Midnight Secrets

by Ditter Kellen

  Sawyer cranked his head in Simon’s direction. “You haven’t seen dog-like yet, but I’d be more than happy to accommodate you.”

  “Alrighty then,” Madison piped in, hoping to divert a confrontation. She forced a smile in Simon’s direction. “Why don’t you help me pick out another bottle of wine from the kitchen?”

  Simon pushed to his feet. “Your eagerness to get me alone is quite flattering, Maddie.”

  Once in the hall, Madison whirled on him. “You have got to stop baiting Sawyer like that. One of these days he’s going to lose control and rip your throat out.”

  “Are you concerned for my safety, sweet one?”

  Madison took a patient breath and strode toward the kitchen. “Not in the least. I’m simply trying to get you to ease up on Sawyer. You know how tightly wound he is.”

  “Indeed, I do. I bet if he swallowed a lump of coal, he’d shit a diamond.”

  Madison rolled her eyes and pushed open the kitchen door to find Ivy scooping up a large bowl of ice cream. “Is that for Jacie?”

  Ivy chuckled. “It’s for Sawyer.”

  The young vampire suddenly staggered back, her eyes wide with fear.

  “What’s wrong?” Madison rushed to Ivy’s side, took the bowl from her trembling fingers, and set it on the counter.

  Simon stepped into the room and answered for her. “Svetlana is here.”

  Madison’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. “Here? As in the compound?”

  Simon shook his head, his face a mask of anger. “No, but she’s near. I can feel her presence.” He slid his gaze over to Ivy. “Get below. She won’t sense you underground.”

  Ivy nodded and fled the room.

  Madison pinched the bridge of her nose. “What are we going to do?”

  “We aren’t doing anything. It’s me she’s after. I’ll leave out the back and draw her away from here.”

  Madison would never understand what prompted her to grab onto Simon’s arm as he turned to leave. She quickly released him and cleared her throat. “Don’t you think you should let Roman know what’s going on? I mean, what if Svetlana decides to attack his home even after you’re gone?”

  Something flickered in Simon’s eyes. “Take a bottle of wine back in there and signal for him to—”

  “What the hell is going on?” Roman hissed, barging into the kitchen.

  Madison should have known that Roman would sense something was amiss. He didn’t get to be his age without accruing some serious skills. “Svetlana is back.”

  Roman’s eyes swirled with red. He turned his attention to Simon. “How far out is she?”

  Simon blew out a breath. “I’m not sure. I just sensed her presence a minute ago. If I had to guess, I’d say ten…maybe twenty miles from here.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Roman growled, glancing back toward the door. “How could I not have known that she was in my city?”

  Madison touched him on the arm. “She got past everyone. You know how crafty that bitch is.”

  “Say nothing to Lydia,” Roman instructed.

  The door swung open and Lydia stepped into the room. “Say nothing to me about what?”

  Madison could fairly feel Roman’s inward groan. He turned to face his wife. “I don’t want you to worry.”

  Lydia rested her hand on her hip. “Tell me.”

  “Svetlana is in town.”

  Lydia’s hand flew to her mouth. She kept it there for long moments before slowly lowering it. “Why would she come back here?”

  “She came for me,” Simon softly confessed.

  Instead of Lydia demanding that Simon leave her home, she simply stated. “Well, she’s not going to get you.”

  “I can’t stay here and endanger Jacie,” Simon argued. “I won’t.”

  Roman held up a hand for silence. “Where is Ivy?”

  “I sent her below ground,” Simon responded. “It’s the safest place for her.”

  Roman nodded. “Agreed.”

  Madison listened with rapt attention as Roman voiced his thoughts. “I know this is bad. Svetlana being in our territory can only mean one thing. She wants revenge, and she wants Simon. If she thinks she’s going to get Simon, she’ll relax her guard. And then we take her out.”

  Madison hated coming to Simon’s defense, but she found herself doing exactly that. “You want Simon to just…go to her? She’ll kill him. And what makes you think she’ll relax her guard?”

