Was gone.
He threw back his head and bellowed his fury as the pain engulfed him.
“Mister…?”
Ben spun around. He grabbed for the jerk’s throat. “You did this!”
There were gasps around him.
“Look at his eyes!”
“His teeth! Dear God, do you see his teeth? Those are fangs!”
A crowd had gathered. They were screaming as they stared at him. As they turned and fled. Ben dropped the man in his hold. The guy ran, yelling about monsters.
Ben fell to his knees beside Simone.
The snow had turned her hair white. She’s gone. He felt her loss all the way to his soul. He reached for her. Scooped Simone into his arms. Held her close.
And wanted to die with her.
Chapter Four
“Well, that was painful…”
Ben’s head jerked up. He wasn’t in the middle of a New York street. Wasn’t holding Simone’s still body.
His hands were empty, and he was on his knees in a…cemetery?
“I didn’t expect that little walk down memory lane to be such a pisser,” William continued as he brushed snow off his shoulders. “I mean, I knew it was rough, but…fuck me, that got ugly. Especially with you being all desperate in the street.” Then he paused and seemed to consider things. “Huh…I guess that explains why you wound up here.”
Ben surged to his feet. He grabbed the demon. “Stop playing with my mind!”
But William flashed him a smile. “That wasn’t a mind game, friend. I told you. I was letting you relive that particular memory. Not everyone gets that—”
“I’m not your friend!”
“It was actually a gift. I gave you back—for an hour, anyway—the life you’d had.” The lines around William’s eyes appeared deeper. His face a little grayish. “And, just so you know, that sure sapped a lot of my own power. A thank you would be appreciated.”
Ben’s teeth snapped together. “You made me lose her again!”
“But you also got to taste her again. Got to feel her against you. What’s pleasure without a little pain?”
“You’re insane.”
William seemed to absorb that. “Probably. See how you fare after you’re sentenced to over two centuries in hell.” His brows shot up. “But then, I’m trying to save you so that you don’t have to become like me.”
What?
“If you don’t let go, I’ll have to burn you again,” William warned.
Then he just went right ahead and burned Ben’s flesh before Ben had a chance to let him go. Swearing, Ben jumped back.
“That was for not saying thank you,” William snapped. His eyes glinted. “Try a little courtesy next time. It is the holiday season.”
Ben glared at him.
“This is the last part of my spiel, so don’t worry, you’ll be rid of me soon.” William waved toward the cemetery in front of them. “This scene? It’s another flash of your past. A movie-like version, playing right in front of you.”
At least he wasn’t having to experience this shit firsthand again. Ben felt like that last trip had ripped out his heart.
Because it had.
William stroked his chin as he seemed to consider the situation. “I figured we both needed to be reminded of why we’re having all this quality time together tonight.”
“I don’t need to remember this place.” He tried not to remember any of his past. It hurt too much.
But he didn’t exactly have a choice right then. Over the gravestones and the frozen flowers, he saw the shadows. Five forms—fighting. The sound of grunts and the thud of flesh hitting flesh drifted in the air toward him.
“You’re gonna die, demon. We’re gonna slice every one of those tattoos right off you.”
Ben found himself moving closer to the battle. Just as he had years before.
“This was the first time I saw shifters,” he told William. “And the first time I saw a demon.” He’d just thought he was jumping into a fight, until he’d seen the first man transform.
William was watching the fight before them. “You changed a lot of lives this night.”
Then Ben saw his old self race from the darkness. He grabbed at the men attacking William. Sent them stumbling back.
One man hit a tombstone, then shot right back up—as claws burst from his fingertips.
“What the hell?” Yes, that had been his shocked reaction on that long ago night.
Because the guy didn’t just stop with claws. The man’s bones broke. Snapped. Reshaped. Fur burst from his skin. And in mere moments, a tiger stood in the man’s place.
The other attackers started to shift, too.
They closed in and Ben…
In that memory, he just laughed.
Because I thought I was about to die. And I was happy. I was going to be with Simone. I had nothing to lose.
“They didn’t expect your strength.” This came from William as he watched the scene unfold. “You’re a rare vampire. Stronger than even an alpha shifter.”
And Ben did take down the shifters. With his teeth. With his hands. With a strength that he’d never imagined.
Until only one shifter remained. Not a tiger. A panther. The panther didn’t attack. He lowered his head, showing submission, then he turned…and he fled.
“Why did you come to my aid?” William asked Ben as the images of the others faded away. The demon studied him a moment, then continued, “You didn’t know me. I was a stranger, but you risked your life for me.”
Ben smiled at him. He knew the demon would see his fangs. “I didn’t fight for you. I fought because I was hoping they’d put me out of my misery.”
William sucked in a sharp breath.
“That didn’t happen. I’m still here.” And she’s still gone. The snow was falling again. How f**king perfect.
Ben turned and walked away from William. The demon had said this was their last little show. He was more than ready for William to end his magic routine. This night had been a mind-screw from the beginning.
“If death was all you wanted…” Now William’s voice was deeper, seeming to echo with power. “Then maybe I can oblige you.”
Ben tensed. He started to spin back toward William, but the demon tackled him. William shoved Ben’s face into the snow. The blade of a knife slid across Ben’s throat.
“I could take your head, but that would be too easy,” William’s words grated in his ear. “And you don’t get easy. Neither one of us gets that.” The blade cut across Ben’s throat, drawing blood but not severing his head. “Remember what you’ve seen…and be prepared for what comes next.”