Nikki jumped up and had to suppress a feeling of giddiness rising in her throat. Do you want to see what else I can do, Mr. Vessler?
He gasped for air as she pressed her foot into his chest. The toes of her tennis shoes dug into his throat. “The thing about having the air knocked from you is that if enough pressure is then applied, it will collapse your lungs,” she said with soft, controlled words. “Eventually your respiratory system will shut down.” She pressed harder. “I bet you didn’t know that.”
His arms flailed as he attempted to suck gasps of oxygen, but she made sure his efforts were in vain. Vessler’s face reddened.
She pressed a little harder.
His eyes bulged.
Nikki fisted her hand. She had no intention of waiting until eventually. One blow to the throat—that was all it would take to stop the pathetic sucking and wheezing sounds. She drew back, ready to finish him. And she would have if she hadn’t heard the voice.
Chapter 22
Nikki, no!” Mace yelled as he touched down at the edge of her yard. He started to step, but couldn’t. She’d ordered him to stay off her property.
At least his interruption gave Vessler just enough time to squirm from under her grasp and lumber to his feet. As much as Mace hated to see the guy live, watching the girl he loved commit murder was far worse.
Nikki, tell me to come and save you, Mace pleaded. She looked across the lawn to him but only shook her head. I’m already dead.
While her attention was on Mace, Vessler, who’d regained a bit of breath, seized the moment and punched her in the stomach.
She doubled over.
Nikki. Don’t give in.
Vessler swept her leg, causing her to land on her knees. Raven appeared beside Mace and started to step onto the property. “No.” Mace stopped him after a moment’s shock. Raven must have seen him leave in a hurry and followed. “She’s ordered us to stay back.”
Raven’s weight shifted from side to side. “You, maybe. She’ll die.” His foot moved onto the blades of grass.
Mace grabbed him and dragged him back. “If you cross her will, you’ll disappear from this journey.” He shook him. “Raven, you know that.”
Turning their attention to the center of the bright-green lawn, they watched helplessly.
While Nikki was on her knees, Vessler grabbed a handful of hair along her hairline. As she started to writhe he punched her in the kidney then jerked her head back to examine her face.
Her eyes met Mace’s across the lawn. He watched the gold in them darken, deepening almost to black. He staggered, grabbed Raven for support. She can’t be … Will said it would be impossible to hide.
Damon slowly fisted his hand.
Nearly black eyes shone on Nikki’s face.
Raven stammered, “She’s a …”
“She’s a Halfling.”
Mace turned to Raven, and the expression on his face confirmed they were thinking the same thing. “That means she’s not human, and we don’t have to honor her free will.” The Lost Boys charged onto the lawn.
Mace caught Nikki before she could hit the ground.
Leave it to Lover Boy to give me the dirty work. Raven dove on top of Vessler. Like an animal, he attacked him, sinking deep blows wherever he found an opening.
At one point it seemed Vessler may obtain the advantage. As Raven shifted in an attempt to regain the upper hand, he noticed Mace was laying Nikki softly in the grass and preparing to enter the fray.
One man should be no match for two Halflings. For that matter, one dozen men wouldn’t be able to overcome one Halfling. Vessler’s brute strength and fighting ability surprised them both. Still, he offered opposition only for a fleeting moment. Raven stood and took control once more, prompting Mace to return to Nikki and lift her into his arms. Not that she seemed to notice her pretty little boyfriend had trotted back: she was staring at the fight.
And that was all he needed to know. “You tried to turn her,” Raven screamed, holding Vessler by the now-bloody lapels of his expensive Italian shirt.
Vessler’s arms dangled lifelessly at his sides.
“What are you?” Spit flew from Raven’s mouth as he shook the man. How did one human almost take the advantage in a fight against me?
Vessler’s head bobbed forward, back, forward, back, but no words formed on his lips.
Raven searched his face for an answer.
Vessler licked his swollen, bloody mouth. “She belongs to me.”
