"Just one. Vincent Craig," one of the hunters shouted down the stairs.
"Where’s Darien Falveros?" Motioning for Addison to sit on a nearby chair, Zak took a few steps away. "He should be here."
"Haven’t seen him." Shrugging his shoulders, the hunter looked out one of the large windows then up to the others again. "Did any of you guys get him?"
The men upstairs hollered down, "No."
"Not here, either." This one came from down the hall.
"Damn." Shaking his head, Zak looked over at Addison. "Do you know where Darien is?"
"I think he’s with the Master. I haven’t seen him all day." Addison had her head down, twisting a piece of her hair around her finger.
Zak motioned for Addison’s phone. "Let’s give him a call and see where he is then." She gazed up at him with annoyed eyes as she shook her head. "Give me your fucking phone!" Zak’s friendly expression quickly turned angry, his nose scrunching up as he held his axe up in front of his face as if he were going to attack her. "Now!"
Addison jumped back, almost hitting her head on the wall as she cowered at the sight of the sharp blade. Shakily, she reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell. She held it out to him with trembling fingers.
"Thank you." Zak swiftly snatched it. He scrolled through her contacts, "Ah, here it is! Let’s send the old guy a message."
Addison crossed her legs over each other, bouncing them furiously as she folded her arms as well. She wanted to scream, attack someone, anything, but all she did was sit back and give into the hunters. She looked up at a small red light hiding high above her head, a giant frown on her annoyed face.
Zak typed out,
Where are you?
* * * *
While sitting in his car, Darien glanced at his phone as he ran an annoyed hand over his face roughly. He was watching the security cameras in the manor through the laptop on the dash. Addison was looking up at the camera with a giant frown on her face.
Darien heard a small beep as the message from Zak appeared. Letting out a forced sigh, he read it.
"Fuck that, Monroe." Shaking his head, he clicked open the glove compartment, taking out two guns and a set of brass knuckles with sharp spikes fitted on the top. He was parked inside an old building on the manor property, a good distance from the house.
He stuffed the guns inside his pants and slid the brass knuckles over his hands. An evil smile filled his face as he licked his lips, "I’m up for a little hunting…" He looked over at the person sitting in the passenger seat, "Aren’t you?"
Zak snickered as he read the reply. "I’m here."
He set the phone down on a nearby table, then quickly turned to his hunters. "Everyone hide, and we’ll catch him off guard. Darien’s the Master’s best hunter, so he won’t go down easy." Zak made a shooing motion toward his men, speaking now in a hushed voice, "Go!"
They dispersed quickly, Addison staying put in her chair and glaring at Zak. Zak walked over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Come on." He covered her mouth, pulling her along and making her hide with him in the next room.
Breathing heavily, Addison’s scared gaze bounced around, but the darkness made it hard to see. It was quiet for a few minutes, the passing seconds dragging. She started to cry, her worry over Darien getting hurt overwhelming her thoughts. When Zak heard her muffled sobs, he held his hand tighter over her mouth and pulled her closer to his chest.
A loud crash came from upstairs, making Addison jump. She started struggling in his arms, her tears coming faster as she tried to get away. He pulled out his axe, the sight of it halting her struggle. Her eyes crossed as she looked at the blade, which was barely visible in the dark. He didn’t have to hold her so tightly now, Addison’s attention now glued on the weapon.
It was silent again, this time lasting for a few minutes. Then, Zak pushed a button on the small headset he was wearing, "What happened up there?" He didn’t get a response. "Is there anyone upstairs?" Again, there was no answer from his men. "Fuck."
Taking his hand off Addison’s mouth, he pulled a small object out of his pocket. He ripped off the cap with his teeth, as she tried to make out what it was in the dark. "What is—"
She quickly found out what it was, as he stabbed her in the arm with the needle. Addison could feel the liquid flowing, its effect immediate. Her body went limp in his arms, and Zak slowly lowered her to the ground, leaving her hidden behind a table, the long curtains covering her body from view.
