69 Long Time No See

They managed to capture a few Cromwell vampires in an attempt to make it inside the barrier that was no doubt nearby but they had more backbone than Ash's wishy-washy former comrade. Each one of them insisted they would rather die than give up the location of their base. So they did.

These vampires were fairly easy pickings considering how many werewolves there were but they couldn't rely on this method forever. Eventually Dorian would realize what was going on and refuse to let any of his men leave the safety of the barrier.

"We caught another one!" Reggie, one of the betas, howled with glee.

Ash went over to see if it was anyone he recognized and was surprised to see Ivan Kuznetsov, who had served as Dorian's right hand for more than half a millennium. He had been particularly brutal with his killings back in the old country to Ash's father's great dismay. His antics had been one of the main reasons the vampire hunts started.

Seeing him roaming around here was less of a shock than the fact that he had been caught. He was known for his strength, brutality, and talent with blood magic. By all means, capture should have taken more than the two werewolves holding him.

"Did the two of you catch him alone?" Ash asked in disbelief.

"Nah, it took four of us to corner him," Reggie admitted. "Why do you ask? Is this guy important or something?"

Important? He was the second-highest ranked member of the Cromwell coven! "…you could say that. Hello, Ivan. Long time no see."

It was amazing Ash was able to keep his composure at all right now because this vampire had been the one who killed Ezra and Ariadne. They may have all been wearing their signature hoods when they attacked but that bloodlust was recognizable from anywhere.

Ivan scowled. "Ash Mayhew. Dorian said you might try something stupid but I'm more curious about where you got this much muscle behind you. Let me guess…that annoying little fairy lied about the extent of her powers and made you filthy rich."

Ash was so furious that he even dared to mention Ruby that he practically saw red. In one swift motion, the collar of Ivan's shirt was in his hands and he was ready to rip his throat out.

It wouldn't kill him but it would definitely hurt. Vampires may be difficult to kill by other fae's standards but they could still feel pain.

"Don't you dare speak about her," Ash growled.

Part of him was desperate to know how Ruby was doing but he wouldn't stoop to the level of begging this monster. Not when he was the one who killed a defenseless baby who had his entire life ahead of him. Ezra was barely learning how to walk when he died.

Quick as a flash, the sneering vampire ended up missing an eyeball. Ash squeezed it in his fist and felt the membranes begin to drip through the cracks in his fingers but was too furious to care about how gross it was.

"You are in no position to antagonize me right now! How does it feel to be the one surrounded with no way out? Huh?!" he asked murderously.

The smug look was wiped right off of Ivan's face and he hissed in pain. "I was simply following orders; it was nothing personal."

Wiping out an entire coven he had feuded with for centuries and it was 'nothing personal'?! How far did these monsters have to go to rationalize what they did? There could not be a single valid reason in this world to commit such an atrocity.

By his count, all of the Cromwells but Dorian (who couldn't be bothered, apparently) had participated in the slaughter. They were all guilty. Each one of them was supposedly only following orders but doing that had resulted in thirty-six deaths. They all had to die for that.

Ash would have gladly taken himself out with them so there were no Cromwells or Mayhews left before Ruby came along. She had to be alive based on how Ivan had talked about her.

He had already failed her once, just like he failed his coven. Maybe he truly was destined to lose everything important to him at the greedy hands of Dorian Cromwell.

He knew he had no right to try and protect her again but if he managed to get her out of there he would do it anyway. Even if she didn't want him to. Ruby deserved to be able to live her life in peace and he would make that happen if it killed him!

"Well this is personal," Ash replied with a cold fury as he jabbed his hand into the small of Ivan's back. "Are you going to let us into the barrier or do you die right now? Your choice."

He stiffened, realizing he was in very real danger of dying. All Ash had to do was pierce the core in his fist and it would be all over. He also realized that he would die either way, as the Mayhew vampire the Cromwells caught to get into the barrier would.

"If I must die, I will do it with honor," Ivan spat.

Ash crushed the core in his fist until it was nothing but a pile of glowing red sand that began dimming rapidly. "There is nothing honorable about you."

His body hit the ground and the werewolves, completely unfazed, asked him what their next move was. At this point, Ash honestly didn't know. Without someone bearing a blood seal letting them in it would be impossible to penetrate that barrier.