“I think I can help with that,” she said, grabbing his hand. She looked at me. “I’m his, honey. Your donor will be back here in a minute. Meanwhile, handsome, you come back here and let Mercedes take good care of you. I’ve got my own little couch, and right now, it has your name written all over it.”
I clenched my jaw. I didn’t like her pungent perfume nor did I like the way she was staring at Duncan.
“I’d like to have Nikki with us,” replied Duncan, noticing that I wasn’t very pleased.
She shrugged. “If you want.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, deciding that it would be better if I didn’t. Although I knew it wasn’t right, I was jealous. Jealous of the short intimacy they were about to share together. It was bad enough knowing about it; I certainly didn’t want to watch.
“Are you sure?” he asked, glancing towards the door.
“Yes. I’ll be fine. Now go. Get it over with.”
His teeth grazed the bottom of his lip. “Well, okay. Don’t leave the lounge and if something happens, yell.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Let’s go, honey, I haven’t got all day. I’m going to need to rest for a while after you get your fill, and my next dance is in an hour. If you want, you can stick around and watch,” she said, dragging him to a place in the back.
Sighing, I turned away and looked towards the door, wondering who was going to be my donor. My Sam.
And what was with the weird code-name?
Yawning, I closed my eyes for a minute and tried figuring out what Sam actually stood for. When I lost interest, I opened my eyes and received the shock of my life.
Ethan.
“Oh, my God!” I squealed, running towards him. I threw myself into his arms. “How did you find us? I’ve missed you so much.”
“Shush,” he murmured into my hair, holding me tightly against him. “I’m here now.”
“Where have you been?” I asked, looking up into his icy blue eyes.
He smiled. “I found your mom and brother. I knew you were safe with Duncan, and so I went searching for them and found them. We have to leave now, though. Their lives are in danger and if we don’t leave now, it might be too late.”
“Uh, okay. Duncan is almost finished feeding and I’m supposed to feed, too.”
“There’s no time to spare, Nikki,” he said, wrapping his arms around me tighter. “We have to leave now.”
The next thing I knew, he’d whisked me out of the club and we were in the sky, flying.
“Where are we going?” I asked, slightly dizzy.
“You’ll see.”
We left the city and started towards the desert.
“Why are we going back to the desert?” I asked.
“Because that’s where Celeste has your family,” he replied. “Nathan and your mom.”
“Oh.”
Seconds later, we were landing at the house where I’d been held prisoner the night before.
“Wait,” I said, as we landed right in the open, next to the driveway. I shielded my eyes from the bright sun, wishing I had sunglasses. “Shouldn’t we be sneaking up on them?”
“No need.”
The front door of the house opened up and I stared in horror as Jordan walked out, a triumphant smile on his face. “You found her,” he said. “Good work.”
I turned to Ethan, who was avoiding my eyes. “Ethan? What’s going on?”
“It’s not rocket science, Jordan,” said Ethan, ignoring me. “Well, maybe for you.”
“You’re a funny guy,” replied Jordan. “I think what you’re forgetting is that it took you more time than it should have to get her out to Vegas in the first place.”
“What in the hell is going on here?” I hollered, stepping backwards. “What do you mean, get me to Vegas?”
Jordan smirked. “She still doesn’t know what’s going on?”
“No, she does not!” I snapped. “So please elaborate!”
Ethan walked over to me and grabbed both of my hands. “Sweet Nikki… I’m going to miss you,” he said with a half-smile. “It’s been an interesting journey.”
“What are you talking about?” I cried, my eyes filling with tears. “What’s happening?”
He bit his lip and dropped my hands. “I have to go,” he said, turning to Jordan. “You explain what’s happening. If I have to deal with another emotional outbreak from her, I’m going to slit my own throat.”
I stared at him in shock. How could he be so heartless and cruel? “Ethan!” I cried. “Are you serious?!”
“So now she gets to meet the real you,” laughed Jordan. “I love it when you turn off the charm and show what a real devious asshole you are.”
“At least I have charm, Jordan. You’re just all asshole.”
He smirked. “Touché.”
“As I was saying, I’m leaving, and as you can see, I’ve brought you your package. Just make sure I get what was promised to me in return.”
His eyes swept greedily over my body, making my skin crawl. “Once the deed is done, you’ll get your reward.”
Ethan’s face darkened. “Bullshit. You told me to bring you the girl and I did. Now, I shouldn’t have to wait for anything more. Have Victor contact me as soon as he arrives!”
“Oh, he’s already here,” replied Jordan, looking past us.
I turned around and saw a black Cadillac Seville coming towards us
“Great timing, by the way,” said Jordan.
“I guess so.”
Still wondering what kind of games these two were playing, I turned towards Jordan, who was now sitting on the porch steps. “What do you mean by deed? Killing me? Is that what this is all about? Why in the hell am I so special that killing me earns him something?”
Jordan smirked. “You’ll find out soon enough now that Victor’s here. In fact, I’ll let him explain everything.”
