Maksim prevented the worst assaults by leaping by way of the shadows, which enraged his father additional. His thoughts screamed that he didn’t need to do that—that he would by no means need to damage his father—but it surely was drowned out by the blood rage and the addictive lure of the darkish magic.

Thunder stuffed the valley from their conflict, and their blood painted the garden of the house they’d shared for a century. Little or no of Maksim remained, and Timofey was incoherent, mentally cursing as his dragon roared and snapped.

Maksim shot considered one of his spines on the different dragon. It struck his father’s proper again leg and ripped a gash by way of the scales to the flesh beneath. He savagely bit the wound. The brown dragon roared in ache and paused his assault. That second was all it took for the style of dragon blood to hit Maksim’s senses. Each worth and inhibition vanished. There was solely thirst. Nothing mattered however the blood.

His aware consciousness pale, and Maksim blacked out, leaving the bestial vampiric dragon in charge of their shared physique. Timofey fought valiantly, however he was no match for Maksim’s energy or his ruthlessness after the bloodlust consumed him.

When Maksim returned to himself, it was nonetheless darkish. He rose slowly, noting that he was in human type, bare, and lined with blood. The garden was so drenched with blood and gore that he didn’t acknowledge the hellish panorama at first. The moon’s reflection made the puddles of blood appear like nightmarish tidepools and glittered on the snow. He felt queasy as scraps of reminiscence resurfaced in his thoughts, filling within the gaps so he may piece collectively what had occurred.

He reached the apparent conclusion and appeared round in horror. The scattered physique components may solely be his father’s stays. Maksim had ripped him to shreds and gorged on his entrails. That visible surfaced with crystal readability, and he wished to vomit.

He rebelled on the considered harming his father. Nonetheless, a persistent voice declared him the superior warrior and was happy that he had emerged victorious in his first actual battle. For the primary time since Maksim had awoken as a vampire, he wasn’t thirsty. Bliss and renewed energy coursed by way of him.

He was unhappy and ashamed that issues had gone so fallacious, however his human feelings have been overshadowed by the delight of discovering a method to relieve each the endless thirst and the gnawing starvation. It wasn’t simply Therian blood and flesh he wanted. Maksim needed to hunt and feed on different dragons. He grinned on the considered being a cannibal and preying upon the dragons who had made his existence attainable. He appreciated the irony.

He walked by way of what remained of his childhood residence. He would by no means return right here, and he noticed nothing he felt compelled to hold into his new life. The person he had been, the one who had lived right here for a century, was useless and had risen as extra.

As he modified again to dragon type, Maksim examined the mansion, experiencing conflicting feelings. His ideas whirled, drowning him in sorrow earlier than lifting him with delight. The dragon sighed and launched into the air, then turned again to spray the home and the fields with obsidian flames. He watched till solely smoking ashes remained.

Maksim determined he had been proper in regards to the Therians. They couldn’t be trusted. Nadya had proven him the true nature of vampires, and his father had demonstrated the vileness that lived within the dragons’ hearts. He felt nothing as he flew away, abandoning the scorched earth of his childhood residence, his father’s impromptu grave, and his humanity.

He didn’t cease till he reached the house he’d shared with Nadya. It too was deserted, the ashes of numerous pyres nonetheless seen. Maksim become human type and stumbled by way of the halls to the master suite. He fell into mattress, bare, bloody, and exhausted, and immediately slipped right into a deep sleep.

Maksim dreamed about Nadya and awoke decided to rebuild his forces and take the Therians on. He would destroy their empire and wipe it from historical past.

His beloved had been working with a bunch of insurgent Therians who weren’t happy with the brand new king. She’d at all times spoken to their chief privately, however Maksim had met the person.

She’d launched him as Jules.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Insurgent Therians’ Protected Home, Saturday, January 19, 2013, Night

Jules’ nervousness grew every day that he didn’t get a report on the rebels’ assault on the palace. After his captives had been rescued, the slavers Jules had saved with him had returned to what was left of the deserted Russian city. Jules hadn’t risked returning, however he had despatched a few of his underlings to retrieve something value having from the shops.

Sorting by way of the issues they’d salvaged had given him one thing to do as he waited for information of the battle. By the following day, he’d identified issues hadn’t gone in keeping with plan, so Jules did what he did greatest and saved his personal pores and skin, irrespective of who bought damage.

Safe in a tiny secure home just a few hour’s flight from the palace, Jules waited, questioning how he’d gotten into this case and the way he would possibly escape it. He was secure for the second. Jules had no connection to this home and didn’t see how the Therians may observe him right here. He’d picked an remoted residence in the fitting space, slaughtered its occupants, and brought their place. The minions he’d introduced with him have been ineffective for something past easy errands. He wanted his pack.

In frustration, he ran a hand by way of his brief, spiky brown hair. Ready for information was agonizing, but when issues had gone properly on the palace, considered one of his individuals would have known as. Hiding from the implications of his actions had saved Jules in the dead of night about a lot of what had occurred within the supernatural world throughout the previous week, however he nonetheless hoped to contact the remainder of his pack.

The Therians had despatched a large power to rescue the captives, so Jules was grateful that he hadn’t caught round to see how issues performed out. He’d survived this lengthy within the cutthroat slavery enterprise by realizing when to run. He was the final who despatched his valiant troops into battle. After this loss, he needed to survive to maintain the rise up going. Their lifestyle was at stake, and he couldn’t danger dying, or all may be misplaced.

He didn’t know what had gone fallacious throughout the palace assault. With the strongest Therians on a rescue mission to avoid wasting the royal, the individuals he’d despatched to the palace ought to have overtaken the guards left behind to guard the royal stronghold. Jules had wager all the things on that invasion, and he had the sinking suspicion that he’d misplaced all of it. His solely remaining property have been his wits.

Jules hadn’t taken something with him when he left besides the burner telephone programmed along with his inside circle’s numbers. Shortly after establishing his secure home, he’d despatched a message asking for studies, however none of his individuals had responded. Jules was not hopeful, so when his telephone rang eight days after the assault, it made him bounce. He had given up on listening to from his individuals once more.

“Communicate,” Jules ordered after answering the decision on the second ring. In line with the caller ID, it was Gaspard, now second-in-command after Jules had shot Louis in a match of rage. Gaspard was too weak to satisfy Jules’ excessive requirements for granted hand, however he was sensible and knew how you can hold his mouth shut.

“Hey, Boss.” The hyena shifter sounded out of breath and scared. “It’s unhealthy, Jules. We by no means even made it into the palace. Nadya’s vampires used us for canopy and attacked on the similar time, utilizing witches to portal inside whereas we saved them distracted.”

“FUCK!” Jules screamed, barely resisting the urge to throw the telephone in anger. “That slippery bitch. I didn’t count on her to betray us. The place have you ever been? The battle was over every week in the past!”

“They’ve been chasing us!” Gaspard huffed. “Most of our individuals have been fucking slaughtered, Jules. Oscar and Eliott are gone, however I’ve Mathis and Leon with me. Solely a handful of us survived, and we’ve been working for our lives.”

That bought by way of to Jules. “They’re all gone?”

Gaspard sighed. “I began with fifteen, and there are solely six of us left. If we don’t get assist, there gained’t be any. That’s not the most important information, although, Boss. Nadya is useless.”

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