by Jessica Lee
“I see.” Jean-Claude’s gaze swept the room. “Looks to me like your…business”—he shrugged—“has been completed here.”
“Like I said,” Kenric’s voice lowered, threatening, “we’re not finished.”
Jean-Claude’s irises flashed a brilliant red. “Understand something, vampire. I’m a businessman, and I don’t like losing money.” His voice dipped into a graveled harshness. “And right now, you have nothing I want or need. In fact, you’ve placed me in a very precarious situation, namely, the loss of a pissed-off vampire with powerful connections.” Jean-Claude stepped closer, bringing him within arm’s reach of Kenric. “Your screw-up is going to cost me. In more ways than one.” His lip curled into a snarl, and he scoured the room with his heated glare before bringing it back to the Enclave’s Master. “So all of you can get the fuck out.” Jean-Claude whipped around and stormed off in the direction of his office.
Kenric muttered a curse and shoved one hand through his hair.
Christ! Arran thought. The answer was right there all along. Why the hell had it taken him this long to think of it? “Hey!” Everyone swung their gaze in Arran’s direction. In three strides, he was standing in front of them. “I’ve got an idea that might give everyone involved exactly what they want.”
“Let’s hear it,” Kenric said and repositioned himself back beside his mate. Emily leaned into his large frame, and his arm automatically circled her waist. Arran’s chest tightened. God, he missed Gabrielle. It was as if his heart didn’t know how to beat anymore without her there to give it purpose. This had to work.
“Jean-Claude said something very interesting a minute ago. He said we didn’t have anything he needed.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Logan said. “What are you getting at?” Logan and Guerin both stepped closer, listening.
“I believe we can offer him something he wants more than anything: his territory back.”
Kenric cursed. “I see where you’re going with this.”
Arran grinned. “He’s a master, same as you, Kenric, so you couldn’t rip the info from his mind. But what if he has excellent incentive to put us smack dab in the middle of Marguerite and Markus’s lair? Let’s say, we remove them for him, and Monsieur Jean-Claude gets his colony back.”
“Sounds easy enough for the old man,” Guerin said. “Spit out the address, and we go kick some ass.”
“Let’s do one better.” Arran tilted his head in Guerin’s direction. “I have to make a call first, but if he agrees, the young vampire could be the key that would place us literally in the center of the colony.”
“Who are you talking about?” Emily’s soft voice grabbed his attention.
“David.”
Chapter Eighteen
“What, no hug and kiss for the male who saved your ass?” Enrique’s voice crawled up Markus’s spine and inflamed his nerve endings. Markus dug his heels in and stopped outside the door to his chamber. Christ, of all the people who could have come to his rescue, why did it have to be the one person who would relish receiving his reward? And demand it. “You’ve been avoiding me, Commander,” Enrique said, his voice growing closer.
“I’ve been…occupied since my return.” Markus turned and faced his second in command.
“Ah,” Enrique lifted his chin. “With our newest member of the colony?” He grinned.
“Among other things.”
“I’m sure.” He lifted a dark brow. “The Enclave female is the only reason Marguerite has agreed to let you live. That was a very foolish move, Markus. What would have happened to your pet should you have died?” He tsked. “I would have thought more of a former Enclave warrior’s strategy skills.”
Markus grabbed Enrique by the front of his shirt, whirled, and shoved him hard into his door. With his fangs nearly chewing at the other male’s face, Markus bit out his reply. “Marguerite may not be happy with me right now, but never forget who has the power here to grind your ass into the ground.”
“Fuck.” Enrique groaned, and his eyes darkened. Rough hands found their way under the gap in Markus’s shirt that had pulled from his jeans during his tirade. He pressed his hips into Markus’s. “I love it when you do that.”
Markus snatched his hands off the vampire and lurched back. “I’m busy.”
“You owe me.” Enrique closed in, eating up all of Markus’s personal space.