The engine shut off on the car and I turned my head towards the vehicle. When the man got out, all of the blood rushed to my head. Although his hair had grown longer and it was now completely white, I felt like I was staring at a ghost. “Oh, my God,” I gasped, staring at the newcomer in shock. “Daddy?”
Victor’s lips curled up in amusement. “Surprise.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
He stepped closer and kissed my forehead.
“This is… I don’t understand what’s happening,” I squeaked. “And why are they calling you Victor when your name is Galen?”
“Let’s go inside and talk,” he said, placing a hand on my back. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer each and every one of them.”
I cleared my throat. “I… yes, obviously,” I replied, not sure of how I felt. Part of me was happy he hadn’t been murdered, the other part was frightened beyond belief. I knew my dad was dangerous, but I had no idea he was mixed up with these guys.
He turned to Ethan. “I will call you later. Don’t worry, you’ll get everything that was promised to you.”
Ethan sighed. “Fine. You have my number, obviously.”
He nodded. “Yes, and I may have one more job for you, if you’re up for it?”
“Pay me for the first one and then we’ll talk.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Sure,” replied Ethan. His eyes met mine and he smiled. “I have to admit, this was enjoyable. Very enjoyable.”
“Sounds like it was too enjoyable,” said my dad, his voice tight. “Well, regardless, it had to be done.”
Ethan chuckled. “Yes and it was amazing how everything fell into place. I almost feel guilty for making you pay, Victor.”
“Then don’t charge me.”
He chuckled. “I said ‘almost’. Obviously, I have to make an honest living.”
Jordan burst out laughing. “Honest living, that’s a good one!”
Ethan shrugged. “I’m outta here,” he said. “I have a lunch date.”
“A lunch date?” said Victor, with a smirk. “With who? Miranda?”
>
His face grew serious. “Yes, I believe this girl is really the one.”
“You thought I was Miranda, too,” I said, now completely and utterly heartbroken. I felt so used and deceived by Ethan, it made me sick to my stomach. He’d lied to me. He’d played me for a fool. Obviously, I was one.
Victor’s eyebrows shot up. “He did?”
“Yes.”
Ethan scowled. “She does bear a slight resemblance, but obviously, I knew it wasn’t her.”
“I hope so,” said Victor, rubbing his chin. “I don’t want you for this next job if you’re going to be cracking up.”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m more sane than you are, Victor,” he laughed.
I saw the vein stick out in my dad’s forehead, and new he was trying to control his temper. “Very amusing. Keep your phone handy. I’ll be calling you very soon.”
Ethan nodded and then in the blink of an eye, launched himself into the sky without a second glance.
I’d never felt so foolish in my life.
Ethan didn’t care about me.
Never had.
It had all been an act. His words. His lovemaking. It had all been one big lie.
“You okay?” asked Jordan.
Glaring at him, I swallowed back my sobs. Although, I wanted nothing more than to grieve for what I thought I’d had with Ethan, there was no way I’d cry in front of Jordan. I hated him more than Celeste. More than Faye.
My father turned to me. “Well, come on now into the house with me, young lady, and I’ll discuss what’s needed of you.”
“What’s needed of me?” I asked, following him, even though I didn’t really want to go inside of the house.
“Yes. Jordan?” he said as we approached him on the porch. “You have something for me to drink? I’m parched.”
“Yeah, no problem, dad.”
I stopped. “Dad?”
He put a hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Actually, he’s my brother’s kid, but his father, Jonah, died many years ago, when he was just an infant. I’ve pretty much raised him, though.”
“So that lunatic is my cousin?” I asked in horror.
“Oh, I know you two have gotten off to a bad start,” he chuckled. “And that was partly my fault. There was a little miscommunication as to who he was holding last night. I actually thought he had Celeste, not you.”
“What?” It didn’t make sense to me either.
He opened the screen door. “Come inside and I’ll explain everything.”
Feeling like I had no other choice, I reluctantly followed them into the house, to the kitchen. Jordan then reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a beer.
“Thanks,” said my father, popping the cap. He tilted his head back and drank it down quickly as I watched. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth.
“You want anything?” asked Jordan, undressing me with his eyes.
“Nothing from you,” I snapped.
My father laughed. “You do have a grudge against him, don’t you?”
I pointed at him. “First of all, he tried raping me. He beat me, he kidnapped me. He’s a monster!”
Victor nodded. “Well, I’ve been told that he doesn’t have very good control over his natural urges. I’m sorry that you had to see that side of him.”
“Natural urges!” I snapped. “Rape and beating someone shouldn’t be a natural urge!”
He raised his hand. “Calm down. Look, you don’t understand the way of the Lycan, I get that. I’m not even going to discipline you because of it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I guess I should be grateful?”
My father’s face darkened. “I won’t hold your temper against you now, because you’re learning. But in the future, you’d better watch yourself.”
“I don’t understand. How could you be a Lycan? And if you are, why aren’t me and Nathan?”
He leaned over and rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Because, I’m not your real father.”
“What?”
