chapter 189 Desperate Eric (1)

chapter 189 Desperate Eric (1)
Eric's POV

The war was slipping through my fingers like sand.

I sat in the dimly lit vampire tavern, watching the amber liquid slosh in my glass as my hand shook. The alcohol no longer numbed the pain the way it used to. Nothing could fill the hollow space where my heart had been.

Celeste was dead.

Around me, vampires spoke in hushed tones about retreat, about losses, about territories they were abandoning to the advancing werewolf forces. The anti-war sentiment was spreading through their ranks like wildfire. They had signed up to fight alongside Kieran, the unstoppable weapon I had promised them. Without her, they saw no point in continuing.

Enhanced werewolves were deserting daily. The transformation process was failing more often than not. Finding more vampires to modify had become nearly impossible as their kind grew increasingly resistant to our cause.

A pale vampire woman approached my table, her crimson dress clinging to curves designed to entice. She leaned forward, exposing two massive breasts and a deep cleavage that nearly spilled out of her dress. "You look like you need company," she purred.

I looked up at her with dead eyes and shoved her away roughly. "Get away from me."

Kill the bitch, my wolf snarled viciously. Rip her throat open and peel the skin from her bones. Make her scream.

Kane appeared at my elbow, his face grim with concern. "Eric, you need to ease up on the drinking. You've been at this for three days straight."

I lifted the glass to my lips again, draining the contents in one burning gulp. "Why? What's the point of sobriety when everything is ash?"

"Because you still have people who depend on you," Kane said quietly. "Because this war isn't over, and your pack needs their Alpha."

I laughed, a sound devoid of any humor. "My pack? You mean the wolves who followed me into this nightmare? The ones who are dying because I started a war?"

"You should leave," I told Kane, not looking at him. "Take whoever's left and run. Get as far away from me as possible before the werewolf forces arrive."

Kane sat down across from me, ignoring my suggestion. "I'm not abandoning you."

"You should. I'm poison, Kane. Everything I touch turns to death."

The tavern door slammed open, and the vampire leader strode in with his entourage. Cassius's pale eyes found me immediately, and the disgust on his face was unmistakable.

"Silvercrest," he said. "We need to talk."

I didn't bother looking up from my empty glass. "Then talk."

"The vampire clans are withdrawing from this conflict. Effective immediately."

"Like hell you are." I stood unsteadily. "We had an agreement."

Cassius's laugh was cold as winter wind. "Our agreement was contingent on you providing us with the weapon you promised. The hybrid child who could turn the tide of battle. That weapon is dead."

"Find another way. Use enhanced fighters. Use more of them."

"No." The word was final, absolute.

Rage flared in my chest, cutting through the numbness for the first time in days. "You can't just walk away! You gave me your word!"

Since my beloved is dead, I want this world to descend into chaos. I want everyone to experience my pain.

Before I could react, Cassius had moved with inhuman speed. His hand grabbed the front of my shirt, lifting me clear off the ground. His other hand connected with my jaw in a blow that sent stars exploding across my vision.

"Look at yourself," he snarled. "You're a broken-down drunk crying over a dead vampire whore. What exactly makes you think you can demand anything from us?"

I struggled against his grip, but the alcohol and grief had sapped my strength. "She wasn't a whore. She was everything."

"She was a liability that got herself killed. And now you're another liability we no longer need."

Cassius threw me backward. I crashed into a table, sending bottles and glasses flying. The impact drove the breath from my lungs and sent fresh pain shooting through my ribs.

"You were useful when you had something we wanted," Cassius continued. "Now you're just another pathetic werewolf who's outlived his purpose."

I pushed myself to my feet, wiping blood from my split lip. "You bloodsucking parasite. I'll tear your throat out."

I launched myself at him, but my coordination was compromised by the alcohol. Cassius sidestepped easily, letting me crash into another table.

The sound of breaking glass and shattering wood filled the tavern as Kane jumped into the fight, taking on two of Cassius's lieutenants. Furniture splintered, bottles exploded, and blood began to flow as the brawl escalated.

I found myself grappling with Cassius near the bar, both of us trading blows that would have killed ordinary men. But he was faster, stronger, and I was handicapped by three days of steady drinking.

He grabbed me by the back of the neck and slammed my face toward the massive wooden beer barrel behind the bar. The impact was crushing, but just as my head went under the foul-smelling liquid, something inside me snapped.

"No! Don't, Father!" The words tore from my throat in a child's voice, high and terrified.

The memories crashed over me like a tidal wave. Father's hands around my throat. The smell of burning flesh as he pressed my face into the flaming hearth. The agony, the way half my face melted and twisted.

With strength born of pure terror, I shoved Cassius away from me, sending him stumbling backward.

I came to slowly, aware of hushed voices around me.

"...face is completely ruined under that mask..."

"...what kind of monster..."