Blood Lust

by Heather MacKinnon

  It was the perfect trap for a vampire, and it was clear Massimo and Ivan were very good at wielding it.

  Fuckers.

  “Now, I need a team of guards to surveil a shipping container at the docks. I’ll have the address and container number sent to you as soon as we hang up. I also need a set of humans to guard the container during the day. I do not want our eyes off it for even a second.”

  I nodded slowly. Not a bad idea. But I had no intention of letting Massimo get anywhere near that container.

  “Where are we going first?” I asked Nicholas again.

  “Do all that and notify me when you’re done,” he said as he hung up and clutched his phone in his hand. “Where are we going?”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s what I’ve been asking you.”

  Nicholas stared out the windshield, his face blank and his eyes far away.

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  My boss turned to look at me. “Huh?”

  I frowned as I split my time between watching the road and trying to read Nicholas’ face. “What the hell is going on with you? We don’t have time for you to lose your shit, Talbot.”

  Nicholas shook his head and turned to look back out the windshield. “I just didn’t want to believe he’d leave the country with her. I didn’t know I was that close to losing her for good.”

  My stomach twisted at his words and I grit my teeth before answering. “That’s not fucking happening.”

  Nicholas nodded once. “You’re right. It’s not.” He let out a deep breath and gave himself a little shake. “We need to figure out where they’re going next.”

  I nodded toward his cell. “Start making calls, Talbot.”

  He nodded again and started scrolling through his phone before putting it to his ear. As soon as I heard the board member’s voice and it didn’t sound panicked, I tuned out. I didn’t need to hear the bureaucratic bullshit. I had enough on my mind.

  Like the fact that I still hadn’t felt Charlotte in hours.

  Despite how much easier it would have been to believe she just hadn’t been hurt or scared in all that time, I knew better. The truth was, our connection had been severed. The question was, why?

  Did something happen to the blood claim?

  Or did something happen to Charlotte?

  Even thinking that last sentence in my head turned my gut. Imagining all the ways Massimo hurt Adrienne last time she was in his clutches made me physically ill. There was no way Charlotte could endure that kind of torture and survive. Not as a human.

  And there laid my biggest regret.

  If I’d changed her into a vampire already, none of this would have happened. Massimo wouldn’t have even taken her. He probably would have pulled her head off along with ours, and then we’d have all been rescued by Edmund a few hours later.

  She wouldn’t have been weak and vulnerable.

  She wouldn’t have been at the mercy of a violent and cruel vampire.

  She wouldn’t have been so lost to me.

  No matter what happened, no matter how this all ended, I’d never forgive myself for waiting so long. I should have trusted her from the start. Trusted that she knew enough to know what she wanted. I shouldn’t have forced my will upon her. If I’d just listened, I wouldn’t be chasing her shadow across the state and hoping like hell I caught her.

  A loud scream from the other end of Nicholas’ call cut through my heavy thoughts.

  “Gardner? What’s going on?” he yelled into his phone.

  The yells were indistinct, but it was clear it was more than one voice, and that whatever was happening wasn’t pleasant.

  “Do you think it’s them?” I asked quietly.

  “Gardner!” Nicholas tried again. “Answer me! What’s going on?”

  There was a loud thump before the line went dead and the call dropped. Nicholas let it fall to his lap for one long second before his fingers were furiously tapping the screen again.

  “I need as many men as you can spare at Frank Gardner’s place now!” he yelled into his phone.

  I pressed the gas harder as I wove in and out of traffic, trying to get us across town faster.

  Nicholas ended his call abruptly and sat there, phone clenched in his hand and eyes far away.

  “Talbot?”

  “It’s definitely them. Who else could it be?”

  I shrugged. “So, are we going to Gardner’s place?”

  He shook his head. “No. They’ll be gone before we can get halfway there.” He leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. “We need to figure out their pattern. Why did they go from Sutherland to Gardner? Why not Steele? Or Caswell? Or Torres? It just doesn’t make sense.”

