by Jessica Lee
A couple was eating dinner—takeout, based on the boxes—in front of the TV. The female was blond, and the male…not the one she’d seen with Kenric from the other night. Too little hair and too much girth.
Wrong room.
Eve mentally directed her molecules over onto the next platform and rematerialized, yet maintained her translucent vapor form. The veil lifted on her vision and she found the patio door open to this room. Blocking the opening, a tall male with broad shoulders and dark hair, dressed in jeans, boots, and a leather jacket, stood with his back to the city.
“She should be here by now,” the male stated to a beautiful redhead standing in front of him.
“We don’t know how far away she was when she sent the message. But she did respond. What reason would she have to lie?”
Reflex had her hands clenched into fists for control. Kenric was discussing her.
“What reason did Marguerite have for any of her lies?”
Don’t go there, Father. No matter what she’d done, Marguerite was still her mother.
“Still,” he went on to say. “When I looked into Eve’s eyes, I didn’t see the same venom Marguerite possessed.” He cupped the female’s face. “Eve was furious with me, don’t get me wrong. She was hurt. But deep down, I sensed more pain than evil.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. Because I have to admit the idea of putting Guerin’s life in her hands, counting on her to come through and help us find him…it scares me. Half of her is you; it’s the other strand of her DNA that worries me.”
Eve slipped the knife from her boot, glided in behind her father, and solidified. Kenric was about four inches taller than her, but at six feet herself, putting the blade to his throat wasn’t that hard.
The large male stiffened at the feel of the cold steel against his neck, and a gasp sounded from the woman.
“I’m my own person. How dare you judge me before you’ve even met me.” Eve glared over the shoulder of her father at the female on the other side.
“Don’t hurt him,” Emily whispered. “Please.”
“Not unless someone makes me. Now, get inside,” Eve ordered. As a unit, they slowly stepped farther into the suite.
“Hey, have you two—” The tall blond she’d seen the other night marched in from an adjoining room and drew to a halt. “Shit!” His glare fixated on the knife at Kenric’s throat. “You have heard from her.”
“Leave her alone, Arran,” Kenric instructed. “Again, this is between Eve and me.” The other male nodded and flashed his palms as if in surrender.
“Kenric…,” the female called out, her tone sounding desperate.
“She’s my daughter, Emily, and she deserves to know the truth.” His throat worked under the blade, the Adam’s apple doing an up-and-down maneuver. “I have no idea what your mother told you about us, your conception. But the fact is that I’ve never heard about you until now, and I bet she told you a lot of lies.”
Eve flinched, the serrated edge of the blade digging a millimeter deeper. She couldn’t help it. Dammit. She felt like the ass end of a joke. Everyone else in on the plot and she was the last one to know.
“You have no idea how sorry I am that you’ve been hurt by her deceit,” he said. “It kills me every day knowing because of me, so many of the people I cared about have been caught in Marguerite’s cross fire.”
This had to stop. He was talking about her mother as though she was a monster. Eve grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, putting them face-to-face. But she didn’t lose the knife. Hell no. She kept it under his chin. “Don’t act like you really knew my mother,” she bit out. “You weren’t around long enough to vilify her.”
“No. You’re right. I escaped as soon as I could. But I spent three years with her, unwillingly, before I got away.”
“Escaped?” She shook her head. “What are you talking about?” He had walked out on them. Kenric made it sound as if he’d been her mother’s prisoner.
“I want to show you something,” Kenric said. “Trust takes time, and with Guerin’s life on the line, time isn’t something we have a lot of right now.”
“What do you want me to see?”
“Kenric?” The redhead stepped closer. “What are you doing?”
Eve held up a hand, blocking her. “Stay right where you are.”
“I’m fine,” he said to the woman. Eve glanced up and Kenric added, “We’re going to be okay.”
“So what do you have in mind?”
“I can only think of one way to prove to you—show you who I am and the truth at the same time. I want you to look inside my memory.”
