Max
Max got into his car right as his phone began to vibrate.
A text.
It was from Rhiannon, his source. They have the girl. She’s at Rory Bledsoe’s place. She needs help.
What of her friends? He typed quickly.
They were eluded and probably have no idea where she is.
He swore. Now he’d have to get involved. Leaving a girl to die, vampire or not, was something he’d never be able to live with.
Thanks.
NP. You’d better move quickly if you want to save her.
K.
He put the phone in his jacket and headed towards the outskirts of town.
***
Rena
Rena was intrigued when Max ignored the exit leading back to the station and decided to see what he was up to. Careful to stay a few cars behind, she followed him for a few miles until he reached a strip joint on the edge of town.
She snorted. “Seriously, Max?”
He pulled in past the sign, drove slowly towards the back of the parking lot, and turned off the engine.
“Great,” she sighed, pulling to the side of the road. She certainly wasn’t going to confront him in the parking lot of Jugs and Mugs. How awkward would that be?
As she prepared to turn her car around, Max’s door opened and he got out. Instead of heading towards the entrance of the bar, however, she saw him moving on foot towards the desert.
Talk about crazy…
Deciding to follow him, she put her purse in the glove compartment, got out of the vehicle, and slipped her keys into her pocket. “This is nuts,” she whispered in the darkness as she moved towards the edge of parking lot.
What was so important that Max would walk out into the desert, in the middle of the night, with the threat of snakes, scorpions, and God knows what else? And why in the hell am I contemplating following him?
Because you can’t help yourself…
Two men stepped out of the bar, talking loudly as they lit cigarettes. Not wanting to bring attention to herself, she crouched down, pulled out her gun, and began following Max’s silhouette at a safe distance. Eventually, he disappeared behind some large boulders about two hundred yards out.
With her pulse racing and the hair on the back of her neck standing sky-high, she took a deep breath and crept around the large rocks. When Rena saw what was around the corner, she put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming in terror.
This can’t be real, she thought, staring in horror at the giant furry creature standing on two hind legs, its back to her.
Sensing her presence, the monster whipped its head around and their eyes met.
“Oh, my God!” she choked, raising her gun towards the creature, its golden eyes still locked onto hers. “You… stay the fuck back!”
With a roar, the thing dropped down on four legs and took off running in the opposite direction.
“Max!” she screamed into the darkness, worried that the creature was going to find and hurt him very, very badly. “Max, where are you?!”
He didn’t answer.
Trying to hold on to her sanity, she turned her head to see if he was hiding between the boulders, and was even more stunned when she found something that didn’t make any sense at all – a gun sitting on a pile of clothing. The same clothing her partner had been wearing only moments before.
Chapter Fourteen
Nikki
I sat at the picnic table in the backyard while the Lycans frolicked and wrestled together, just past the edge of the property in the cover of darkness. They had yet to show themselves completely, and I was thankful for that. Seeing a beast like Frankie up close was disturbing enough.
From the loud yelps and growls echoing in the darkness, it was evident that the Lycan version of play was much different than most canines. Then, when one of them limped away from the others, obviously injured, I shuddered to think of what they had in store for me. If that’s how they treated friends, my future held a world of pain.
Closing my eyes, I thought of my mom and brother, wondering how I was going to get all of us out of this mess. Obviously, Ethan and Duncan weren’t going to be of any help, so it was just me against nine Lycans, plus the Alpha, who was still on the way. Victor, Jordan’s father.
The situation was bleak, at best.
“How’s your leg?” asked Rory with a wide grin, his teeth gleaming in the darkness.
I arched my left eyebrow. “Why do you care?”
He chuckled. “You got me. I don’t really care. Just curious as to how quickly you vampires recover from a wound.”
My leg was doing fine but my spirit and energy level were almost nonexistent.
“Well, don’t worry. I certainly won’t be a challenge for you,” I said, staring at down my hands, which were so pale they seemed to glow in the moonlight. “I’m pretty weak now.”
“You need to feed?”
“Yeah,” I smirked. “You want to donate?”
He leaned forward and returned my smart-assed grin. “There will be some blood shed soon, little girl, but it certainly won’t be a Lycan’s.”
I couldn’t believe how coldhearted this jerk was. “I thought that your group enjoyed a challenge? Seems kind of silly to have a group of bad-assed Lycans bringing down a ‘little girl’ like me.”
“We were hired to take you and your two friends out. Obviously, they’re missing, but something tells me they’ll be making an appearance soon enough.”
If only I was as optimistic. “Right.”
Before I could stop him, he reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I think they’ll definitely come looking for you.”
I shrank back.
“If you were one of us, you’d have never been left alone in the first place. We protect our own.”
Before I could respond, a pair of headlights began moving towards us in the distance.
“Is that Victor?” asked Jordan, walking to the picnic table. “I thought he was the one who said ‘no cars’?”
“It’s Tristan,” replied Rory. “He sent me a message a few minutes ago. I believe this night is about to get even more interesting.”
“Excellent,” said Jordan. “Frankie, you’d better take cover.”