Holding his axe, Zak slowly slid into the next room. His feet touched something soft, his eyes looking down at the floor and seeing the dead body of one of his hunters. He didn’t linger on it and quickly checked out the rest of the area, trying to move as stealthily as he could. He saw a shadow move on the stairs then heard Addison’s phone ring.
Zak made sure to stay out of sight, taking refuge behind a nearby couch. His eyes were glued on the figure coming down the stairs, a great fear welling up inside him.
He could see two of his hunters hiding near the staircase, the pair unable to move because Christian was so close to them. As if smelling their presence, Christian pointed the gun in his hand downward. A small smile spread over his handsome face as he pulled the trigger, firing two perfectly aimed shots. There was a silencer on the gun, the kill clean and quiet.
Zak looked over at the window where he had left Addison, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to get her out of the manor. He knew starting a fight with Christian was not an option now, especially on his own. He also knew that if Christian was here, so was Darien, and the pair made a very deadly, dangerous duo.
After a few seconds of careful thinking, Zak knew he had to retreat. He would find another way to get Addison back. He needed her alone, needed to grab her when Christian wasn’t standing in his way. Gritting his teeth, Zak slowly edged his way toward the open door near him.
Christian walked over to the table and picked up Addison’s phone, a deep scowl on his face as he scrolled through her messages. While Christian was looking away, Zak slipped into the next room. His fight with Christian would come soon, but not now. Zak wanted that day to be perfect, he knew it had to be perfect.
Christian and Darien searched the rest of the house for any more hunters and also for Addison, who they could not find. A few hours passed, and the two men rested in the sitting room. They were the only people in the house, the servants and other vampires all dead.
Christian was sitting lazily in a chair, his black suit perfectly pressed, not showing an ounce of blood. There was a finger paused at the corner of his lip, and his tongue paused under one of his fangs. There was a great silence, neither Christian nor Darien saying a word to each other.
A crashing from the other room broke them out of their sulky states. Christian was the first out of his chair. He ran to the main staircase, a small chuckle escaping his lips when his gaze fell upon the person making all the noise.
Addison was trying to climb the stairs but had tripped over a large plant that sat on the landing. She was sitting on the floor with her legs sprawled out in unnatural positions, her head so dizzy she couldn’t see anything around her clearly.
Christian quickly scaled the stairs and bent down on the floor next to her. "There you are." His smile grew as Addison looked up at him with sleepy eyes, her head so heavy she could barely hold it up.
When she saw him, she began to cry, her voice coming out babyish and whiney, "Christian…" She held her arms out to him, and he picked her up, carrying her back down the stairs.
"I am here, my love." Christian held her close.
"I was so scared, Christian. I'm so glad you came home in time." She looked up at him, a look of great love in her eyes. "I thought the hunters were going to kill Darien."
"Darien would have survived without my help, but for you, my love…I would run the length of the world and kill a million men to save you."
"Because I'm your sun, right Christian?" A small giggle escaped h
er lips as she laid her head on his chest and looked up at him as if in total awe of his perfection.
"Ah, yes." Christian laughed, forming a calm smile as he turned away from her as he walked. Then, he proceeded to speak in an ancient tongue, the beautiful words pouring from his mouth in a smooth buttery tone that made her whole body tingle in delight. "My love for you fuels the sun, the light that illuminates all that is beautiful."
His voice trailed as he spoke, Addison's smile so soft and admiring that he could feel the intense heat radiating off her slightly reddening cheeks.
Chapter Three
Addison’s Greatest Fear
A giant grin filled Addison's excited face as she held onto the handle of the car door. Her fingers tightened around it, her breath deepening as she watched the manor get closer and closer. When they came to a stop, Addison didn't wait for Christian and Darien. Before Christian even put the vehicle in park, Addison had shoved open the lock and was out the door.
Christian shoved the shifter with a more force than needed, his annoyed eyes glancing up to the rearview mirror. He looked past Darien in the backseat and watched Addison instead.
