An air horn sounded in the distance as Kayla sat on an old crate in the corner of a shipping container. The man she now knew to be Robert, husband to the woman Ezra had had an affair with, was standing eerily still in the middle of the space, staring out through the open door.

There wasn’t much to look at, except for a row of similar containers and water in the distance. The few people who had been milling around the remote part of the port they were now in had scattered at the sight of Robert. Maybe he did business here, or owned a part of the port, Kayla didn’t know.

Ezra had described the man as powerful and wealthy, so she couldn’t rule anything out. She did know that no one was coming to her rescue. Everyone who had seen Robert drag her along had either given her a quick pitying glance or looked away altogether.

All she had left to do was wait for Ezra to come, and trade himself for her.

There was no use in trying to talk to Robert, he had made it very clear from the start he didn’t care much for what she had to say. And there was no way she could escape from a vampire. He would catch her before she even got to her feet.

So now Kayla was left to sit idly by as Ezra was forced to risk his life for her, and she hated it. Being used as a pawn to lure Ezra here was bad enough, but what was even worse was the feeling of helplessness. This was a fight she couldn’t help Ezra with. She was way out of her league.

At least Robert hadn’t been cruel or violent toward her, aside from when he put his hand around her throat when he first appeared at her door. Kayla hadn’t really given him a reason to use force, either. What was she going to do, fist-fight an undead creature with the speed and strength of a superhero?

Every cell in her body was on edge, her fingers gripping the sides of the crate she was sitting on, as she was left to contemplate if she would ever get the chance to tell Ezra how she really felt about him.

She didn’t want to get too morbid, but she knew there was a good chance either she or Ezra wouldn’t come out of this alive. Ezra was already at a disadvantage because of the fact Robert could use her against him. How could Ezra give his all to fighting Robert when he had to worry about her at the same time?

Movement in her peripheral vision made Kayla perk up and her thoughts scatter, as she raised her head to see Ezra standing at the shipping container’s door, staring daggers at Robert. Dressed in black slacks and a white button-down, he looked sleek and dangerous, and the expression on his face was downright murderous.

“You came,” Robert remarked flatly, still standing in the same spot he had before, his back to Kayla.

“Of course I came,” Ezra spat back, sneaking a glance her way over Robert’s shoulder.

And despite the circumstances, and the near-paralyzing fear pumping through her veins, Kayla found herself immensely glad to see him. She hadn’t doubted he would come for her, not really, not even after the way they had left things. But to have him standing there still filled her with emotion.

“I didn’t think you cared about anyone but yourself, is all,” Robert shrugged, and there was a distinct edge to his voice as he started walking around the container, his steps echoing off the metal walls. “Imagine my surprise when I tracked you down to some plebian apartment, and your betrothed answers the door. Could hardly believe my eyes when I sensed you had claimed her.”

“Enough of the small talk,” Ezra growled, his eyes following Robert’s every movement. “I’m here, so you can let her go.”

“I could, but where’s the fun in that,” Robert replied. “I think it’s rather fitting that she be here to watch me rip your head from your neck. Adds a little drama to the whole thing,” he laughed, the sound hollow and humorless.

“You do know what will happen to you once the royal families find out about this,” Ezra warned, looking like he was ready to pounce at any moment. “The bond between a vampire and their bride is sacred.”

“My marriage to Lilith was sacred,” Robert spat out, taking a step closer to Ezra. “To me, at least,” he added. “But you didn’t care about that, so why should I care about your little whore?”

“Watch it,” Ezra threatened, and Kayla could feel the air around her grow heavy and tense. “You have no right to talk about her like that. She has nothing to do with this.”

Kayla wanted to run to Ezra, to throw her arms around him and tell him how he had changed her life, but she was left to be a spectator in a fight she couldn’t possibly sway the outcome of.

“Maybe I should kill her first, and make you watch,” Robert mused aloud, and that was the last drop, it seemed.

Fangs exposed, Ezra turned into a blur as he charged toward Robert with a savage cry. The men collided with a loud thud, dust swirling around them as they grappled with each other in the middle of the container, lips peeled back and eyes narrowed.

Ezra pulled back his elbow only to smash it into Robert’s jaw, making the man’s head snap back. He followed that up with a knee to the gut, making Robert crumple forward for a second. Kayla could swear she heard the sound of bones cracking on that last hit, but Robert straightened up just a moment later, looking no worse for wear.

Getting to her feet, Kayla flattened herself against the back wall of the container, making herself small so she wouldn’t get in the way of the chaos in front of her. The men were now back to zipping around the place at speeds she could barely follow, with bodies being thrown around and hitting the walls.

Huge dents covered every side of the metal box as Ezra and Robert slammed each other into whatever surfaces they could, including the ceiling. Kayla’s eyes widened when Ezra’s frame shot up to hit the roof and landed in a heap on the floor, coughing and splattering the dirt underneath him with blood as he did.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Ezra got back on his feet, and he and Robert circled each other, their movements predatory and smooth, their steps measured and silent on the ground. Kayla found herself holding her breath as all she could do was pray Ezra would come out of this alive.

Both men looked a lot more ragged than before, with Robert’s pinstriped suit missing its jacket and Ezra’s white shirt smattered with dirt and blood, not all of it his own.

“You’ve put up a decent fight,” Robert admitted, as the men stared each other down. “But you can’t really expect to beat me,” he sneered. “I’ve been around way before your mother even birthed you into this world and I will make sure your death is permanent this time.”

“You know, your time would probably be better spent learning how to be a better husband to your wife. Who knows, maybe Lilith will take you back if you beg,” Ezra shrugged, the words sounding nonchalant despite the ferocious look on his face.

“You insolent…” Robert muttered under his breath, his fist shooting out, but missing its target as Ezra leapt backward.

Circling around Robert, Ezra managed to disorient the man enough to land a punch to his nose, making it snap to the side with a disgusting crunch. Kayla winced as she watched on in horrified fascination how Robert staggered for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose as the cartilage seemed to straighten itself back out, the bluish-purple bruising disappearing from his face in a matter of seconds.

Looking downright lethal, and like he was insulted by the fact Ezra would even dare punch him in the face like that, Robert reached down and pulled a small dagger out of the sole of his shoe, making both Kayla’s and Ezra’s brows shoot up in surprise.

Now that’s something I thought only happened in spy movies, Kayla thought.

But as she watched Robert hold the blade away from himself, and Ezra take a step back at the sight of it, something sparked in the back of Kayla’s mind as she watched the knife glimmer in the light streaming in from the open container doors.

It was something Ezra had once told her about his kind.

Silver is poisonous to vampires.

Watching as Robert approached Ezra, brandishing his new weapon, Kayla was sure that was what the dagger had to be – silver. And having no idea how powerful of a poison that material was – did it take one cut to kill, or was it more slow-acting? – she could feel her heart start to race.

I can’t watch the man I love die, the thought hammered through her head, surprising even herself with the L-word.

But what could she possibly do to help him?