Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three

by Middleton, Kristen

  “Obviously they’re expecting us,” I said as we entered the loud club.

  Duncan said something.

  “What?!” I hollered over the loud pounding of the music.

  “Place hasn’t changed!”

  I had to agree there. Not only was it overcrowded, but it seemed like everyone was on Ecstasy or something. The entire place reeked of sin and debauchery.

  We walked through a swarm of undulating bodies towards the stairs and I tried ignoring the sweet smell of salty mortal flesh. Although the idea of putting my mouth on a stranger’s skin didn’t sound very appealing, my stomach began to growl.

  “The V.I.P. lounge is upstairs,” said Duncan.

  “Oh, you’ve been there?” I asked, smirking.

  “A couple times with Celeste and your brother. That’s where she usually hangs out.”

  “What, is there a bed in there?”

  He chuckled and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

  When we got to this so-called V.I.P. room, a bouncer was monitoring the door. He had dark skin, muscles on muscles, and towered over both of us.

  “Private party,” he said, chewing on gum. “You’ve got a pass?”

  “Is Celeste inside?” I asked.

  He stared at me for a minute. “You Nikki?”

  “Yep.”

  “Go downstairs and through the kitchen. When you get out the other side, you’ll see a door marked ‘Office.’ She’s waiting for you.”

  “Okay,” I said, pulling Duncan with me. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, a guy in his thirties stopped us.

  “Duncan!” Where’ve you been?”

  “Oh, hey, Merle.”

  “I’ve been trying to get ahold of your dad to see how he’s coming along with my boat, but he’s not returning any of my calls.” He frowned. “I have to say, it’s pissing me off.”

  “Sorry. Look, the next time I see him, I’ll tell him to call you.”

  “Actually, I’m only in town for another day. I’d appreciate it if you’d have him call me right away, or give me the keys to my boat.”

  “Sure.”

  They kept talking and I turned my head towards the bar, only to find Ethan standing there. He smiled and then waved me over with his finger.

  “Duncan,” I said, turning to him. “We have –”

  “Better yet,” said the man. “Why don’t we just walk over there now and see if your old man is around.”

  “Now isn’t a good time,” he replied.

  The man’s face turned red. “I don’t think you understand…”

  A crowd of people walked by and somehow I was jostled away from Duncan. Then someone grabbed my hand and pulled me away. Before I knew what had happened, I was standing in a deserted part of the club with Ethan.

  “Ah… alone at last,” he said, grinning wickedly.

  “What in the hell are you doing?” I asked, stepping backwards.

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me to his chest. “Come on, Nikki. I made a mistake. I fucked up. But I know that now and… I want to make it up to you.”

  I stared into his icy blue eyes and felt nothing but revulsion. “Let go of me.”

  He licked his lips. “You’re mine. You will always be mine. I don’t care about anything else – Miranda, Victor, helping Celeste. Let’s get out of here and we’ll start over.”

  I pushed him in the chest. “Not only are you pathetic, but you’re deranged. I don’t care if you think you’ve made a mistake. I love Duncan and will never do anything to hurt him.”

  His lips twisted into an ugly scowl. “I will not share you with anyone. If you refuse to leave with me, you’ll never leave this building alive.”

  I stared at him in horror. “You’re a monster, Ethan.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said and then grabbed me by the neck. He threw me up against the wall. “What’s it going to be, my love?”

  I gasped for breath and tried uncurling his fingers from my neck, but he was much stronger than me. I then tried grabbing him by the testicles, but he caught my hand.

  “Really? You have to work on your defense techniques.”

  Suddenly Duncan was standing behind Ethan, his eyes blazing with rage.

  Sensing him there, Ethan snapped his head back, slamming it into Duncan’s face.

  “Duncan!” I screamed as two bouncers stormed into the room towards him.

  Ethan released my neck and turned to the security guards. “Take him out of here.”

  Before they could put their hands on Duncan, he turned and bared his fangs. “Just try it,” he growled.

  “Get him!” hollered Ethan.

  “What the fuck?” gasped the taller one, as Duncan’s eyes turned a reddish orange.

  Free of Ethan’s hold, but still trapped against the wall, I pulled my fist back and slammed it the side of his jaw with everything I had. His feet lifted from the ground and he flew across the room, tumbling to the floor, surprising everyone in the room, including me. I stared at my fist in shock and smiled. Somehow, I was growing stronger.

  The two security guards stared at me in shock and then backed out of the room.

  “Damn, girl,” smiled Duncan. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”

  “Must be the new diet,” I replied, thinking of the fresh blood from the Red Cross.

  Ethan stood up and rubbed his jaw. “Not bad,” he said. “But also not affective, enough.”

  Before I knew what was happening, he launched at me, fangs first. Fortunately, Duncan intercepted his attack by grabbing him by the head and slamming his face against the ground.

  “You seem to be making a lot of mistakes, bro,” smirked Duncan, staring down at his bloody nose.

  “I’m… not… your… bro!” growled Ethan, springing up from the ground. This time, he lucked out, getting him with an uppercut that knocked him across the room. As Duncan’s head hit the wall, Ethan launched at him again and began wailing on his face with both fists, treating his face like a punching bag.