  “She won’t kill him,” Roman assured her. “She loves him. And trust me, if he can actually convince her that he’ll go quietly, she’ll screw up.”

  Madison quickly glanced at Simon before asking, “And if she doesn’t?”

  “She will.” It was Simon that answered. “For all her strength and power, I am her one weakness.”

  Madison chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment. “So, you’re just going to go to her?”

  Simon stared at Madison for several heartbeats before shifting his gaze to Roman, then Lydia, and back to Madison. “If I don’t, she’ll only come here looking for me.”

  Why did it bother Madison so much for Simon to go to Svetlana? It wasn’t as if she cared for the prick. Quite the opposite, actually.

  “So, let her come here,” Madison found herself saying. “We’ll send Jacie somewhere safe. What better place to take her out than behind these walls?”

  Simon’s eyes became hooded. “If you think I would allow that fiend anywhere near this place…you don’t know me at all.”

  Chapter Four

  Simon stood in Roman’s kitchen, his gaze touching on everyone around him. He’d come to think of them as family over the past two years. Even Madison, and she could barely stand to be in the same room with him.

  Ah, but little Jacie… Simon would die to protect Jacie. He’d die to protect most everyone in the compound, for that matter. Aside from Sawyer. Sawyer could kiss his cold, bloodsucking ass.

  Settling his gaze on Roman, Simon murmured, “We need to begin planning. Svetlana won’t run in here, fangs blazing right off the bat…but she won’t wait long either. Of that, you can be sure.”

  Roman took Lydia by the hand and turned toward the door. He spoke to Simon over his shoulder, “You and Madison meet me in the security hub in twenty minutes.”

  Simon watched them go, a feeling of regret settling in his stomach. “I should have left Atlanta two years ago.”

  “Yes, you should,” Madison snapped, barreling past him.

  He followed her into the hall, unable to ignore her jean clad backside. What Madison lacked in personality, she damn sure made up in body.

  “Stop looking at my ass,” she growled without turning around.

  The corner of Simon’s mouth lifted.

  Once in the security hub, Simon took a seat in a vacant chair and watched as Madison’s fingers ran across a keyboard with damn near the speed of a vampire. “I’m impressed.”

  She continued to dominate the keys. “I could care less.”

  Damn, but if she were a vampire, he’d take her places she could only dream of. “What are you doing?”

  “Checking in with our scouts, warning them of Slutlana’s presence.”

  “You do realize that if she ever gets wind of that name, you will be at the top of her dismemberment list?”

  Madison continued to type. “So Roman tells me.”

  “You’re not afraid of her, are you?” Simon couldn’t wrap his mind around Madison’s thinking. She was either extremely brave or extremely stupid. Either way, it was dangerous.

  Madison’s fingers stilled. “Of course I’m afraid of her. I’d be crazy not to be. But I’m not about to live my life running from the things I fear. I’m no coward.”

  Simon’s shaft hardened so fast he had to grit his teeth to keep from moaning. Damn her for having that effect on him. “No, you’re anything but a coward. I’ll give you that.”

  “Thank you,” she muttered.

  A few keystrokes later, she spun her chair around to
face him. “How many years has Slutlana been hunting you?”

  And just like that, he lost his erection. A feeling of disgust rolled through his gut. “Off and on for over two thousand years.”

  Madison’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.”

  “There’s nothing holy about Svetlana. The thing is, if I would have given in to her and been what she wanted me to be, she would have grown tired of me and either let me go or killed me by now. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it no matter how much easier life would have been for me.”

  “I can’t say as I blame you. I’d choose death over being with that disgusting bloodsucker also.”

  Simon mentally flinched.

  “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” Madison’s attempted apology fell on deaf ears.

  He waved her off. If there was one thing Simon respected about the redhead, it was her honesty. “No need for apologies. I’m sure you’re not the first human to find us disgusting.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but Roman picked that moment to stride into the room.

  Niko, Sawyer and Alex filed in behind him.