Shit. He didn’t need this now. This was the first hour of downtime he had since he’d returned. Marguerite had wanted to be sure she’d re-marked her territory and her dominance. “It’s been days, Markus.” He leaned in and stroked the not-interested package between Markus’s legs. Markus clamped his hand hard around Enrique’s wrist. The vampire stilled, his stare resolute. “What do you think Marguerite would do if she learned of a betrayal that went much further than a lack of communication? One—let’s say—that had her commander placing the needs of another female before hers.”
A deep rumble came to life in Markus’s chest. His fingers dug into Enrique’s hair, and Markus drove him back into the door again. The male slammed into the wood with a humph. Enrique had the nerve to smile. Bastard. With a hard jab to the handle, the door flung open, and they stumbled inside.
Markus yanked Enrique to his chest and proceeded to rip his shirt down the center. Enrique sucked in a ragged breath. His eyes blazed with lust. Markus tore into Enrique’s remaining clothes, not giving a shit if his nails scored the other male’s flesh. Markus needed his sanity gone. He didn’t want to know or remember how far down this path he was willing to go to keep himself and Alexandria alive. In fact, a part of him was scared as hell to find out.
“Fuck, yes!” Enrique moaned. Naked and bleeding from the scratches to his body, Enrique dropped to his knees. In a matter of seconds, he’d freed Markus’s shaft. The violence of their encounter had managed to harden Markus’s cock. Enrique’s hot tongue bathed the ridge of his erection. Markus flinched, then reached down, sinking his hand back into Enrique’s hair. Tugging hard, he pulled him away and onto his feet.
“You don’t get to suck my cock, slave,” Markus snarled. Enrique hissed, his own hard cock jutting between them. “You wanted to fuck.” Markus seized Enrique by the arm, spun him, and pushed him face-first against the wall. He palmed his erection, stroking it as he moved it into position between the folds of Enrique’s ass. The male groaned, the sound muffled next to the wall. “So…we fuck.”
…
Twenty-four hours. Arran checked his watch for the fifth time in the last hour. Yep, that’s all it had been. Felt more like a fucking eternity.
He dropped his arm back to his side and leaned against the exterior brick facade of Alexandria’s building. David should have been there ten minutes ago. Arran thrummed his fingers against the rough surface of the wall. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Hell, who could blame him? David had gotten a chance at a new life, and here they were asking him to dive back into the same shit he’d just escaped. Yeah, he wouldn’t blame him at all if he’d told them all to kiss his ass.
A black four-door pickup with tinted windows turned the corner and rumbled into the parking lot. A few seconds later, the Dodge Ram rolled to a stop in front of him, the oversize chrome rims sparkling under the bright streetlights. The passenger door opened, and out stepped the same tall, skinny kid he remembered from only a couple of weeks ago. But this time, instead of wearing fear and despair like a cloak, the kid greeted him with a smile.
Arran pushed away from the wall and sauntered down the sidewalk toward David. “Well, I’ll be damned. You did show.”
“I told you I would.” David glanced up and held Arran’s gaze. “And like someone else I know, when I give my word…I mean it.” A huge grin spread across his mouth, showing off a wide row of straight white teeth.
With a slap to his shoulder, Arran pushed him toward the door. “Get inside.” He smiled. It felt strange, smiling, the muscles awkward. But it wasn’t David’s fault his heart felt squeezed too tight to beat.
Inside Alexandria’s townhouse, Arran led David across the wood floor toward the den where the rest of the team waited. As they stepped into the room, Kenric and Guerin stood from the couch.
“Everyone, this is David.” He stepped aside, putting David front and center. The young vampire pulled his hands free of his jeans pocket and extended his palm first to Kenric.
“David Monroe,” he said as Kenric slid his hand into David’s palm. After a quick shake, David moved to Guerin, repeating the process.
“Please, have a seat,” Kenric said, motioning to the two vacant chairs to the left of the couch. David took the one closest to Guerin, who’d seated himself beside Kenric. Arran flipped the chair around next to David and straddled the seat, resting his arms over the back.
