24. Scythe

Chapter 24

Scythe

L evi, my hotel manager, appears at the door to the second sitting room where we've gathered, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a white pocket square. He brushes his temple with his thumb, indicating that he needs to talk mind-to-mind.

"Speak, " I command.

"It's the two ladies, " he says, tugging at his collar. "They're on the dance floor, sir. They're…"

My blood pressure rises significantly as I get my phone out and tap into the various security cameras around the hotel. Xander is supposed to be on watch. How the fuck did they get to the lift without being noticed? "Out with it."

"They're gathering a bit of attention, sir."

I swipe through screens of Bazooka's live footage until I find two familiar figures.

One raven-haired, one pink-haired.

Right in the middle of the dance floor, where the crowd is thickest, surrounded by a group of males and females. They're holding hands and laughing, seductively gyrating their hips. A male reaches out for Aurelia's waist, but she spins away, simultaneously pulling Minnie away from another male. I refrain from leaping out of my chair and charging down to the club. Aurelia has directly disobeyed me. No, I'd never given her a direct order to stay in her room, but she'd known the plan and defied my wishes. Instead of planning the execution of every male on the dance floor, I take a moment to centre myself.

The horde prowls around me, their voices a cacophony of fell whispers. " Kill them, stake them, drown them in their own waters. Beat them, bite them, force them to become martyrs."

Three deep breaths later, I glance around the room.

Marduk and Yeti are musing over some cigars Xander has brought them.

Lyle is tearing into a steak sandwich. In three bites, it's gone. As a mated male, he needs to be kept away from this particular situation. So does Yeti. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't sensed anything awry as yet—probably the shielding magic yielded by a little, overconfident Boneweaver.

Careful not to show my rage, I carefully rise to my feet and say to Levi, "Bring Lyle and Yeti more sandwiches." To my lion-brother, I say, "I have a situation to attend to. I'll be back."

He nods, wiping his mouth on a serviette like he's remembered he's supposed to be a gentleman.

I catch Marduk's eye as I leave. Intuitive beast that he is, he pats Yeti's shoulder and comes to my side.

"I need you to be calm, my friend," I say, as we leave the room.

"I am always calm," Marduk replies matter-of-factly, though he's already rolling up his black shirtsleeves. "Who are we executing?"

I lead us down the corridor and into the lift, the thrumming in my blood getting more and more violent as each second passes. "The ladies have had a little adventure. It seems they wanted a party."

He growls low in his throat.

"Instead of a routine slaughter," I say, "I suggest something more satisfying."