by J. L. McCoy
He chuckled and nodded his head. “Packs a wee punch, don’t it?”
I pulled harder on his wrist and swallowed two more mouthfuls before I retracted my fangs and licked the blood from the wound. I had just managed a deep, satisfied breath when the tingle started in my fingers and shot through my body. As soon as I gasped at the power it carried, the tingling began to recede.
“Wow,” I sighed and looked over at him.
“Roy,” he chuckled. “I’d say it worked by da look on yer face.” I nodded my head and he quickly began explaining what to do. “Da power will come quite easily. Just aim yer palms in da direction ye want da light to shine and…do it.”
“That’s not very informative,” I scoffed with a small smile. “Anything else I should know before I give it a go?”
“Yeah,” he smiled over at me, “It feels feckin’ fantastic, feek.”
I cocked a brow at him in surprise and then took a deep breath to ready myself. “This had better work,” I mumbled as I pointed my hands down at the floorboard. Time was running out and I knew this would probably be my only chance to try it before we reached the airstrip.
Focusing on the energy, similar to what I did when I healed, I stretched my palms as I pushed it out. Searing hot heat filled the car as a thick beam of light shot out of my hands and onto my messenger bag. My beloved bag immediately burst into flames and I yelped as I withdrew the energy and I stomped the fire out.
“Feckin’ hell!” Lochlan laughed as he looked down at the bag in shock. “Ye’re a wee flame thrower, ye are!”
“Was that supposed to happen?” I asked uncertainly as I waved the thick smoke out of my face and lowered the passenger window.
“Ye put a bit too much juice behind it,” he shook his head and smiled. “Don’t go so G.I. Jane next time.”
“Dammit,” I cursed as I stared down at my bag dejectedly. “I loved that fucking bag. It’s completely ruined now. ”
Lochlan laughed as I bent down to rescue my phone and wallet from the wreckage. His laughter abruptly stopped and I stiffened at the sudden change in mood and I jerked up.
“We’re here,” he said as we drove over a bumpy cattle guard and through a towering iron gate. Mesa Ranch was spelled out in barbed wire and nailed to a swinging wooden board that hung high from the arch above us.
I swallowed hard as I felt my slow heartbeat pick up a notch. Lochlan drove silently for another half mile then as we turned the corner, the headlights of our car illuminated the airfield and both Lochlan and I took a deep breath as we stared at the large mass of Dark Ones that had gathered around a SUV and private jet.
“Quite a turn out,” Lochlan breathed, looking over at me. “Ye ready for dis, feek?”
“Let’s fry those fuckers,” I sneered as I unbuckled my seat belt.
Lochlan parked a good fifty yards away from the Dark hoard and quickly got out of the Audi. He opened my door a second later and took my hand as he helped me stand.
“I don’t see Nikki,” I whispered fearfully as I scanned the faces of the crowd.
“She’s ‘ere somewhere,” he whispered back soothingly as he took my hand and pulled me forward. “Cast it from yer mind and put yer game face on.”
Swallowing hard, I wiped the fear from my face and replaced it with the best bored look I could possibly muster. I would allow myself to tremble all I wanted on the inside just as long as I didn’t dare show it outwardly.
As we approached, the crowd parted as Weston and three others came to the forefront. “Miss Morrison,” he said happily as he stopped a few feet from me. “I’m pleased to see that you kept your word.”
“Whether or not you’ve kept yours has yet to be seen, Dark One,” I said tightly, pursing my lips as I cocked a brow. “Where’s Nikki?”
I watched as Weston lifted one arm and quickly snapped his fingers. A few seconds later I heard a car door close and looked on as the crowd parted once more. A familiar man appeared with an exhausted looking Nikki on his arm and I took a deep breath as my eyes eagerly drank her in. She looked like hell. Her eyes were bloodshot, heavy black bags adorned her lower lids, and she was wearing last night’s dress. Her skin was still frighteningly pale and she looked like she’d lost weight.
