Unleashed: The Cursed Trilogy, Book Two by Betty Legend (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📗

wasn’t born two minutes sooner. If he had, this witch would already be pregnant with the next generation of Artino vampires.”

Leo gives a humph of agreement, adding to his overconfident smirk. “Don’t you like witch pussy? In my experience, they’re kinky women.”

My cocky cousin isn’t wrong about that.

“I like witch pussy just fine. As for Selene, she’s more than a vampire baby maker.”

“Hear that, Father? He’s definitely fucked her. Sounds like he has a taste for the witch.”

More than I’m willing to admit aloud.

“If it will get all of you out of my home sooner, then yes, we’ve fucked and begun our bonding.”

The shoulders of the vampires in front of me lower, their expressions prideful.

“Where is she now? I want to meet her,” Kristo insists.

That’s a good question. At Griffin’s beach house, I assume. Again, regret gnaws at me. I’d prefer she was here, in my bed.

“I’m not keeping tabs on her every move.”

Andrea snickers. “She’s probably fucking one of her other boyfriends.”

“You should kill them,” Leo says casually as if it’s no matter. “I wouldn’t let my companion fuck other men. If she’s bonded with them, they’re of no use anymore.”

Irritation burrows in my chest as I walk away from them and sit across from Andrea on the opposite couch.

“It’s not that simple, Leo.” Rubbing a hand over my hair, I tilt my gaze toward Leo and Kristo as they join us on the couches. “I can’t kill four other supernaturals without repercussions from their kind. It would start a war vampires don’t need. Secondly, there’s more to the prophecy than we thought.”

Kristo taps his slim fingers on his knee. “Enlighten us.”

As I share the same information Selene shared with me, my uncle’s features tighten, his thoughts far away.

Andrea leans forward, a hand rising in the air. “Nowhere in there did it say you had to help fight the devil. Sounds like a problem for the witch and her four other boyfriends.”

Kristo sighs. “It’s a vampire problem too, Andrea.”

Leo shifts to face me better. “When is this battle supposed to happen?”

“I only know what Ancor shared with Selene. I assume the devil will come for her, us, soon. Demons have been hunting her for some time.”

“When the offspring fail, the father must prevail.” Andrea and Leo frown at Kristo. He doesn’t bat a lash in their direction. “When the devil tires of his demon children failing, that’s when he’ll come for her. If he has exhausted the resources of the Holy Accolades first. The devil won’t risk exposure, something you can use to your advantage. He’ll also sacrifice the entire cult of Holy Accolades before endangering himself. I suggest attacking the Holy Accolades with brute force. Eliminate all of them. The devil will be forced back to hell, and he’ll send his demons after each of you. You can use that opportunity to seal any gateways he’s using to travel to our domain.” Leave it to my cunning uncle to devise a quick and efficient plan.

“That’s why he hates vampires and witches so much. We spoil all his fun,” Andrea quips.

“If the devil hadn’t crafted a plan to escape hell by eradicating supernaturals, we wouldn’t be in this position. He should have come up with a better plan that didn’t create an abundance of enemies. The cretin was overconfident in his powers.” Kristo stands from the couch and smooths his shirt before reaching for his jacket. “I’ll leave you to your business. I expect to meet the stunning and powerful witch before the next coven meeting.” Andrea and Leo obediently follow their father to the door. Kristo stops, his hand on the knob. “If you should need anything in the meantime, call.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

The three of them are a flutter of expensive clothing and pale skin, then they’re gone. The quiet brings back my loneliness. Being a vampire is solitary damnation, which is why we have covens or find lifelong companions. I imagine what Vivian and I would be doing right now, but as I think of her, Selene fills the images in my mind. It’s Selene I’m fucking against the wall, our magic a powerful force amplifying with the potency of our desire. The blood I recently drank rushes to my cock, and I groan as it hardens for her. I need to find her. I need to sink my teeth and cock into her. I need to let her know I want her.

A screeching ring goes from distant to near. My instincts bolt me up from the couch as a foreign object crashes through my window. A vile, odorous gray fog fills the air, making it difficult for me to see. In an attempt to use my vampire speed, I’m suspended by heavy and slow limbs. I stumble toward the door to my basement when another canister bursts through a second window with a uniformed Accolade crashing in behind it. Like an organized SWAT team, they converge on me.

Calling to my magic, I aim for the closest Accolade. His screams are a vicious echo as blood extracts from his skin, the bubbles of red cascading to the floor. His limp, dead body falls, drained of its life force. Another Accolade swings a soldier’s knife at my arm. My body is moving too slow to dodge it, and it slices my skin, my own blood pouring down my arm. Four more Accolades swarm me. My hands are clasped behind my back, and handcuffs abrade the skin on my wrists as a chain is tightened between my wrists and the metal collar they secure around my neck. The metal is strong, and with my weakened body, I cannot break the cuffs.

Dragged out of my home, I’m shoved into a black van. Several blades are aimed at my neck, a warning not to fight or I’ll lose my head—one of the few ways a vampire can die.

“Phoenix Artino,” a voice growls. “You’re going to help us.”

“How so?” I bite back. The uneven metal floor of the van is cutting into