Shit. Was he serious? A master vampire inviting another for a stroll inside his brain? That took guts. He would be completely vulnerable.
“Kenric!” This time it was the one called Arran. Her father looked up. “Are you sure about this, man?”
“Yeah. I am.” He nodded and returned his attention to Eve. “She won’t hurt me. If she’d wanted me dead, Eve would have tried a lot harder before now. Not that you would’ve won…” The corner of his mouth lifted with a hint of a smile.
Despite her best efforts, a part of Eve’s heart warmed at the sight. She could see why her mother had been so enamored with the male.
“If I had known, Eve, I would have never stopped looking for you—no matter what the cost. I would have loved and cared for you, because you’re my child despite who your mother was.”
God, he came across so sincere. If he was playing her, Kenric St. James was a vile, manipulative bastard.
“Look inside my mind. I can feel how powerful you are, and I know you have the ability. There are no walls there.” Kenric spread his arms wide in surrender.
The answers she’d been waiting for were right there within reach. So why was she hesitating? It felt as if she were back up on the rooftop and about to jump. But this time she didn’t know if her powers would save her from crashing to earth.
“Do it, Eve,” Kenric said, drawing her back in. “You deserve the truth, and the only way you’ll ever believe or trust me is if you see for yourself there are no hidden memories of a daughter. No games here.” His eyes welled with unshed tears. “No tricks.”
“Okay,” she said, the word barely audible. Eve fisted her free hand for courage. She couldn’t wait, yet she wasn’t ready. Didn’t know if she’d ever be ready, but there was no turning back. “Look at me,” she commanded, turning her vampire genes on full blast. Kenric zeroed in on her gaze. And exactly as he stated, his mind was wide open.
Eve dove in, peeling the layers back on his memories as if his gray matter were an onion. Kenric stumbled and cursed, but the other female in the room was at his side, placing an arm around his waist before he fell.
“Shit,” he mumbled. “She’s strong.” Kenric chuckled.
How the hell he could even talk under the probe was impressive. “Stop running your mouth. You’re not in charge right now.”
“That’s my girl,” he whispered.
Her concentration slipped at his words, and she nearly lost her hold on his mind. “Quiet,” she commanded, this time a little stronger. Flashes of faces she didn’t recognize zoomed by. Echoes of conversations from long ago resounded inside her head. Then she heard the name—Marguerite. And she slowed.
The redhead was in the image. But she was tied down and Eve’s mother loomed over her. Emily…the other woman was Emily, and she was his mate. A rush of emotion filled Eve’s mind and heart, nearly staggering her. He loved this female.
Frame after frame she watched the interaction—no, battle—between him and his mother. Oh, my God, Marguerite was enraged. She wanted to kill them both.
As if the word had summoned the one image she had almost hoped she’d pass by, her mother’s last moment. A sob she had no idea had been building burst from Eve’s throat. Kenric had killed her. But then he’d turned from her body, scanning the room where she’d died, and the carnage was horrific. Eve’s pulse hammered inside her
ears. Had her mother been the cause of such destruction?
She had to go further back. See how it had all started. Why did her mother want to hurt her father in such a way? Back. Further back, she drove into his neurons, stripping away the years. Kenric’s head flinched under the onslaught.
Annice. No! the haunting sound ricocheted in Eve’s head followed by the image of a woman lying in a pool of crimson. His fiancée. Kenric’s heart was breaking. Marguerite. She’d killed Annice, and Kenric wanted Marguerite dead.
Eve pushed harder. So much pain associated with her mother. But not once had she heard her own name mentioned. Nothing about a daughter? How could he not know?
“Stop…,” Kenric whispered. “Enough.”
“I’m not finished yet.” A wall slammed into place, but as this point Eve was too far in for anything he erected to be effective. With a mental shove, she knocked it down. Kenric staggered, but Eve held on.
“Kenric! Say the word to make her stop, and I damn sure will,” Arran growled from a few feet away.