  “Stop!” I screamed, jumping onto his back. I grabbed his neck and tried twisting it.

  “Bitch,” he yelled, flying backwards, slamming my spine against the wall several times.

  Gasping, I released his neck and slid to the ground.

  He turned around and smiled coldly. “You’ve turned into a little spitfire. I have to tell you, it’s quite the turn-on.”

  Duncan took that moment to slam a metal chair on top of Ethan’s head. He fell to his knees and I watched as the chair came down, again and again. Soon the top of Ethan’s head was covered in blood and he lay unconscious on the ground.

  “Let’s go,” said Duncan, holding out his hand. “Before he regains consciousness.”

  I grabbed it and he pulled me up. “Aren’t you going to kill him?”

  “As much as I’d like to, I’m not a murderer. I’ll leave that up to Victor when he finds him.”

  “We have to find Celeste,” I said.

  “Celeste is right here,” she said, standing in the doorway. “What happened to him?”

  “He was tired,” said Duncan. “Needed a nap.”

  She smirked. “Right.”

  “He tried making a move on me,” I said. “And so they started fighting. Anyway, we need to talk about my mom, but the music in the club is driving me crazy. Can we go somewhere quiet? Like the alley?”

  She shrugged. “I guess. Come on.”

  We followed her to the back loading dock and she opened up the door. “You first.”

  I peered into the darkness but didn’t see anyone lurking in the alley.

  “You cold?” she asked.

  “No, why?’ I said as we stepped into the darkness.

  “You’re shivering.”

  I looked down and noticed my hands were trembling. I had to admit, I was so nervous, I wanted to run.

  “So,” she said, sitting down on the steps. “How should we do this?”

  “Obviously we need to get her alone,�
� I said, looking past the dumpster, wondering when Victor’s men were going to spring.

  “I doubt that’s going to happen,” she said. “Maybe you should call Victor and see if he’ll let you see her?”

  “Maybe.”

  She smirked. “Or… maybe you already have?”

  I tried not to show my fear. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, Nikki,” she said, smiling up at me in amusement. “You’re so predictable. By the way, have you talked to Nathan lately?”

  My heart sunk. “Why?”

  She took out her cell phone and dialed some numbers. “You feeling okay?” she asked into the phone. With a satisfied grin she winked at me. “Good. That’s what you get for putting your hand in the cookie jar, Ethan. Bring us Nathan, we’re in the alley.”

  I scowled as she hung up the phone. “What’s going on?”

  “I should be asking you the same question. You arrived in town last night and a little birdie told me that you spoke to Victor.”

  I wasn’t sure how she found out, but I knew Nathan’s life was resting in our hands at the moment.

  “We tried reasoning with him,” replied Duncan. “But, obviously it didn’t work.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “And that’s it?”

  “Yeah, why?” I asked.

  Her eyes burned into mine. “You didn’t bring up me or Ethan?”

  “No, why?” I asked, my voice steady.

  “Did he ask how you found out about the baby?”

  “We told him that Nikki had returned to the cabin to get some of her things and acted surprised.”

  “Good,” she said, nodding.

  A few seconds later, Ethan showed up with Nathan, who looked pissed as all hell.

  “Nikki! Why in the fuck did you leave me behind?” he snapped.

  “We did it because it was too dangerous,” replied Duncan on my behalf.

  “You guys can’t keep making decisions for me,” he said. “Fortunately, these guys stopped back to the boat and gave me lift back here.”

  “Good thing,” said Celeste with a smug grin.

  I turned to look at Ethan, who had blood trickling from the top of his head and down his cheek. I watched as his eyes locked with Duncan’s and they stared each other down with raw hate.

  “You two better work out your differences,” said Celeste, turning to Duncan. “We are going to have to stick together if we want to do this right. Right, Ethan?”

  Before Ethan could answer, a dark shadow fell from above the sky, landing next to Ethan.

  Ethan took a step back. “Drake, what are you doing here?”

  “Heard there was going to be a party here tonight,” he replied.

  “From who?” he asked.

  “From me,” replied Victor, stepping out of the shadows with a half dozen other men, who I could only assume were Lycans. He smiled darkly. “I thought a reunion was in order. You remember Drake, right? Celeste? Ethan?”

  I remembered Drake, but I didn’t know much about him other than that he was a drop-dead gorgeous vampire from Australia. Although, he was cocky, he’d also never been a threat to me. This night, however, there was something very menacing about him.

  Victor turned to me. “Drake, like Ethan, does some odd jobs for me. Drake, unlike Ethan, is faithful, reliable, and trustworthy.”

  I glanced at Ethan, who, for the first time ever, looked uneasy.

  “Hey, cobber!” called Drake, waving to Nathan. “Long time no see.”

  Nathan tossed him a dirty look but didn’t respond. He must have sensed the danger in the air and knew he was in way over his head.

  “You,” snarled Celeste, storming towards me. “You betrayed us!”

  I glared back at her. “How does it feel?”

  Her eyes turned bright red. “I’m going to kill you once and for all,” she growled and then pounced on me.