  I thought back to that room in Van der Waal’s place. The pictures on the walls hadn’t seemed to be in any specific order. Come to think of it, Sutherland’s photos hadn’t even been in a place of prominence. You’d think if they had such a problem with that vampire that they’d make sure to kill him first, he’d at least be in the center of the mess of photographs.

  But maybe it wasn’t Ivan with the vendetta, but Massimo.

  “Did Sutherland preside over Romano’s case?”

  Nicholas turned to me slowly. “Yes. Of course. It was a High Court case.”

  I nodded once. “That explains why he died first.”

  “Son of a bitch,” he whispered.

  It almost made me laugh hearing Talbot swear, but now was not the time for humor.

  “So, where is he going next?”

  “I don’t know,” Nicholas spat. I let it go, though. I knew he wasn’t angry at me, just the situation.

  “Was Gardner there too?”

  “Yes,” he said, his tone becoming testy. “They were all there. I just don’t know why he chose to go after him next.”

  “Do they live the closest to each other?”

  Nicholas tipped his head to the side, his eyes far away as he thought. “No. They’re on opposite sides of the park. There are a handful of board members closer to Sutherland than Gardner was.”

  “Then it has to be something else. There’s got to be a reason he chose Gardner to die second.”

  Nicholas growled softly as he covered the back of his head with his hands and pulled at his hair. I thought he’d rip it all out, but he froze in place. My gaze darted from the traffic in front of me to Nicholas as he slowly raised his head.

  “Gardner was sitting on Sutherland’s right that day.”

  “When Massimo was convicted?”

  “Yes,” he said, straightening in his chair.

  “The right-hand seat is a powerful position.”

  “You’re right. It usually is. But you know that’s not how Parliament works. Sutherland has the highest position, and the other twelve of us are basically equal. No one is more powerful or important than the other.”

  “But does Massimo know that?”

  He was quiet for a long time as we both thought this through. Finally, he broke the silence. “Okay, so if he’s looking to kill who he thinks wields the most amount of power, where is he going next?”

  “The real question is, will he continue down the right side, or hit Sutherland’s other side next?”

  The vehicle fell silent again, but this time I was the one to break it.

  “Who was on the left?”

  “DeMarco.”

  Silence.

  “Either way,” Nicholas said, “I have men going to all the board member’s homes tonight. We’ll catch them at one of them.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, but don’t you want to be the one who gets them?”

  Nicholas’ features turned hard, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. That we’d both enjoy a few minutes alone with Massimo before ripping off his head.

  “What’s it gonna be?” I asked as I drove out of the tunnel onto the Manhattan streets.

  “Go to DeMarco’s place. It’s only a few blocks from here anyway.”

  I nodded. “On it.�
�

  We had nothing else to say as I did my best to speed down the city streets toward Carlo DeMarco’s place. I’d never been inside, but I’d taken Nicholas there enough times to know my way.

  I skidded to a stop out front and we both jumped out of the still-running vehicle. We raced past the doorman, ignoring his hollers as we sped through the lobby.

  “Stairs are over here,” Nicholas said, but I shook my head.

  “We need to take the elevators.”

  He stopped abruptly before turning to me with a frown. “That’ll take twice as long.”

  I walked over to the elevator bank and pressed the call button. “Yeah, and they’ll take the stairs too. If they’re not here yet, but they smell us in the stairwell, they’ll know we’re on to them and just take off.”

  Nicholas’ eyes widened as he joined me. “That’s a good point.”

  I grinned. “I’m fucking full of good points.”

  This time he rolled his eyes as the elevator dinged its arrival, and we loaded into the car. The trip up to the top floor was torturously long, but it really was the best idea. Mostly because it was mine, but also because it made sense. We needed to preserve every element of surprise we had.

  When the doors opened, we both paused a moment, letting our senses do the searching for us. There were no nearby heartbeats, so I figured we’d be safe enough in the foyer.