The choked words almost made Raven’s vision go red. He grabbed the freak’s throat and squeezed. “We belong to no one,” he hissed.
“I …” he gasped. “I made her.”
The human throat could only sustain a limited amount of pressure before collapsing. Raven’s fingers dug into the tender flesh, enjoying the feel of muscle, tendons. Within Vessler’s veins a ball of blood attempted to force its way beyond Raven’s grip, but he denied it access.
“Wait,” Vessler rasped, his eyes widened in fear. “I can offer you the world.” His jittering gaze darted to Nikki, now in Mace’s arms.
Reluctantly, Raven followed his trail for a moment.
“Please.” Vessler’s hand came to rest on Raven’s, fingers trying to pry free, though his voice was getting weaker. “I can offer you … her.”
For an involuntary instant, Raven's fingers loosened.
Vessler’s gaze softened. “That’s all you really want, isn’t it? Don’t you deserve her? She loves you—she told me she did. I can make it so the two of you live a long life together.”
Raven tried to keep his mind from traveling that road, but it wasn’t a choice he could make. Him and Nikki. Together. Forever. But rather than loosen further, his grip tightened. He lifted Vessler off the ground. “Are you also offering thirty pieces of silver?” Straightening his arm, he flung the demented freak down. As he was ready to drive Vessler six feet under with one final blow, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Mace’s grip was firm. Loving. “Come on, Brother.”
Raven shook his head. One more blow, one more hit, and Nikki would never have to worry about Vessler again.
“Brother,” Mace repeated, letting a dazed Nikki slide from his arms. “If you murder a human, your fate is sealed. Do not expect me to walk eternity without my brother at my side.”
Raven’s heart hammered.
Mace placed a protective arm around Nikki when she swayed. The other he placed around Raven.
Unwinding his fists, Raven attempted a smile and nodded toward Nikki.
She scratched her head, eyes clearing slowly.
Raven reached to her cheek and dragged his finger along the side of her face. He swallowed hard and gestured to Mace. “Carry her,” he ordered. “She needs you.”
Mace nodded, understanding. He swung Nikki into his arms.
As the three walked off the lawn, her eyes began to focus on Mace. She shook her head. “Damon’s not what I thought he was.”
Mace and Raven both laughed.
Mace kissed her forehead. “Neither are you, baby. Neither are you.”
“You’re telling us Nikki’s a Halfling?” Will asked while sitting in the living room beside Zero and Vegan, who’d arrived a few minutes earlier. Feeling the rumblings of intrigue and munching on Sweet Tarts, Vine meandered down the stairs to join them and see what was up.
Zero nodded. “As best I can tell.”
Vegan scooted closer to him, but he shot her a warning look. When Vine realized the statement wasn’t a joke, he nearly choked on the candy. Nikki? A Halfling?
“We’re worried about her.” Vegan dropped her hands to her lap and threaded them together. “Damon Vessler is capable of anything. He’s literally orchestrated her entire life.”
“But why?” Will asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Zero stood. “Look, Vessler wants to build Halflings that are loyal to him. If he had a female specimen, fully under his control, he could use her DNA to create an entire race.”
“You’re the one who told us there had been anomalies, remember?” Zero said. “Which may be why it’s taken him so long to accomplish this.”
“So Vessler’s main interest is in genetics?”
“Electromagnetic studies are a cash cow for Vessler. I uncovered files from around the globe where his projects bring in billions. He must use it to fund the genetic research.”
“Nikki’s a Halfling and he planned to turn her?” Will said, repeating everything they already knew. But Vine saw the shock had yet to be erased from their guardian’s face or voice.
“Then use her to create an army …”
Zero threw his hands into the air. “When a Halfling is fully given over to evil, the DNA changes. There’s no good left within—only hate, pure darkness. And there’s no going back. Maybe Vessler’s tried to turn Halflings in the past without success. So he constructed one.”
“Constructed?” Vine interrupted, sinking onto the couch. “Yeah, I’m not sure if Nikki’s an in vitro baby or a clone of some kind, but make no mistake, she was birthed in a laboratory. And she’s important because she has the ability to birth more than one offspring.”
