“Maybe she got away?”
“Hopefully. But with that group, I find it highly unlikely.”
“So what do we do?”
“We check it out one more time, and scour the desert. You take the sky and I’ll take the ground. We’ll meet back at the strip joint you dropped Rena off at by morning light, with or without Nikki. Then, we’ll just have to go from there.”
“Okay.”
“Godspeed,” said Max, his face already beginning to sprout fur.
“What you said,” replied Duncan, shooting up into the darkness.
Chapter Eighteen
Nathan
“Are you okay?” asked Celeste, nibbling on his ear.
In response, he turned his head and vomited.
Celeste quickly rolled away from him. “Yikes.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s normal, by the way. Your body is getting rid of any toxins left over from your mortal body.”
He wiped his mouth. “Great.”
The truth was, he felt pretty good. The round of mind-blowing sex with Celeste had not only lifted his spirits, but it had also raised his adrenaline.
“We should get dressed,” she said, pulling her tank top back over her head.
He stood up and pulled his boxers on. “So, am I one of you now?”
She stared at him for a few minutes and then sighed. “Oh, Nathan. I just… I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“I’ve had a change of heart. Look, I just couldn’t go through with it completely. I mean, I started to… but then…”
He stopped. “What do you mean, you couldn’t do it?! We just did it, didn’t we?”
She pulled her panties up over her thighs. “We had sex, but we didn’t bond.”
“I thought we bonded really fucking good,” he muttered angrily.
She smirked. “No, what I mean is that I didn’t bite you.”
“You could have bitten me if you wanted to. I don’t mind a little kinky stuff.”
“As I was saying,” she said irritably, “I didn’t inject you with anything, which means you’re still mostly human. It takes three injections all together and you’ve only had two.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I thought I was supposed to do the injecting?”
She snorted. “You just don’t quit with the lame jokes, do you?”
“Lame? Hey, what about the vomiting, thing? You said my body was getting rid of toxins.”
“Like I said, I started and then changed my mind. It made you a little sick, obviously.”
“So, what was this all about?” he said, pulling on his jeans. “I thought you were going to make me into a vampire. To help save Nikki?”
She wiggled into her skirt. “Well,” she said, turning towards him, “there’s a little something that I forgot to mention.”
“What?”
“I don’t actually want you to find her.”
He stared at her in shock. “What?”
She ran her fingers through her curls, fluffing them around her shoulders. “You heard me. I don’t want you to find Nikki.” She sniffed. “For all I care, she can rot in hell.”
His jaw dropped. “What? I don’t understand.”
“God, she’s such a whiny little bitch, always nagging at everyone.” She raised her voice, mimicking Nikki: “Celeste is a vampire, Ethan makes me do things I don’t want to do, Duncan is missing, we have to look for him.” She snorted. “She has all of you wrapped around her little finger, including my dad because of your mother. Well, fuck her. I hope those Lycans tear out her annoying little throat.”
“Celeste!”
She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin. “I’ve come to realize that you and your mother need to go as well. With all three of you out of the picture, my dad will have more time to help me with my mission. I need his support now more than ever.”
“Your mission?”
“Yes. Well, mostly Victor’s, but he said he’d take care of me when the time came. He’s going to rule the world, someday, you know?” She sighed dreamily. “And I’m going to be at his side, enjoying every minute of it.”
“You’re crazy.”
Her eyes narrowed. “The only thing crazy around here is the fact that Roamers are forced to hide, when we should be treated like gods. You mortals should be bowing down to us, showing the respect we deserve.”
“Respect? For being a killer?”
“We’re all killers, Nathan. Roamers and Lycans are just higher up on the food chain.”
“Listen to me, don’t you dare harm my mother,” threatened Nathan. “Or I will bury you myself.”
She opened her mouth and bared her fangs. “Are you so sure about that?”
He took a step back. “Stay away from me.”
She licked her lips and nodded. “Now, don’t you worry about a thing, Nathan. Because I really do like you, I’ll make both of your deaths quick and uneventful.” She giggled. “Kind of like the sex we just had.”
“You are truly an evil bitch.”
She smirked. “You have no idea.”
***
Max
He smelled her fear long before the screams filled his ears. With a surge of adrenaline, he launched into the direction of Nikki’s terrified cries, reaching them quickly. Before he could get close enough to help save her, however, a dark figure stepped into his path.
“Don’t interfere.”
Max stared at Ethan in shock. “What are you talking about? She’s one of your own! He’ll kill her!” he hollered incredulously.
Ethan smiled coldly. “You have no idea what’s really going on here. Leave before you get hurt.”
“You’re insane,” snarled Max, pushing him aside. Before he could reach Jordan and the Nikki, however, Ethan jumped on his back and tried putting him in a chokehold.
“Stand down or I’ll kill you!” growled Ethan, tightening his hold. “I’m not going to warn you again.”
Enraged, Max reared up and slammed Ethan into a large boulder. “Fool! You and what army?”