“Jesus,” I whispered at her state as she and the man came to a stop next to Weston. My eyes found his again and I growled. “When’s the last time she had food or water?”
“Days,” Weston carelessly shrugged one shoulder.
“You were supposed to treat her as a guest!” I seethed, my fingernails angrily biting into the flesh of my palms. “Were you too cheap to spring for a burger and a bottle of water?”
“The human refuses all offers of nourishment,” the man holding Nikki’s arm said plainly.
My eyes found his and they narrowed on his familiar, sharp face. “We haven’t yet had the pleasure.”
“Forgive me,” he smiled slyly as he put a hand to his chest and bowed slightly. “My name is Stanus Octavius.”
My eyes flashed briefly in recognition before I quickly schooled my features again. I didn’t want to let on that I’d heard all about him when Hagan, Archer, and I spied on them at Tricky Dic’s. “Mr. Octavius,” I nodded my head in greeting.
“Who is your companion?” he asked, eyeing Lochlan with distaste.
“I am Lochlan O’Connolly,” Lochlan provided tightly, “fourth son of Archer Rhys.”
“Your father rises quickly in the ranks, I hear,” Stanus said, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied him.
“He is a great man,” Lochlan said, raising his chin a bit, almost daring him to say otherwise.
Stanus’ eyes slid to me and he smiled. “He would have to be to secure the loyalty of such a beautiful and fascinating being.”
“Enough with the ass kissing,” I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms under my chest. “Care to tell me why you went to all this trouble to get me here? Your lap dog Weston was less than forthcoming.”
Weston growled and took an angry step toward me before Stanus put a hand on his chest with a chuckle, stopping him from taking another. “We do not discuss Dark matters in front of Day,” Stanus smirked as he pushed Weston behind him.
“Then let my friend go so we can get down to business.”
Stanus held one gloved hand out and the dark one beside him set a pair of handcuffs in his awaiting hand. “For our safety, I must insist that you allow us to bind your hands with silver until we reach our destination. As soon as they are in place, your friend may go.”
I eyed the silver handcuffs warily and swallowed thickly. Having my hands bound did not factor into our battle plans and that concerned me. How would I fight? Would the silver hinder my ability to use Divine Powers? I needed my hands if I had any chance of defending us.
“It’s da only way,” Lochlan spoke silently in my head. “Do it and I’ll make sure ye aren’t bound for long.”
“I have to say, your hospitality skills seriously lack,” I frowned as I held my hands out in front of me.
Stanus smiled as he stepped toward me with the silver. “You have quite the reputation, Miss Morrison. I only do what I must to insure my safety and that of my men. Once we arrive at our destination, they will be removed and I assure you they will not be placed on you again.” He stopped and smirked at my proffered hands. “Behind your back, please.”
Shit. Fuck. Shit! I silently cursed as my frown morphed into one of anger. This complicated things even more and I was seriously unhappy about it. “Fine,” I bit out as I turned around. My eyes found Lochlan’s and they did not like what they saw. He looked concerned and that didn’t bode well for me.
I hissed in pain as the first cuff locked tightly around my left wrist. The burning was intense and overwhelming at first. I did my best to block it out as the second cuff locked into place and Stanus turned me back to face him. The same man that had handed him the handcuffs now held a pair of leg shackles.
“Oh, come on,” I groaned as I jerked my
head back in frustration. “This is overkill here, gentlemen.”
“It is necessary, I’m afraid,” Stanus smiled as he held his hands out apologetically.
I stood stock still and focused my eyes on the sole reason why I was allowing them to harm me. Nikki’s tired eyes met mine and I took in the shadow of the woman she once was. Her current condition was all the reminder I needed. I was willing to do anything to get her out of their hands.
I refused to look away from her as they rolled my jeans up and clamped the silver shackles around my ankles. The cry of pain that escaped me made Nikki whimper in response and I steeled my features as I finally slid my eyes to Stanus’.
“You got what you wanted, now let her go,” I growled through clenched teeth. The smell of my flesh burning was starting to turn my stomach and seriously piss me off.
