The Devil's Trap Excerpt © Honoria Ravena
I
lunged, knife out, ready to slash at him. He jumped back in time to avoid the
full blow, but I still caught him across the arm.
He
hissed and glared at me. "You're sloppy, Pagan, you need more
practice."
I
smirked at the sight of blood. Oh yeah, I was going to enjoy causing him pain.
He deserved it after what he'd done to my brother. "I got a slice of you,
didn't I?"
"Sure,
but that should've been a much more damaging blow than this little nick. You
only got me because I thought I'd rolled your mind. I won't make that mistake
again."
He
disappeared in a blur of speed. He was too fast for my human eyes to track him.
I spun around, expecting him to come at me from behind. He appeared by my side
and knocked my knife hand. The blade went spinning.
I
jumped back but stopped mid-retreat. I didn't want to escape him. I wanted him
to pull me against his body, to forgive me for hurting him.
What
was wrong with me? I was here to kill him. I didn't need his forgiveness.
He
took a hesitant step toward me, and part of me yelled to draw my other knife
while the other part demanded I caress his wounded arm and make sure I hadn't
hurt him too badly.
A
fog washed over my mind when he ran his hands up and down my arms. "Give
me your knives, all of them."
"Don't
give him jack shit, Pagan!"
I
peered around Nyx and saw my brother. Deathly pale, with a sheen of sweat
marking his face, my brother swayed on his feet. He leaned against the
doorframe of the hallway, as if he couldn't stand on his own. I moved to go
around Nyx. I needed to make sure he was okay, but Nyx seized my arm in a
vise-like grip, stopping me in my tracks.
The
master vampire frowned at my brother with disapproval. "How did you get
away from Laedan?"
The
corner of Jason's mouth tilted up, revealing one long, white fang. The blood
left my head, and I actually placed my hand on Nyx's chest to keep myself from
toppling over. God, my big brother really was a vampire. He definitely wasn't
sporting any plastic fangs in that mouth of his.
"You
shouldn't have left Laedan with me. You know a newly made, unfed vampire
running on adrenaline is more powerful than a werewolf. Even one with fighting
skills like his."
Nyx's
eyes narrowed. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
"No,
just had a little drink."
"You're
not looking more powerful than Laedan," I said. My poor brother's face was
a pale green, his eyes unfocused, as if he were knocking on Death's door.
Nyx
glanced at me and placed his hand over mine on his chest. His frown of concern
scrunched his forehead. "He's still changing."
Jason
screamed and doubled over. I tried to jerk myself out of Nyx's grip, but he
held firm, and the urge to move vanished as I watched my brother, horrified.
Nyx
flinched. "This will be the last night he'll be in pain. Until then, he
should really go lie down while I deal with you."
"I
won't rest while you're trying to kill my sister, asshole," Jason gasped
from the floor.
"I'm
not going to kill her." He ran his fingers gently through my hair. A
lover's caress.
"Pagan,
get away from him." When I didn't move, he glared at Nyx. "What are
you doing to her?"
"Touching
enhances my hold over her." He released his grip on my arm and slid his
hands up to my shoulders to pull me to him and kiss my throat. I jerked out of
his embrace, unable to think. I had to get some distance from him.
My
head ached, and my mouth was as dry as the desert. I drew my knife and backed
away from him. "Let go of my mind, damn it!"
"Put
that knife down." The order came through so clearly I couldn't tell if Nyx
had spoken aloud or if it was all in my head.
Pain
detonated behind my eyes. It was so ferocious I almost passed out. My hand
shook so badly that I almost dropped the blade.
"Come
here, damn it! Stop fighting me."
Agony
scattered my thoughts. I stumbled as the weight of his mind crashed into mine.
The knife clattered to the ground. My knees cracked as they hit the floor, but
I barely noticed the pain. No physical sensation compared to what was going on
in my head.
His
commands bombarded me. I wanted to beg him to stop, to tell him I'd do whatever
he wanted, but my teeth were clenched together against the words, and I
couldn't force them apart.
Suddenly,
everything stopped. I came to my senses, lying huddled on the floor, drenched
in sweat. My short nails had managed to dig into my palms. I uncurled my
fingers. Blood oozed from the little crescents indented in my palms.
"Get
up, Pagan, damn it! You need to run." My brother started pulling me
roughly to my feet.
"What
happened?"
"I
jumped Nyx, but he won't be down for long."
I
glanced around and noticed the demolished bar. Broken glass and wood lay strewn
everywhere. The mirrors behind the bar were cracked and coated in blood.
My
brother shoved me toward the door, and I almost fell. He grabbed my hand to
steady me and froze. "You're bleeding." His grip tightened around my
hand, and I flinched.
He
dropped my hand and spun away so fast that I couldn't track the movement.
"Run, Pagan. You'll end up dead if you don't."
"You
have to come with me. I can't leave you here."
He
looked over his shoulder for a split second, but he didn't turn around.
"Don't you get it? You're bleeding. Even if you weren't, I'm not sure I
could go with you. Adrenaline got me this far, but I'm stretching my control to
the limit just standing this close to you. I've resisted feeding until now.
It's why I'm in even more pain than normal."
Tears
streaked down my face. "Jason, I can't leave you here. He'll kill you for
this."
I
grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He hissed, baring razor sharp fangs.
He knocked my hand away, covered his face, and backpedaled.
Tears
completely obscured my vision. A sob tore through my body. "Jason, come
with me! I can't... You keep me safe. It's my fault this happened to you.
Please!"
He
didn't take his hands off his face. "This isn't your fault."
The
rubble that used to be the bar shifted before Nyx sat up.
He
wiped the blood out of his eyes and pointed at Jason. "I'm going to kick
your ass, boy."
Jason
pushed me toward the door and took up a fighting stance in front of me.
"Pagan, run! I'll find a way out, but right now you need to be somewhere
safe."
I
backed away, glancing around the bar. The Devil’s Trap’s patrons sat around
watching the show, but none interfered.
When
my gaze went back to Nyx, he was already up and heading toward me. He shoved my
brother so hard Jason dented the wall. I turned and ran for dear life.
