“You know what?”
“What, Little Rabbit?” he asks smugly.
“Tell me where Darya is.”
I didn’t know if it would work. I hadn’t compelled anyone in a while, and I had no idea if it could work on Niko, especially in his deranged state. But I put every force of my will into the command.
“In my car.”
Then Niko gasped and weakened his grip involuntarily “What did you do?” he hissed. “How did you do that?”
“Sweetheart,” I say. “There is soooo much more I can do to you. And that’s why I came here. Your life, Niko, is over.”
“No!” he screams.
Niko shoves me hard and I flew across ten feet of warehouse into the corrugated steel wall, shocking me with the force of it. I stood shakily, fighting to recover my legs. The asshole caught me by surprise. Never for a second did I think Niko would run. But he did, and I took after him, following his footsteps through the dark warehouse. But Niko was fast, so much faster than me, and a door slammed. I tear the door open and see with relief that shiny Porsche sitting outside the door. Jackson standing by it, looking fierce.
“He took off,” he said, “down that alley.”
“Fuck,” I run down the alley, but I can no longer hear his footsteps. Niko’s gone. I have fucked everything up, once again.
Chapter 19
As it turns out, Niko’s people hate him more than I do now. The call was anonymous and lasted less than a minute, so the vampire who told us the address didn’t have any other information. Other than where another of Niko’s safe-houses was.
“This could be a trap,” said Arsen.
“What else is new,” said Jackson.
And with those glum words we climbed into Arsen’s car and traveled the twenty-miles to the river, and another long line of abandoned buildings, this time a defunct army base.
“He sure knows how to live the high life.” I said.
“He’s going to ground, keeping out of sight. You told him you were going to kill him Sasha. You gave him no reason to think otherwise.”
“Well, don’t send me on secret missions, then,” I pout.
“I didn’t send you anywhere,” said Arsen. “I did not want you to go. But as I’ve learned, there is no stopping you when you get an idea into your head.”
“It’s what you love about me. Admit it. It’s true. You just think I’m as cute as fuck when I kick ass.”
“As long as it’s not my ass, yes.”
Arsen squeezes my thigh with his strong hand.
“Down shift for me,” he says with a smile.
“What?”
“Sasha, we’re going around this corner in a minute, down shift so I don’t have to move my hand.”
I shift the stick, while Arsen reaches between my legs and rubs his fingers on my mound.
“Upshift, darling, or we’re going to stall.”
“What the fuck,” I gasp as he hits that spot where pleasure spreads through me. “What kind of freaky stuff is this?”
“The good kind,” he grins devilishly at me. “I just want to show you what we can accomplish together, what I always think we can accomplish together. Downshift again.”
Oh hell, he was driving me crazy, and I fought to keep my mind on the proper shifting while he concentrated on revving my engines. And I swear I will get him back for this, for bringing me to edge while I shivered with fear that I’d wreck the clutch or that we’d go spinning into a building. I will, because I can’t hold back as my body trembles with the urge to explode.
Arsen finally moved my hand off the stick and stopped the car, pulling the side of the road before the gates of the base, and I want to scream because I didn’t come yet.
“Arsen?” I said in a warning voice. “Are you forgetting something?”
“Am I?”
“You know you are.”
“Oh yes,” he said thoughtfully. He leaned over the stick and kissed me with a passion that made me want to crawl on top of him, but his hand held me down, as his hand stroked me to the peak of pleasure.
“Come, Sasha. Come for me now.”
White light exploded in my eyes as his mouth covered my scream. And I clung to him as if he were my life’s breath and I couldn’t do anything else but hang onto to him.
Finally, my vision returned.
“I love you,” whispered Arsen. “And always will.”
“I love you.”
And I could have stayed there for hours but we couldn’t. We had a vampire to hunt.
We climbed and dropped down with vampire stealth, we stood and stared at the complex. It was huge and would take us hours to search.
“What are we going to do?” I said.
“Call him.”
“Just like that.”
“He can’t resist you, Sasha. Call him.”
I shake my head and let out a call like I’m trying to find an errant cat.
“Niko,” I call. “I’m here for you. You ran away, darling, and I’m crushed.”
“I said call him,” growls Arsen. “Not make love to him.”
“Hey, I’m working with what I got here. Niko!”
A light turns on in a building a quarter mile down the road.
“He heard you,” Arsen grumbles.
“Let’s go.”
We’d decided I’d enter through the front, and Arsen the back, hoping to catch him by surprise.
“Be careful,” Arsen says before he crushes his lips to mine.
“You too.” Because even though we were working together, we wouldn’t be back to back and Niko is a sneaky, underhanded, son of a bitch.
While I’m trying to administer the cure so Niko can be tried for his crimes, I’m not entirely sure I want him to survive. After everything. All the lives he’s taken, the ones he’s ruined, I’m not sure he deserves it, but even though I’m immortal, I’m no God, and I suppose I’ll have to leave his future up to fate.
I round the corner and find Niko curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, muttering to himself.