“And how did you discover that?” Will said.
“When I found the report with her name and the word surgery, I did a search on every file we’ve obtained from Omega.”
“Omega Corporation, aka Damon Vessler,” Will said. Zero shot him a duh look. “Anyway, they intend to stick her under the knife and remove some of her eggs.”
“That’s why you think she may have been an in vitro baby herself?” Will said.
“A common practice these days, but cuttingedge seventeen years ago when Nikki would have been born. Besides, even if they removed hundreds of eggs, that’s not an army and it would take the offspring twenty years to be battle ready.”
Zero leaned forward. “It’s the beginning of an army. They have the theoretical capability to use the DNA to clone the eggs, but some will surely die in the process. I’m pretty sure they are working with hormones and a cold-process to induce rapid aging.”
Vegan nodded. “Hundreds would become thousands, and thousands can become millions. And that is an army. If he can do in five years what normally takes twenty …”
“So why hasn’t Vessler done it? Why hasn’t he extracted the eggs from Nikki?” Will asked. Then he answered his own question. “She had to turn first, and I would assume she would need to tap into her angelic power as well. If she’s fully given over to her fallen impulses, her DNA would ensure a race of dark Halflings. Otherwise, he could be birthing an army that could fight against him rather than for him. No wonder she was being chased and tormented, but never killed. It was all an attempt to turn her. Vessler wants her filled with hatred.”
“Yeah, and that also gives a reason for all the titanium shipments. His work is unprecedented, so he’d want plenty of wingcuffs on the off chance that his plan failed and the dark Halflings turned against him,” Zero said.
Vine grabbed a handful of candy and chewed anxiously. Zero leveled his cold stare at Will. “Plus, he’d want plenty to trap the Halflings fighting on his enemy’s side.”
“And it all depends on Nikki.” Will rubbed his hand over his face.
“She has to tap in and turn. Nikki’s a Halfling, but since she hadn’t unearthed her angelic side, none of us saw it. Even you, Will.”
Will nodded. “Halflings who are untapped seem pretty much like everyone else.”
Vegan shrugged. “She could tap in any day. And if Vessler’s played it right, she’ll become dark the instant she finds those powers. The entirety of Vessler’s plan—whatever it encompasses—rests on her shoulders.”
Vine set the rest of the package of Sweet Tarts on the table. They didn’t really sound good anymore. “What about her parents?”
Zero shot a look to Vegan. A tiny smile and nod coaxed him onward. “We think Mary and Dale Youngblood were scientists.”
Will slumped onto the couch.
Vine chewed his cheek as he thought about Zero’s theory. Poor Nikki. “Do you think her dog was a real dog?” he blurted before he could stop himself. But it just seemed so unfair. So … awful.
Zero’s head dropped a degree. “Nothing would shock me now. But Dale and Mary aren’t her real parents. Who knows if she even has parents? The point is, as Halflings we know who and what we are from the time we’re born. It’s what keeps us on the side of good. Imagine being a human, hitting the age of accountability, and suddenly having supernatural powers. And—”
“And having everything you love stripped from you.” Will pressed his hands together in a prayer posture. “She was to be the queen after all,” he mumbled.
Zero shared a confused glance with Vegan. “What?” he asked Will.
“Checkmate.”
Another glance. Zero shrugged.
“I don’t want Nikki hit with all this information,” Will said. “Not yet. She needs time to absorb her unique origin and who she is. Understood?”
Three Halflings nodded. Vine still couldn’t get over it. Nikki a Halfling ...
A question burst from Vine’s mouth. “Where’s Nikki now? It’s not safe for her to be with Vessler.”
Will looked weary as he answered. “Mace and Raven went to her house to talk with her.”
“To Vessler’s mansion?”
“No. Vessler let her move into her parents’ home. She should be there now.”
Zero pressed thin lips together, then spoke. “There’s more.” Will’s lightning-blue eyes met Zero’s silver ones. A warning rested there—Vine figured Will had heard enough for one day.