  We landed on the cement, my head hitting gravel. As she tried biting me in the cheek, I grabbed her by the throat, turned over until I was on top of her and slapped her across the face.

  “Ow!” she cried, touching her cheek. “God, you’re such a bitch!”

  “Have you had enough?” I screamed into her face. “Because I’ve had enough of your bullshit to last me a lifetime! I swear to God, Celeste, if you don’t back down, I’m going to beat you until your face is beyond repair. I’m so tired of your lies and this need you have to destroy my family! It has to end! Now!”

  She stared up at me with tears and loathing. “It won’t end until you’re dead,” she spat.

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Now who’s the drama queen?”

  With a loud shriek, she flipped us over and began punching me in the face. Blood sprayed from my nose, covering her fists, and my right cheek burned with hot pain as she got in a few licks with her knuckles.

  “Ohh…” I moaned, holding my cheek as Duncan and Nathan pulled her off of me. I spit out a tooth and stared down at it in horror.

  “It will grow back,” chuckled Drake. “Man, that was a good catfight.”

  “Glad I could help entertain you,” I said, spitting out blood this time.

  Victor snapped his fingers. “Boys, take Celeste back to the van. As far as Ethan goes, Drake,” he smiled, “it’s time to earn that money I paid you.”

  Drake smiled and cracked his knuckles and turned to Ethan. “No offense, bloke, but this is just business.”

  Ethan shot up into the sky.

  “Oh, how I love a good chase,” said Drake, following suit.

  “Well, that’s that,” said Victor, smiling triumphantly as Celeste was ushered away, a gun pointed at her head. “Celeste is under my control and Ethan’s done for.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Duncan. “Ethan isn’t exactly a pushover.”

  “Drake is over a thousand years old. He’s the most powerful vampire in North America, which is interesting because he’s from Australia. No, Ethan doesn’t stand a chance.”

  I stared up into the sky, and although I hated Ethan for the way he’d hurt me, there was a tiny part of me that would grieve for him if what Victor said was true. Like all of us, he’d been somebody’s victim once, too.

  “I’d like to say that you’re always welcome to come by and visit your mother and me at the cabin,” said Victor. He paused and let out a ragged sigh. “But, there were some complications.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Nathan, walking towards him.

  Victor smiled grimly. “Your mom tried to escape last night and it set off a chain of very, very unfortunate events.”

  My heart stopped. “Like what?”

  “Well, first, she fell from your balcony. Apparently, she didn’t know how to fly yet, and not only injured herself, but also lost the baby.”

  I covered my mouth. “Is she okay?” I asked, staring at him in horror.

  He sighed. “No, I’m afraid that after she lost the baby, your mother went completely mad. She got ahold of one of my shotguns, and… killed herself.” He pointed towards his brain. “A bullet to the head.”

  “No!” I choked, feeling as if someone punched me in the stomach and tore out my heart.

  “I don’t believe you!” hollered Nathan. “She would never kill herself.”

  “I’m sorry, Nathan. It’s true. I’m sure none of us could understand the devastation she must have felt after killing her unborn child.”

  “But it was an accident,” I sobbed, unable to believe that I’d lost my mother for the second time in a month.

  Duncan put his arm around me. I closed my eyes and leaned against him.

  “I want to see her,” said Nathan.

  I opened my eyes.

  Victor nodded. “You most certainly can. At the funeral. I’m having one for her next week. You’re welcome to attend. You should, she’s your mother.”

  “We’ll be there,” said Nathan. “Count on it.”

  “Obviously, it will be a closed casket,” he said. “You’re welcome to take a peek inside if yo
u have any doubts. Before the service.”

  I shuddered.

  “I’d best get back to the cabin with Celeste. Which reminds me,” he chuckled, “there will probably be more than one funeral next week.”

  “You’re going to kill her?” I asked.

  “After we play a few games and she learns obedience, yes, I’m going to kill her. She betrayed me more than once,” he said.

  “What about us?” asked Nathan. “Are we just free to go?”

  “Of course. As long as you respect my boundaries and never interfere with any of my plans, I’ll allow you to live. But,” his eyes grew a yellowish-orange. “You go against me or one of my brethren, I’ll hunt you down and show no mercy.”

  None of us said anything.

  Victor’s eyes returned to normal. He turned around and walked towards the darkness. “Don’t forget about your mom’s funeral next week. Probably Friday. Watch for her obituary in the paper.”

  After he was gone, the three of us looked at each other.

  “What now?” asked Nathan, looking somber.

  “We go back to the Keys,” I said. “And make plans.”

  “For what?” asked Duncan. “I doubt Victor is going to let you plan her funeral.”

  “I’m talking about locating mom. She’s not dead,” I whispered.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Duncan.

  “He wants a vampire baby. He’d spent all that time trying to kidnap me, because he thought I could get pregnant, because I’d so recently turned. Then, when mom actually became pregnant, he didn’t need me anymore.”

  “So?” asked Nathan.

  I smiled grimly. “Obviously, he still doesn’t need me.”

  ***

  End Book Three

  Book Four Available Early 2014

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