“And if your brother shows up?”
“Take his fucking head.” Mircea ended the call.
Stepping up to the window, he pulled aside the threadbare curtains and peered out. The scent of skunk was definitely stronger from the south side of the cabin. If his little snitch was correct, he had spotted two of the Sons directly in the scent’s path. Mircea would bet his left nut the Sons were using the stench to cover being detected. He had stupidly thought there was an actual skunk out there in the forest, costing him precious time.
The point went to the Sons but the game was far from over.
There were far better ways to blend in with one’s surroundings. Thankfully, his brother hadn’t tapped into that particular ability yet. It had been by sheer luck that Mircea had discovered the usable talent. When he finally caught up to Vlad, he wouldn’t scent Mircea’s approach and he’d take his damn head before his brother ever spotted him.
The little cat and mouse game was getting old. It was damn time he rid the earth of his egotistical brother and take over as the eldest of all vampires. He’d make sure even the Sons followed his lead, or he’d kill every damn one of them.
Movement in the trees caught his attention. Mircea dropped the curtain back into place. “Not going to be your day, boys.”
He smiled, pocketed the cell, and headed for the other side of the cabin. The woods were particularly dense on the north side. Luck was for once on his side. Within a few hours, Mircea would be miles away and the Sons of Sangue would have two fewer members. Vlad would no doubt amp up his search, angling for Mircea’s head.
“Not damn likely, bro.”
Mircea still had one or two aces up his sleeve and he planned to play one of them post-haste. No way in hell his brother would chance putting Special Agent Ferrari in jeopardy by dragging her up the mountain chasing a fool’s mission. Mircea planned to find out just where she was being held, and when he did, he’d take her in more ways than one.
Vlad Tepes was about to pay for his sins in spades.
Chapter 17
Vlad stepped through a clearing near the cabin. The place appeared to be abandoned for several decades. The logs no longer fit nicely together, bearing holes in most of the chinking as though a good strong wind might blow the place down. The windows and trim looked in need of serious repair, most panes either broken or missing, leaving tattered curtains fluttering in through the openings. The tin roof bore years of rust and pine needles. Moss grew on the north side of the building, leaving what was once brown a dark green. The smell of must and dirt was strong. Vlad bet, other than his brother, this cabin hadn’t seen occupants in over a century.
Mircea seemed to sniff out these old discarded cabins. It wasn’t his first time holing up in the backwoods. And unless Vlad cut his brother’s life short, it probably wouldn’t be his last. The nenorocitule was like a rat playing hidey-hole.
Four dead vampire bodies lay side-by-side on the needle encrusted ground, their heads no longer attached. Vlad glanced at the pair of Sons who had arrived at the scene before him. Both Grigore and Grayson were damn near coated in the blood of their victims, the rest soaking the foliage at their feet. Neither looked the worse for wear from having faced off against four of Mircea’s primordial minions.
Vlad turned his nose up, sniffing the air. Fury raced through him at his brother having given them the slip again.
“The fucking coward sent his newly turned vamps to fend you off while he vanished. The general leaving his soldiers to certain death.” He shook his head and growled his displeasure beneath his breath. “His scent is stamped all over the area. Christ, we just missed his sorry ass again.”
“The son of a bitch probably fled while Gypsy and I were here parrying with his fucking gnats.” Grigore brushed his blood-stained hands against the legs of his jeans, though little good it did. “I’m afraid I failed you.”
“You did no such thing, Wolf,” Vlad snarled. He couldn’t very well fault Kane and Kaleb’s men. Hell, they were out here doing him a favor. “Mircea knew exactly what he was doing. Had you not been spotted by Mircea, we might have gotten the upper hand. Not only did the scent of the skunk help you get this close without detection, but it also kept you from smelling my brother’s creations before they were upon you. He likely had them combing the woods. Given the shitty situation, I’d say you guys did a damn fine job.”
“They may have had your brother’s primordial blood running through their veins,” Grayson said, “but they were easy enough to beat, most likely because they were newly turned.”
