“Harder, Alastor,” Ava panted.
“I can’t, love,” he huffed, his eyes screwed shut. He was already thrusting into her as fast as he safely could.
“Harder.” She slapped her palm on top of the green sofa cushions.
“Nay, love, anymore, and I’ll hurt ye.”
“I can take it. Please, I need it harder and faster,” she growled.
“Not unless yer a vampire, ye can’t.”
“But I don’t want to be a vampire,” she cried out in frustration arching her back.
Alastor stilled. “What did ye say?”
Ava opened her eyes wide and lifted her head to look at him. “I mean… well, of course, I do.”
“But ye just said ye didn’t.” He pulled out of her and stood, tucking himself back into his trousers and zipping up his fly. This was not a conversation to be had with his wee fella hanging out.
Ava turned on the sofa and reached her arm out to him. “You know I do. Just not right now.”
“Aye, but just now ye said ye don’t want to be a vampire. Full stop.”
Ava sat up. “I just enjoy being a human, okay? I don’t want to get into the whole blood-sucking thing right now.”
“Aye, I get that. And I never wanted ye to feel obligated to become what I am. I just thought ye said ye wanted to. Someday.”
Ava rubbed her arm. “I do… eventually. With the Van Wildens here, I toyed with the possibility of doing it sooner. But with the Summerville job coming up, I just thought I’d remain human for a bit longer.”
“I understand all that. And ye know ye could still be a vampire and do all that. It’s what Gareth and I have been doing for years.”
“I know, but now I’m thinking, if I became a vampire now, then I’d miss out on opportunities like that. Won’t I be all like rah, rah? I von to suck your blood.” She did a poor Transylvanian accent and made her hands into claws and moved them next to her face.
Alastor bit his lips, wanting to laugh despite being angry. “Aye, at the start—”
“See, that’s my point. By the time I’m able to be around humans, it’ll be harder to crack into those journalism jobs. You’ve got to really work your way up.”
“I understand, love. But ye made it sound like it was never goin’ to happen.”
“I didn’t mean to sound like that,” she said softly.
“Ye know I love ye and will support ye with however ye want to be, but ye have to be honest with me. Do ye truly want to become a vampire or not?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. Eventually.” Her face contorted.
Alastor’s face softened. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’m going to go and leave ye to think about it on yer own.”
“Wait, we can still talk about this together.”
“Nay. Ye need to make the decision on yer own. Either way, I’ll still love ye.”
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
“I have to get back to the Van Wildens, anyway.” He walked over to her apartment door, placing his hand on the knob before pausing. He turned back around. “Don’t go out unless one of us is with ye, okay?”
“Of course.”
“Goodbye, love.” He grinned at her to let her know there were no hard feelings. It was true—whatever she decided, he would accept.
She smiled back at him from her seated position on the couch. “Bye, Alastor.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alastor showered at his and Gareth’s house before changing into a black wool turtleneck and trousers, then headed back to the Van Wildens.
He entered through the front door. Brutus, as usual, was whining and scratching at Alastor to pet him. He obliged the puppy. At first, he had thought it strange the vampire family had adopted a pet, but Brutus was growing on him. He liked the little bugger.
Inside the living room, Gareth and Vivienne were each bent over a laptop.
“Anything?” Vivienne asked, moving her finger over the mousepad.
“Nada.” Gareth looked up.
Oscar paced up and down in front of the fireplace, a habit Alastor found the Elder did quite a bit. Only this time he was talking on his phone, a male was on the other end.
“Thank you.” Oscar hung up as Alastor took a seat. “Ah, good, Alastor, you’re back.”
Alastor nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak to Oscar just yet, in case something disrespectful came out of his mouth.
Oscar seemed unperturbed by his silence. “That was the park ranger. He thinks there may be some old caves near a dried-up waterfall, so we’ll look there.”
“Why didn’t you search there when we were looking for the Forest Clan in the first place?” Gareth asked, closing the screen of the laptop.
“Daryll said there must have been a cave there in years gone by, and the entrance is covered up. He only knows about it from old park records. We also didn’t consider the caves because we figured Ragnorok would consider that too obvious given the location of his first clan.”
“Where about are the caves, dear?” Vivienne interjected.
“Northwest from here.”
“That’s closer to town than their forest lair was. They could be there.”
Oscar nodded. “Get your weapons ready. We’re going on a scouting mission.”
