by Riley, Alexa
I decide to keep the information that the twins already told me—that I’m theirs—to myself. I don’t believe him or trust him.
“How would you find a mate for me?” That word keeps coming up and my mind always focuses on it most. “Can you just pick anyone, or is it like a marriage? Are certain people destined to be together?”
“We’d get to those things once you were changed. It’s easier to explain our life then.” He brushes off my questions.
“You know me.” I force a smile. “I like knowing all I can.”
“But you also jump before looking. How else did you end up in the Marcellus home? I know you couldn’t have read the book that fast or…” He trails off as his eyes snap to behind me. I turn around to see a beautiful girl about my age standing there. She’s got short red hair that goes to her shoulders, and even from where I’m sitting I can see her eyes are violet. They’re so bright and different, but somehow the color suits her. I’ve never seen eyes like hers before.
“Oh sorry, Dad, I didn’t know you had someone in here. The door was open.” She glances at me, then I feel her studying me closer as her eyes narrow.
“It’s fine, Loren,” he tells her. “I’ll be finished soon.”
“I was just letting you know I was home before dark. Like always.” I catch the irritation at the end of her words, but she doesn’t wait for his response. She gives me one last look before she leaves.
“I can’t hurt them, if that’s what you want,” I say when I turn back to face him. “I know where this is going.”
I tell him that before he tries to feed me some more bullshit. I don’t even want to toy with the idea of doing something to them because it makes my chest ache. His face grows angry and I realize he probably isn't used to hearing the word no. Maybe I should have played along and gotten the hell out of here with him thinking I’m on his side.
His eyes roam over me, then he sucks in an audible breath. “They fed from you.” He stands so quickly his chair flies back and my face heats. It’s as if he said that I had sex with them.
“They’re vampires,” I blurt, unsure why I’m even trying to defend myself. “That’s normal.” I say the words, but they’re a total guess and immediately I regret it.
He laughs in a mocking tone. “But don’t you see, Dove, they didn’t feed you. They have no plans to mate you. You’re just another on that list I showed you. Trust me, when a vampire finds his mate he never lets her go.”
He reaches into his desk, pulling out the same book and tossing it in front of me. He must have gotten it from my car. “They kept them for days and played with them before they got rid of them.” He leans forward. “They made those women fall in love with them and then told them they were their mate before…” He lets the words hang in the air.
My heart protests what he’s saying. It can’t be true, but I hadn't drunk from them. I didn't feel anything different, only a tighter connection to them than I had before, but isn't that what intimacy is? Maybe I’m not really their mate and they used the term loosely.
I do know one thing though, they couldn’t have done the things he’s saying. I don’t reach for the book because I don’t believe it. My brain is telling me I'm being naïve, but my heart knows better. The more I think about the book, the more I realize it looks like a trophy a serial killer would keep.
“They fooled you, Dove. They got what they wanted, but somehow you slipped away before they could finish what they’d started.” He walks around the desk and my blood runs cold from being so close to him. He hasn't harmed me and he keeps saying he’s trying to protect me. “You saw my daughter.” He nods to where she was moments ago. “Bishop killed her mother.”
I gasp, understanding now why this man is out for them so badly. It’s not only about the missing people but something deeper. There are still pieces I’m not putting together.
“Even if Erik and Ezra wanted to keep you as their chubby little pet, Bishop would never allow it for long. He’d let them for a while, but soon enough you’d have to go like all the rest.” His dark eyes lock on mine. “Besides, if Erik and Ezra do want you, they’ll only have you for as long as they can. If you team up with me we can take them down before they eventually kill you.”
“What about my friend Juliet?” I ask not because I want to help him but because what if what he’s saying about Bishop is true? How come Juliet was kept from harm? I know nothing about this man.
“Mates are the exception to his rule. A mate is loyal beyond all things. As long as Kane keeps her in line, she’ll be fine.” I have to fight an eye roll. Keep Juliet in line? He obviously hasn't seen them together. I swallow the lump in my throat. I just want to go home. The ache inside of me makes me feel hollow. I don’t want anything to do with this man and his plan. With how my heart is at the moment, I don't want to deal with anyone. At first I wanted to fall into this mystery and now I can’t find a way out.
“You’re going to read that book.” He points to it. “Or you won’t leave this room.”
He walks away without a backwards glance and then slams the office doors behind him. I run over to them and pull on the handles, but they won't budge. I go back to the desk but no phone rests on it. When I hit the computer, nothing comes up on the screen so I give up and plop down into the chair. I stare at the book, and as much as I don’t want to read it, it’s my only way out.
With all the creepy things going on in my life, there’s something about that book that feels wrong. I’d gone out to get it, which got me into my current mess, but here I sit, not wanting to touch it. There is no doubt in my mind that there is nothing but pages of dead girls in that book and nothing good will come from reading it.
I lean back in the chair and glance around the room, thinking of a way out. Maybe I can try and find something out about the man who’s taken me. To be honest I don’t even know if he’s human or vampire and what it is that he wants me to find out.
This is about way more than I can understand, but I’m going to figure it out. His office is the worst place for me to be left alone.
