Children of the Fallen: Bloodlines (BOOK #3)

Chapter 28: Stubbornness and Snapping Necks

Grayson Spencer

I barge in through the doors hoping and pleading that Lucien didn't make it here before I did. I think I said 'please' a million times in my head in the last 10 minutes. I was supposed to just meet them at the airport after I had a noble of mine visually confirm that the attack started. Should I have been the one to visually confirm it? Yes but I trust my noble and selfishly I wanted to ensure Morgan was in the clear. Once Kellan informed me that Lucien left the palace to go deal with the attack and I knew Morgan was safe from him I began my drive but the second Kellan texted that Lucien turned around, I took a sharp turn and made my way back to the palace.

I enter to a bloodied scene of Morgan and Aurelia standing over dozens of dead bodies my heart drops thinking I was too late. The both of them covered in blood standing triumphantly over these bodies, I can see the similarities between the mother and daughter clear as day. I scan the room for Lucien and with him nowhere in sight my heart relaxes. Morgan snaps to me, her eyes widen subtly. "What are you doing here?"

"You have to go, now. He's coming back." I say as I rush over to her.

"What?"

"Kellan saw him and a few others turn around. He got word." She rolls her eyes at that, landing them on the body of a specific vampire then looking back to me, "Most of his nobles are going to deal with Travis Reyes' attack but he's coming back to deal with this. He'll be here any minute."

"Okay then let's go." She turns on her heels storming off with Aurelia behind then stops when she realizes I'm not following her. She marches back over to me. "Let's. Go."

I shake my head. "You need time to get far away. I can keep him here." He's like a child with object permanence issues, he'll focus on me: an immediate and present thing to pour his anger into.

"You're being stupid." She grits through her teeth. "How long do you think you can hold him off."

"Any more time you have is worth it. Right now you're wasting it. Go."

"I gave Chloe his dagger but I can deal with whatever he throws at me. I have before." My face must reflect the spike in my temper that sentence just ignited because she- as if to reassure me- says, "He can't kill me."

"Yes he can. Nephilim blood." A moment of realization crosses her face but she's still willing to fight me on this regardless. "Enough. He's not doing a thing to you."

"I will stay," Aurelia interjects, "and fend him off while she goes." She offers.

"He can and will kill the both of you." I shift my gaze over to Morgan who for the first time in years has some inkling of worry in her eyes. "I will never let him put a single hand on you ever again. Go."

"Grayson-,"

"There is physically nothing he has that can kill me." I cut her off. He doesn't have Kendrick's dagger and the Nephilim blood he has won't kill me. "Let me do this. The both of you go now."

"No." She overly annunciates, not standing down. My eyes trace her being. She's beautiful as usual but she's exhausted anyone with eyes can see that.

"As endearing as your stubbornness is, now is not the time." As fast as I can, I snap her neck and catch her limp body before she can drop to the floor. "You." I look to Aurelia standing with her sharpened glare on me now that I've just broken her child's neck. "Get her out of here. Get to the car out back, there's blood bags in the little cooler, tell Victoria to drive."

Aurelia nods and quickly I hand her Morgans body. "Go." I point to the door and she runs off with her. I turn towards the door waiting for the bastard to come in and listen to the girls outside. Every passing second that I don't hear the car drive away spikes my nerves. Finally they drive off giving me a moment of relief. Now I just need to keep him preoccupied for a little to give them more time to get to the airport without a hitch.

No less than two minutes later Lucien and about 15 of his men burst through the main doors to find me sitting on the blood stained marble floor with my elbows resting on my knees. "Finally." I groan. "And here I was thinking you weren't gonna show." I shoot him my best asshole grin.

With preternatural speed he clutches my throat in his hand and lifts me up. I take the knife I had in my waistband and stab him in the chest with it. He releases his grip on me, giving me an open opportunity I punch him across the jaw. I punch him once more and when I go for the third not only does he grab it and snap my wrist but a few guards went behind me to jam their stun batons into my back sending violent electrical shocks through my body. He lets go of my hand seizing my lapel and sends a flurry of punches my way. Finally stopping, "Where did she go?" He grounds out through his teeth.

I spit in his face earning me another punch. I extend my claws and swing wildly at him trying to hurt him in any way that I can. Bringing a smile to my face I get quite a few tears in him before the stun batons start up again. He throws me to the floor and starts pacing.

I pant on the ground reeling from the electricity and the hits. He paces then flings the table sitting in the center of the front foyer across the room. "Where is she!" He screams with a fury that has his own guards taking a step back.

"Long gone." I laugh. He appears in front of me kicking me in the face then before I even have the chance to register that pain he takes my head and slams it against the floor four times.

He kneels down with his hand pressed on the side of my head, keeping a significant amount of pressure on it. "You're going to tell me where she went or things will go very badly for you."

I spit blood onto the floor and smile wide. "Bring it, you prick."