He smiled grimly. “Your mother was pregnant when I met her. I fell for her hard, though, and didn’t hold it against her. The man who knocked her up, well, he took off. Left her pregnant and broke.”
“But, I thought you two went to high school together, and that you were her first and only boyfriend?”
“No, that was something she made up. It was actually your father who dated her all through high school. After she got pregnant, Anne never saw him again.”
“So, you’re not my real dad?”
Part of me was sad, another part relieved beyond comprehension.
He touched my shoulder. “No, but I’ve always loved you. I loved both you and Nathan since I first set eyes on you.”
There was something in his eyes that didn’t hold true to what he was saying. There was coldness there that actually made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
“So, how did you know we were in Shore Lake?”
“I set that up myself,” he replied with a smug smile. “Through Ernie. I’ve known him a lot longer than your mother has. I even put him up to giving her a job.”
“What?”
“Yeah. One of my brethren owns the firm she worked for, and it was easy getting her transferred out there.”
“What about the cabin we stayed in. Who owns that?”
“It’s mine. Why do you think your mom is renting it so cheap?”
I gasped. “That’s your cabin? How come we never knew anything about it?”
“Because your mother wouldn’t have understood, and would have started asking too many questions.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “This is crazy. Does she know you’re a Lycan? You are a Lycan, right?”
“Yes, I am and no, she doesn’t.”
“He’s an Alpha,” replied Jordan. “Victor is going to take over the other clans soon. They’ll all answer to him.”
“The entire world will be answering to me one day,” said Victor, smiling arrogantly “Someday soon.”
I started to pace. “This is crazy. What you’re basically saying is that you wanted us to move to Shore Lake? You planned it all along?”
“Only after your mother and I had a falling out.”
“You mean after you beat the hell out of her,” I replied, glaring at him.
He shrugged. “She disobeyed me and I had to teach her a lesson.”
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that he was nothing more than an animal and didn’t deserve my mother, but now I was terrified of him more than ever. “How does Ethan, Celeste, and Caleb fit into all of this?”
His face darkened. “Caleb is a traitor. He was supposed to keep an eye on Anne, but instead, he fell for her and fucked everything up.”
“So, he knows about you?”
“Yes. I’ve known that bastard for years. He’s on my payroll. Now he’s on my hit list.”
I swallowed. “And Celeste?”
“She’s had her uses, but not anymore. I’m going to show Caleb what happens to those who betray me.”
“She’s not working with you?”
He smirked. “She’s been strung around. She thinks she’s in control, but I’m using her to bring down my wrath on those who’ve deceived me.”
“Including my mother?”
His eyes burned into mine. “I don’t hold anything against her. Well, not anymore. She doesn’t really know what’s going on. Hell, I almost feel sorry for her.”
“So, you’re not going to kill her?”
“No. Of course not.”
I let out sigh of relief.
“Any more questions?”
“Obviously I have so many questions, I don’t even know what to ask next.”
“We’re kind of on some time constraints, so try to hurry.”
“What about Ethan?” I blurted.
He sighed. “After Caleb fucked up, I used Ethan to keep an eye on things. To track what was happening while I was taking care of business in other states.”
/>
“Did he tell you about me… becoming a vampire.”
“Yes. In fact, after he told me, I had an epiphany. One that brings us to where we are today.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want to create a new race of Lycan. A breed that will be so powerful, nothing will stand in our way.”
“What?”
He walked over to Jordan and put an arm around his shoulder. “Well, I was originally going to have my nephew here father your child.”
I stared at him in horror. “What?”
He smiled. “Genius, isn’t it? A Lycan and a vampire, creating a new species of soldiers.”
“I… you’re kidding right?”
“Not at all.”
“Why can’t you choose a different vampire?” I said. “Why me?”
“Most of the female vampires we’ve encountered, including Celeste, have eggs that are dried up and no good. But you… you have just recently been turned, and I believe there is a chance that if you breed with a Lycan, soon, there will be great success!”
“What?”
Breed? He was referring to us like we were animals. Technically, only one of us was.
“Your eggs should be infused with vampire D.N.A. now. If we mate you with a Lycan right away, I believe that not only will this child be powerful, but the answer to our future. Not only will it be stronger and faster, but I will raise it as my own.”
“You’re kidding?”
He ignored me. “Now, as I was saying, I was going to breed you with Jordan here, but I’ve since changed my mind. He isn’t stable and obviously, way too unpredictable. I can only imagine what his offspring would be like.”
“What do you mean?” whined Jordan. “You promised her to me!”
“Don’t interrupt me,” warned Victor. “I know what I’m doing.”
“No,” growled Jordan, stepping closer to him. “You promised her to me, uncle, and as far as I’m concerned, the deal is still on.”
“Jordan,” said Victor, his voice eerily polite. “I think you’re forgetting who you’re speaking to.”
“I don’t care!” he snapped. He stormed over to me and grabbed my wrist. “It’s time to fulfill my end of the agreement. The one that was promised.”
Sighing, Victor reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. “Such a waste,” he muttered, aiming it at Jordan. “Step away from him.” He looked at me.
Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three Page 14