by L. E. Wilson
Nik spun around and hunkered down over Emma, protecting her as well as he could from the flying debris.
When the dust settled, Luukas stood in the opening, feet spread wide, one hand clenched into a fist at his side. The other hand wrapped around the wrist of a curvy, dark-haired female.
Nik stepped out from the doorway, and Emma stumbled out from behind him. Pushing him out of the way, she ran towards the stairs, eager to get down to her sister. “Keira!” she sobbed.
“Emma…” her sister breathed. Her hazel eyes, just like her sister’s, were wide with disbelief.
Luukas’ dark head whipped around at the sound of Emma’s voice, his wild eyes focusing in on the tiny human running towards them, calling for his witch.
Pulling his lips back in a snarl, he hissed at her menacingly in warning.
Focused only on her sister and not realizing the danger she was in, Emma ran, ignoring the demented-looking vampire, until Nik was suddenly on the step below her. Grabbing her up mid-air, he forcibly held her against his hard chest.
“Let me go!” She struggled hard against him, kicking his shins and pounding his shoulders with her small fists. Tears ran unchecked down her face.
***
Nik held her tight, keeping his back to his brother, not wanting to entice him further by staring directly at him. He took the pounding she was giving him, repeating softly in her ear, “Sweetheart, just wait. Something isn’t right with him. Emma, something isn’t right with him.”
Nik halfway turned with Emma still struggling in his arms and curiously eyed up his older brother. His dark hair was long and lank, his T-shirt so riddled with blood and dirt, you couldn’t tell its original color. His jeans were also stiff with dirt. And he was barefoot. The girl he still held onto wasn’t in much better shape.
But the thing that stood out the most to him were his eyes. His grey eyes had gone completely black. Skittering around the room, they seemed to have a hard time focusing on anyone in particular.
He bared his fangs at all of them. Even Nikulas.
Nik set Emma down with a stern warning to stay where she was. “Do not move. I honestly don’t know what he’ll do. Give me a moment to talk to him, Em.”
Once he made sure she was going to stay put, he glanced over uneasily at the wolves before he slowly eased down another step. “Luukas? Hey big brother. It’s just me. Nik.”
Apprehensively, he eased down another step.
A snarl ripped from Luukas’s throat as his eyes swung from the pacing wolves to his brother. Cocking his head, he watched the tall, blonde vampire ease towards him, recognition finally flickering across his face. Sheathing his fangs a bit, he yanked Keira partly behind him with the death grip he maintained on her wrist.
Nikulas noticed she wasn’t fighting him. Interesting.
“The witch is mine.” His deep voice was raspy and broken. From lack of use? From screaming? Nik tampered down his rising anger at the sound of it. Right now, he just needed to get his brother calm.
“Okay man, you can have her.” Ignoring Emma’s sound of protest, he eased down a few more steps. “No one is going to take your witch. I just want to say hello to my brother.”
He’d reached the bottom of the steps, and was now less than twenty feet from the hole in the wall where his brother stood. Checking the urge to run over and grab him up in a bear hug, he waited to see what Luukas would do.
Luukas took a halting step into the room, scanning the area in that twitchy way he now had.
“Where is she?” he ground out between gritted teeth.
Nik knew whom he was talking about without having to ask. “She’s gone. She took Aiden with her.” His voice broke slightly as he briefly filled Luukas in on what happened once they’d arrived.
Luukas growled low in his throat as his lips twitched back off his fangs in anger. “I’m going to rip her apart. Slowly. Painfully.”
Keira’s face twisted in pain as he unconsciously squeezed her wrist in his anger. “Luukas. You’re hurting me!”
He immediately loosened his hold, releasing her wrist but pinning her where she was with his eyes. He stared at her for a long moment.
Never taking his gaze from Keira, Luukas told his brother, “Leave us.”
The wolves took full advantage of his distraction to slink past them, quickly disappeared through the edges of the hole to go find the rest of their pack.
Emma ran down the remaining steps to Nik. Grabbing his hand, she silently pleaded with him to do something.
Nik looked from her to his brother. “Luuk, man. Let’s just get out of here.”
Emma shivered, the cloud of her breath forming icicles as Luukas’s anger permeated the room.
“LEAVE! US!” he roared.
Nik chewed his lip as he looked at the back of his brother’s head for a minute, and then turned and took Emma by the arm, knowing Luukas would brook no argument when he was like this. “Come on. Let’s go.” Over his shoulder, he told his brother, “We’ll be at the hideout.”
Emma struggled futilely against him as he dragged her across the room. “What? No. Nik! NO!! Dammit, that’s my SISTER over there!”
Ignoring her pleas, he effortlessly pulled her with him towards the door. “Nikulas! Stop! I’m not leaving without her!”
With frantic eyes, she looked back towards Keira who was staring at Luukas in alarm. Now they were just pissing Emma off. She abruptly dug in her heels and ripped her arm from Nik’s grasp, turning her focus to Luukas.
“I will not leave without my sister,” she ground out.
