Chapter 90 An Ambush

Chapter 90 An Ambush
\[Tabitha’s POV\]

I can feel Vance’s hesitation as he tries to make sense of my plan. I knew that it was a suicide mission, but to see Allister suffering so fucking much because of his own father, I couldn’t stop the burning desire I felt to kill Titus.

“You don’t have to join us,” Atticus offers, breaking the silence that was settling around us. “We don’t need you anyway.”

“Do you really think you stand a chance against them?” Vance counters.

“I wager I have a good chance at surviving,” Atticus chuckles. “I would just have to break out the heavy ammo.”

As he speaks, ice starts to wrap around his muscular arms and form into what looks like machine guns. Damn, he really was capable, wasn’t he? With his ice magic, Vance’s blood magic, and my combat skills, I was sure that we would be okay.

“Fine,” Vance huffs. “But remember, my father is mine.”

“I need his heart,” Atticus counters. "Therefore, I should be..."

“He’s mine,” Vance repeats more firmly. “I’ll give you his fucking heart before it turns to ash so you can take it to whoever it is that needs it.”

"Great!" Atticus grins. “Then shall we get moving?”

Nodding, Vance motions for him to begin moving, and without argument, he does so. I make to follow, but stop as Vance’s hand wraps around my wrist. Frowning, I turn my gaze up to his and am shocked to find worry there.

“If things become too much,” he begins, clearly struggling with whatever is going on inside his head and heart. “You have to run.”

“Run?” I repeat, raising a brow. “And where am I supposed to go if the sun is high in the sky? I’m one of you now. If sunlight touches me, I die.”

For a moment, Vance doesn’t speak, as he looks like he wants to argue with me, but before he can say anymore, Atticus turns and lets out a huff of frustration.

“Save the living couple act for later,” he hisses through gritted teeth. “We have a mission and limited time.”

“Right,” I say, reaching down and gently pulling Vance’s hand from around my wrist. “Let’s go.”

Later, I stare up at the large mansion where Vance’s clan resided. Just beyond, the sun is beginning to peek through the clouds, indicating that morning is coming, but instead of being silent, the place is crawling with bodies.

“What the hell?” Vance hisses, taking in the scene. “Why?”

“Allister,” I offer.

It was pretty clear that Titus sensed his son's death and was now on high alert. It seemed that our mission wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought, but that didn’t mean we were going to turn around. We couldn’t. It was either do or die now, and I didn’t intend to die.

“Your powers work against all those that aren’t pure blood, correct?” I ask Vance, tearing my gaze from the mansion and fixing it on him.

“That’s right,” he confirms.

“Then you’ll be leading the group,” I begin, coming up with a game plan. “Atticus and I will attack once you’ve stopped the first line.”

“I’m fine with that,” Atticus says, lifting his arms and aiming his weapons. “But shouldn’t you stay back? You’re pretty useless.”

“Useless?” I hiss, feeling my anger spiking. “I remember in the past, this useless woman kicked your ass.”

“Don’t remember.”

His words are like a knife stabbing into my heart, but I now know that it wasn’t his own doing. It didn't mean it hurt any less, but I could only be mad at August, not him.

“Don’t underestimate her,” Vance chuckles, reaching up and patting my head. “She can hold her own.”

Giving a smug smile, I wait as Atticus takes us in with an unreadable expression before turning his attention back to the mansion.

“Whatever,” he huffs. “But know, if you get yourself into trouble, I won’t be helping.”

“Fair enough,” I shrug. “Then let’s get moving.”

Remaining in place, I wait as Vance rolls up his sleeves while his power begins to slowly trickle out of him. I feel it press against my skin, and even I am tempted to heed its command, but before I can cave in, it is directed at those who roam the perimeter of the mansion.

"Go!" Vance hisses once the first line of defense is taken care of. “I’ll follow soon.”

Not needing any more encouragement, Atticus begins to move, rushing toward the building while I follow close behind, and when we reach the entrance, he kicks it in. Instantly, we are thrown into chaos as those who were present go on defense and start to swarm, but they’re quickly subdued by Atticus’ weapons.

“I’ll look upstairs for him,” I announce, slipping from behind him. “You handle the ones here.”

“No, wait!” Atticus growls but stops as another wave of vampires appears. “Dammit.”

Taking advantage of his distraction, I take the stairs two at a time and extend my newly formed senses until I feel Titus. He’s in his room, and he’s alone. I’m sure that he is waiting for me and knows that I shouldn’t just rush in, but all of this started with us, and that was how it would end.

Pushing aside everything in me that screams to stay back, I move, making my way to the throne room and then rushing inside. The minute I do, a cage comes crashing down around me, and I realize, much too late, that I’ve made a mistake.

“Welcome, my pet,” Titus grins, getting up from his seat while I try to make sense of what I’m seeing. “What?” He chuckles, not missing my confusion. “Did you prefer the old, decrepit version of me?”

Did I? Yes, because like that, he seemed easier to beat, but now that he was standing in front of me in his full glory, I wasn’t so sure.

No. I couldn’t let myself get intimidated simply because of his appearance. Like this or not, he was going to go down, even if I had to wait for Atticus and Vance to join me.

“What is it, my pet?” Titus cooes, stepping forward and grabbing my bars. “Are you not happy to see your old lover? I thought you would be thrilled that I was once again the man you fell in love with all those years ago.”

“First,” I growl, rushing forward and wrapping my hands around his. “Like this or like the mummy version of you, I find you disgusting. Second, I’m not the one who fell in love with you back then, so if you think you can use that to your advantage, you're wrong."

As I speak, I reach out and grab his throat, then pull, slamming his face against my bars. When he stumbles backwards, I attempt to tap into my new abilities in the hope they can be useful, only to find that I can’t reach them.

“This metal is special,” Titus explains, wiping the blood from his lip that is beginning to trickle from his nose. “It blocks a vampire's abilities.”

Shocker. I shouldn’t have been surprised to know that he took all precautions, knowing that I would be coming for him.

“Are you that afraid of me?” I giggle, leaning against the bars. "Mister, I’m so strong and powerful. He's afraid of a single woman. How cute.”

“Mock all you want,” he grins. “It won’t help you. When the sun fully rises, you will meet the same fate you met back then.”

Back then… Was he referring to how he betrayed and then killed Evangaline in the past? Then that meant...

Eyes widening, I look up to find that there is a break in the ceiling above me that allows for the perfect view of the sky and for the sun to shine brightly through. Fuck, I really was too impulsive, and now I was in danger of being burned alive.