Seven
Ezra
“If you don’t let us out of here, Bishop, we’re going to have to hurt you,” I say, and I feel the strength of Erik beside me.
He’s as on edge as I am, the need for Dove growing by the second.
“In case you haven’t fucking noticed, it’s still light outside. You can’t just run out in the street.”
“Sure they can,” Kane says as he leans against the nearby wall. “Let them go.”
“That’s enough,” Bishop shouts, and something inside of me falters.
He’s always been more than just our creator, he’s been like a father to us. The last one hundred years, there has only been our small family, but in a matter of months everything he knows has changed. I can’t imagine this is easy for him, especially since he’s nearing the end of his life. No one wants to say it aloud, but he’s running out of time.
“Bishop—” Erik begins, but he cuts him off.
“I’ve spent half my life trying to protect you,” he says then looks around the room pointedly. “All of you. If you go out there now and risk your lives, all you’re doing is throwing away all that I’ve worked to build.”
“She’s our mate!” I shout, unable to control my own emotions. I’m done being reasoned with. I don’t care if he is our maker, he’s going to listen to me. “You didn’t stand in the way of Kane going after Juliet and you’re not going to keep us from Dove.”
“Are you certain?” he asks, weighing my words. “Are you sure she’s the one, for the both of you?”
“Yes,” Erik answers for the both of us as he steps forward. “We drank her blood last night, and there is no doubt. She needs us and we can’t stay here waiting on the sun to set.”
“There’s not much time,” I hear Ravana’s voice from behind us as she and her mate Valen walk into the room. “Valen just got a call. He said one of his informants said she’s been taken.”<
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“What?” I wheel around and look at the two of them. “Where is she?”
“They think she’s been taken to the River.” Valen offers, and I hear Juliet sniff.
“Where?” Juliet says, wiping a tear away. Kane has been holding her close since she found out Dove was gone. “There’s no river around here.”
“She means Gordon River,” Bishop says as his eyes darken. “But why would he take her?”
“There’s no time for that. We just need to get her away from him and make sure she’s safe,” I say as I push past everyone and head for the tunnels. If we can’t go out the front door we’ll drive until it’s dark enough.
“Kane, stay here with Juliet and Ravana,” Bishop calls, and I can hear Ravana yelling in the background.
I don’t stop to see who is with me, but I feel Erik stuck to my side like glue. We’re in this together and we will find a way.
“You drive, I’ll get in the back with Erik. If anyone needs to get out before the sun sets, it’s going to be me,” Valen says as he runs with us down the stairs. “Shit,” he curses when Ravana joins us.
“Can’t let you guys have all the fun without me.”
Erik and I get in the front while Ravana, Valen, and Bishop get in the back. The mates are arguing over Bishop’s head, but as soon as he tells them to be silent they follow his command.
“I never knew having a mate could be so much fun,” Bishop says as he rolls his eyes.
“Who is Gordon River?” I say, glancing back in the mirror to Bishop as I drive out of the tunnels.
“He was created not long after I was. Up until today I thought he was living in a remote part of Russia away from people. His creator was known as one of the most vicious of our kind and made vampires without regard to our secrets. It didn’t take long for it to catch up with him, and once he was killed by enemies looking to keep our secret silent, Gordon rose to power and took over his territories.” He lets out a sharp breath and shakes his head. “I met him when I was traveling and saw in him something that I never wanted for myself. I run the city here because I want to keep our kind safe. I want our family protected, but Gordon just wants…” Bishop trails off and shrugs.
“Wants what?” Erik asks as I make a turn onto a side street.
“It’s between him and me,” Bishop says simply and doesn’t explain further. It’s not between them anymore since our mate got dragged into all of this, but we’ll get to that later. After we have her back. Where she belongs.
Valen tells us where to go and I follow his instructions. It doesn't take long according to my watch, but it might as well be years with how high my anxiety is. The sun sets low and night comes over the sky as I hit the gas harder.
“There!” Ravana shouts, and I slam on the brakes. “Through the trees, look, I think that’s her!”
“Fuck,” Erik says, and he’s out of the car before I can blink.
I jump out and run after him, barely remembering to put the car in park.
Eight
Dove
“Go, you don’t have much time,” the redheaded girl Loren tells me. “Gordon, my dad, will be up soon.”
I was surprised when I saw her open the door and peek her head in to look at me. I was positive it would be her father coming back to go another round with me, but not so nicely this time. I would have only pissed him off further at what I’d done to his office. I’d torn through every shelf and drawer and I must have done some damage if the look on her face was any indication.
She leads me down another long hallway and through a back door until we’re outside.
“As I suspected.” Her violet eyes meet mine as the evening light shines into them. I’ve never seen anything like them before. “You have to go before the sun fully sets. The guards are changing shifts soon.” She glances down at the small gold watch on her wrist. “I won’t be able to help you then. They can track anything when allowed to.” She points out towards the trees. “Go that way and follow the path through the trees. There’s purple paint on the base of the trees that lead the way. It’s the only way out of here without being noticed, and I hope you can climb. The guards get lazy towards the end of shifts and they don’t patrol that section.” She lets out a sigh. “Usually.”