  “You’re in my chair,” Sawyer growled, staring down at Simon from his great height.

  “Cool your paws, Goldielocks.” Simon stood and moved to lean against the wall.

  Instead of immediately sitting, Sawyer leaned over Madison’s shoulder, typed in a few things on the keyboard, and murmured low, “Nice job.”

  Simon’s fangs elongated behind his closed lips. He wanted to bury them in the werewolf’s throat and give it a yank. Yeah, his furry ass wouldn’t be quite as smug while he bled out on the security hub floor.

  To Simon’s surprise, Madison stood and moved across the room without responding.

  It was Simon’s turn to feel smug.

  Roman cleared his throat, demanding the rooms’ attention. “I’ve asked you all here to let you know that Svetlana is back in Atlanta.”

  A growl and a couple of hisses filled the air.

  Roman nodded. “I know, and I also know that it’s Simon that she’s after. Probably Ivy as well, but Simon is her life-long obsession.”

  It surprised Simon that Sawyer didn’t choose that moment to toss in an insult.

  “Now that she doesn’t have Jacie in her grasp,” Niko pointed out, “there is nothing to stop us from hunting her down and destroying her.”

  Roman quickly agreed. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Do we know where she’s holed up?” Niko questioned.

  Simon continued to lounge against the wall. “Not yet, but I can find her.”

  Alex turned to face Simon. “Do you think that’s wise? I mean, it’s you she wants.”

  “And it’s me she’ll get.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow. “You are going to give yourself over to her? I don’t see how that will help anything. You can’t kill her, but she can damn sure kill you.”

  “She won’t kill Simon,” Roman interjected. “She wants him too much to do that. But if she manages to leave this area with him, the chances of us ever seeing her again are slim to none.”

  Sawyer swiveled his chair around to face Simon. “So, you’re going to offer yourself as bait? How heroic of you. Tell me, vampire, what’s your motive?”

  “Jacie.”

  Sawyer continued to stare at him for long moments before giving a quick nod. “Fair enough.”

  “There has to be another way.” Madison crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s too dangerous for Simon. And if Svetlana gets away, we’ll always be looking over our shoulder.”

  That was the third time Madison had voiced her opinion about Simon being used as bait. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear she felt a modicum of concern for him. Good thing he knew better. “It’s settled then. I’ll seek her out and lead you to her. But be warned, she will have an army with her. Of that, you can be sure.”

  Chapter Five

  Madison’s stomach had been in knots since learning of Svetlana’s return. And hearing that Simon would be offering himself as bait only intensified it. She suddenly blurted, “I think it’s suicide.”

  Simon shrugged. “Maybe, but I doubt it. Best case scenario, she buries me in a grave for the next century.”

  “What’s the worst case?” Madison wasn’t sure what prompted her to ask.

  “She chains me to a bed with silver to toy with me at will.”

  Madison kept her expression blank. “How will we know how to find you once you’ve located her?”

  “I reckon that’s what we’re in this security hub for.” Simon switched his gaze to Roman. “Any brilliant ideas?”

  Roman shook his head. “Not yet, but we have a few days to think on it. It’ll take Svetlana that long to get settled and begin her planning.”

  “I can always call on Vlad.”

  All eyes swung back in Simon’s direction; including Madison’s. “Vlad the Impaler?”

  “Unless you know another Vlad,” came Simon’s sarcastic answer.

  She narrowed her eyes. “You keep popping off at the mouth and I’ll file your fangs down to nubs while you sleep!”

  Simon grinned, showing a little of said fangs. “Kinky.”

  “We can’t just call on Vlad,” Roman piped in, pulling Madison’s attention away from Simon. “He’d never get involved in a vampire dispute. You saw how long he allowed Gina Calimari to run amok before stepping in.”

  Simon rubbed at his eyes. “Yes, but Calimari was an elder. Svetlana is just a… nuisance. Besides, Vlad has mated with a shifter from what I understand. That alone tells me how unpredictable he is.”

