The diner door chimes.
Three vampires walk in. Two men and a woman, all moving with predatory precision. They spread out without speaking, blocking the exits, boxing me in.
Lucien leans back in the booth, relaxed now that his backup has arrived.
"Dorian will negotiate," he says. "He'll trade your safety for territory rights because that's how power works. Everyone has a price. Even him."
"What do you want with Dorian?" I ask. "Why territory rights?"
"Because he controls half of Manhattan. And I want my piece back."
"Your piece?"
"He took it from me after you humiliated me in that church. Stripped my hunting grounds. My influence. Everything." His eyes flash. "You cost me, Nora. Now you're going to pay it back."
I laugh. Sharp and cold. "Two years I wasted on you. Two years of pretending you were enough. Do you remember how you used to tremble when you fed? How you'd apologize after? How pathetic that was?"
His face goes tight.
"And in bed?" I lean forward. "You were always so careful. So gentle. Dorian doesn't have that problem. He knows exactly what I can take."
"Shut your mouth."
"Remember how you could never look me in the eyes when you finished? How you'd turn away like you were ashamed? Dorian watches me the entire time. He wants to see everything."
"Stop."
"And the way you'd ask permission for every touch? Every kiss? Like I was made of porcelain?" I smile. "He doesn't ask. He takes. And I love it."
Lucien's voice rises. "I was trying to be respectful."
"You were a boy."
His hands are shaking now. "I gave you everything."
"You gave me nothing. Not even good sex." I tilt my head. "Does Sabine know how disappointing you are? Or is she still pretending you're worth her time?"
His face goes pale. "Leave Sabine out of this."
"Why? She's part of this. Your little replacement fledgling who thinks she's special." I laugh. "You know what's going to happen, right? The second an elder shows interest in her, she'll drop you like trash. Just like you dropped me. Except she won't even look back."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? She's already looking. I've seen her at The Vesper. The way she watches the older vampires. The way she positions herself near them." I lean forward. "She's hunting for an upgrade, Lucien. And you're just a stepping stone."
His jaw works. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know exactly what I'm talking about. Because I was her once. Using you to get what I wanted. Except I got something better." I smile wide. "She won't be as lucky."
Lucien's hands flatten on the table. His jaw clenches so hard I can hear teeth grinding.
"You're going to regret saying that."
"I regret nothing. Especially not leaving you."
I stand slowly. The nearest vampire, a broad-shouldered man with a shaved head, takes a step closer.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Lucien says.
My hand closes around the mop propped beside my table. I noticed it when I entered the diner. Chose this exact spot because of it.
I snap the handle across my knee. Wood splinters. The jagged end makes a stake.
The waitress behind the counter freezes. Her tray clatters to the floor. The line cook peers through the pass window, eyes wide.
"Get out," I say without looking at them. "Now."
They don't move. Rooted by fear or confusion or both.
The vampire lunges.
I sidestep, grab the coffee pot from the warmer behind me, and swing it into his throat as he closes the distance. The glass shatters. The jagged base punches through skin and cartilage. He drops, choking, hands scrabbling at the wound.
The waitress screams. She bolts for the back. The line cook disappears from the window.
The woman vampire vaults over a table. I throw a chair. It catches her mid-leap and she crashes into the counter.
The third vampire, younger and faster, has me by the arm before I can reset. His grip is iron. I twist, bring the stake up, drive it into his shoulder. He doesn't let go. Slams me into the booth hard enough to crack the vinyl.
My vision whites out. I taste blood in my mouth.
The diner door explodes inward.
Dorian moves through the space like a storm. A massive man follows two steps behind him. Six-five, built like a boxer, with scarred knuckles and cold eyes. His driver, Jett.
Jett grabs the vampire holding me and throws him through the front window. Glass rains down on the sidewalk.
The woman vampire tries to run. Dorian catches her by the throat, lifts her off her feet, and slams her into the wall hard enough to crater the drywall. He holds her there, voice utterly calm.
"Where is Lucien?"
I sweep the room. The empty booth. The pass window. The kitchen door rocking on its hinge. No Lucien.
Dorian watches me read it. His voice stays level as he lifts the woman higher.
"Where is Lucien?"
She keeps her jaw locked. His hand tightens. She won't answer. He squeezes. She gasps out that he went through the kitchen.
Dorian drops her and she collapses.
Jett is already moving toward the back, stepping over the vampire bleeding out on the floor. I follow on shaky legs. The kitchen is empty except for a terrified line cook pressed against the walk-in freezer. The back door swings in the night air.
Lucien is gone.
Dorian stands in the doorway, hands curled into fists, breathing hard. I touch his arm. He turns and his eyes are black, fully dilated, rage barely contained.
Then he sees the blood on my face and the rage shifts into something else. Fear.
He cups my jaw, tilts her head to check the damage.
"I'm fine," I say.
He doesn't look convinced.
Jett appears behind us. "The one who went through the window is gone. The woman will be up in minutes. The one with the throat wound has it sealing."
Dorian tells Jett to clean it up. Then he looks at me.
"We're leaving. Now."