Gathering all of her energy within herself, she focused all of her anger and hatred on the vampire holding her sister. The very air vibrated as the loose stone he’d knocked loose from the wall began to hover off the floor.
Nik moved in front of her, his eyes filled with fear for her. “Emma, NO!” Softening his tone, he told her, “I don’t know what he will do if he sees you as a threat. He’s not the same as he was. Please don’t make me fight him to protect you now that I’ve finally found him.”
Emma ignored him. She’d had enough. Purposely focusing her magic for the first time, she felt it flowing through her, gathering strength. The feeling made her high, and she almost laughed aloud from the giddiness of it.
Lifting her right hand, she swung it through the air, aiming a particularly large boulder just to the left of Luukas, not wanting to risk her sister by hitting him directly.
Without looking away from Keira, Luukas flicked his left hand, easily deflecting her attack with nothing but the power of his will.
“Nikulas. You really need to remove her,” he warned. “NOW. I’m not in the mood to play.”
Emma gritted her teeth in response and prepared to send another large stone flying at his head.
With the threat to her family, Keira’s attention was torn from him to her sister. “Emma, it’s ok. Luukas and I have some things we need to discuss.”
Nik stepped in front of her. “Sweetheart, that’s enough. We’re leaving.”
She looked up at him as her eyes filled with angry tears. “He’s going to kill her, Nik!”
“No, he won’t. He’s very angry right now, but he won’t hurt her. You need to trust me here.”
She stared defiantly up into his stubborn blue eyes. “You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I kinda do.”
“It’s ok, honey. Go with Nik. I’ll be out in a bit,” Keira told her.
Emma stepped around Nik and looked at her sister in hurt disbelief.
“Keira?” She couldn’t believe her sister was telling her to leave her with that maniac.
“Emma, just GO. I’ll be fine.” her sister insisted, silently pleading with Emma to do as she said.
“Come on.” Nik put his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the room.
She flinched away from him. “Don’t touch me,” She hissed. With a last longing look at her sister, she turned around and marched from the room unassisted
, Nik close on her heals.
Emma stomped off as far as she could back down the passageway until she had to stop and wait for Nik and the torch he’d snagged off of the wall. As soon as he’d caught up to her, she continued on without so much as looking at him, staying in the circle of light.
What the hell was Keira doing? She couldn’t really want to stay there with that…that…monster that was Nik’s brother. Could she?
Angry tears ran down her face. She should have fought harder for the right to see her sister. Nik should have fought harder. It was his brother, after all.
Her mind spinning and her heart breaking in too many different directions, Emma trembled violently as she trekked through the passageway, swiping at the tears that wouldn’t stop.
***
Nik let her go, not blaming her in the slightest for the way she was feeling, but not knowing what to say to fix it. His own mind was spinning, worrying about Aiden, and worrying about his brother.
The one thing he wasn’t worried about was his brother hurting that female. He saw the possessive way he looked at her. The way he immediately let her go as soon as he realized he was hurting her. No, he wasn’t worried about that.
His brother’s mind, on the other hand…yeah…that was another story. He’d never seen him like that before. Guilt wracked through him like a physical blow. He should have found him sooner.
Why didn’t he find him sooner? There was no excuse for it. Lukkas had obviously suffered severely over the years, to the point that his mind may never be right again. He’d never be able to make it up to him.
He wouldn’t blame him if his brother never forgave him.
They traversed the length of the tunnel, each lost in their own thoughts, until they hit the creek again. Emma picked up speed as the passageway widened and more light was available. Walking faster and faster, she followed the shoreline until, with a sob, she broke out into a run.
With a curse, Nik tossed the torch he carried into the flowing water and picked up his pace. His chest ached with her pain. And his own too. He wanted to reassure her, if she would ever stop long enough to let him do it.
***
Emma ran until she hit the fresh air, not stopping until she was completely outside of the evil place. Hearing Nik’s footsteps behind her, she stiffened with fury. Furious at finally finding her sister and not even getting to hug her. Furious at his brother for being such a scary asshole.
But mostly, furious at Nik, for not doing anything about it.
Breathing heavy, she eased off her speed until she was walking, then stumbling. When Nik reached out to steady her, she slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me! Don’t you ever touch me!”
“Emma…” he pleaded.
Whipping around, she raised her hands up and threw all her weight into shoving him away. “Don’t ‘Emma’ me! You son of a bitch!”
She covered her face with her hands, trying to regain some control. Taking a shuddering breath, she dropped them back down to her sides, her hazel eyes bright with tears. “You left her there. Just left her there…with him. He’s going to hurt her! He’s your brother! Why didn’t you do something! If not for her, then for me!” she accused.
Nik stood helplessly, his own pain pouring from his blue eyes. “No. Emma, no. How could you think…”
“YOU LEFT HER!!” she screamed at him.
Nik bared his fangs at her, his own anger and frustration getting the best of him. “I did leave her there! I didn’t know what he was going to do! And you wouldn’t STOP, Emma! You wouldn’t fucking stop! He could have killed you with a fucking thought. You don’t know what he’s capable of! I probably saved your fucking LIFE!”
