A Vampire's Pride

No Trust For The Wicked

Viola's POV

              Hoagie wasn't lying when she'd said there was fists and blood.

             Back and forth, a flurry of black leather and black eyes swinging and crunching. Callence was smiling, a cold look in his eyes as Kilian stumbled to the ground, spitting out blood on the dirt of the alley.
     My eyes widen in horror as I make a move to say something, but before I can, Kilian charges at Callence, punching in his abdomen.

       I inhale sharply, all of my instincts screaming at me to interfere and protect— but protect who?
      The answer was like a slap to the face.
Callence. The urge to protect Callence against the demon who'd taken my virginity mere hours ago.

        Before I can even process my thoughts I watch as Callence chuckles darkly and grips Kilian's throat in his grasp, shoving him into the wall, a dent crumbling into the bricks as Kilian's body takes the impact.
       Claire grabs me before I can say much, shaking her head when I glance back at her.

           Callence squeezes Kilian's throat, making his breathing cut off, veins showing along his hand and arm. Kilian's face turns red as blood dribbles down his chin, yet his eyes flicker behind Callence, toward me.
        I feel terror and disgust as Callence chuckles lowly and throws Kilian to the dirt.

         "Don't look at her, look at me." He says darkly. Something in my stomach flips at his tone, but I can't bring myself to stop the fight.

               "Did you know?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows at Kilian as he glances up at me again.
           "Did you know I was somebody else's fated mate?" I ask in a low voice, fear coating my insides at his answer.
       Because if he knew... that meant I was being toyed with the entire time. All the warnings I ignored were for nothing. That he'd heard his father lie to me and give me hope— and watched me beg for my 'mate'. I grind my teeth together as Callence pauses his violent pursuit, allowing Kilian the chance to answer me.

        Kilian glances at me, wiping the blood from his chin.

          "Come with me, you can rule by my side." He says, black eyes dimming to his familiar red. I'm taken aback as dread fills me to the brim.

            "Answer the question." I say, slightly repulsed as Kilian narrows his gaze at me.

          "They can't force you to be with him, you can reject—" before the sentence is out of his mouth, Callence is snarling and sending a kick to Kilian's jaw. The impact throws him away from us and into another wall, at that he gets up with the speed of light, glancing at me one more time.

        "We'd be invincible together." He says, cradling his jaw.
      I suck in a sharp breath as Callence stills.

        "You..." I say harshly, but find myself taking a sullen breath.
"No." I say as Kilian licks his parted lips slightly.

            "You don't really have a choice, do you? You made a deal with me—" he says as Callence growls— like actually growls.

          "A deal?" Callence's grin is void of humor.
"Why don't you find out what happens if you touch her again?" His voice is coming out distorted again, and my heart is hammering in my chest— but not from fear.

             "She wasn't complaining last ni—" Kilian is cut off by a strong punch to his head, I don't even see it coming as Claire pulls me away from the oncoming hits.
      Callence doesn't stop, even after Kilian is on the ground; I find myself choking on a sob as the violence makes me uneasy.