder throbbed again, reminding him of his injury.
Jelisette bared her fangs.
“Did you really think I was so stupid?” She stepped towards him. “I know Brynleigh stole the cipher. What kind of idiot would I be if I didn’t have my entire house under constant surveillance?”
Ryker swallowed. “What did you do?”
The vampire’s smile widened, and for the first time, Rykerglimpsed the true predator living beneath Jelisette de la Point’s skin. It was as though she was peeling off layers, letting the mask of the well-adjusted woman fall away from her features. Even the other rebels took a step back.
Promises of a painful, drawn-out death glowed in the vampire’s ancient obsidian eyes. Rolling her sleeves to her elbows, Jelisette displayed her Binding Mark and curled her fingers into claws.
“Isn’t it clear?” Jelisette answered. “I arranged all of this. I’m going to take great pleasure in destroying you. Then I’m going to find your wife and ruin her, too. She’ll be begging for death by the time I’m done with her.”
Ryker clenched his fists, and an animalistic snarl rumbled through him.
“Bring it on,” he growled.
Madness glinted in Jelisette’s eyes, and in Ryker’s gut, he knew this was the end. Making it out of here alive had been statistically improbable before, but now it was clear it wouldn’t happen.
His heart twisted. He wished he could return to this morning and give Brynleigh one last kiss. Tell her he loved her one last time.
But this was it. There was only so much a fae bound by prohiberis could do against a vengeful vampire, a dozen guns, and deadly Death and Earth Elves.
Jelisette moved so fast that he could barely track her.
One moment, she stood in front of him. The next, she stole Ryker’s gun and threw it halfway across the room before he could react. It clattered against the ground, reminding him exactly how helpless he was against such a powerful vampire.
Ryker lunged, and Jelisette swung out of his reach.
He ran at her, and she blurred around him. He spun, but he wasn’t fast enough.
The vampire wrapped her arms around his stomach, flinging Ryker through the air.
He roared, arms flailing as he landed on a table. Pain flashed through his back, and the wood beneath him splintered.
The other rebels circled the Choosing participants, training their guns on the captives.
Jelisette cackled.
Insane. She was truly insane.
Gasping, Ryker rolled off the broken table and stumbled to his feet. Before he could take a single step, Jelisette threw herself at him. She moved with a speed unlike anything he had ever seen. Even Brynleigh had never moved this fast.
Jelisette was a blur as shadows streamed from her hands like ribbons. She grinned and snapped her teeth at him like a feral animal. She formed a shield of pure night and threw it at him.
The impact slammed him into the wall, and he groaned.
Damn the prohiberis.
Damn the rebels.
Damn it all.
Jelisette was toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse.
He peeled himself away from the wall. Every single movement hurt more than the last. It took a lot to kill a Mature being, but this…