Vengeance (The Prince's Games Book 1) by Rebecca Grey (electric book reader TXT) 📕

bump into me. I listen for any footsteps to follow but no one does so I stroll casually into the hall. I slip into the bathroom to relieve myself and slip back out, knowing I'd only taken a few minutes and Juilliard should be near enough. Leaving, I relax in the brilliant relief of the pressure that was in my bladder.

My whole body crashes to a stop as I'm met with two glowing red eyes. In the dim light, the blonde Vampire cocks her head, sniffing the air. I'm smart enough to be scared. I place a hand on my hip. Maybe I can get by without an issue. Maybe she's come to ask me some silly sort of question. Doubtful, but my mind still tries to find a reason that doesn’t end with her trying to take a bite of me.

I force myself to breathe through my mouth, trying not to take in her delicate scent. Even then I try not to breathe all that deeply.

"Human girl. Human girl," she sings, "Such a surprise seeing you here. What a blessing from the Saints. I've heard pure Human blood is like no other. Is it true?"

"I wouldn't know. I step forward to walk around her and she sticks herself directly into my path.

"How about a taste?"

"How about no?" I snap ignoring the way my legs began to quake and add, "I'll scream."

"Oh, you won't be able to scream, my dear." She gives me a piteous look and reaches for my neck. Her hands are cold as ice as they wrap around my jaw and she brings herself to me, knocking us into the bathroom door. Both sharp fangs extend out over her bottom lip as she lowers herself to my neck. The tips of her teeth scrape over the sensitive skin that Joss has punctured so many times before.

"I said no," I growl and rip my blade from my belt, thrusting up into her chest. It pierces her heart and she gasps, stumbling away from me. I chase her to the opposite side of the hallway as she falls against the wall, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Gray starts to consume her skin, hardening and aging her body with wrinkles and age spots as her years catch back up with her.

Grabbing the end of my dagger, I push it father into her chest. "You deserve this." I whisper into her ear before I yank the blade free from her body. Dust plumes from her chest with the movement and her face freezes in shock. They never expect Humans to fight back. They don't know enough about us to consider us a threat. Her mistake. I wonder at what point she would have realized that I also have a wooden cross tucked inside my shirt that would have boiled her flesh.

I lift the blade to my face and blow air across it to rid it of the dust that came from her ancient body. I’d wanted to kill someone today, and it looks like my wish has been granted. Once her body is found, if they are not careful when they move her, she'd likely crumble away to ash in their hands. A fitting death for a Vampire, in my personal opinion.

When my weapon is back in its place I stand, noticing that the light that carries down the hall from the main room is blocked out by the rough outline of a muscular body. My heart leaps into my throat and my dagger is back in my hand within a second.

"Nilsa, what did you do?" Marcello whispers, looking behind his back before he rushes to the Vampire’s side.

"She was going to bite me. I did what I had to do to stay alive." I point the dagger at her as I talk and Marcello bats it away, prompting me to sheath it.

"Oh, no, no, no." He shakes his head, bringing a hand up to his face. His teeth rake out over his pointer finger that he brings to his mouth and bites down on his knuckle before he speaks again with decisive certainty. "Here is what we are going to do. Move her to the farthest end of the hall away from the bathroom entrance. Then I'll get Hedda and hurry her out to the ship before she finds out that you killed one of her girls."

"I'd do it again." And I would. I'd do it a thousand times over before I let her get a taste of me. I refuse to be ashamed.

"This isn't a game, Nilsa." Marcello stands up in a flash. "We aren't in the Games yet. You can't do this and expect to always get away with it."

"I've gotten away with it so far."

"Well, you wouldn't be able to get away with this one. Not without my help." He inhales deeply. "Why didn’t you call out? I was listening. Juilliard is listening. We're teammates now, Nils, you don't do anything alone anymore. And you won't get the blame for this alone." His jaw sets tightly.

I don't... I've never worked on a team. I'm not sure I'm aware of what being a true team player even means. Only one person, aside from Arron, has looked out for me and that's myself. Me, myself, and I. And we didn’t go retrieve that girl from Mica’s as a team.

"You were listening?"

"Yes," Marcello says, picking up the Vampire and carrying her to the end of the hallway. He sets her down gently, tilts his head, and places her hands in her lap. She looks as though she's praying. Hopefully, she did plenty of that before she met the end of my dagger.

Something inside me shakes a little. Not in the same nervous way my legs had done when the Vampire had gotten too close. This... this is different. This is...whatever it is, I don't like it. I