The creature, who’d been watching me from a spot near the garage, jumped up and ran towards the desert with the others.
“Stay low, everyone!” hollered Rory. “Tristan isn’t alone!”
Jordan grinned. “Does that mean we also get brother rabbit?”
“I don’t know. From what it sounds like, Celeste seems to fancy the human.”
My head whipped back around to look at Rory. “Celeste is in that car?”
He stood up. “Yes. So is your brother.”
Nathan! Oh hell, I couldn’t let them hurt my brother…
Remembering the way Jordan had ogled me earlier, I decided to see if I could bargain with him. “Please don’t hurt my brother,” I begged, desperately trying to charm him with my eyes. “I… I’ll do anything… anything you want. No arguments or resistance either. Please.”
His eyes regarded me shrewdly. “What exactly are you getting at?”
I forced a smile. “You mentioned something earlier… about… you know… sex?”
Rory snorted and Jordan threw his head back and laughed.
My eyebrows shot up. “Why is that funny?”
“You’re in no position to barter,” said Rory. “And save your powers. Charm doesn’t work on us.”
“Now, wait a second,” replied Jordan, a wide grin still on his face. “I want to hear you say it again. What are you willing to give up to save your brother?”
I swallowed hard. “Um, I’ll let you have sex with me.”
“Let me? Now where’s the fun in that?” he asked with a dark smile.
I blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“You will,” he replied. “Kitten.”
I wanted to scream at him to stop calling me kitten, but the look in
his eyes stopped me cold. He was insane. Certifiable.
“Jordan, you have to check with Victor first,” said Rory.
He licked his lips. “Believe me, no worries there.”
“What is he talking about?” I asked Rory when Jordan walked away.
He smiled. “You just offered yourself to a guy whose idea of foreplay is finding new ways to make a woman scream, and not in pleasure. Even Lycan females know enough to keep their distance from him.”
I turned to look at Jordan, who was now talking on his cell phone. With his handsome face and sparkling brown eyes, he certainly didn’t fit the image of a rapist. Nor did he look like someone who could turn into a big, hairy beast and rip your throat out. It appeared that I was to be introduced to both of those personalities soon enough.
As if Jordan could read my mind, he smiled slowly and winked.
I looked away, focusing on the silver car that was now pulling into the driveway. The one with Nathan and Celeste.
Celeste.
My stomach knotted up as our eyes met through the windshield. I wanted nothing more than to throttle the bitch with my own two hands.
“You behave,” ordered Rory, apparently sensing my hostility. “And remember, we still have your mother. You do anything crazy, and she’s dead.”
I gritted my teeth.
The front doors opened on the Mercedes and two people got out – a tall guy with wavy blond hair, and Celeste, who as always, looked ready to walk the runway.
“Nikki,” she said with a plastic smile. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“You’re so full of shit. Where’s Nathan?” I asked tightly.
“Nikki!” hollered Nathan, getting out of the back of the car, his face filled with relief. “God, am I glad to see you’re okay!”
I forced a smile as he jogged towards me. He looked exhausted and like he’d lost some weight, but other than that, a sight for sore eyes. “Hey, Nathan.”
He hugged me and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the scent of his human flesh, focusing more on the warmth of his embrace. No matter what, he’d always be my brother and there was no way I’d ever do anything to harm him. I was suddenly struck with the fact that my twin and I would never have the same kind of bond now, because I was a vampire.
It brought tears to my eyes.
“Jeez, Nikki, are you okay?” he asked pulling away.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m… fine.”
His eyes scoured my face. “You’re so pale and,” he touched my cheek with the palm of his hand, “chilled to the bone. You must have caught something.”
“No, I’m seriously okay. It’s just chilly in the desert at night.”
His eyes narrowed. “But you shouldn’t be this cold. We’ll see what mom has to say when we get back. That has got to be unhealthy, as well as a little strange.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I mumbled.
“Where is Victor?” asked Celeste. “I need to talk to him.”
“He’s on his way,” replied Jordan, staring at her with intrigue. “He’s told me a lot about you.”
“Oh, really?”
Jordan grinned wickedly. “Yeah, and I must say that I’m fascinated. Maybe we could have dinner sometime, get to know each other?”
“Or maybe not,” she replied, brushing him off.
His smile fell.
Nathan turned towards Jordan and Rory. “So, you’re the dudes who found my sister?”
Jordan smirked. “It wasn’t exactly hard. She was alone and playing the slots in one of the casinos. It was almost as if she wanted to be found.”
“How observant of you,” I replied sarcastically.
“I can’t thank you guys enough for locating her,” said Nathan. “We’ve been worried sick.”
One of the Lycans howled in the desert and Nathan’s head whipped around. “Are there wolves in the desert?”
“Don’t worry, Nathan,” replied Celeste, slipping her arm through his. “You’re safe.”
Another howl and the hair stood up on the back of my neck. The Lycans were getting very restless.
“Nathan, where’s mom?”
“Back at the hotel, I think, with Caleb. Does anyone have a phone I can use? We should call her.”
Nobody said anything.