“Niko…” I whisper his name, trying not to startle him. He doesn’t move. I take a few steps forward, and my foot hits a metal tin, sending it skittering across the floor. Niki jumps up, and lunges at me, his eyes red, his fangs exposed.
“Niko! It’s me, Sasha. Let me give you the cure.” I try to fight him off, pushing at his shoulders and trying to avoid his fangs at the same time. I pull the cap off of the syringe with my teeth and plunge it into his neck. It only enrages him further.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Little Rabbit.” He growls. And for a moment, I flash back to when he turned me, beaten and bruised on the floor, he’d bitten me and made me what I am.
It’s all the time he needs to strike a blow to my cheek and I fly backwards into a pile of boxes.
“Fucking hell.” I jump up, but he’s on top of me, and I struggle against him, trying to get the upper hand. “Arsen! Arsen! A little help over here!” I scream the words, hoping that they’ll distract Niko but his nostrils flare and he narrows his gaze on me.
“Mine. You’re mine, Little Rabbit.”
“I’m not yours, Niko. Snap out of it. Chill out and let the cure do its job.”
“It’s too late. You can’t cure me.”
His words make me go cold, and I still for a fraction of a second, taking in his jittery pulse, the way his eyes are ruby red, and bulging. Spittle flies from his mouth, and his skin is so pale it’s translucent.
“What have you done, Niko?”
“Ensured that I’ll win.”
I kick him off of me, and he flies past Arsen, almost knocking him over. Arsen turns and advances on him, but I shout at him. “Arsen, no. He’s mine.”
“Did you give him the cure?”
“I tried, but he says there’s no hope for him. That I can’t cure him.” I press my foot down on Niko’s neck, and he claws at it with his hands. “I think he’s right. These symptoms aren’t correct. I think the cur
e sped up whatever new mutation he gave himself.”
“So what do we do? Contain him?”
I shake my head. “It’s too risky, Arsen. If he infects anyone else, I’m not sure how it would spread. Or if I could cure this one.”
“So there is only one choice.” Arsen hands a blade to me, and I take it from him with a nod.
“But first, we need to know where Darya is.” I hold the blade to Niko’s throat. “Tell us where you put her, Niko, and I’ll make it quick.”
He laughs, twisting under me and trying to bite the leather of my boot. “You’ll never find her.”
Arsen’s phone beeps, and I nod at him. “Check it.” We’d left the team to search the area for Darya in hopes that she might be there. God please tell me they found her.
“They’ve got her. She was tied up a few buildings over.” He slides his phone back into his pocket. “End this fucker so we can go home.”
Without a second thought, without a sliver of doubt, I draw the blade across Niko’s neck, severing his head from his shoulders. His body twitches, and I step away, avoiding the pool of blood spreading out from his body.
Arsen reaches down to grab his head but I stop him. “Don’t touch it. We need to burn it to be sure we eliminate whatever virus or parasite or whatever he dosed himself with. I don’t want to ever have to deal with this again. Even by accident.”
He pulls a lighter out of his pocket. “Okay, then let’s do this.” He holds the flame to Niko’s shirt, and waits for it to catch fire before he steps back. We watch as he turns to ash, and I try to find some kernel of regret or sadness inside of me, but I can’t.
Call it newfound vampire coldness, call it experience, or call it good riddance, but the threat to me and my loved ones is gone, and hopefully there will be a peace between the Draugur and the Baetal now that Niko is gone.
A few hours later, we’re back at our Portland compound, surrounded by Arsen’s coven, and one hell of a celebration. Champagne flows like water, and so do blood bags. Another of his vampires passes by me with a nod of respect and a thank you, my queen and I frown.
“Arsen, why are they calling me Queen?”
“Because you are.”
“They don’t call you King though…”
“Because I told them not to. It’s an old ritual.”
“Well make them stop it. I’m not a Queen. I’m barely even a Grad student at this point.”
Arsen laughs, pulling me into him, and pressing his mouth into mine. Our tongues tangle, and I press my body into his, loving the feel of his hard muscles against my soft curves. “We should take this somewhere else.”
“Sasha, are you trying to take advantage of me?” Arsen jokes, feigning shock.
“Yes, yes I am. Now follow me to my den of iniquity, so I can blow your mind.”
“And other things I hope.” Arsen quips.
“Ugh, so gross, guys.” Jackson grumbles as he steps into our path.
“So get out of the way, so you don’t have to hear it then.” I laugh.
“I’m headed out, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left.” Jackson smiles softly at me.
“One second, okay?” I pull my hand from Arsen’s and he nods. I step away with Jackson until we’re in a quiet corner. “Hey, you don’t mean bye forever right? Just tonight?” His words had struck a cord and I can’t lose him now. Not after everything we’ve overcome together.
“Not forever, but for a while. I think we need some space between your coven and my unit.”
“What do you mean? We all are getting along just fine.” I frown at him in confusion.
“Just because we united to defeat one enemy doesn’t mean that thousands of years of family history disappears and our duty to mankind is over, Sash. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Why can’t we make it work, Jackson?”