Standing at a back entrance to the manor, Addison placed her hands on her front thighs as she gazed up at the familiar place. She was finally back in Caron, the country where she grew up and the first place she had lived in as a vampire.
Even though most of the vampires she had the best memories of were dead, being here still made her feel warm and safe. It felt like laying in the arms of her mentor Nicolette. Addison wrapped her arms around herself as she closed her eyes and smiled with the thought.
She didn't linger outside long, quickly dashing inside to find Josh. He was all Addison had talked about on the way here, and the subject had Christian extremely annoyed.
Running up the stairs and down the long hallways, Addison sought out Josh, who was working somewhere in the west end. One of the maids told her he was patching a few holes in the wall of a bedroom near the end of the hall.
She searched the silent space for any life, her smile growing when she heard the faint sound of music. It was a cheesy love song, the kind that gets played over and over on the radio and gets stuck in your head, whether you want it to or not.
Slowing her pace, she tiptoed toward the partially open door. Peering into the small crack, her gaze fell upon her brother, who was painting the wall. His pants were falling down, his hand going to the band of them and yanking it back up. He was dressed sloppily, his hair long and hanging in his eyes.
Inching her way into the room, Addison snuck up behind him. "Grr!" In a quick motion, she wrapped her arms around his waist and sunk her fangs into his neck playfully.
Josh jumped, his fearful expression melting when he saw her. "God damn it, Addison! You scared the shit outta me!"
"You should've seen your face!" Addison laughed as she pretended to wipe away some blood from the corner of her mouth, watching Josh touch the small bite wound on his neck. She had barely bit him, but it was enough to draw a little blood. "You looked like you were going to faint."
"Whatever." Josh continued to dab at it, but wasn’t really bleeding, "I did not."
"Okay, okay, you didn't."
"So, when'd you get here?" Josh tossed his roller onto a paint tray and shut the pail before turning around to face her again.
"Just a few minutes ago." She held out her arms, making a few quick, impatient, “come hither” motions with her hands. "Come on, give me a hug. I missed you."
Instead of waiting for Josh, Addison quickly embraced him. Even though he gave an annoyed grunt, she loved the feeling of her brother’s arms around her, his body heat making her whole body feel warm.
"Hey, stop it already." Josh pushed her away, and even though he was giving her an annoyed look, he couldn't hide the small smile that was peeking through. "Somebody's gonna see us."
"Who cares?" She pulled back, examining his face, which had smears of paint on it. "You're my brother, and I'll hug you if I want." She wiped at some of the spots, but Josh shoved her hand aside.
"Who cares? Well, the Master for one."
"What?" Addison laughed, playfully hitting Josh's shoulder and trying to make him smile. "Why would he care?"
"’Cause he hates me." Crossing his arms over his chest, Josh narrowed his eyes. "Samson said the Master's gonna be fishing for a reason to kick my ass, and I should watch out when he gets back."
"No." Her eyes looked away from Josh briefly and at the large white patches in the wall Josh hadn't painted yet. There were a lot of them around the room, and she knew something bad had happened in here. "He doesn't want to kick your ass. You're being paranoid, Josh, he—"
"I'm dead serious, Addison." Josh tried to speak in a lower tone as he took a step closer to her, "Samson said Master Vallore has his eye on me, and you and I both know it's not cause he wants to make me an elite. He doesn't want me anywhere near you. He doesn't want anyone near you."
"That's not true." Glaring at the floor, Addison pushed her lips together firmly for a few seconds before she spoke again, "The Master wants me to have friends."
"He wants you to have his friends."
"Josh," Letting out a small sigh, she put her hand to her forehead. There was a defeated sound in her voice as she looked at him with sad eyes, "Let's not fight. I came to see you, so let's just forget about Master Vallore for a few minutes."
"Sure." Josh grabbed the rag out of his pocket and wiped his face with it. His eyes wandered over to a few people standing in the doorway as he quickly kneaded the coarse fabric with his fingers. He smiled nervously back at his sister and tried to ignore them, "So how long are you staying?"