  “Don’t underestimate Svetlana,” Roman muttered quietly, ignoring the shifter comment. “Svetlana is a very powerful vampire.”

  The weariness in Simon’s eyes hadn’t gone unnoticed by Madison. She glanced at her watch. He had five hours until daylight, yet he looked as if he hadn’t slept in weeks.

  Simon exhaled loudly. “I still think we should contact Vlad.”

  “Okay then.” Roman turned toward the door. “Meanwhile, I’m going to tighten security around the walls. I’ll check back with you, shortly.”

  Madison waited for the door to close behind Roman before returning to her seat at the computer.

  Alex and Niko filed out as well, leaving Sawyer and Simon behind in the security hub. Sawyer began adjusting the view of outside cameras.

  Simon pushed away from the wall. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.”

  Madison watched him go from the corner of her eye. She waited until he’d left the room and then muttered to Sawyer. “You can return to the party. I got this.”

  “You go.” Sawyer kept his gaze on the screen. “I’m not much for crowds.”

  Hesitating for a moment, Madison stood. “If you need me…just buzz me.”

  Sawyer merely nodded without looking up.

  Madison strolled from the security hub, her mind on Simon and his phone call to Vlad. Would the Impaler actually assist in destroying Svetlana? From what Madison had heard of the elder vampire, he had the temperament of a rabid lion and was just as ferocious.

  “Aunt Madison,” Jacie called as Madison stepped back into the dining area. “I have to take Maxine out to potty. Will you come with me?”

  Madison smiled down at the eight-year-old ball of energy. “Of course. Lead the way.”

  Niko and Alex were standing in the hall as Madison and Jacie exited the dining area. The two vampires didn’t speak, but they didn’t need to. Madison was more than aware of their intensions. She sent them a silent ‘thank you’ with her eyes.

  Jacie smiled up at Niko. “Are you coming outside with us?”

  “If I am permitted.”

  A giggle escaped the little girl. “You talk funny.”

  Madison winked at Jacie, her heart swelling with love for the tiny shifter.

  They exited the building through a backdoor and Jacie immediately set Maxine on her feet. She ran along behind the puppy, her tinkering l
aughter filling the court yard.

  Simon abruptly appeared next to Madison. “Sending that puppy was the only good thing Max has done in years.”

  Madison glanced at Simon’s profile. “Did you get ahold of Vlad?”

  “No, but I did reach his mate. Her name is Nita. Apparently, she’s screening his calls.”

  Trying not to roll her eyes, Madison asked, “Did you mention the situation to her?”

  “I did. She said she would speak to him about it.”

  Madison turned her attention back to Jacie and said a silent prayer that Svetlana would be stopped. If something were to happen to that little girl…she couldn’t finish the thought.

  “I won’t allow her to get near Jacie,” Simon quietly confessed, obviously reading Madison’s thoughts. “I would die before I let that happen.”

  “You may have to before this is over…”

  Chapter Six

  Simon watched Jacie run through the courtyard chasing her new puppy. He thought about his presence at the compound and how it endangered the little girl for him to be there.

  He glanced at his watch, noticing he had four hours left until the sun came up. That left plenty of time to go back to his place, grab a few items, and lead Svetlana away from Atlanta.

  Though the sadistic Svetlana probably wasn’t stupid enough to storm the compound with Roman, Simon, Alex, and Niko in residence, Simon wasn’t willing to take that risk. “I can’t stay here.”

  Madison turned to face him. “You’re leaving?”

  “I have to. Staying here will only run the risk of endangering everyone within these walls. Including you.”

  Madison looked away. “Where will you go?”

  “Anywhere but here. I’ve come to care a great deal for Jacie. I will not be responsible for bringing the wrath of Svetlana on this place.”

  “I see,” Madison murmured. “And what’s to stop Svetlana from having someone stake you in your sleep? She could easily control an army of humans just as you did with Jeanie.”

  Simon inwardly cringed at the mention of Jeanie’s name. He’d done a lot of things he wasn’t proud of; things he’d come to regret after meeting Jacie.