“Five minions down.” Kane wrung his hands together. “How many more to go?”
“Six down,” Vlad added. “Don’t forget the one I took out early on. You can bet if we don’t catch up to Mircea, there will be more.”
“Takes ‘em a week to turn.”
“It does, Gypsy, which means we need to find the son of a bitch before he gets started on more. Fuck!” Kaleb groused. “We were so close to ending this.”
Vlad patted his grandson on the shoulder. “You’re no more disappointed than I. He’s got to run out of luck sooner or later. And we’ll be there.”
“One thing is for sure,” Kane chuckled, “we have the motherfucker scared and on the run. Otherwise, he would’ve stayed to help out his vampires. Instead, he led them to slaughter. Great job, Wolf and Gypsy. I just wish we would’ve gotten here sooner to help.”
Grayson grabbed the band from his arm and pulled his blood-encrusted hair away from his face and into a messy knot. “Think nothing of it. Other than being in need of a good shower, I don’t think I got more than a few scratches. It was way more fun this way.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute.” Vlad noted the approaching vampires long before he spotted Kane’s other men coming up the mountain from the south side. His sense of smell picked them up long before Ryder and Bobby stepped into view with the scent of the skunk urine now dissipated. "What are you two doing here? Where's Janelle?"
“Safe with Alexander. The women were glad for the company.”
Vlad gave them a nod of approval. “Thank you, Ryder. I owe you.”
The other vampire smiled before his gaze dropped to the corpses at their feet. “You don’t owe me a thing, Vlad, but damned if I’m not pissed over missing the festivities.”
Bobby hissed, his fangs jutting below his upper lip, which was partially hidden by his long, full beard. “I always seem to miss the fun.”
Grayson winked at the hulking vampire. “Then I’ll give you the honors of disposing of these sons of bitches, Preacher.”
“The hell you say. You and Wolf made the mess. You get to clean it up.” He brushed the overlong bangs from his eyes and looked at Vlad. “Any idea where your brother took off to this time?”
“No fucking clue.” Vlad’s fangs still hung well past his lips, telling of the rage still coursing through him. “One of these fucking days, Mircea’s time will be up and I’ll be there.”
“And I hope I’m there to watch the show.” Grigore’s hand indicated the four bodies. “What do you want done with these?”
“Torch them,” Vlad said. “We can’t risk a hiker accidentally coming across them and alerting the authorities. They’d no doubt want to run tests in hopes of discovering their identities. Throw them in the cabin and burn it to the ground.”
Grayson grabbed two of the headless corpses. Grigore handled the other two, dragging them toward the back door of the cabin. Bobby gripped the hair of the heads, carrying two in each of his big paws and followed his brethren. It wasn’t long before the entire cabin was engulfed by flames.
Vlad turned to Kane. “You and the rest of the Sons stay here, make sure this doesn’t get out of hand. I don’t need a forest fire to contend with. Use water from the creek just beyond the clearing if you need to.”
His brow furrowed. “Where are you off to?”
“To find my damn brother.”
“You aren’t fucking going alone.” Kane�
�s black gaze flared. “The boys can be on fire watch. But Kaleb and I? We’re going with you. You may be able to take your brother, but hard telling how many of his cretins will be called in for his protection.”
“We took out six of them.”
“Exactly, Vlad. How many more are there?”
Kane had a point. Vlad had no doubt he could take on his brother one-on-one and win. But add in a handful of newly turned vampires and Mircea might just get the upper hand. Allowing his grandsons to tag along would ensure he had a fair fight. Vlad needed to keep his wits about him and not act on the anger raging inside of him, burning as hot as the cabin.
“You and Kaleb may accompany me,” Vlad agreed. “We’ll head north and see if we can catch his scent and find the path he took. The rest of you head back to the clubhouse once the threat of the fire spreading is gone. We’ll meet up with you there later. We’ll either find the son of a bitch and end this now or we’ll need to come up with a new plan. This has gone on far too long.”