Grunting in pain, Ethan released him. “You’re making a mistake!” he snarled. “Leave them be, or you’ll be answering to more than just me!”
“Why are you allowing this?” he asked, clenching his fists.
Instead of answering, Ethan looked towards the sky. “Dammit,” he muttered and then shot up into the darkness.
Max immediately raced towards Nikki.
“Get off of her!” he ordered, grabbing Jordan by the neck and pulling him away from the girl.
“Maximus! Leave us alone! This has nothing to do with you!” Jordan growled angrily.
“Trying to rape that girl makes it my business,” snarled Max.
“I repeat, don’t interfere or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”
“You really are an arrogant bastard,” replied Max, staring down the smaller Lycan. “And obviously not very bright.”
A shadow from overhead made both of them look up.
Duncan.
“Nikki!” he yelled, landing next to her body. He got down on his knees and stared at Jordan, ready to kill him. “What have you done to her?”
Jordan growled angrily and then tore off into the desert.
Shaking his head in disgust, Max returned to his human form. “Victor’s nephews are even crazier than he is.”
Ethan descended from the sky. “You found Nikki, thank God!” He bent down on his right knee. “Is she okay? What happened?”
Shocked at this bold display, Max watched Ethan, wondering what he’d do next.
“I don’t know,” replied Duncan, removing his T-shirt. He slipped it over her shoulders and pulled her arms through the holes. “She’s cold and obviously needs to feed.”
“I’ll take care of her,” replied Ethan, trying to scoop her up into his arms.
“No, I’ve got her,” snapped Duncan, pushing him away. “You can’t just waltz in here and play hero wheneve
r you like.”
“She’s mine, Duncan,” hissed Ethan. “Let her go.”
“What games are you playing?” snarled Max, stepping closer.
Ethan scowled up at him. “Duncan, don’t listen to Max. He’s with them, and full of lies.”
Max pointed at Ethan. “You’re the one full of lies!”
“What’s going on? What are you trying to say?” asked Duncan.
“He was already here,” he replied, glaring at Ethan, “when I arrived. Jordan was on top of Nikki and Ethan did nothing to stop it.”
“That’s a lie!” cried Ethan. “I would never let anyone hurt her, let alone touch her intimately. You, of all people, know this, Duncan.”
“The only thing I really know is that you’ve been manipulating Nikki ever since she moved to Montana. To be honest, I don’t know what the hell to believe.”
“I saved your life,” replied Ethan, standing up. “You should obviously believe me.”
“Only because Nikki begged you to do it,” said Duncan.
“I didn’t have to. I could have lied and said it was too late. But instead, I saved your pathetic life and now… now you have the nerve to question my motives?”
“Don’t let him take her,” warned Max. “He’s on some kind of agenda.”
“You’re on some kind of agenda,” replied Ethan. “Your kind took her and now you’re spouting out lies about me?”
Max took a step forward, his eyes beginning to glow. “Oh, you’re good. What I don’t understand is why you were allowing Jordan to rape her? Is this some kind of twisted fantasy of yours, or something more sinister?”
“You’re a pathetic liar,” smirked Ethan.
“I don’t know what’s going here,” said Duncan, “but I’m getting Nikki out of here, and if you try stopping me, Ethan, so help me, I’ll kill you.”
Ethan chuckled. “Seriously? You couldn’t kill me if you tried.”
“Maybe he couldn’t do it alone,” said Max, “but I’m willing to wager the both of us could take your ass down.”
Ethan stepped back. “You’re both making a big mistake.”
“Get the hell out of here,” snarled Max, his face beginning to change.
“You’re both going to pay for this,” replied Ethan, backing away further. “Nobody takes what is mine and gets away with it. Nobody.”
“She’s not yours,” snapped Duncan.
He smiled darkly. “When the time is right, she’ll come back to me. She will always choose me over you.”
Before Duncan could respond, Ethan was gone.
“Better get her out of here,” said Max, staring up into the sky. “Before he or Jordan returns.”
“I will. Thank you, Max.”
He turned to him. “I didn’t do much, but you’re welcome. Thank you for helping my partner, Rena. I wouldn’t have gotten there in time to protect her. You saved her life, my friend.”
“It was the least I could do.”
Max looked down at Nikki. “Listen, bring her to my hotel and I’ll get you a room. Something tells me she’s in a lot of danger and needs to be hidden.”
“Okay. I need to try and get her to feed first.”
“Do it quickly. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the others.”
Duncan nodded and watched as Max began scouting the area around them, giving them some privacy. He bit into the side of his wrist, drawing blood, and then raised her head. “Nikki?” he whispered. “Try and open your mouth.”
“Ethan?” she murmured, her eyelids fluttering.
He forced a smile. “No, it’s me. Duncan.”
She closed her eyes. “I’m so cold.”
“Here,” he said, “you need to feed.”
She released a sigh and fell back asleep.
Groaning, he pried her mouth open and squeezed as much blood as he could into it. After a few moments, Nikki’s teeth were clamped onto his wrist and she was drinking on her own.
