Chapter Twenty-Three
Viktor knew it wasn’t going to be that easy as soon as he saw Halle flinch in pain when she tried to walk away from Conrad. It was a delicate game they played. He didn’t want to put his mate in more danger than she already was, so he couldn’t attack head-on. The last thing he wanted to do was give Conrad a reason to hurt the one person who now meant everything to Viktor.
Where the hell is that bear shifter when I need him?
“My poor little, traumatized bride. Things certainly went awfully sideways last week when I sent my men to collect you, didn’t they, my pet?” Conrad said loud enough so all the spectators could overhear, as he inched even closer to Halle, who seemed to have frozen in his clutches. “You poor thing, being forced into a mating by this criminal. Have no fear, I will free you from his bond and we will finally start our life together …just as your family intended.”
Those ridiculous words seemed to knock Halle out of her stationary horror. Viktor hoped that she’d seen her brother safe behind him, and he could tell by the smug look on Conrad’s face that his nemesis still hadn’t spotted his newly liberated leverage. He prayed to the Goddess that Halle would trust that he would do anything in the future to protect the rest of her family from suffering the same fate as Tavin almost did. Viktor saw the flash of amber in her eyes as her cat rose to the surface.
“You’re completely insane, Conrad. I choose Viktor. He is my mate.” She spat back at him with a growl. “He saved me from you, and he saved my brother, too. I will never be your anything.”
Viktor should have known that his little mate would choose exactly the words that would hit the man where it would do the most damage, his ego. He was half proud and half furious as Conrad reacted exactly as Viktor knew he would to being verbally humiliated in public—he lost his shit.
Before Viktor or Halle could even react, Conrad swung her around, his claws now gripping around her throat tight enough that Viktor could smell the sweet scent of her precious blood. Viktor watched Conrad’s eyes search frantically through the crowd, and he saw the surprise and then the rage when Tavin must have been spotted safe amongst the gawkers instead of tied up and guarded where Conrad had left him.
“Listen, bitch,” Conrad whispered low in her ear. “You’ll spend the rest of your life on your back ensuring my legacy, and when I have the heirs I need, then as far as I’m concerned, you’ll be demoted to chew toy for the rest of my men.”
They had drawn quite a crowd in the lobby at this point, and when the elevator dinged open and three large men stepped out, Viktor couldn’t even guess what was about to happen. He did know, however, that if Conrad hurt his mate, he would kill him right in front of the Goddess herself and be damned if he cared about the consequences of who was watching.
The largest of the men stepped forward and approached Conrad with his hands raised like he was addressing a crazy person with a bomb.
“Conrad, what seems to be the trouble here? Why don’t you let Miss Briggs go, and we can discuss this rationally?”
“Ah, Burton, thank goodness you’re here.” Conrad’s tone changed instantly from the smarmy asshole to one of near comedic relief at the sight of the council member. “This rogue was trying to steal my fiancée once again. Have your enforcers arrest this animal!”
****
“Is this true, Miss Briggs?” The huge bear of a man looked pointedly at Halle.
“No,” Halle tried to choke out before Conrad’s fingers tightened once again on her throat. “Viktor is my mate. Conrad—”
Conrad cut off her air before she could finish. She heard Viktor’s scramble to try to get to her, but he was now being held back by the two enforcers that had arrived in the elevator with Burton. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a quick flash of black and grey and she remembered the words of advice that Dori had given her in the bathroom this morning. Obviously, these men weren’t going to let Viktor save her, so she was just going to have to save herself. Part of this realization terrified her. It was true Halle’s beast was a predator, but she’d never really been in a physical altercation before. Could she attack an ancient vampire who had the strength to rip her head from her body in the blink of an eye? All she could do was hope that his motivation for keeping her alive would hold fast. Halle had made her decision. She wasn’t the biddable, simpering little woman that Conrad thought she was. She was a fucking leopard, and she wanted her mate.
The bastard’s arm moved over the chain Molly had given her after breakfast and it caused a small wave of raw magic to be released, making tiny goosebumps emerge all over her body. Whatever it had done seemed to surprise Conrad as well, because he gasped and his arm slipped almost right up against her chin. So all she had to do was open up her mouth and take a big bite. She dug her claws in deep anywhere she could find purchase, the same instant that her fangs sank straight into the vampire’s flesh until blood was gushing freely into her mouth.
Conrad roared and flung her out of his grasp, right into the path of the council member standing in front of them. The two vampires behind their coven leader looked as though they were ready to start killing at the damage done to their boss.
“You bitch!” he screamed, holding his arm that now had a ragged flap of bloody flesh hanging loose, courtesy of her leopard’s sharp teeth. “You will pay for this. You and your entire family will pay. You still belong to me in payment for your father’s blood debt!”
The large man who had caught Halle gently pushed her behind him and off towards Viktor’s waiting arms.
“Actually, Conrad, you just attacked another male’s registered mate. As you know, a true mating cannot be overturned by family contracts, even blood debts,” Burton said to him, still watching him closely.
“They did not go upstairs for their appointment time with the council, so there was no registration!” Conrad spat back desperately, his well-groomed and controlled façade completely gone now.
“Hmm, and how exactly did you know they had an appointment, Conrad? Sounds like we have a leak somewhere, and that must have been how you managed to call this morning to make an appointment for yourself as well, correct? Regardless, I guess you could say that we’re working on a new pre-registration program for fated mates,” the bear answered back smugly as if he’d just been waiting to put Conrad in his place.
“Yes, and we called ahead,” Viktor added, as he held Halle tight against him.
Halle was so happy to be safe back in Viktor’s arms, she forgot all about the taste of that bastard’s blood still lingering in her mouth. It was quite satisfying to see Conrad lose his grip on his well-practiced temper when Burton spoke, but when Viktor added his smug two cents, the coven leader full on snapped and lunged forward. Burton was a huge man. He had to be well over two hundred and fifty pounds, but Conrad batted him aside like he was nothing. The coven leader's goons went after one of the enforcers, and when the other tried to stop the angry vampire, Conrad went right for his throat, ripping it out like a wild animal.
Halle was shocked and horrified as she watched the young shifter’s life slip out of his eyes as his blood spread out on the floor around him. It was terrifying to think that it had been her throat in Conrad’s grip, not moments before. That it so easily could have been her lying there dying on the cold marble. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to happen today. They were supposed to have their mating registered, and then go back home to Viktor’s house to celebrate it in bed.
Could this really be happening?