The King Of All Vampire Kings (Book 1) ✔️

|54|~ Time to protect ~

Unedited.
Claire POV.

She pounces in his direction. I lunge, catching her silver‑gray wolf in midair.

We land on the snow-covered ground with a loud thud. I don't feel anything. My nearly enhanced senses are fully alert.

Embry's wildflower and damp earth aroma are more potent now than when she is in her true form. It evades my senses as she stands on four paws. I pull myself up off the ground in inhuman speed, only to crouch down into a defense position. I wait for her to make her first move.

My eyes briefly shoot to Nicklaus. His eyes shoot fire, ash, and sizzling hot coal.

"She lost inside of her wolf!" shouts Xander from behind me.

There is a chilling silence as everyone watches Embry intensely.

"You promised," says King Cyrus, as he steps closer towards  Embry. "Allow me the chance to calm her."

Embry snaps her monstrous jaws in Nicklaus's direction. Her wolf makes its intentions extremely clear. She wants him, his blood.

"Keep everyone out of this." I enter Nicklaus's mind.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Nicklaus snarls.

My eyes are now on Embry, but I know for a fact his eyes are glowing bright red and are centered on me.

"Don't intervene!" I shout out loud, in a voice that is not my own.

An audible gasp bounces off the trees, confirming that my voice is very much not my own.

"Please, Nicklaus. Embry is your best friend, beloved. Please!" I plead with him.

I can sense his dilemma and frustration over my words. He's struggling to control his own monster that is clawing inside his chest. I can also sense worry rushing through his emotions, not only for me but for Embry and King Cyrus as well. He doesn't want to hurt her or him.

"She attacked you," he hisses inside my mind. He seems to be battling with himself.

"She was going for you, not me. Please, Nicklaus. Give me a chance to calm her."

"You're fucking human." His words boom inside my mind.

I tune the rest of his words out and pay attention to my surroundings. In my peripheral vision, I can see everything going on around me. King Cyrus is now in a threatening stance, ready to take out whoever dares to touch his beloved. He will protect her—as he should—even against his own king if that's what it comes to.

I can see more, like feel Xander's deadly and dangerous presence. He is ready to kill anyone he deems eligible as a threat to me.

Commander Vlad's blazing red eyes are extremely hard to ignore.

King Marcellus's undivided attention is placed upon me. I can sense his monster's wickedly delightful soul as they watch the scene unfold with unconcealed interest. 

The other vampire that I have never seen before is also watching me with a curious red-eye stare.

King Cyrus will fight to the very death against all of these men to protect his beloved. I know he would.

My beloved will also fight to the death to keep me safe. But they shouldn't have to fight against one another. We should all be united, fighting alongside each other.

My attention zooms back onto Embry when she starts to circle me. Her silver-gray wolf is flawless, just as beautiful as the human caged inside her. Nicklaus's body tenses behind me.