"I’m not sure," Addison shrugged. "Hopefully for a few months. I’ve missed Caron a lot, and I'd love to see mom and dad while I'm here."
Josh picked up a towel near him and wiped off his hands, his eyes going to Christian’s instead of paying attention to what his sister was saying.
"What are you—" Addison turned her head, her eyes settling on Christian’s. He was leaning up against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, his body perfectly framed by the light coming in from the windows behind him. When he noticed her stare, he turned his gaze from her and looked at Darien instead.
"There you are, princess." Darien motioned from them to come over, a friendly tone in his voice, "Is that your brother? He's a little guy, ain't he?" A devilish chuckle escaped his lips, his expression anything but innocent. "Bring him over here and let me meet him."
"Umm," she looked at Darien and then back at Josh. "I don’t think that’s—"
"Sure. We’ll be over in a sec." Josh moved forward, but Addison lunged, wrapping her arms around him. Her action surprised him, and Josh quickly turned to her and lightly tapped her back. "Hey, what's wrong, Addy?"
"Stay here." Like a pouty child, Addison wouldn't let go, some of the paint on his clothes transferring onto the front of her blouse. "I don't want you to get hurt."
Josh could feel her body trembling furiously. Her happy mood had suddenly faded. Addison’s hands tightened around the fabric of his shirt, holding it hostage in her fists. Her memories of Christian killing her sister a few years ago suddenly consumed her thoughts. Moreover, after her conversation with Josh, she didn’t want him anywhere near Christian.
"Addy…" Whispering in her ear, Josh tried to calm her down, "It’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it." Pulling away from her, Josh grabbed her hand and sent her a reassuring smile, "Come on and introduce me to your new friend." Josh walked a reluctant Addison over to Darien and Christian, her head down as she trailed behind him. "Good evening, Master Vallore."
Josh waved to Christian, but was unable to keep up his friendly smile when he saw the warm reception he was getting. There was a challenging look in the vampire’s eyes, Christian seeming to size him up like he would a foe. After working in the manor for several years, he had seen the things the Master was capable of, and the thought of being on Christ
ian's bad side terrified him.
Swallowing his fear, Josh turned to Darien instead, yanking hard on Addison’s hand and making her stumble forward so that she would stand next to him. "Hi." Josh smiled at Darien, squeezing Addison’s hand in his when she tried pulling back. "I’m Josh, Addison’s big brother." He held his other hand out to Darien in greeting.
"Nice to meet you." Darien nodded but didn’t shake his hand. Instead, he took on an intimidating pose, folding his arms over his chest like a bird puffing itself up to seem bigger. His eyes narrowed on Josh for a few seconds then wandered down to Josh and Addison's joined hands. Then, he looked back to Josh, a slightly venomous tone to his voice as he glared. "Our little princess has told me a lot about you. You two seem pretty close."
Addison looked over at Christian, who was eyeing Josh with the same threatening expression. His hand was poised at his lips, his mouth partially open to reveal his fangs.
"Christian…" She quickly let go of Josh’s hand and moved to Christian, rubbing her body up against his until she got him to turn to her. "I—"
"You must be tired." Christian wrapped his arms around her waist. "Go upstairs while Darien and I speak with your brother."
"I don’t want to sleep." Addison tried to wiggle away, but he pulled her closer. Her eyes darted quickly over his face then to Josh, who was giving her a nervous smile. Her hands rested on his shoulders, Addison poised to shove Christian back. "I want to talk to Josh, too. I—"
Christian motioned for Darien to leave with Josh before answering. "Be a good girl and do as I say." Grabbing the sides of her face, he made her look at him, her eyes struggling to look in the direction of where Darien was taking her brother. "I know what’s best for you." He placed the side of his hand against her cheek, making long steady strokes. "You can see him later."
There was great worry on Addison’s face, her fear of losing her brother like she had her sister, Kelly, bringing her to tears. "But, I—"
Seed of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2) Page 3