* * *
“I’m fine, Rocky.”
Janelle stood on the veranda of Ryder and Gabriela’s coastal home, overlooking the Pacific while talking on her cell. A glass panel rail wrapped the deck so the million-dollar view from inside the house remained unobstructed. Small waves crashed off the rocks below, but did little to soothe her.
“I just wanted you to know I might not be around for a few days.”
“Is everything okay?” Rocky asked. “I worry about you.”
She chuckled. The truth of it, Janelle should be worrying about her friend and not the other way around. Rocky had a habit of attracting trouble. And yet here Janelle stood…
“I’m fine. Just doing some undercover stuff for work, shit I can’t talk about.”
Janelle hated lying to her bestie. But telling Rocky they were chasing down a crazy-as-a-loon vampire wasn’t an option. The world Janelle had stepped into wasn’t hers to reveal, even if she were to be believed that paranormal creatures existed.
Xander, the model-handsome vampire who was put in charge of her keeping, and his pregnant mate, India, were anything but bloodthirsty monsters. In fact, they were pretty tolerant of her being foisted on them, making sure she had everything she needed, including a little space so she could make her phone call in private.
From what Janelle had learned, this beautiful estate belonged to Gabriela Trevino Caballero. She had yet to become the mate of Ryder, the biker who had given Janelle the ride. Apparently, Gabby wasn’t ready to be turned into a blood-drinker. Christ, Janelle couldn’t blame her. The thought of becoming one made her blood run colder than the chilled breeze coming off the ocean.
Adriana, Gabby’s friend from Mexico, had no clue vampires were a thing even though she lived in their guest house. When Gabby’s father, the kingpin of the La Paz cartel, had been killed by the Sons of Sangue, Gabby brought her friend along when she had moved up the coast to be with Ryder. Since humans weren’t allowed to know about their existence, Adri had been kept in the dark. Gabby, on the other hand, had been an exception since she had been technically mated to one of the Sons.
According to Gabby, Adriana’s ex-fiancé had taken over as kingpin and Adri was no longer safe to live in Mexico. When Gabby found out that Janelle also knew about the Sons’ secret, she’d become an open book, answering Janelle’s questions. Once Adriana returned to the party fresh from the shower, though, all talk about vampires ceased.
Maybe, Janelle needn’t worry so much about Rocky after all. Her life seemed tame compared to this world. In the future, though, she’d steer Rocky away from the Blood ’n’ Rave. Her bestie would need to find a different biker to satisfy her bad boy obsession, not one from the Sons of Sangue.
“Does that mean we can’t go clubbing?”
“Yeah, about that—I was thinking you should stay away from those bikers we met the other night.”
Rocky sighed. “As much as I’d like to pursue Smoke, I was thinking of heading back to New York for a bit anyway.”
Janelle gripped the steel railing housing the glass panels, her hair picking up in the light breeze. A seagull dipped, picked up a small fish in its beak, then flew farther down the shore. She envied Rocky’s carefree life where she could so easily fly away. Normally, Janelle would try to convince her to stick around longer, hating when she couldn’t see her bestie for long periods. When Rocky moved back to New York, it was typically six months or better before she came home. This time, Janelle knew it to be for the best.
“Any reason you’re leaving?”
“My agent called. There are a few jobs she thinks might be perfect for me, not to mention the swimsuit cover shoot coming up next month in Saint Thomas. It’s easier being closer to my agent when jobs come up. I thought maybe I’d head for my apartment in the city.”
Janelle smiled. “You mean your shoebox?”
“An awfully expensive shoebox.” Rocky laughed, but Janelle detected a note of sadness in her tone. “Granted, my apartment here is three times the size, but it’s not in New York City either. I was hoping we could get together before I leave.”
“When are you heading out?”
“In three days.”
Janelle looked out across the endless horizon. “I don’t think I can make that happen, Rocky. I’m sorry. It’s just this case—”
“I get it. We’ll catch up later next week by phone.”
“You know I hate that.”