  The moment we exited the elevator, we both froze in place. Light footsteps and a quick heartbeat were coming up the stairs to our right. I knew instantly it was one of them. Probably Ivan, if the nervous flutter of his heart was anything to go by.

  Nicholas must have come to the same conclusion because we both drifted to opposite ends of the foyer and melded with the shadows until we were almost invisible. I held my breath as the footsteps crept closer.

  The heavy metal door swung open silently, and we both sprang from our places.

  I grabbed Ivan around the throat while Nicholas ripped a black bag from his hands.

  “What the fuck?” he screamed. “Let me go!”

  I laughed in his face as he squirmed in my hold. “Not this time, motherfucker.”

  DeMarco’s door opened, and he stuck his head out. “What the hell is going on out here?”

  Nicholas stormed over to him. “We need a room and a chair.”

  Excitement zipped through my veins. “Oh, you’re in for a fun evening, Van der Waal.”

  His struggling intensified as I dragged him into DeMarco’s apartment. “Let me go! I need to get back to him! He needs me!”

  We all froze in place. Before I could get the words out of my mouth, Nicholas had his phone at his ear. “I need men to canvas the streets around DeMarco’s building. Romano’s here.” He shoved the cell in his pocket before turning to me. “You have your knife on you?”

  I felt the smile spread across my face. “Never leave home without it.”

  He nodded. “Let’s go then.”

  I half-carried a still screaming Ivan down the hall into what looked like a spare bedroom. I glanced at the pale carpet before turning to DeMarco. “You care about getting blood on your floor?”

  The dark-haired vampire shook his head slow. “If this is the bastard responsible for Sutherland, I’m happy to replace it.”

  I nodded once before tossing Ivan into the chair placed in the middle of the room. Nicholas came up behind me with that fucking silver blanket and laid it across Ivan’s lap. It wasn’t burning him because it wasn’t touching any exposed skin yet, but it was close enough to keep him drained and make him sit still.

  I leaned down to pull the silver dagger out of my boot before leveling Ivan with a steady look. “Do you know who I am?” I asked him.

  Ivan’s eyes were bright with anger as he nodded.

  “My name is Alexander Hausle. Make sure you remember that name, so you’ll always know who broke you.”

  His throat bobbed with a harsh swallow as I wandered closer to him.

  “I’m not gonna lie, Van der Waal, I’m pretty pissed.” I crept close enough to smell the stench of fear wafting from his skin. “I’m still recovering from those silver burns and having my fucking head ripped off. That kinda shit really puts a guy in a foul mood.”

  I slowly walked around him, close enough to touch, but I kept my hands to myself. For the time being.

  “But you know what’s really got me feeling stabby?” I asked as I walked around where he could see me, the knife in my hands gleaming in the light. In a burst of speed, I surged toward him, until his nose was a breath away from mine and there’d be no mistaking the fury in my eyes. “I was supposed to make my girl a vampire last night, and you fucking took her from me. That was a very bad decision, Ivan.”

  His lip trembled, but he remained silent.

  I pulled my knife up in front of his face and twisted it to the side. “I’m about to hurt you. A lot. There’s nothing you can do to stop me, but if you tell me what I want to know, I won’t kill you.”

  Without waiting for an answer, I jabbed the knife into his shoulder and dragged it down his arm. Ivan screamed, spittle hitting me in the face, but I didn’t stop. Instead, I twisted the blade.

  “Stop! Stop! Stop!” he screamed.

  “Did you stop, Ivan? No. You fucking didn’t.”

  I pulled the knife from his arm before stabbing it into his neck. Thick blood gushed from the wound as smoke rose from his skin. “Where is Massimo going?”

  He shook his head, teeth biting into his lip hard enough to make it bleed.

  I pulled the knife out of his neck and jammed it in his chest, right between the ribs and into his heart. Usually I’d take more time with my torture, but Charlotte couldn’t wait that long. I needed to get this information and get to her now.