Once everyone was back in place, Arran finished giving the remaining introductions of Logan and Emily, who sat facing them on the other side of the coffee table.
“So, David,” Kenric piped up first. David’s gaze swung toward the Enclave’s Master. “Arran tells me you’re on board with helping us to retrieve one of our team members from Marguerite and Markus’s lair.”
David nodded. “Whatever you guys need me to do. If I can make a difference, I’ll do what I can.” He shrugged. “I ain’t got nothin’ to lose. And if I can return the favor to Arran here in the process…” David looked to his left, giving him a self-conscious smile. “I’m good with that.”
“Sounds good to me as well,” Kenric said. David turned back, his gaze sweeping the table.
“What do you need me to do?”
“First,” Arran said. “We need to pay a visit to the vampire who doesn’t know it yet, but will be the one to return the prodigal son to his fold.”
A half hour later, the team arrived at Wicked Ways. Arran pulled up to the bar with David next to him. Kenric and Logan lingered in the crowd behind them. David grabbed the vacant bar stool to his right and hoisted himself onto the seat and put both of his palms on the top of his thighs. He rubbed them up and down on the denim material, as if he couldn’t keep his hands dry. Arran leaned close, so that the music wouldn’t drown out his words.
“You sure you’re okay with this?”
The younger vamp nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure.” He glanced around the room, then shrugged, both hands going to the bar. “Just kind of strange being back here.” Arran could only imagine. He had to give it to him. The kid had guts.
Guerin, Logan, and Kenric joined them at the bar. Emily had stayed behind at the apartment, per Kenric’s request. She didn’t like it much, but Kenric had promised to keep her informed of what went down. Gabrielle’s disappearance had to have brought back painful memories for her. And from what Arran could tell, during the last two years, Gabrielle and Emily had become very good friends, so the waiting and not knowing had to be hell on her as well.
The bartender with the buzz cut made his way over to their side of the bar. He propped both hands on the edge, his knuckles clenched tight along the wood rail. The veins on either side of his thick neck bulged above his white T-shirt. The flesh running the length of the veins looked puckered and scarred. A Calix. It figured the former master would put his most loyal eyes and ears out front.
The human smirked. “I thought the boss made it clear that you were out of here.”
“We need to talk to your boss,” Arran replied. When buzz cut sneered, Arran placed both palms flat on the bar and leaned in. Fangs dropped into place, and he was sure that fire swirled around his pupils. “Now.” The single word, laced with compulsion, hit the man’s brain and rocked him back on his heels. He recovered his balance, and his gaze held Arran’s for one confused moment before he nodded.
Arran stepped away from the bar, and David slid from the stool. Arran glanced over at Kenric and Logan, signaling with a nod for them to follow. They headed in the direction of the kitchen door that would take them back downstairs and to Jean-Claude’s office. Another male stood as sentinel at the entrance. Everyone came to a halt. The guard looked toward the bar, the large diamond stud flashing in his right ear, competing with the glare of his bald head. Arran followed his gaze just in time to catch Buzz giving the guard the go-ahead for them to proceed.
The trek down the stairs was a silent one. It was clear no one wanted to admit out loud this might be their only hope. Especially within his hearing range. This had to work.
Next to him, Arran caught David’s flinch. His jaw was locked tight, and he kept his eyes away from the paraphernalia lining the walls. They were passing through the dungeon.
“This is where you met Markus?” Arran asked, his voice soft.
David’s head darted in Arran’s direction. “Yeah. He never actually touched me…like the others. His taste seemed to go more for the females. But he was definitely the one in charge. And he definitely had a taste for the lifestyle.” David took a long, deep breath. “It was here where I saw the symbol on Markus’s back that’s like the one you have on your chest.”
With Kenric in the lead, they rounded the corner heading toward Jean-Claude’s office. However, they didn’t need to proceed the entire distance. Jean-Claude stood with his shoulder leaning against the doorjamb, his office door open.
