Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three

by Middleton, Kristen

  Chapter Twenty

  Nikki

  I woke up in Duncan’s arms as he carried me through the desert. He was naked from the waist up and my cheek rested against his cool chest.

  “Duncan?” I whispered.

  He stared down at me, shadows under his silvery-blue eyes. He smiled. “Hey there.”

  I smiled weakly. “You found me.”

  “Yep.”

  “What happened?”

  His smile fell. “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”

  “Sure,” I replied, noticing the haggard look on his face. Both of us had obviously been through our own kind of hell.

  I looked down at my chest, relieved that I was wearing a T-shirt, although it barely covered my butt. I was grateful he was being such a gentleman. “I almost thought you guys had abandoned me.”

  He stopped walking. “Nikki, I searched for you all night. I never stopped.”

  I thought about Jordan and what a monster he’d become. “I passed out when one of them was on top of me. Did he... um?” I looked down, mortified and sickened by the memories. The weird thing was, there would be no physical evidence that I’d been raped since we healed so quickly. I wished it were the same way emotionally.

  “We got there just in time. Actually, Max made it there first.”

  I sighed. “Thank God.”

  “Yeah, and Max, too.”

  “Definitely Max.”

  He kept walking, holding me in his arms as if I were his bride. For some weird reason, it made me giggle.

  His eyes twinkled. “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, nothing. My emotions are just all over the place right now after such an awful experience.”

  “I’ve certainly missed your laugh. It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve heard it.”

  “There hasn’t been much to laugh about lately.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  I licked my dry, cracked lips, wishing I had something to drink, even water. Seeing how far we still were from the city, I knew it would be a long time before I’d get a chance to quench anything.

  “The sun is rising,” I said, staring up at the sky. “Neither of us have any sunglasses. This may really suck.”

  “Good point,” he said, moving faster.

  I looked over his shoulder. “So, um, where is Ethan?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Duncan?”

  “Couldn’t tell you,” he replied, through his teeth.

  Oh crap.

  “What happened last night?”

  He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “It’s a long story. One I’ll go over once we find shelter.”

  “Why are we still in the desert?” I asked, staring over his shoulder, wondering if we were being followed. “Why can’t you just fly us somewhere? Wouldn’t it be safer and faster?”

  “I wish I could, but after the last few hours, I don’t have the energy.”

  “Oh. Well then put me down. I can walk.”

  He hesitated. “You sure?”

  “Yes. Positive.”

  He set me on my feet and I pulled the T-shirt down as far as possible. “Thank you for this, by the way.”

  “Of course.”

  We started walking side-by-side. “So, I was obviously naked when you found me?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, but I didn’t look.”

  “Thanks.”

  “It wasn’t easy.”

  Not that he hadn’t seen me naked. I thought about our moment together in my bedroom, when he’d first changed into a vampire. Although we hadn’t gone all the way, it had been hot and very intense.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m different than I was before,” I said, raising my toned arms. “My arms, stomach, and even my legs look like someone else’s. Someone athletic. It’s weird, but good, I suppose. What about you?”

  He glanced down at his chest, which I’d noticed was much more defined.

  One thing for certain, he’d had an impressive bod before, so this was just icing on the cake.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that everything has improved.” He smiled sheepishly and winked. “Even in places I thought were pretty sufficient before. I guess change isn’t always bad.”

  I blushed, and looked down at my sandals. “I suppose not.”

  He chuckled. “So, are you doing okay walking? You don’t feel dizzy or nauseous?”

  “No,” I replied, thinking about my brother who had to keep eating every couple of hours so he wouldn’t feel nauseous. It was then that I remembered. “Oh, my God.” I stopped. “Nathan. I actually saw him last night! I can’t believe it slipped my mind. He was with Celeste.”

  Duncan frowned. “What happened to him? Is he okay?”

  “I… I don’t know. She got him out of there right when Jordan started chasing me. He had no idea what was going on and was really was freaking out…” I crossed my arms under my chest. “I hope he’s okay.”

  He touched my shoulder. “Nathan’s a fighter. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  Last night he looked more like a little kid, frightened beyond belief when all hell had broken loose. I clenched my teeth. “If that bitch so much has hurt him in any way, I swear to God, I’ll kill her.”

  “Well, she helped get him out of there, it’s got to mean something,” he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. “He’s probably fine.”

  I started walking again, this time much faster. “I don’t trust her. She set this up, just like Max said. Then, she changed her mind at the last minute. Unfortunately it did nothing to stop the Lycans. They couldn’t wait to hunt my ass down.”

  “I guess not.”

  “What happened to you two in the casino?” I asked, feeling my more frustrated by the minute. “I know you wanted to talk about this later, but I really need to know what’s going on, now.”

  He sighed. “Ethan thought it would be a good idea to find blood, so we’d both have energy to fight off the Lycans. He left to check out this strip club, and –”

  “Oh, he did?” I interrupted, my voice clipped. I couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy.

