FANGED

Chapter Twenty-Three

My mouth dropped wide enough to parallel park a Buick in. What the fuck, scooter! After dang near getting my head bashed in by a wanker welding, PMSing vampire, they still wanted to kill me? How was that even remotely fair! A growl formed low in my throat and I was about to give old Fingers McSwirly a piece of my mind, when Fanged stepped up.

"You are making a terrible mistake, Nicolai," he warned, pushing me behind him. "She is Vampyre and it's the Colony's responsibility to protect her."

"Do not begin to lecture me about responsibility!" Nicholai whirled on his heel, putting his face into Fang's grill. "Unlike some, I have devoted my soul to protecting this Colony and its people when others have turned their backs and walked away from that very duty," he hissed. "Where were you, Drake, when we were attacked and the people desperately needed guidance? Where were you when our kind were being hunted down and tortured by the humans seeking to destroy us?" He threw Fang a look of disgust. "Where were you, Drake, when the hard decisions had to be made so we could survive?"

I could hear the grinding of Fang's jaw.

"I was fighting, bleeding and rebuilding right alongside you." His monotone response sent a chill of fear running down my spine and I backed up a few steps in case he went all scary vampire.

"We have soldiers. What we needed was a leader." Nicholai snorted. "You refuse to become what your bloodline demands. What has been dictated by your lineage for centuries. But, you choose instead to hide behind your weapons and tuck your head into the sand." He shook his head. "Someone had to step up and the Elders took that responsibility to bring peace to our people. We gave them a sense of strength and security. I will not break the faith they have bestowed on us because you think it wrong. You lost the right to have a voice when you refused the throne."

Throne? My eyes darted to the gargoyle monstrosity and then back to Fang. Was he some kind of vampire royalty? I took in his leather clad form and tried to picture him in fur lined robes, a big ruffled collar and a crown sitting jauntily on his head. A giggle bubbled up, but I quickly swallowed it back as I remembered what happened the last time I got a case of the giggles. Besides, I cocked my head to one side and narrowed my gaze, if you replace the King Henry foo foo finery image with one like Aragron from Lord of the Rings...yeah...that was pretty damn hot.

"It was because of my weapons and those of others like me, that we were not hunted until extinction. We may not have stood behind pompous and paperwork, but we gave our blood to save our species," Fang growled, his diamond eyes flashing brilliantly. "I did not watch my fellow soldiers die over the centuries so the Elders could bring more death to our very doorstep."

"Then you should have done what you were told and killed her on sight," Nicolai said sharply, walking away and turning his back on Fang.

"I will not do your dirty work, especially when it's based on fear not fact."

Nicolai came barreling towards Fang like a tank. His long fangs bared and snarling. Holy Moses on a pogo stick! Druilla had nothing on him when it came to the badass department. Those black eyes of his were narrowed with pure hatred and though Fang did little more than spread his stance, I think I peed a little.

"She is an abomination!" He pointed a long finger at me and I wished I had bitten the damn thing off. "Not only did you not follow direct orders, but then you brought her here and put the very people you claim you would die for, in peril."

Peril? Now who's being the drama queen? Somebody get this guy a tiara and a sash, I snorted to myself. It's not like I was the one who went all Hannibal Lecter on the sacred statues.

"She is Vampyre and is in danger..."

Nicolai slammed his fist on the table Druilla still laid snoring like a hell hound on. A sizeable chunk of it broke off and clattered to the floor. "She is not a vampire! She is unnatural and is hereby ordered to die." He walked slowly up to Fang. "Let me make this perfectly clear, Drake." He straighten his bow tie which had become skewed from his temper tantrum. "She will either die by your hand or ours, it makes no difference to me. But...she will die."