Her father grabbed her arms. “Eve…,” he rumbled. “Don’t. Go. There,” he forced out as if her invasion were constricting his throat.
Darkness. So cold. A cell. Kenric was in a cell. Chained. Her mother stood beside his supine form. Oh, God. This wasn’t anything like the stories she’d been fed. He was her prisoner. None of what Marguerite had told her was true. Lies! Eve’s stomach rebelled. Why had her mother done this to her father? Marguerite was forcing the blood from her wrist down his throat. He thrashed against her, and when he could get a breath, a litany of curses fell from his lips. Then the female vampire was above him, her long dark hair draped over her bare chest. She straddled his hips. Kenric arched his spine and cried out. Oh God… No! Marguerite was going to—
The force of the invisible blow knocked Eve backward, taking out a table lamp with her along the way. She slammed into the far wall with a bang, cracking her head against the wall. Any other woman would have been unconscious from the blow, but thanks to her hybrid nature, Eve shook it off. She straightened and massaged her skull.
Damn. How had her father managed to eject her from his mind? No other vampire she’d ever known would have been able to achieve such a feat. He was…impressive.
She glanced up at the powerful male who stood scrubbing a hand over his face. Kenric caught her gaze, his expression pained, weary. Impressive wasn’t a sufficient enough word for what she’d witnessed and he’d survived. So many emotions tumbled around inside her. She felt as if she were on some crazy roulette wheel her mother had set in motion years ago with its white ball bouncing from slot to slot over words such as disgust, anger, hurt, and betrayal. But most of all…sorrow. Eve was so sorry for what her mother had done to Kenric.
“Are you hurt?” Kenric lowered his palm from his jaw as he approached.
Eve shook her head. “No. I’m all right.” Shit. She felt like an ass after violating his memories, and here he was making sure she wasn’t the one injured.
“I tried to get you to stop. I didn’t want to do that, but it had to end.”
“I know.” She swallowed hard, doing her best to ignore the other heated stares in the room. “I’m sorry. I know I pushed too far.” The lump in her throat wouldn’t stay down, and her vision blurred. She blinked hard. I can’t cry in front of him. I wasn’t the one tortured.
“That was something I never intended for you to learn,” he said inside her head. “For anyone other than my mate to know ever happened. Especially not my daughter.”
“I’ll never betray your confidence,” Eve replied, the only way she could to her father. Her voice wasn’t working, and thanks to the pathway he’d already opened, she was able to resurface on the perimeter and communicate. “I promise.” She dropped her gaze to her boots. Too ashamed of her mother to look him in the eye.
“I only wanted you to see I wasn’t lying about the extent of her malice. That your existence was kept from me. It should have never gone that far. Hurting you wasn’t part of the plan.”
She swung her head up. “Hurting me?” Eve shook her head, appalled. “How could you even want anything to do with me after what my mother did to you?” She looked to his mate. “And to you?”
Kenric reached out and with an index finger at her chin guided Eve’s attention back to him. “Because a miracle has happened. Out of the darkness Marguerite created, a sliver of light has found me. And it’s you.”
He was killing her. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Eve’s heart was damn near splitting at the seams. She quickly wiped away the damp evidence from her face. This couldn’t be real. But she didn’t want to pinch herself and find out.
“You’re a part of me, Eve.” He brushed his fingers over her hair, so lightly she wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t witnessed the event. “I don’t know how she did it, but how could I turn you away?”
“We’ve lost so many years…” Eve blinked and shook her head. “I don’t know where we’re supposed to go from here.”
“Uhm…” Arran cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “As much as I’m loving the fact that you two are having this family reunion…” Arran grimaced. “Can you figure out the rest after we find Guerin?”
“You’re right,” Kenric said. “Selfishly, I don’t want to give up another second of my time with you, but we need to turn our focus to my second-in-command. He needs us.”
