“Run!” The command came from her left.
It didn’t matter how much they panicked. None of them would be leaving this forest alive. It was too late to run. Too late to take her up on her deal.
The moment they tried to hurt the prince, they signed their death warrants.
Vivienne smiled, giving in to the sweet song of death. Its melody played deep in her soul, and darkness fed her movements as she turned with vampiric precision to the nearest man and snarled.
The humans shouted something, but she no longer heard their words.
She became an instrument of death, and her blood vow to keep the prince safe was the force behind each of her movements.
A sword swiped through the air, aiming for the prince’s neck.
Vivienne roared, the vicious sound promising swift retribution.
She blocked the attack with her blade and spun around. The man’seyes were wide as she charged at him, severing his head from his shoulders in one smooth, deadly movement.
His body hadn’t even hit the road before she was turning around, bloody sword raised once again.
“Get him to safety!” she yelled at Felix.
The Death Elf nodded, twisting crimson ribbons around his hand as he tugged Marius towards the carriage. The prince stumbled, still weak from using too much magic.
Gods, what a mess.
Although, at least now she was getting rid of some of her pent-up anger. It was a small silver lining, but she’d take it.
Vivienne covered the men’s retreat with her wings and studied her prey. A dozen armed attackers would’ve meant death for most people, but there was a reason the king had chosen her to guard the prince. She’d been a top fighter ever since the night of her Making.
It was almost a relief to give in to the deadly creature of the night that had been her companion for over a century.
A blond man charged at Vivienne. He was the next to die.
After that, they all blended into each other.
Screams morphed into moans as the men met their ends, one by one.
Vivienne liked the killing calm. She always had. As a mortal, she’d been weak. Others had seen her as a plaything, and they had broken her.
But now?
She was the one who broke others.
One by one, the highwaymen fell.
At some point, she abandoned her sword. The coppery tang of blood filled her mouth as she tore into the humans with her fangs, making quick work of them.
She wasn’t sure whether seconds or minutes had passed before she’ddealt with them all. Time was of no consequence when one was dancing with death.
Eventually, heavy silence filled the air. She dropped the last body, licked her fangs, and wiped her palms on her fighting leathers.
They were all dead.
Vivienne stared at the bodies, wondering if she should feel bad about this. She’d killed them, after all.
She searched within herself for even an ounce of remorse but didn’t find one. The humans had intended to hurt them; all she’d done was protect her charge. As far as she was concerned, they’d asked for this by refusing to take her deal.
A sharp inhale came from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.