17. Taylen

Chapter 17

Taylen

I choke back the emotion that spills up from my chest, swallowing through the angst that feels like my heart is shattering into a million pieces. Far better that we break it off now than to get a few months down the road and be even more in over my head. No, a clean break, sooner than later. If you're going to fail, fail fast and move on. If I learned anything from the past it's to protect my heart and that's exactly what I plan to do going forward.

I feel Slobozia's eyes on me, tracking me with that intent stare as I make my way through the throng of writhing bodies on the dance floor, heading anywhere that takes me away from him. A vampire I've never seen steps in front of me. "Dance with me."

"Thanks, but not tonight. I'm heading out for the night," I tell him, unsure of where I'll really go. Certainly not back to Master Slobozia's bed. I knew that vampire was trouble. Why I ever let him in is beyond me. I knew he was a playboy, knew all the women wanted him, have heard all the rumors. But still, I let my guard down and am paying the price tonight. He loves his life in Slobozia and should live it however he sees fit. I refuse to be the jealous mate always on the lookout for indiscretion and it would certainly happen around here.

The vampire's eyes grow red and the smell of alcohol wafts from his breath and his skin. "I said dance with me."

My eyes grow wide and my temper flares. "I said no nicely, now move out of my way."

He sneers. "You're just like all the other snooty females around this joint. What, you only have a taste for the masters and the lords, the plain common vampires won't do for you? You're nothing but a bunch of gold diggers, every single one of you skanks."

My fangs descend and my growl is fierce. "Fuck you." I've had far more than enough of male egos and issues tonight. I don't have to stand around and take this from him. I turn to walk away, having said probably more than I should when he grabs my hair from behind and yanks me backward. I spin out of the hold easily, and turn to deliver a blow, but Slobozia already has him suspended in the air by the throat. "Let him go," I tell him, embarrassed to be seen as a female needing someone to rescue her, especially Slobozia.

"Sure," he says, loosening the hold he has on the vampire's throat and watching him fall to the floor. I expect him to get up and hightail it away, but before I can move, his eyes flare fire red and he lets out a stream of heat-seared power that slices Slobozia in the chest before racing away.

Slobozia roars with rage, growling ferociously at the burn in his chest while closing the distance between the two, flying through the air, and pinning the bastard to the wall. He turns him around roughly and leans heavily against his throat, his hands strong enough to crush his airway if he wanted. "Say sorry to the lady."

I don't care what he said to me but that burn does not look good. "It's fine, Slobozia."

He ignores me, clearly planning to make a point no matter what attention he draws to himself or to me. Doesn't care that everyone is looking, every single one of the masters who will surely now know that I can't defend myself and need the great Master Slobozia to do it for me. "Enough," I say, but still, it falls on deaf ears until finally when I think the vampire is going to die, Slobozia drops him to the floor. "Get him out of here," he says to the bouncers who've finally joined us. "And revoke his membership to the club," he adds.

Slobozia walks toward me, and there's a part of me that wants to just turn away from him, frustrated and angry beyond belief at the attention he's called to us, but there's another part that knows deep down that he was protecting me, and that he wouldn't do that, in this crowd, unless he cared. And I almost succumb to the protector, almost let myself be duped again, before the blonde races across the room and throws her arms around his neck, kissing his face and his lips, and caressing his wound with a painted nail.

I swallow down a wave of emotion lest I be sick, and turn away, only wanting to make it to the door, to the outside, where I can catch some night air because right now I can barely breath. It's clearly far too late to protect my heart because I fear the pain in my chest may not heal for a very long time, already shattered beyond belief after knowing him for such a very short time.

I walk fast, and then faster, transporting into the night without rest, without nutrition and without a sense of what I'll do or even if I'll come back. Destiny got it wrong. I don't belong with him, and now, I don't even know if I belong with the warriors.