Rocky chuckled again, this time the sound much lighter. “We both have jobs. Love you, bestie.”
“Love you too. Safe travels.”
“You stay safe yourself,” Rocky said and the line went dead.
Rocky never was one to say “Goodbye.” And she had always hung up before Janelle could say the words. Janelle supposed her best friend was correct. Goodbye carried a final connotation. Rocky tended to take shoots to tropical locations during the winter months, flying back to the West Coast in the spring. Who could blame her? Oregon was heading into the coldest part of the year. Janelle shivered just thinking about the coming snow and pulled her sweater tighter around her, warding off the chill.
Rocky would also be far away from Smoke and the rest of the bikers she seemed drawn to and that was a good thing. Hopefully, before Rocky made her way back, she’d have a new obsession, one far less dangerous. A last look across the blue horizon, Janelle turned, slid open one side of the sliding glass wall and walked back into the house.
“Could you leave it open?” India asked from her seated position near the doors. She rested one hand on her extended belly. “The ocean calms me.”
“Absolutely.” Janelle couldn’t help being curious. “When are you due?”
“Any day.” The dark beauty smiled. Her chocolate-colored skin was flawless. India could certainly walk runways with Rocky, she was that beautiful. “Not soon enough. Xander tells me I’m too anxious because once the little guy arrives, we won’t get a moment’s peace.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Janelle laughed. “But I’m sure you’re anxious to be a mother.”
Her smile widened. The warmth of it flooded her dark gaze. “I can’t wait to cuddle him. I feel like I’ve already been waiting for a lifetime.”
“She had a miscarriage first time around,” Alexander provided. “The first trimester of this pregnancy she was a complete wreck.”
“So…” Janelle glanced around the room and noted Adriana’s absence along with Gabby’s. The last thing she needed was her big mouth spilling the beans to Adri. “Vampires can have miscarriages?”
Alexander sat on the arm of the chair where India reclined and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Not that I’m aware. Our DNA allows us to heal at a rapid rate, so I would assume the same would go for our unborn son. Her miscarriage was with an old flame.”
India grunted, smacking him with the back of her hand and making Janelle wonder about the story. “Not even close. He was a psycho. This baby is born out of love.”
“Of cours
e. Anyone can see the love you two share. I’m curious, though, he’s born a vampire?”
“Technically, he’s a true blood. He won’t develop into his vampire genes until around the age of sixteen or later.” Alexander looked down and rubbed India’s belly before continuing. “I developed mine much later. There’s no time limit when that happens. But the children grow up much like human babies. They survive on breast milk and when they get a bit older, they eat normal food. At some point, that will no longer satisfy their needs and they’ll develop their bloodthirst.”
“I suppose born into it they would know no other way, making it seem”—Janelle shuddered, unable to hide her reaction to the idea of drinking blood—“somehow normal.”
India adjusted her position, seemingly uncomfortable. It had to be hard to get comfy while a baby lay on your bladder and other organs. Her protruding belly moved, causing India to giggle before her mouth rounded.
Alexander looked at his mate with concern. “You okay, gattina?”
India breathed slowly through her pursed lips, then ran her tongue along them. “Just a sharp pain. I’m sure it was nothing.”
Alexander looked more than a little worried as he stood and knelt before her chair, resting his hands on her bent knees. “Do you need me to get you anything? Blood—”
“Oh, please, I’m fine…” She sucked in air again. “This can’t be happening. Not now.”
“What is it? The baby?”
“I think he’s coming.” India cried out in obvious pain, her hand resting at the top of her belly. She glanced at Alexander and started breathing deeply. “We got this, right?”
A smile lit his handsome face. “We sure do, gattina.”
Janelle watched as everything began to unfold, wondering why no one was calling for a squad or heading for a vehicle to take her to the hospital. They did have something other than a motorcycle, right? India was in no shape to get on the back of one. Wait, she did see a car in the drive when she had arrived with Ryder and Preacher.
Vlad (Sons of Sangue Book 8) Page 15