  “Not for what you’re thinking. Apparently you can purchase blood if you’re a vampire from the place.”

  “So, it had nothing to do with, you know, sex or anything?”

  He shrugged. “Well, not for me, at least.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t do anything more with her. He… wouldn’t.”

  Duncan smirked. “Yeah, because we both know he has such high morals.”

  I smirked. “You just can’t stop, can you? What happened next?”

  “When I went to meet the ‘donor’, she’d disappeared. Then, when I went back to the casino, both you and Ethan had also disappeared.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “What? Where did he go?”

  “Ethan apparently followed someone into the bar. A woman. Thought it was someone he knew.”

  “Did he say who?”

  “Get this… Miranda.”

  I stopped walking and stared at him in shock. “You’re kidding me?”

  “Nope. Wasn’t that the name of his dead wife? The one he’s been searching for all of these years?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Obviously, he’s still looking for her. Hell, maybe he really did kill those girls last summer. The ones who also looked a lot like his ‘Miranda’.”

  “No, no, no… that was Faye. She killed those girls.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Duncan, she pretty much confessed to doing it. She was jealous and wanted Ethan all to herself.”

  He smiled coldly. “Ethan. Everyone wants him and yet, he’s not sure who he wants.”

  I bit my lower lip. “Ethan loves me. He told me so himself.”

  “If he truly loved you, he’d be the one here right now. He would have risked his life to save you. With his knowledge and abilities, it wouldn’t have been that difficult. He’s been doing this shit a lot longer than us.�
��

  “I’m sure there’s a good excuse as to why –”

  “Nikki, don’t make up any excuses for him,” he interrupted. “While I scoured the desert looking for you all night, Ethan was nowhere to be found. He just kind of took off and did his own thing. Then, when he finally did show up, Max said that Ethan actually allowed Jordan to put his hands on you.”

  I stared at him in horror. “What are you talking about?”

  “Max found you first. He saw Jordan attacking you and Ethan told him not to interfere. Evidently, he was already there watching what was happening.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, feeling sick to my stomach. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Nikki, Ethan’s on his own agenda. He’s not this great guy you think he is.”

  I shook my head vehemently. “No, I don’t believe it. Max is a Lycan. He’s trying to pit us against Ethan.”

  I couldn’t believe it. Not after everything that had happened. The thought of Ethan deceiving me in that way was too painful to accept. That he’d allow someone to hurt me.

  No. He’d never do that.

  Duncan grabbed my hand. “I know it’s not easy for you to accept the possibility that Ethan isn’t the person you thought he was. Hell, he’s not even here trying to explain himself. What does that tell you?”

  “Maybe the Lycans got him?” I asked. “There were so many of them.”

  “I doubt they could catch him. He’s faster than all of us, even when he’s weak. Face it, there’s something going on here.”

  I pulled my hand away from his. “You hate him, don’t you?”

  “Can you blame me? He and his kind took everything from me that I cared about. Everything. Including you.”

  I licked my lips. “You still have me. I’ll always be your friend, Duncan. Always.”

  “You know I want more than that.”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Nikki?”

  I groaned. “What do you want me to say? We’ve been through this so many times. Yes, I have feelings for you. I’ll admit that. But my attraction to Ethan is so strong, so intense. I can’t just walk away from that.”

  “But, you still have feelings for me?” asked Duncan, a hopeful expression on his face.

  I was so frustrated, I wanted to stomp my foot. “Hello? Are you even listening to me? Duncan, it doesn’t matter how I feel about you because we can never be together. It just wouldn’t be fair. You deserve much more than that anyway.”

  He sighed. “It stopped being fair after he charmed you back in Montana.”

  “Charmed? Well, even if he did, I’m not charmed now, and I still want to be with him.”

  “Are you sure about that?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you sure that what you feel is real and not some kind of magic? How do you know that everything you feel for him isn’t the product of vampire persuasion?”

  I looked away.

  “Nikki?”

  I couldn’t answer him because the truth was, I didn’t.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Nikki

  We still got back to town in record time, although the sun was up and a little too bright for comfort.

  “You okay?” I asked Duncan, who looked slightly disoriented.

  “I’ve been better. We have to go back to the Marlimore. Max said he’d give us a place to stay.”

  “You really trust him?”

  “I have to. I mean, he helped us fight off his own kind earlier. Why would he do that if he wasn’t on our side?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’d like to talk to him anyway. Ask him about Ethan.”

  He smiled grimly. “I’m sure he’ll have a lot to say.”

  Before walking into town, Duncan had me hide behind the dumpster of a small shopping center, and then went in search of clothing. A half hour later, he showed up wearing a new red polo shirt

  “Here,” he said, handing me a pair of light blue jeans and a pink sweatshirt. “I forgot to ask you your size. Sorry.”

  “I’m sure these will be fine,” I said, noticing he’d forgotten to get undergarments for me.

  “Do they fit?” he asked as I zipped up the jeans.

