Unmasked | Book 1 in "Dark Descendants" (Editing)

Chapter 16

~Rose~

Luciano grinned wider at us, looking utterly and completely evil.

I blinked hard, trying to make my eyes go back to normal. "I'm sorry, who now?"

"He didn't tell you?" Luciano asked me. I glared at his fake-shocked look. I hated his stupid games. "Ivailo saved my life in Italy 1641, when I was a mere child."

I gaped at Fallon, who eyed Luciano suspiciously. He saved a kid? I definitely didn't expect that from him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Luc answered instead. "Because he's an abomination of nature, a creature more evil than you can imagine. So much so that legends and true stories arose of him and his brother, stories so dark that even the proudest human would be on his knees in fear if he encountered them. Maybe he wanted to keep it that way, to make it seem as if he had nothing good in him. He enjoys being feared."

I hesitated. If he was trying to turn me against him, he was doing a terrible job. I already saw Fallon's dark, evil side as well as his good one. No dirty little secret Luciano whispered in my ear would make me turn on him.

I may not know how to feel around him, but I was sticking with him until the end.

"Why should I believe you, Luciano?" I asked him darkly.

"I knew him since I was six years old, dear Rosie."

"If he saved you, then why are you on the bad guys' side?" I asked him. "Shouldn't you be teaming up with him to express your gratitude?"  

His grin disappeared. 

Ha!

"I have my reasons. And what makes you think he's on the 'good' side? Can you really trust him?"

"I know he's not good, but he hasn't done anything evil so far except threaten my friends. So yeah, I trust him." I gave him a scowl and crossed my arms. I was not going to fall for his trap.

He shrugged carelessly. "Very well then. I suppose I must eradicate that trust the hard way now." His eyes flicked towards Fallon when he growled lowly, balling his hands into his fists at his sides.

"You are no match for me Luciano, fighting me will be your death sentence."

"Maybe not alone, but together..." He smiled again and gestured around himself, where several pairs of crimson eyes caught the light and glowed from the shadows surrounding him.

My own eyes widened and I backed away while Fallon just stood there, confident that he could defeat them all. But then his ring glowed again and his face changed.

Another demon was near.

Wildly I put the pieces together in my mind. If there was another demon, and considering their power maybe Luciano and his gang wanted to kidnap him.

I gasped.

That was why they attended the party. If they got their hands on another demon, defeating these guys would be twice as hard. We couldn't let that happen.

I was brought back to the present when one of the vampires lunged at me. Startled, I didn't move out of the way. I braced myself for the impact, but it never came.

Fallon had appeared in front of me and caught him by the throat, holding his head in a tight grip as if he was going to snap his neck. But instead, he ripped his head off.

Blood splattered onto the ground and on Fallon's clothes, who angrily tossed the decapitated head onto the ground. "Run," he told me as the rest started advancing faster. "Now."