Page 40 of Dark Alliance
Zeno had taught me to shoot so I could protect his investment. But as I pulled the trigger, I was no longer his ward. I was the Ghost of Olympus, and I’d just decided who lived and who died.
“Daphne,” Thal breathed, the name less of a question and more of a jagged oath.
He grabbed my arm, his fingers bruising my skin as he hauled me behind the wooden pallet. His chest heaved, his gaze darting from the dead man to me.
He didn't look angry. He looked feral. Devoured. He reached out, his thumb dragging through a stray spray of blood on my cheek.
“You just stained your soul for me,” he growled, his voice a low, jagged vibration that made my blood sing with a terrifyingrhythm. He reached out, his thumb dragging through the warm, wet spray of blood on my cheek, smearing it across my skin like a brand.
“Do you have any idea what that does to a man like me? To see you kill for me?” His eyes were blown wide, dark with a feral, obsessive hunger. “You’re not just in my bed anymore, Daphne. You’re in the blood. You’re mine in a way Zeno can never touch, because now we’re both monsters. And I’m going to keep you in the dark with me forever.”
I didn't argue. I didn't need to. I could see my darkness reflected in his eyes, and I’d never felt more alive.
I couldn't breathe. He wasn't just my lover but the priest at my dark confession, and he’d just claimed every sin I would ever commit.
The sound of a loud shout caught our attention, and we looked up to see one of the men near James get shot in the arm. He grabbed it, blood spilling over his fingers. James covered him as he ran to the corner, falling behind a large box.
“Fuck!” Thal growled, his body tense and coiled like a snake ready to strike.
I reloaded my gun, shaking my head. “We need to help them.”
“I knew you shouldn’t have come, Daphne! This is too fucking dangerous!” His eyes were wild with fear and fury, a toxic cocktail that would put him in even more danger if he didn’t get a handle on it.
“We’re here now. We can handle everything else later, but unless you’re eager for some lead in your veins, I’d suggest we help these guys out. Or do you prefer to stay here and argue about our options?”
“Goddammit! Stay here, for fuck’s sake!” he growled, running out from our hiding spot and joining James, with bothof them rushing forward and unloading the entire contents of their clips at our attackers.
Rhea’s men retreated behind a door to find cover, disappearing into a back room, giving us a brief moment to breathe.
“Let’s fucking get out of here!” James shouted. “Now!”
He broke into a run, and Thal reached out, grasping my hand.
Together, we pursued him, our men close behind, their eyes watchful as we moved. As we burst into the cool night air, an eerie silence welcomed us, as if nothing had just occurred.
The atmosphere was heavy and unsettling, and adrenaline surged through my veins like a thick, constricting serpent threatening to choke me.
My breath came rapid and shallow, overwhelmed by a mixture of terror and frantic anticipation that at any moment a bullet could slice through the darkness and find its mark.
Thal’s hand clutched mine with desperate strength as we streaked across the parking lot, heading toward our vehicles. Behind us, the first streaks of dawn crept over the horizon, casting a faint glow on the scene.
We had made it.
The words echoed in my mind, unwavering as we reached Thal’s car. An overwhelming wave of pride washed over me.
I had saved Thal’s life. In the chaos, I had taken a life myself, yet not once did guilt touch me.
Thal was alive.
That was all that truly mattered.
I shuddered to think of what could have happened if I hadn’t seen the man approaching him from behind. James and his men were busy fighting the others. Had this man meant to execute Thal in cold blood, without even giving him a chance to fight for his life?
Rhea’s ruthlessness wasn’t just a myth. I had no doubt she had ordered that exact scenario, hoping like hell she could eliminate Thal tonight. Had she planted the information that brought us here tonight? Time would tell, and if I knew Thal, he wouldn’t stop until he discovered the truth.
“Let’s meet back at my office,” Thal told James, and we all hurried into our cars and sped away before any more bullets could be fired in our direction.
In the silence of the car, Thal drove with a terrifying intensity along the back roads of Las Vegas.