She reared back like he’d slapped her. Not in fear, but in hurt disbelief that he’d admitted it. Glancing at the passageway again, she briefly thought about going back in. But Keira had told her to go. She wouldn’t have told her that if she was really in any danger.
Right?
Emma had to believe that was true. Maybe Nik was correct. Maybe Keira was sending her away to protect her.
She took a deep breath. “I’m taking my life and going home. Alone. I never should have come here with you.”
Nik’s breath caught in his throat. “What are you saying?”
Emma glared daggers at him. “I’m saying leave me the hell alone. I don’t ever want to see you again. Bond or no bond. I don’t give a shit what happens to you.”
Nik reeled with pain at her statement, the breath he was holding bursting from his lungs as he fell to his knees and watched her turn and walk away.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Emma somehow made her way back to the hummer. Stumbling through the dark, her heart feeling like it’d been ripped from her chest, she headed back the way she’d come with the wolves, looking for the landmarks she’d managed to memorize. She walked the entire way in a numb stupor, tears constantly filling her eyes and streaming down her face.
She’d arrived back at their hideout just as the sun broke the horizon.
At one point, she’d briefly wondered if Nik was following her, making sure she didn’t wander around lost in the woods. But then she’d pushed the thought from her mind. She didn’t want to think about him.
She didn’t bother going into the cave for her pack, didn’t even glance in that direction. She just wanted out of there.
Pulling off the branches Nik had used to camouflage the vehicle, she tried the driver’s side door. It wasn’t locked. Climbing inside, she looked around the interior. Keys. Keys. Ah-ha! She found them on the floor peeking out from under the floor mat. Left there for a quick getaway?
Perfect.
Starting the engine, she followed the narrow path they’d come in on out to the main road, her mind on autopilot. She didn’t think about needing gas. She didn’t think about how she was going to get back to PA from Seattle. Or how she was going to get back into the US driving through customs without any identification.
She just wanted to get home. Once she was home, everything would be ok. Keira was alive, hopefully, and now that she was free of Leeha, she knew where to find Emma. She’d come home. She would. Emma had to believe that she’d be ok. Keira wouldn’t have told her to leave her if she thought she was in any danger.
Right?
She steadfastly refused to think about Nik. Every time he briefly popped into her head, a fresh set of tears would flood her eyes.
Setting the GPS for SeaTac, she settled in for the ride.
***
Nik watched Emma pull away from the shelter of the entrance to their hideout. He didn’t try to stop her. He’d just wanted to make sure she was safe.
Following her back to the cave, his heart had shattered more with every sob he heard, with every tear she wiped from her face, until he didn’t think there was anything left of it.
But as he watched her drive away, he knew he was wrong as it shattered all over again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Four and a half hours later, Emma pulled up to SeaTac airport in Seattle and parked the hummer in long-term parking. Turning off the ignition, she sat there staring out of the windshield, trying to think.
Now what?
She’d found her pack, along with Nik and Aiden’s, in the back of the Hummer when she’d arrived at the border. Along with the supplies she’d brought, it had also contained a passport for her for the drive home, but not much else.
She had no money. No clean clothes. No phone. No one to call. And even if she did, she didn’t know anyone’s phone number. They’re all programmed into contact lists these days.
Or did she?
There actually was one number she knew by heart, only because she had to call it so much from her desk phone at work.
Getting out, she left the vehicle unlocked and the keys where she’d found them. The vampires would come and get it. It probably has a tracking device or something. And if not, well, they had enough money to buy a new one.
She walked with purpose a
s she made her way into the busy airport and lost herself in the crowd. Finding the nearest payphone, she dialed up her boss collect.
“Hello?” His familiar voice came over the line after only two rings.
“Mark?”
“Emma? What’s wrong? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m so sorry to call you, but I’m kind of in a jam, and you’re the only one I know who may be able to help me,” she explained.
“Of course, Emma. You can call me anytime. You know that. What do you need?” She had to hold back tears at his comforting tone.
“Any chance you could loan me the money for airfare from Seattle back to Pennsylvania? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get there. I swear. I just…don’t have my wallet. And I need to get home. As soon as possible.”
“Emma, are you alright? Are you in danger? Did something happen? What are you doing in Seattle?” She heard a door close on the other end of the line as Mark shut himself away from listening ears.
“I’m fine. Really. I’ll explain everything as soon as I get home,” she promised.
There was a slight pause on the other end, and she silently prayed that he didn’t ask her any questions right now. He must have heard her, for he only said, “Ok. I’m getting online now. Stay on the phone and I’ll give you the ticket information.”
“Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much.” She nearly wept with relief.
Chapter Thirty- Eight
Emma pulled into her driveway in the deepening twilight. Grabbing her gym bag, she got out and locked up her car. Two long weeks had passed since the long flight home from Seattle, give or take a few days, and she’d heard nothing from her sister. Not a phone call, not an email, not even a letter.
Nothing from anyone, for that matter.
The constant worrying was taking its toll on her. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t concentrate. She had to force her food down.