But that didn’t stop Zero, who presented a plan so destructive, Vine’s stomach churned. He stared down at the coffee table and wondered if Sweet Tarts would ever sound good again. Maybe in a few years.
After several minutes, Will interrupted. “What you’re suggesting could alter the entire existence of humans in as little as a generation.”
“It could alter it,” Zero repeated. “Or worse.”
“Worse?” Will asked.
“It could end it.”
“It was a dangerous game, sir,” the short, thin scientist said while sliding the needle through Vessler’s skin. If I wasn’t in so much pain, he’d pay for that comment. But there’s always later.
Vessler gripped the edges of the examination table while the scientist tied the last knot. “She couldn’t kill me.”
“She’s quite capable, Mr. Vessler.”
“No. I am the world to her. She just has to be reminded of that.”
“Well, it may have to wait. Your cargo arrives in a few days, and I’m certain you’ll want to make decisions on where the shipment will go from here. With the last one lost …”
Vessler’s eyes closed, a slow burn working through his system. Details. He didn’t have time for details when the star of his plan had escaped. Not escaped—kidnapped. Nikki wouldn’t leave. Not on her own, at least. She may stray a bit, like that ridiculous stunt to Europe, but he was her universe. He was her life.
He was her god.
All he had to do was find her. Especially now that she’d … What did they call it? Tapped in. He’d seen her eyes go dark, and that would only happen once she was in possession of her powers. Satisfaction took the place of frustrating disappointment. It had worked. All his difficult labor, everything he’d sacrificed to bring her to fruition, had not been in vain.
“I’m sorry for the pain,” Dr. Shindler said.
Damon realized his eyes had become misty—the doctor must have thought he’d actually hurt him. Did this throwaway in a lab coat have any idea what he’d suffered to get to this point? Of course not. When he’d lost Project J, it nearly destroyed him. With the others, there hadn’t been time to bond. But J … Well, Nikki had done well to take the place of the dead specimen. She’d been his last hope. And she’d excelled as she grew. “I
fear she may be gone for good, Mr. Vessler.”
“No, she’ll be back.” He smiled. “And sooner than you think.”
The white-haired man shook his head. “Turning her in the confines of a fight, you’re lucky you escaped with your life.”
He grabbed the scientist’s wrist. “This is my life,” he gritted. “She’s my life. Everything rests on her.”
The scientist’s eyes fanned to the edge of Vessler’s mouth, where Damon’s stitches strained beneath his anger.
Vessler shoved the man’s hand away.
“We’ve shown promise in Nashville,” Shindler said hopefully. “Especially with the group of new scientists working around the clock.”
“No. She’s the one. Only her.”
“But, sir, without the DNA change completed, there’s no promise that the … offspring … would be Darklings.”
“Even if it’s not by her choice, I’ll find another way to complete the change.” Vessler rested his head against the cool table. No more Halflings. Just darkness. Just hate. A beautiful army of his Darklings. Light, golden skin and eyes as dark as the coldest night.
And all in allegiance to him. Their father. Their creator.
Will was huddled over her when she woke. Nikki sat up, her side screaming in protest. She put a hand over her right kidney and applied gentle pressure. About a million sets of eyes were on her when Will stepped back, unblocking the rest of the room. She was on the couch and they were all around her.
Mace and Raven were about a foot away, a little blood splattered here and there on their T-shirts and jeans. Vine stayed in the corner, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, and straight across from her, the females and Zero stared down, looking anything but confident.
Vegan spoke first. “Nikki, we’re so glad you’re okay.” The last time she’d heard Vegan’s voice was when the females were bashing her and wishing her gone. When she should have heard Vegan, her friend, rally in her defense. But she hadn’t. Now, she was suddenly glad Nikki was okay? Really?
“What were you thinking, running away from us in Europe and going to stay with—” Zero stopped midstream when Vegan elbowed him in the stomach so hard it disturbed his white hair.
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