“I heard I was expecting company,” Jean-Claude said with a sardonic grin. “To what do I owe the…pleasure of this visit?” JC straightened and stepped back into his office. Arran guessed that was an invite. Of sorts.
Kenric went in first, followed by Guerin, Logan, and then Arran, with David pulling up the rear. The former master had positioned himself behind his behemoth desk.
“We have a proposition for you that I believe you’ll find quite to your liking.” Kenric lifted the corner of his mouth and pivoted, parting the three warriors behind him. David eased forward. The master of the Enclave rested his broad hand on the thin rail of David’s shoulder. “How would you like your territory returned?”
Jean-Claude’s eyes widened. His body slowly lifted from his chair, his fingertips the only thing supporting the weight of his torso as he leaned over the surface of his desk. “What the hell are you getting at?”
With the calm and calculating demeanor of a true master, Kenric settled himself into a chair before continuing. Lines of frustration and stress deepened on JC’s face. The former master was about to blow. “Get on with it, vampire,” he spat. “If you’ve got something you think I’d be interested in, I suggest you speak now.”
Kenric leaned back in his chair, his palm going to his five o’clock shadow. He cocked his head at Arran and nodded. Arran braced his hands on the male’s desk. JC met his glare.
“You want your colony back,” Arran began. “We want our team member back. It’s as simple as that.”
“And how do you suppose we both get what we want?” Jean-Claude bared his fangs with a hiss.
“Our friend here”—Arran reached out and clutched David’s upper arm—“has agreed to be your peace offering to Marguerite and Markus for your…indiscretion in allowing us the use of your facility.” Jean-Claude’s gaze jumped between Arran and David, sizing them up. “You get David into the heart of their lair”—Arran grinned—“and we’ll do the rest.”
Chapter Nineteen
The former master of Fairfield couldn’t have jumped any higher at the opportunity.
“Let’s do this.” David clapped his hands and rolled his shoulders. It was a strong show, but Arran could tell by the strained look on his face that the kid was scared as hell.
Arran dipped his head and lowered his voice. “We won’t let you be in there for long.” The young vamp glanced up, anxious brown eyes meeting Arran’s. “I won’t let you down,” Arran whispered. A slight nod was David’s only reply. With his lips pressed in a tight seal, David rolled the sleeve of his light blue shirt up h
is right arm.
“Each of you will take from me, right?” David looked from Arran to the other three warriors in the room.
“That’s right. But only a small amount,” Arran replied. “That way once you’re in place, we can follow the trail of your essence and phase to your location together. We’re going to need the element of surprise.”
David rolled his sleeve one last time, and then lifted his wrist in offering to Arran. “Do it.” A smile lifted one corner of his lips. “I want you to kick their asses.” He rolled his gaze from Arran to the rest of the team. “Promise me.”
Guerin stepped forward, moving next in line beside Arran. “That’s one promise, kid, I don’t have a damn bit of trouble making—or keeping.”
“Nor the rest of us,” Kenric said, followed by an affirmative from Logan as well.
Arran clutched David’s wrist. The strong beat of his pulse thrummed under his fingers. His fangs lengthened. David’s wide gaze held his as Arran lowered his head. The warrior stopped, hovered, and glanced up. “I promise,” Arran vowed and sank his fangs.
He was not going to let David or Gabrielle down. She would be in his arms tonight, and Markus and Marguerite would be…
Dead.
…
Eight. Nine. Ten.
The toe of Elle’s shoe touched the wall, bringing her to a halt. “Ten feet.” Damn, the room seemed smaller than that. She groaned and plopped onto the foot of her twin bed. It was official; she’d gone stir-crazy.
With no windows to break and the door locked from the outside, there was no way out. She’d tried, using every item she could scrounge in an attempt to pick the damn lock.
Elle glanced down at the wrinkled dark green cotton blouse she’d put on at least three nights ago, maybe four. She’d lost count. It was filthy, and she’d give anything for a real shower and clean clothes. The room did have a bathroom, but it consisted of a toilet and a sink. She’d washed the best she could, but it was a sorry excuse for a bath.