Free Let Him Reign: An Underworld Romance by Lane Hart Page A

are. God, it'd be horribly tragic to have them hurt because of one of my own men.
    The wild shots are evidently a last ditch attempt before we watch the two vampires try and make a run for it out the back door, which of course is already surrounded by men. I'll deal with them in a second, but first...
    I rush to the only closed door in the apartment, turning the knob and pushing it open to reveal a woman on the floor between the wall and the bed with her arms protectively over two little strawberry-blond boys. Hair just a little darker than their mother's. Quickly shoving my gun out of sight and away in the back of my pants, I try to figure out a way to reassure them, to let them know they're all right.
    With my palms facing up and facing outward I show them they’re empty and take a tentative step forward. "Hey, we're the good guys, okay? You're safe now. I promise we're gonna take you back to your mom."
    The young brunette glances over her shoulder and gives me a once over like she's not entirely convinced. That's when I notice her black eye, bloody nose, and mouth.
    "How bad are you hurt? Are the boys?" I ask.
    She shakes her head. "They're okay. Just...scared. Who the hell are you?" She doesn’t tell me anything about her condition, but winces like she's in pain from just saying those few words.
    “Kayla, right? I’m Eric, and I’m here because Hope came to me for help.”
    She nods and her tense shoulders finally relax with her acceptance that I’m not going to harm them. I look out in the hall to see who's near me, calling out to the guards with the closest name tags so we can get moving.   
    "Jacobs. Wyatt. Load them in the Suburban, take the boys back to the house with at least six other guards, and then take her to the hospital. You will keep them safe and protect them with your own lives if necessary," I order. 
    We have a regular physician always on call, but I'm afraid the woman may have some type of internal bleeding that might require surgery. I don’t want to waste any more time getting her treated.
    "Yes, sir," both men say before taking a few steps forward into the room. The movement causes the three on the floor to all cower when they get a closer look at the men in army fatigues.
    "I promise they're going to take you to your mom, and they won't hurt you. We have to hurry up and get you out of here, so you need to go with them now."
    One boy gets right to his feet and comes around the bed, ready to go and the other eventually follows suit. Wyatt squeezes into the small space and sweeps the woman up in his arms while Jacobs puts a boy on each hip and tells them to close their eyes. God, I hope they don't see what's left of the vampires' brains scattered on the front lawn.
    Once they all make it safely to the vehicles I walk out the back door to the small fenced in patio to finish up the dirty work. My guys have the two panic stricken men circled, guns pointed within inches of their heads with their arms held straight up in the air.
    "Stand back unless you want to wear brains home," I tell my men who all retreat a few steps but keep their weapons steady. My words have the two vampires, an older, white-haired one and a young vamp with a black Mohawk, two complete opposites, both pleading for mercy.
    "Please, Your Grace!" the goth one begs at the same time the elderly one says, “We can explain.”
    "Any last words?" I ask, but I’m so furious thinking about the innocent woman’s injuries, two scared little boys, and Hope’s frightened desperation that I release the coiled power, blowing their heads off without another single thought. I wait for the guilt to assault me, but it’s absent after killing four vampires. Instead of guilt there’s worry because a part of me actually enjoyed inflicting instant justice. I shouldn’t be this cold and detached after committing murder. It’s entirely possible that I’m becoming the monster my father was, and the most concerning part of that notion is my