The Dark One that cuffed my ankles grabbed Nikki’s wrist and flung her out at Lochlan. She stumbled at the force of it and Lochlan flashed to catch her before she fell. I sighed in relief as he wrapped his arms protectively around her and cradled her head to his chest. She sagged into him and immediately began to cry as I watched on helplessly. I wanted nothing more than to be able to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay. I’d have given anything to have been able to let her know right then and there what I had planned for the ones that’d hurt her. Of course I couldn’t ruin the surprise.
Lochlan met my eyes once more and spoke silently in my head. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of her. Wait for me to light dem up and den when I do, ye get as far away from dem as ye can. Wha’ever ye do, don’t let dem get ye on dat plane before da wolves arrive.”
I raised my head slightly to let him know that I’d heard him before I turned my attention back to Stanus. “Now that Lochlan is leaving, I’d appreciate it if you told me what you wanted from me.”
Stanus and Weston eyed Lochlan’s retreating form for a few seconds longer before they moved their attention to me. “We have a mutual friend, did you know?” Stanus smiled as he interlaced his fingers in front of him.
“If he’s a friend of yours, he’s no longer a friend of mine,” I said as I narrowed angry eyes on him.
Stanus laughed and a few of the others joined in. “My dear Miss Morrison, would you so readily disown your own father?”
My eyes widened in shock as I inadvertently tugged on my wrist restraints, the increase in pain making me hiss. “What are you talking about? That’s ridiculous! I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true,” he smiled widely. “Your father and I met a number of years ago in Germany. He attended one of the functions I hosted and I’m delighted to say we became close. He and I have similar wants and desires for our race.”
“What the hell does any of this have to do with me?” I frowned, eyeing Stanus and Weston warily. I was inexplicably terrified to hear their answer.
“We’ve had plans in the works for the last few years to stage a coup and force Atticus Frost off the throne. I, as well as many of our race, have a strong desire to return us to the Dark days of old. Your father wants the same thing and has been our inside man at the colony for the last three years.”
Fear struck me hard at my core. Stanus and Weston were my enemies and, if my father was in cahoots with them, that automatically made him mine as well. Part of me didn’t want to believe what Stanus was telling me. I couldn’t see my father being involved with these two, but I had to admit to myself that I’d just met him and didn’t know him well at all.
“Atticus’ soft stance weakens us,” Stanus continued in my silence. “Humans are treated almost as equals and such is a travesty. Never in our history have humans been held in such high regard. They are but a mere food source and should be treated accordingly. Did you know that the death of a human at the hands of a Dark One carries strict penalties under Atticus’ rule?”
“As it should,” I said softly, my mind still reeling.
“An opinion that will change with time,” he flicked his wrist dismissively and then cleared his throat, resuming as if I hadn’t said anything. “We had little hope of actually achieving our goals until your father contacted us eleven days ago and informed us of the rumors surrounding a new breed of vampire. Imagine our delight when he said you were his daughter. He assured us that he could get you to cooperate with our goal, but just in case we devised this backup plan. As a failsafe, we took your friend. And good thing we did. It turns out she was useful after all.” Stanus smiled in satisfaction and looked at my feet for a few moments before he slid his eyes to mine. Mischief swam in his dark eyes. “Your father called me last night after my son Weston left your maker’s establishment. Seems you had concerns about your humble little abode. He said you didn’t want to leave this city because you had attachments to it; attachments he desperately wanted to sever. He asked us to set fire to it and we were more than happy to accommodate his request.”
“Well, actually I was the one who was happy to help,” Weston sneered at me, daring me to do something. “Who knew a little petrol and a few matches could cause so much damage. From what I heard, it was a total loss.”
“You fucking asshole!” I screamed, taking an unwise step toward him. “You burned my house down?! I’m going to kill you, you weasely little shit!” The chain on my leg shackles hindered my step and I almost face planted. One of the Dark Ones roughly jerked me back and kept one strong hand around my arm.
