Chapter 93

“You’re not actually going to let him stay,” he spat at Thabo. His words were accented—Russian, she thought—but Edmund tensing at her side that told her who this was. Kolzak Ilyin. She would have disliked him on sight even without knowing how he’d hurt both Edmund and Mathias. “He is not a part of these proceedings.”

The only vampires to respond to the outburst were those not in the immediate circle. Thabo merely blinked, while Shea snorted and ambled off to take a seat in a plush chair. Edmund shifted his body to stand between her and Ilyin, forcing Darby to look around him in order to watch the other man.

“I’ve as much of a right to be here as you,” he said, his voice cold. “If you’ve got a problem with it, maybe you shouldn’t have brought your problems to my town.”

Ilyin completely ignored Darby, all the venom in his eyes saved for Edmund. “This is not yourtown. And you have been a problem for much longer than the time you’ve lived here, Rowley.”