“Because you’re the Queen of the Draugur vampires, and I’m the leader of a vampire hunting faction. We’re natural enemies.”
“No, you’re a natural jackass, but we’re not enemies. I refuse to accept that, Jackson.” I cross my arms across my chest.
“And what if one of your vampires attacks a human? What then, Sash?” Jackson grabs my hand in his. “Do you think I want to lose my best friend? I don’t. But I don’t see how this could work long term.”
“If any of my vampires go after a human I’ll help you hunt them down, Jackson. Simple as that. There is no reason to do it anymore. We have blood banks for a reason.” I wave my hand. “What next? I’ll tell you how we get around all of this.”
“Sasha…”
“Don’t you, Sasha, me. What about Darya. What if you get the call to hunt her down one day? Will you kill her, Jackson?”
He scowls at me. “That’s a low blow, Sasha.”
“Hey, I’m just keeping it real. I’m not about to lose my best friend over some outdated bullshit.”
Jackson laughs. “God, you’re not going to leave me alone until I give in, are you?”
“You wish.” I lean forward and hug him, squeezing just a little harder than normal. “Did you forget?” I spin around in a grand gesture, finally feeling like I’ve come into my own. “I’m mother-fucking immortal. I’m not going anywhere.”
Want more vampires? Keep reading for a sneak peek at Aurora: The Kresova Vampire Harems Volume One!
Aurora: The Kresova Vampire Harems Volume One
Sometimes, it takes a pawn to dethrone a queen.
The Kresova
Blood.
The source of life—and the emblem of death.
For humans and vampires alike, blood determines the difference between survival or doom. For the ancient race of Kresova vampires, blood spilled in a centuries-old feud has forever changed the course of their future.
Many may know their name, and books may tell their stories, but little truth is actually known about those who stalk the night—especially by the vampires themselves—and the vicious Kresova queen plans to keep it that way.
She kills without prejudice. Eliminates anyone whose existence threatens her rule. Through fear and violence and her unmatched ability to anticipate her enemies, she’s secured her reign.
She’s thought of everything.
Done everything.
But her plan is flawed.
She didn’t prepare for her . . . for them.
Prologue
The Chamber of Morana, Queen of the Kresova Vampires
Paris, France
Shades of crimson coated the walls of the small coliseum-like room. Smears of blood trailed along the steps like a winding river leading down to the dais. Every few feet, puddles formed in the crevices of the stone floor, staining the white grout a coppery brown.
The tangy scent of iron filled Carvell “Carver” Marceau’s nose, and his fangs descended.
He wished he’d eaten before he had arrived, but he never knew what the queen might demand. He doubted she’d ask him to slaughter thirty men—again—simply for her own delight, but he also knew better than to say “never” when referring to Queen Morana’s commands.
Many years had passed since his last visit, and he doubted she’d grown in patience or compassion. If she did demand such a thing from him, he’d have no other option but to oblige.
Corpses littered the walkway, sprawled haphazardly with their throats torn, lying in pools of their own blood. The rubber soles of Carver’s sable boots squished and squeaked as though he traversed through a rain-battered street. Rivulets of the thick liquid appeared in each crack that sloped downward toward her enormous marble throne.
At the base of the dais, he stopped. His face, often described by her majesty as regal, remained downturned until she deigned to acknowledge him.
He cast his eyes up, only once, to see she clutched a man in her arms. Her embrace wasn’t tender as she pulled at his jugular. When Morana’s eyes darted to Carver, she paused, then ferociously tore the man’s head from his neck and carelessly dropped his body. It landed with a th
ud. The crack of human bones shattering echoed throughout the empty throne room.
She kept her gaze fixed on Carver, watching . . . waiting.
For what? Weakness, possibly contempt, but most of all—anything that spoke of treason.
It was a test.
Everything was, when it came to the Kresova queen. But Carver had become a master of self-possession in his long years away from her court, and his expression remained composed. Face still lowered, he waited patiently for her to speak first.
One didn’t talk to Queen Morana. Not unless a permanent death was planned. She hadn’t maintained her reign over the ancient vampire race of the Kresova this long with kindness and shows of mercy.
Morana’s beauty could not be denied, and though she appeared youthful and innocent, she was thousands of years old.
Most of the vampires in existence hadn’t been around long enough to remember she was not the first vampire—simply the most cunning.
“Ah, mon assassin, you’ve come to see me at last.” Her voice rippled through him like an electric shock to his nerves.
Carver couldn’t deny his draw to her. She had sired and turned him. Their connection would never cease to be until her death—or his.
“Oui, Majesté, I am at your service.” He bowed low, his gaze firmly on the blood-stained floor.
“Do you know why I have called you to my side?”
“Non, je ne sais pas, Majesté.” No, he wasn’t sure why she’d ask for him after a two-hundred-year absence. He’d assumed she’d found a new butcher, as she liked to call him, and moved on from the slight obsession she had formed.
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