“Okay, then. I guess we’ll just surprise her when we get back,” he replied, looking slightly uncomfortable.
I sighed and scratched my head. “Nathan, do you have any idea of what’s going on?”
“Going on? What do you mean?”
“Nikki,” interrupted Celeste. “Where is that fiend of a boyfriend of yours?”
“Ethan?”
She smirked. “Yeah. Do you know where he is?”
I glared at her. “Well, he’s not where you left him, in Montana. You know, in that cell, shriveled and rotting away.”
“What was that?” asked Nathan.
“I had nothing to do with any of that. It was all Faye,” she replied. “She was responsible for everything.”
“Maybe, but you hand your hands in it. I know you did,” I replied. “And now this? You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”
Celeste raised her chin. “Whatever, believe what you want, Nikki, but we all know you’re a little paranoid and never liked me anyway.”
I smiled coldly. “Finally, something we both agree on.”
Rory pulled out his gun and pointed it at me. “Okay, enough talk. It’s giving me a headache.”
“Dude!” replied Nathan, raising his hands in the air. “What’s with the gun?”
“He really has no idea what’s going on, does he?” snickered Jordan, moving next to Rory.
“No,” said Celeste. “He doesn’t, but that’s okay, because things have changed.”
“Changed? What is that supposed to mean?” asked Rory.
“We’re leaving. Tristan, can you give us a ride back to the hotel?” she asked, swinging her hair over her shoulder.
Tristan’s eyebrows shot up. “Rory?”
“Tristan!” snapped Celeste. “I’m in charge of this situation, and I want to go back to the hotel.”
“Hey, Red, you’re welcome to leave any time you’d like,” smiled Jordan. “Hell, take Nathan back with you. But Nikki here, she’s not going anywhere.”
Nathan frowned. “What? Of course she’s coming with us.”
“Come on, Nathan,” said Celeste, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go back to the hotel. Your sister can take care of herself.”
“Wait a minute,” he said, pulling away. “We came all this way to find Nikki. Well, we found her, and I’m sure as hell not leaving without her.”
“Take my advice, kid, you’d better leave before it’s too late,” said Rory, smiling evilly.
“Before it’s too late?” he asked incredulously. “What… are you guys selling drugs, or something? Listen,” he raised his hands and chuckled, “I’m cool with that. I mean, I’ve smoked a jay once or twice. I swear, I won’t say a word. I just want to get back to the hotel, find some food, and maybe check out a couple of shows. Other than that, I don’t care what you guys are doing out here in the desert, and either does Nikki. Right, Nik?”
“Right,” I replied, trying to play along with it. At least for Nathan’s sake.
Just then, Jordan’s cell phone rang.
“Hi, Victor,” he said. Victor spoke for a few minutes and Jordan grinned. “Okay, thanks, man. I’ll catch you back in Minnesota.”
Then he hung up.
“Good news,” he said, setting his phone down on the steps. “Victor has another project he’s working on and won’t be joining us tonight. He said to take care of business and report to him when we’re finished.”
Rory smiled in anticipation. “Well shit, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Wait a minute,” replied Celeste. “I need to speak with Victor. Call him back.”
“No, sorry, Red,” replied Jordan, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked
towards her. “He left me in charge now and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Call me ‘Red’ one more time, and I’ll rip out your vocal cords.”
“You don’t frighten me in the least,” he answered. “Red.”
Her eyes turned crimson.
“What the hell?” whispered Nathan in shock.
Rory sighed. “May I remind you that you’re surrounded by Lycans. You touch Jordan, and that’s it. You’re dead.”
“You’re a fool if you think that scares me,” she growled.
Nathan took a step back. “What’s going on around here?”
I moved closer to him. “It’s what I’ve been telling you for the past few months, Nathan. Wake up.”
“Oh, come on.”
“But –”
“Just stop. Now, let’s get out of here,” said Nathan, grabbing my arm. “We’re not that far out of town. If these guys are going to be difficult, I’m not sticking around.”
Jordan laughed. “You’re not leaving. In fact, I think we should stop wasting time.” He then leaped towards the ground, and before I could blink, morphed into a Lycan, one that was much larger than Frankie.
“What the fuck?!” screamed Nathan as he stared at the hideous creature now standing proudly before us. Just like Frankie, he was furry, had elongated ears, and jaws that could definitely tear through metal like butter.
“Hell yeah, baby, let the games begin!” shouted Rory, throwing himself towards the cement.
“Ahhhh!!!” hollered Nathan, backing away as Rory’s snout pushed forward and his clothing ripped away from the sheer force of his transformation.
The next thing I knew, Celeste flew towards Nathan, grabbing him around the waist, and then shot up into the sky.
Rory began to growl and I rushed behind the picnic table, separating myself from the two of them. “Please! This is madness!” I shouted.
Jordan leaped onto the picnic table and bared his teeth, almost smiling, as if mocking me. He then opened his mouth and in a hoarse voice, growled, “Run!”
Chapter Fifteen
Nikki
I ran, but only because I didn’t have quite enough energy needed to fly.
Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three Page 9