Chapter 166

I dug my heels into the ground. Chevalier nicked my throat with his knife, causing me to hiss as the silver burned my sensitive flesh, but I did not lift my feet. I refused to be entirely helpless again.

“Stop resisting,” Chevalier ordered as he tightened his grip on me. “It will be much less painful if you do.”

Blood dripped from the cut down my throat and onto my chest. Seeing my life force seep out from such a small nick sent a jolt of adrenaline through me. My breathing deepened, my heart rate quickened, and my efforts to fight Chevalier doubled.

“I…said…knock it…off!” Chevalier grunted as he struggled to keep a hold of me.

The more that I fought, the less control that Chevalier had over his blade. He sliced open my cheek, my jaw, my chin, my collarbone—everywhere but, somehow, my jugular.

A low growl erupted from deep within my chest. My hands flew to Chevalier’s arm holding the knife to my throat.

“Kill him!” Susan demanded. “Kill him NOW!”

I did not hesitate to let her come through. The transformation hit me more quickly than it ever had before.

My fangs grew so quickly that it was almost painful. My sight and hearing sharpened to the point that I could make out Jeffrey’s every slight movement, even as Chevalier took me around the corner and out of his sight. My claws punctured Chevalier’s arm, making deep gashes as I dragged them across his skin.

“Ah! You bitch!” he yelled.

I howled as Chevalier’s knife dug into my left side, just below my heart. My skin and insides seared as the silver pierced my flesh. Chevalier released his hold on me, and I fell to the ground.

As I hit the cement, a bullet rushed over my limp body. Chevalier screamed in pain and collapsed behind me.

Jeffrey entered my rapidly fading line of sight.

“Crystal!” he exclaimed. I felt his enormous hands press against my side. “Stay with me, Crystal.”

I felt Jeffrey lift me slightly off the ground as he wrapped something around me. My side burned immensely as a pressure clamped down onto my wound.

“Jeffrey,” I gasped, blood spurting from between my lips.

Jeffrey grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently.

“It’s all right, Crystal,” he said. “I’m right here. Everything’s going to be all right.”

“Jeffrey…Andrew…” My body trembled as the silver pulsated through my veins. “Andrew…where’s…where is…Andrew…”

“Don’t worry, Andrew will be here soon. I promise.”

As I slipped out of consciousness, I felt Jeffrey release my hand long enough to call emergency services.

“Hello, there’s been an attack. A hybrid has been attacked with a silver knife…”

Andrew stood outside of Alexander Chevalier’s hospital room, his arms crossed over his chest. His fingers pressed deeply into his upper arms. In his mind, he was imagining the hundreds of different ways in which he could rip the assassin apart for touching Crystal.

He was just waiting for Alexander to regain consciousness so that he could question him for the investigation into Bob. He knew that he should either let Mr. Smith or the police do this, especially considering how close he was to the case, but he wanted to ensure that nothing went wrong. He could control himself long enough to simply talk to the man—for now.

His attention snapped to the figure walking down the hall toward him: Mr. Hugo Chevalier, the criminal lawyer who had helped get the murder charges against Crystal dropped before they could even go to trial.

He also happened to be the cousin of the man who had just tried to kill her.

“Your Highness,” Mr. Chevalier said, reaching out to shake Andrew’s hand.

Reluctantly, Andrew accepted.

“Mr. Chevalier. A pleasure to see you,” Andrew replied through gritted teeth.

Mr. Chevalier glanced first at the two police officers stationed outside his cousin’s hospital room, then inside at Alexander himself. His gaze returned to Andrew.

“Yes. Too bad it wasn’t under more fortunate circumstances.”

Andrew cringed.

“Are you here to represent him?”

“On the contrary, I’m here to help you get whatever information you need out of him.”

Andrew eyed Mr. Chevalier suspiciously.

“How can I trust you on that?”

Mr. Chevalier sighed and adjusted his briefcase.

“Alexander is a…black sheep in my family, Your Highness. I would do anything to ensure that he stopped being a menace to society and a smudge on our family tree. If that means he gets put behind bars, then so be it.”

“What I need from him is who hired him, but Jeffrey told me that he’s been paid a lot to not reveal his employer.”

Mr. Chevalier drummed his fingers against his chin for a moment.

“I think I know how to get him to crack, but you are going to need to offer him a plea deal.”

Andrew and Mr. Chevalier entered Alexander Chevalier’s hospital room. He had been conscious for a couple hours since the surgery to remove the bullet from his knee and seemed to be in good enough condition to answer questions.

“Hugo,” Alexander sneered when he saw Mr. Chevalier walk up to his bedside with Andrew. “I should have known that they’d get a rat like you for their investigation.”

Mr. Chevalier did not respond. He merely stared at Alexander, his briefcase held in front of him.

“Good day, Chevalier,” Andrew said, addressing Alexander. “Or do you prefer the Bloody Knight?”

“Why don’t you ask your girlfriend?” Alexander spat.

Andrew cracked his neck. He pulled out a recorder from his pants pocket and pressed the record button.

“Alpha King Andrew Dubois and Hugo Chevalier, Criminal Lawyer, interviewing Alexander Chevalier, alleged assassin,” he said into the recorder. “Alexander, you have been accused of attempting to kill my girlfriend, Crystal Blanchard. Is that true?”

Alexander cracked a grin.

“Why should I tell you anything? Surely your guard had told you everything that transpired.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes at the cocky man.

“We want to hear it from you.”

“Yes. I stabbed her.”

“And why did you do this?”

“I was hired to.” His grin grew. “Do you want to hear exactly what I was told to do?”

Andrew’s grip on the recorder tightened. He had already heard these details from Jeffrey. He didn’t need to hear them again from the monster’s mouth.

“Who hired you?”

Alexander did not respond.

“I said, who hired you?”

“I’m sure that your guard already told you that I’m being paid too well to tell you that.”

Andrew started to growl, but Mr. Chevalier raised his hand at him, a reminder of their backup plan. Andrew swallowed back his pride and nodded, motioning for Mr. Chevalier to continue.

“Alexander, I’m sure that you realize by now that you are going to be charged with attempted murder,” Mr. Chevalier began. “If you tell us who hired you, though, Andrew’s lawyers will talk that down to assault charges.”

He paused to let this information sink in.

“Do we have a deal?”

Alexander stared from Mr. Chevalier to Andrew with his unnerving blue eyes. For a long time, he did not look away, lost in his own thoughts. Then he nodded.

“Lisa Dubois’s fiancé hired me. Bob.”