“Don’t blame me,” he smirked as he held his hands up innocently. “I was only doing a favor for a trusted friend. If you have any grievances, you should take them up with Lucian when you see him.”
My breathing increased as disbelief and anger coursed through me. Was he telling me the truth? Was my father just using me as a pawn in some bullshit quest for power? Did he indeed order my house destroyed? The thought was like a knife to my heart. I’d wanted to believe so badly that my father actually cared about me. Was everything he told me in New York just a lie? I swallowed hard and shoved the emotions deep down for now. I didn’t know what to believe, but I needed to keep my mind focused on the present and the battle that would soon be taking place. I couldn’t have these assholes distracting me with things I couldn’t change.
“What are you planning to do with me?” I asked, meeting Stanus’ eyes bravely.
“We are taking you to your father, my dear,” he smiled brightly, as if we were old friends. “I am the rightful and true heir to the Dark throne. Atticus Frost stole it from me when he killed my maker. With you by your father’s side, Lucian will guide your hand, OUR hand, and we will deliver the Dark race back to its former glory with me taking the place as their rightful leader.”
“And how are you going to manage that?” I pushed.
“You will kill Atticus and Corvus Frost,” he said simply. “In doing so, your father guarantees his spot as my right hand man and he’ll be next to inherit the throne when I step down.”
“But what about Weston?” I asked, confused. “Shouldn’t it be your son that inherits and not my father?”
“I have no political aspirations,” Weston smiled as he stroked Stanus’ back. “Your father wants it badly. If you cooperate and kill the Frost family, he can have it.”
“I’m not killing anyone for you,” I growled, shaking my head, “or him. Atticus isn’t a bad man, nor is his son. You can’t make me kill them.”
“We’ll see about that,” Weston snarled angrily as he snapped his fingers. Two burly men stepped forward and roughly grabbed my arms. “Take her to the plane. I want to be in the air and on my way out of this God forsaken state in the next five minutes.”
The two men began dragging me toward the air steps and I fought them as much as my restraints would allow, which wasn’t very much. The silver bit harshly into my skin and I only succeeded in hurting myself more. The men managed to get me to the steps and I tried to look behind me for Lochlan, but all I saw was the mass of Dark Ones watching me. Where the hell is he?! I thought in panic. I was seconds away fro
m being forced onto the plane and it would be too late to save me then.
As I was dragged up the first step and then the second, I reared my head back and screamed as hard and as loud as I could. “Lochlan!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
One of the men growled and backhanded me with shocking force and I watched helplessly as my world swam before me. They’d managed to pull me up to the last step from the top, when a blinding light exploded out on my left.
Dark Ones began screaming and the smell of burning flesh was thick in the air. My escorts were momentarily distracted as they watched their friends fry, so I took the only shot I had at getting away from the plane. I jumped up high, planted my feet against the door frame, and kicked out as hard as I could.
The two men and I went flying backwards down the stairs and crashed hard into a few Dark Ones lingering outside the plane. I hit the ground hard and skidded across the asphalt before coming to a stop by the back tire of their SUV. Groaning at the pain of my impact, I slowly rolled onto my side and tried to sit up. As soon as I did, I heard a furious growl behind me as someone grabbed a fist full of my hair and began dragging me toward the plane again.
“Fucking bitch!” my attacker growled as my ass hit the first air step.
I screamed out in frustration and tried again in vain to break my wrists free from the cuffs. A loud commotion to our right drew my attacker’s attention seconds before a flash of black fur was upon him.
Tearing sounds, screams, and gurgles filled the air above me and I squeezed my eyes closed until the attack was over. Hot breath blew on my ear and I turned to see Dean’s wolf looking me over. He gently licked my face, whimpered once, and I quickly reassured him.
“I’m okay, honey,” I breathed. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
He licked my face once more before leaping down and rejoining the ruckus. I watched the slaughter helplessly from my perch on the steps. I wanted nothing more than to jump in and find Weston and Stanus, but with my current restraints, I wouldn’t get very far. I was super vulnerable right then and nothing scared me more.