“Sorry,” he whispered, touching her cheek. “Sorry for everything that’s happened to you.”
She opened her eyes and stared into his, looking confused.
He kissed her forehead, noticing her skin was slightly warmer. “I have to save some of my own blood to get us out of here alive. Unfortunately, I’m pretty weak myself.”
She moved her mouth away from his wrist and closed her eyes. “So tired,” she whispered.
“We’re getting out of here,” he murmured, gathering her into his arms.
He still couldn’t believe Nikki was alive. The truth was, after finding out his father had been murdered, he hadn’t put much hope into actually finding her alive. Hadn’t wanted to set himself up for more pain. But, here she was, the girl he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since she’d swam into his life in her orange and pink bikini. The memory of seeing her getting out of the lake last summer was something he’d never forget. Or, the first time they’d kissed in his truck. How unexpected and totally awesome it had been.
He looked down at her heart-shaped face and could feel his chest swell. With her flawless skin, thick lashes, and full lips, he felt like he could stare at her forever. Plus the love and determination she had to save her family made her even more beautiful, inside and out.
A howl from somewhere in the distance reminded him how dangerous their situation was. Unfortunately, he was too weak to fly, especially holding Nikki. It didn’t matter, however, he vowed to kill anyone who threatened her life. Anyone, including Ethan.
Seeing her eyebrows furrow in her sleep, he kissed her forehead again. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you’d been killed. I love you, Nikki.”
“I love you, too,” she murmured, her eyes still closed.
Unable to wipe the smile from his face, he started walking towards town. He had to admit, her words seemed to give him a little extra pep.
“Ethan…” she whispered.
Chapter Nineteen
Nathan
“You kill me and your dad will obviously know that you were responsible!” hollered Nathan as Celeste advanced towards him. “You think he’ll be happy with that?”
“No worries. I’ll just make it look like an accident.”
“Come on, he’s a cop and a vampire, he’s not gullible.”
Celeste paused. “I’ll tell him that another vampire did it. We’re not the only ones in Vegas, you know.”
“Don’t try and fool yourself. He’s going to know it was you, and I’m pretty sure that’s not going to make daddy very happy.”
“He’ll just have to get over it,” she growled, leaping towards him and knocking him flat to the ground.
“Celeste!” he cried frantically, holding her face back with his finger. “Please stop!”
Just then her purse, which was lying next to them on the cement, began to vibrate.
“Shit,” she said, sitting up. She grabbed him around the neck and held him down while she reached for her satchel. She pulled out her cell phone and frowned. “Now what? I seriously don’t have time for this.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll wait,” croaked Nathan.
“Shut up, idiot,” she replied, putting her pink phone to her ear after punching in some numbers. Soon, her lips tightened. “Dammit. Those fools can’t handle anything without me or Victor around to babysit. I thought we had this all figured out.”
“You’d better go and help,” he said hoarsely as she released her hand from his throat.
She stared at him for a second and then nodded. “Looks like you’ve lucked out. I see that I’m going to need you for bargaining purposes, now that those incompetent idiots lost your sister.”
His eyes lit up. “She got away?”
She smirked. “Yeah, but don’t get too excited. It won’t be for long. Then both of you will be out of my hair. For good.”
***
Max
He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel, finish off his bottle of Jack, and crawl into bed. He wasn’t foo
lish enough to believe that Duncan and Nikki were safe on their own, however, so he diligently followed them at a distance which made him fairly inconspicuous. As he trailed the couple, he thought about the strange twist of events. Not only had he misjudged Ethan, but Rena had surprised the hell out of him by following him into the desert. In the future, he’d have to be much more careful, in case she decided to trail him again. It would also be in his best interest to find out why she’d followed him in the first place.
Had he been careless?
It didn’t seem plausible, considering how careful he’d been, hiding his true form. He hadn’t changed for months and had learned how to suppress most of his Lycan urges.
So what in the hell was going on?
As he mulled over Rena’s sudden interest in him, he passed by a group of boulders, and a shadow from above caught his attention. Looking up, he saw nothing but stars, but it certainly didn’t quell his uneasiness.
Something isn’t right.
His senses on high alert, he ran around the large formation of rocks only to find Ethan waiting for him on the other side. Before he could react, the vampire shot forward, slamming his fist into Max’s throat.
Yelping from the pain, he fell over and tried to catch his breath.
Ethan held up a large butcher knife covered in blood.
His blood.
“I told you not to interfere,” he smirked, licking the knife. “You should have listened.”
Max opened his mouth to respond, but could only gasp and choke.
“You’re not so heroic now, are you?” asked Ethan, bending down.
Max tried reaching for Ethan, but the darkness was already setting in.
Ethan laughed. “Your race really does need help. Any last requests before I send you to reunite with the hairy bitch that gave birth to you?”
An image of Rena entered his thoughts and he cursed himself for being such a coward. He should have at least tried kissing her.
At least once.
Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three Page 12