That doesn’t help my confidence, but I’ll try anything to get out of here. “Why are you doing this?” I ask her as I notice she isn't a vampire. She’s standing in the setting sun with me, but her father said her mother was killed by one. You’d think she’d want me to go along with whatever it is that he wanted me to do for him. I’m a link to the man who killed her own mother.
The same man who has power over the men I’m running back to. Mate or not, I need to tell them everything. It’s the only thing on my mind right now since all self-preservation has apparently left me. Erik and Ezra come before anything, and I don’t understand why or how it so easily slipped into place. Right now I don’t want to question it, at least not until I warn them about Gordon. From what he said, he will stop at nothing to take Bishop down and I have a feeling that means everything Bishop holds dear to him. He wants more than an eye for an eye. He wants it all.
“I love my father, but…” She shakes her head as she tries to choose her words carefully. “Sometimes I see something darker inside him. When he doesn't get what he wants, things don’t always go so well for those around him. Even if he’s trying to do something good, he can hurt innocent people in the process.” I can tell she’s conflicted by her admission.
“Thank you,” I say as I step away and take my chance at freedom.
I don’t want to know what might happen if I don’t escape. I stop and turn to look back at her, and the pretty dress she has on blows in the wind. She reminds me of a glass doll that’s been kept in its plastic box to hold its value. Her skin is creamy white as if it’s never seen the sun before, but I know that’s not true because she’s standing in it now. When she looks behind her to make sure no one is there, I see a small birthmark on her shoulder. It’s a strange shape, but when she turns back it’s hidden again.
“Sometimes it’s hard to know who’s really the villain of the story. It’s why it makes some of the best books I’ve ever read so captivating,” I tell her as a warning. I know I should be running already, but she saved me so I want to give her something in return. “It’s okay to be conflicted about what you’re feeling. But you’ve been standing next to evil this whole time and you thought you were standing in the light. This isn’t the right sides of things, Loren.” Her mouth opens slightly, but no words come out. “Come with me,” I offer.
A moment of silence passes between us, but eventually she shakes her head. She steps back, but the stunned look on her pretty face lingers. I give her one last smile before I turn and run, knowing I can’t drag her with me. Part of me wishes I could have done more for her because she looked so lost and alone, but I can’t force her and I have to get out of here.
I also wish I could have found out something bigger about Gordon. It would have taken days to pore over the things he had in his office. I knew time wasn’t on my side, and without my reading glasses it made things even harder. How did Gordon River have a daughter? From what I found he’d been around a very long time, meaning only one thing. He’s a vampire.
I try to process all of it but then push it aside knowing that Ezra and Erik will help me work through it. Instead I try to concentrate on what Loren told me as I navigate through the woods.
I follow the path and I can tell it’s been taken many times before. It’s clear Loren is old enough to do as she pleases, but from what I’m seeing that isn’t the case. She’s under lock and key and in that moment when she stepped away from me, I knew she was as twisted inside as I was, but we’d each chosen our sides.
When I break through the trees as the sun descends into darkness, I drop my hands to my knees. I’m out of breath, but I know I need to keep moving. My head snaps up when I see a van come to a screeching halt on the other side of the gat
e. “Not again.” I step back but stop when I see Erik and Ezra come running out of it.
My eyes try to focus on them, but they move too quickly up and over the gated wall between us. Erik’s the first to reach me and his mouth crashes down on mine as Ezra holds me close and kisses everywhere else. I get lost in the kiss as so many emotions pour from me and I swear some aren’t even mine. Then my mouth is pulled from Erik’s and I’m passed to Ezra’ as he kisses me in his own way. They’re not too different from one another, but it’s just enough that I can tell. I’m also pretty sure that I’m the only one who can tell them apart.
“Come on before someone sees us and my sexy-ass mate tries to fight someone,” Valen barks at us, reminding me where I am.
“Too late,” I hear Ravana say as she starts to move, but just as fast Valen lifts a gun, firing a shot so quiet I don’t hear it. Only the sound of the man hitting the ground that came out of nowhere.
“You ruin all the fun,” Ravana says as he holsters the gun.
The twins move me towards the metal bars of the gate, telling me it’s only a tranquilizer he hit the guy with.
“You can have your fun when we get home,” Valen says to Ravana, and she smiles at him. “I didn’t mean that way, princess,” he says as he smacks her ass and the smile drops from her face. He grabs her by the arm and pulls her into him as they make their way to the fence. The sound of screeching metal being bent has me turning in Erik’s arms to watch Bishop easily pull the iron bars on the gate apart. Everyone looks at him in shock, but I assumed that was normal. This is just more crazy vampire shit or something to me, but seeing everyone else’s reaction, maybe not so much. I catch Ravana mutter something about it being a stronger metal, and she and Valen share a look.
Erik steps through first, holding his hand out for me. “Come on, sweets.” I take it as he pulls me through, and Ezra is right behind me with his hand firmly on my hip. They guide me to the van, where we all get in and we waste no time leaving. Bishop drives and the five of us are piled in the back.