  Bloody sweat ran down his face as he shook his head and grit his teeth. “He’ll kill me!”

  “I’ll kill you!” I screamed in his face.

  I pulled the knife out halfway before ramming it back into his heart and twisting the blade. Ivan’s voice was hoarse from his screams, but he kept yelling. Finally, I slid the dagger out of his chest and leveled him with another stare.

  “Where is Massimo going?”

  “The docks!” he gasped. “I rented him a shipping container!”

  “We already figured that out, Van der Waal. Tell me something I don’t know or I’m driving this blade into your head next.”

  His eyes widened in fear as they darted from me to the other men in the room. I got in his face again so all he could see was me. “They won’t help you. You’re only way out of this with your head attached is to tell me what I want to know.”

  He met my gaze, and I watched the fight disappear from his eyes. His shoulders slumped and his head fell to his chest. “My apartment. If we got separated, we were supposed to meet at my place.”

  “Don’t fucking lie to me!” I roared. “You haven’t been back to your apartment in a month!”

  His eyes snapped to mine as he shook his head. “I meant my girlfriend’s place. In Brooklyn. He’ll go there.”

  I stood up straight with a snap and turned to Nicholas, but he was already out the door. I was only seconds behind him.

  “Hey! What the fuck am I supposed to do with him?” DeMarco yelled after us, but we both ignored him.

  I made it to the SUV first and jumped into the driver’s seat. We both knew I could get us there fastest. And right now, every second counted.

  Our mate’s lives were on the line and I wasn’t going to fail.

  I couldn’t.

  Not this time.

  Chapter 16

  Charlotte

  “I need to know where we’re going.”

  Adrienne’s voice broke through the hazy state I was in. I might have been asleep, but it hadn’t been restful. I took a moment to assess my body for damage.

  Wiggling my fingers worked, so that was a good start. But the moment I tried to move my toes, my knees both ached with unhealed injuries. Apparently, this la
test attack would take a little longer to mend from. It seemed like Adrienne had given me her blood or I wouldn’t have been so healed already.

  “Massimo!” Adrienne yelled, and I turned to look toward the front of the van.

  The ancient vampire was non-responsive as he stared straight ahead. Finally, he turned to Adrienne. “Do you know where John Steele lives?”

  “I don’t even know who that is.”

  He growled softly. “He lives on Fifth Avenue. Can you take us there?”

  Adrienne scoffed. “Like a million people live on Fifth Avenue. We’re not gonna find him unless you have an address.”

  He surged across the space between them and grabbed her by the hair. The van jerked wildly as he pulled her close. “Do not speak to me like I am an idiot. I want you to take us to Fifth Avenue. Now.”

  He let her go, but not before shoving her away from him. The van swerved again, but thankfully, she righted it quickly.

  I kept quiet and still in the back, hoping I could stay undetected for as long as possible. My fingers twitched with the desire to grab the silver necklace from my pocket and wrap it around his neck. But that would be stupid. Adrienne was too busy driving to back me up, and alone, all I’d do was piss him off and probably get myself killed in the process.

  So, I’d have to wait.

  I wondered belatedly where Ivan was, and why Adrienne was driving, but didn’t dare ask. It didn’t matter anyway. We finally had them separated, and now we had to use the division to our advantage.

  “Well, this is Fifth Avenue,” Adrienne said with far too much attitude for my liking. “Now where?”

  Massimo’s head turned back and forth as he scanned the busy streets. “He said it was near the Central Park.”

  “That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

  Massimo’s fist shot out and punched her in the side of the face. I winced as I heard the impact and felt the pain blossom on my own cheek.

  “You will fucking find it,” he seethed.

  Adrienne used one hand to hold her broken jaw and continued to drive with the other. “I don’t know where we’re going! I don’t know what you’re looking for! I don’t know what the fuck you want from me.”