  “Uh, yeah… you did well,” I replied, although they were a little too large and the sweatshirt was baggy. It was better than what I’d started out with, however. No way in hell was I going to complain.

  “Sorry,” he said as I walked around the dumpster. “You’re kind of drowning in those clothes.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Duncan,” I replied, kissing him on the cheek. “This works. Let’s go.”

  When we got to the hotel, we took the elevator up to Maximus’s suite, but he didn’t answer.

  “He must not have made it back yet,” said Duncan, turning away from the doorway. “Hmm… I hope he’s okay.”

  I bit the side of my nail. “What should we do now?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m exhausted and need blood. I can’t wait any longer or I’ll… go crazy.” He sighed. “I think I’m going to have to find someone who’ll give me a fix, and for once, I’m going to take Ethan’s advice.”

  “Really?”

  “I think we should go back to that strip joint and pay for the blood. He said that the girls there are always willing to do what you want, for a price. Including giving up blood. He told me that many vampires have been in an out of that place. Thinks it’s owned by one, but never actually met the guy.”

  “As disgusted as I am about going into one of those places, I guess I’d rather pay for blood then take it by force. Speaking of which, do you have money?”

  “I have my credit card. I’ll take out a cash advance on it.”

  “Fine. Well, if we must, we must. Let’s get it over with,” I replied, kind of curious as to what kind of place this was that catered to vampires.

  When we got to the club, we were allowed in right away, which I thought was kind of weird since I didn’t have an I.D. on me. They were more concerned with Duncan’s and waved us in after he pulled it out of his wallet.

  We walked through a dark hallway and immediately, I smelled blood among other bodily fluids.

  I grimaced.

  “Wow,” grunted Duncan, as we stepped onto the main floor.

  “Lovely,” I murmured sarcastically.

  The club was packed, with mostly men, but there were a few women as well. I had to admit that the place itself was kind of dazzling, with the cool strobe lights, purple and black leather furniture, glass tables, and a long bar made of ice. It was the garish stuff happening inside, however, that made me pause. Naked women dancing lewdly on the stage while others were visiting tables, flirting and flashing their goods.

  I shivered.

  “Follow me,” said Duncan, grabbing my hand.

  I was silent as he pulled me towards the back of the place. When we reached a large purple door marked “Private”, he knocked. Seconds later a large, muscular man with bushy black eyebrows, long dark hair, and a gold tooth opened the door.

  “Yeah, what do you want?”

  “We’re here to see Sam,” said Duncan.

  The man’s eyes swept over both of us. “Oh yeah? How did you hear about Sam?”

  Duncan opened his mouth, showing a trace of his fangs. “Does it matter?”

  He smirked. “Guess not.”

  “How much?”

  “Two hundred.”

  “Okay. You take credit cards?”

  “Cash machine is over there,” pointed the man.

  Duncan nodded.

  “Step into the back lounge when you have the cash. I’ll send someone your way.”

  “Thanks,” replied Duncan.

  The man nodded towards me. “Looks like your girl could use a little herself, she ain’t lookin’ too hot. You’ll need to pay separately and we’ll provide her with a different resource.”

  “That’s fine,” replied Duncan. />
  The man turned around and closed the door.

  “Let’s go,” said Duncan, pulling me towards the cash machine.

  “You have enough?”

  “I grabbed my dad’s credit cards, too, just in case.”

  “Oh, thank God. You were obviously more prepared for all of this than I was.”

  “Believe me, I wasn’t prepared for anything.”

  I looked around the club as he inserted his credit card into the machine. “Have you ever been in a strip joint?” I asked, trying to avoid everyone’s eyes. I wasn’t sure, but it felt like we were getting too much attention.

  “Just once. When I turned eighteen my dad took me to one.”

  “How’d that work for you?” I asked dryly.

  “Well, I’m not going to lie. I walked out of there with a smile on my face while my dad walked out with a much lighter wallet.”

  “You know, I don’t think Nathan’s ever been to one of these places.”

  “I find that hard to believe. He’s crazy about women.”

  “I know, but I just don’t think he ever had the chance.” I felt my eyes well up with tears. “Hopefully he’s alive and will get to do it someday.” I sniffled. “Wow, I can’t believe I just said that.”

  “Your brother will be fine. We’ll start searching again, as soon as we get what we need here.”

  “And find Ethan.”

  He ignored my comment and put the cash in his wallet. “Ready?”

  I nodded.

  He grabbed my hand and we walked into the back room together.

  “I guess we know what happens back here,” I mumbled, staring at all of the purple leather couches that were separated by room dividers. Fortunately, none of them were currently occupied by strippers and their customers.

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  He smiled wickedly. “You can dance for me if you’d like.”

  “Very funny,” I said, punching him in the shoulder.

  Just then a scantily-dressed woman walked into the lounge. With her long blond hair, pouty red lips, and large chest, I felt mousy compared to her.

  She held out her hand to Duncan. “Hi, sugar. I’m Mercedes and I heard you need a little something to get you going?”

  “You could say that,” he replied, smiling sheepishly.