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to him. He took his seat in the front row, next to his comrade. Venomous
hisses echoed throughout the chambers when Lazius removed the red hood.
Quiet! Lazius s voice boomed throughout the chambers, and
immediately silence followed. With a stone face, he spoke to the creature.
What were you doing, lurking around Steeleheart proximity, beast?
Sax folded his arms across his chest. At first glance, he thought her to be
a damsel in distress, for she was a tiny thing. Her bone-straight, shoulder-
length raven hair was messed up from resisting. But soon, he discovered he
was sadly mistaken. The beast snarled, and a grotesque mask of horror
changed the seemingly angelic appearance of her face. Then, she shifted into
Hrothega form, then back to human, eliciting gasps and loud talking
throughout the hall.
A Hrothega! Lucius spat. But how?
You ll receive no information from me. The woman continued staring
straight ahead, as if into an unseen abyss. Her jaw muscle twitched in
agitation.
Bring me the prod, Lazius smirked as another vampire, Marcos,
handed him a cattle prod. One more time, beast! What were you doing on
the outskirts of the city?
Sax sucked in a breath as he witnessed Lazius s fangs descend and his
eyes seemingly burst into reddish-orange flames. It was no secret how much
he despised wolves. Deep down he could see the pleasure Lazius derived as
he tortured the female. Her tormented cries carried throughout the
chambers.
Arrgghhaaa! The Hrothega spat at Lazius in disgust. Her breathing
became erratic, and her eyes turned silvery. She thrashed about in the chair as
Lazius continued delivering painful shocks to various parts of her body.
Arrggggghhh!
Sax averted his gaze. True, Hrothegas were bloodthirsty and cruel.
Sometimes, they would even turn on their own packs. Cruelty was bred into
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Of Wolf s Blood Charisma Knight
their race, and he knew Lazius was only matching that cruelty for the sake of
the coven.
Do you have a death wish, beast? Lazius s jaw tightened as he awaited
the creature s answer. If I don t get the answer I seek, I ll lop your head off
right here, right now.
Lazius the Great. The female mocked the clan leader before casting her
glance to the coven. Really, now. Your ignorance shocks me. Her laughter
angered the entire coven. You ve all been made fools of, she said with a
snarl.
Lazius pressed his lips together in utter fury, and his eyebrows furrowed.
What the hell are you talking about?
The female shook her head and clucked her tongue, teasing and taunting
him. Sax could tell she enjoyed toying with the leader. She exhaled sharply
and rolled her eyes. Hmm. She cocked her head to the side as though in
deep thought. First of all, I need to speak my piece. She looked up at him.
Did you really think Hrothegas were easily destroyed? Do you know how
many centuries it took to replenish our clan?
How many? Lazius grasped the creature around the throat. How
many more packs are there?
She simply laughed. More than you ll ever know. Hrothegas will be
pursuing Steeleheart Coven for the next millennia. Doesn t it strike
uneasiness in your soul to ponder whether you re setting sights on wolf or
Hrothega? She turned to face the crowd.
After releasing her with a shove, he raised a clawed hand in the air. Now
you die, filthy fucking beast!
Wait! The female yelled. Would you like to know a secret? She
smiled, baring her fangs. She shook her head softly. C mon, a teensy-weensy
secret, she said in a squeaky voice. Obviously, she was getting off on vexing
Lazius s temper.
What secret?
Ha-ha, this is going to be the icing on the cake. You high and mighty
vampires think you know everything, but you can t even tell when a wolf has
been living among you! She held her head back, howling with laughter.
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Of Wolf s Blood Charisma Knight
The coven erupted with a buzz. Someone in the crowd voiced their
disbelief. What, a wolf among us? Sax s throat knotted up, and he glanced
over at Lucius. Flames appeared to dance in his comrade s glowing eyes.
There was no denying it. He was pissed. He prayed for Lazius to kill the
female Hrothega where she sat, for fear of Simone being discovered.
You lie! Lazius spat.
Oh, no, Lazius the Great. Her sarcastic voice filtered through the
chambers. A wolf has been living in this coven for, hmmm, many months I
believe. She laughed at the outraged vampires. I really can t figure out how
sooo many great vampires were ignorant to the presence of a wolf shifter.
A Hrothega, among us? Lucius rose, his fists clenched tight.
Oh, no, not a Hrothega, cutie; just your regular, harmless female
shifter. She paused. But then, we all start out as harmless shifters until we
embrace the darker side. She howled one last time before Lazius swiftly
decapitated her with his claw. The head sailed through the air and landed on
the stone steps.
Sax frowned, wondering why the beast s last comment caused Lazius to
end her life so swiftly. Something was amiss. What had she meant by wolf
shifters embracing the dark side? Why did Hrothegas piss him off so badly?
Claws dripping with Hrothega blood, the clan leader stood in silence for
what seemed like hours. This is an outrage! His voice reverberated through
the chambers. A hush swept over the crowd as he turned, his eyes gleaming
with anger and hatred. His fangs dripped with saliva. Find this wolf, and
bring her to me now! He balled his hands up. She shall pay for her
betrayal! He shouted commands to his warriors. I want every inch of this
city covered. Search human and vampire homes! Newly turned vampires are
much more likely to harbor wolves. I want her found!
Lazius plowed over toward Sax and Lucius. You two, where s your
mate?
She should be home, but why? Lucius asked with a bewildered look.
Find her now! Lazius bellowed. I want her turned, immediately! She
can fight against the female Hrothegas.
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I ll get her. Sax volunteered. Seeing the seething hatred in the brothers
eyes had forced him to make a hasty decision. He had to protect Simone by
sharing the truth with Lucius. The bond between the three had grown. He
gambled on the fact that Lucius s love for her was as great as his own. Now
it was time to test that theory.
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Of Wolf s Blood Charisma Knight
Chapter Nine
Is this all you re packing? Veruca gestured toward Simone s suitcases.
The journey to Africa will be long. I so hate Fang Airways, the sorceress
muttered. I don t see why you just don t let me transport us there. Besides,
we ll only be there for a few weeks.
Simone pulled her hair back with a black scrunchie and smiled at her old
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