Eve nodded. Even though she was nowhere near ready to change the subject either, Guerin was the priority right now. Besides, she had to put a stop to the Hallmark moment before she dissolved into a blubbering idiot and lost her entire kick-ass image. “Okay.” She squared her shoulders. “What’s your plan on how we’re going to rain down some hell and yank Guerin out of this bastard’s hold?”
Chapter Eighteen
Hell had a new zip code.
And if asked, your GPS would direct your ass to a dungeon in Bavaria.
Guerin could testify to the fact since he’d spent the last several hours sampling all it had to offer.
Dawn was coming. He could feel it in his bones, the prickle skating across his flesh.
“How was your visit with your sire?” Seth sauntered up, his gaze surveying Guerin from head to toe. “My, my.” He clucked his tongue. “What did you say to the Mistress?” Seth chuckled. “I would have thought you, of all males, would remember her short temper.”
“I’m so happy I amuse you.” Guerin tugged on his wrists, straightening his spine despite the screaming of his muscles and the pull on the open wounds to his back and chest. He wasn’t about to allow Seth to see him buckle.
“Oh, you do indeed.” Seth smirked.
“I still can’t imagine why you two haven’t killed me already.” Guerin shrugged. “It’s been, what, at least two nights now, and I haven’t seen Eve. Have you?” One pale brow lifted on Seth’s brow. “She’s not coming for me. I told you. She won’t be. So why keep me around?”
Another laugh bubbled up from Seth’s chest. “You’re a terrible liar, Lombardi. You forget whom you’re trying to scam.” With a flick of his wrist, palm up, he continued. “We kill you. We destroy Eve’s homing signal. The fact that you want to die tells me there is reason to think our little hybrid will show.”
“What do you think you’re going to gain even if she does show?” Guerin bit out, wrenching on his shackles.
The pale bloodsucker’s eyes rolled back in his head. “You have no idea how long I’ve tracked her.” Seth returned his gaze to Guerin. “Her talents mean power. And I plan to harvest every one of her secrets—including the mystery of her creation—or she will rue each day she hides them away.”
“Eve will die first before she feeds your greed.”
Seth grinned. “Fine. But I’ll make more like her before she draws her last breath.” He slid a palm over his crotch.
Rage surged like a fiery rod through his core. “You fucking bastard.” Guerin’s fangs burst from his gums.
“N
ot yet. But soon.” He winked.
“I will kill you first,” Guerin growled.
“Such arrogance for one chained against a wall with his flesh shredded.” Seth whirled. “Eve has no idea how much she’s going to bring to me and my colony,” he added, strolling toward the stairs. “After my scientists take her apart, I’ll find out how to replicate her tolerance to sunlight. I will walk in the morning sun again one day.”
“Yes,” Guerin growled. “You will. When I shove your disgusting flesh into its ray and watch you light up like foil in a microwave.” Seth didn’t acknowledge whether he’d heard Guerin or not. Guerin didn’t really care. It was more of a vow to destroy the son of a bitch than anything else. A promise. Not a threat.
He had to make sure Eve had no intention of tracking him. Guerin had held off trying to contact her, because he didn’t want to take the chance of drawing her here, alerting her to his presence and situation. But after the significant beating Daniela had given him earlier, Guerin was worried that if Eve hadn’t known he was still a captive, she did now. They had shared blood more than once, plus something more, whether either of them was ready to acknowledge it or not.
He’d heard other vampires, including Kenric, talk about soul mates. He’d thought they were full of shit. After allowing one female inside his head and the disaster that had turned out to be, Guerin had doubted he’d ever find such a thing. But now… Perhaps Eve was his? All he knew for sure was the female had gotten under his skin and had left an imprint. One he couldn’t seem to shake.
She’d made him feel. Made his heart beat again.
And he wasn’t referring to an orgasm. Hell, he’d had plenty of those over the centuries—though the ones with Eve had been more than incredible—but the real kind of hammering pulse that drove hard through his veins, screaming that he was alive. Guerin never wanted it to stop. Eve was his addiction.