***
Downstairs, Alastor and Gareth gathered up stakes, placing them into four holsters. Gareth turned his head to him. “You okay about working with Oscar?”
“Aye.” In truth, he had all but forgotten about the Mariza situation after his heated discussion with Ava. He scrubbed his face. “I’ll be fine. What I should be askin’ is how yer feelin’?”
“The Mariza thing doesn’t faze me too much. I’ve always seen her as something nasty like a cockroach, so it doesn’t surprise me she survived like one.”
“Nay, I was askin’ about Morgana. We haven’t had much of a chance to talk.”
Gareth grunted, shoving stakes into the leather rather forcefully. “You know I spent my entire vampire existence staying away from relationships with women. Now that I have one, I can’t stand being separated from her. Not like this, anyway.” He pushed the holster away from him.
“I’d hate to be apart from Ava like that, too.”
Gareth clapped him on the back. “Something you two will probably never have to worry about.”
“Aye, I hope so.” They gathered up the holsters and trudged upstairs, meeting Oscar and Vivienne in the foyer. They had both changed into black trousers and turtlenecks as well. Vivienne’s blonde hair was twisted back into a chignon indicating she meant serious business.
Gareth handed them their stake holsters.
“Thank you, Gareth.” Oscar belted his.
“Thank you, dear.” Vivienne smiled at him.
“Are we all ready?”
He and Gareth nodded.
“Good. Let us proceed.”
***
The four of them ran along the outskirts of the forest keeping their senses open for any stray vampires they might encounter. But all was quiet. It left Alastor feeling uneasy. Was Ragnorok pleased with just taking Morgana? His gut told him the Forest Clan wouldn’t be.
They reached the coordinates of the old waterfall. It was now just a small cliff about ten feet high of small gray rock.
“The cave is in there?” Gareth asked, doing a doubletake. “Doesn’t look like anyone is using it as a home.”
“Could be another entrance.” Oscar walked over to a pile of large rocks and began shifting them aside. “We need to explore all our options.”
Alastor exchanged a look with Gareth, but he stepped forward with the others helping Oscar.
Soon all the rubble had been cleared, and a wide opening stood before them. It looked like a downturned mouth.
“Doesn’t look ominous at all,” Gareth said dryly.
They stepped into the cave entrance. Even though they could see inside the cave, it would have been comforting to have brought torches. The smel
l of dampness and decay invaded his nostrils. There was also a clear lack of vampire presence to be felt.
“We’ll just have a quick look around. They could be using wolfsbane plants again.” Oscar stepped into the cave mouth.
Alastor raised an eyebrow, exchanging another glance with Gareth. The Council Elder seemed to be on edge and so desperate to find his daughter that he was going to go ahead with exploring this option.
Any residual anger Alastor had felt at Oscar’s betrayal and lies faded away. This was a man who would really do anything for his children—even make them all explore vacant caves for a shred of a chance to find one.
Alastor followed without further protest as did the others.
They walked until they saw a split path up ahead. Of course, the path split.
“We’ll split up to cover a larger area that way,” Oscar ordered.
They all nodded. He and Gareth took the left tunnel, while Oscar and Vivienne took the right.
“I wonder if we’ll see any of our distant relatives in here?” Gareth kept his voice low.
“What do ye mean?” Alastor whispered so only Gareth could hear.
“You know, bats.”
Alastor chuckled, earning him an elbow to the ribs.
“Keep it quiet. There could be vampires in here.”
Alastor shook his head but smiled. His best friend was trying to cheer him up.
After exploring miles of empty tunnels and seeing walls of rocks, they both had to concede no one was in here.
They turned back around, heading back the way they came, finding Oscar and Vivienne waiting at the entrance.
“Well, the caves turned out to be a bust,” Gareth said. This time, Alastor was the one to elbow him in the ribs. He shook his head at his friend when he began to protest. Oscar was already on edge, no need to aggravate him any further.
“Yes. Let us proceed home, then,” Oscar said rather gruffly.
Alastor raised his eyebrows at Gareth and tilted his head toward Oscar as if to silently say see?
Gareth nodded, and they all trekked back to the Van Wilden’s house.
Even though Gareth had tried to cheer him up before, Alastor could tell his best friend had been disappointed by their lack of findings.
Alastor mentally slapped his forehead. He was an idiot. Instead of Gareth cheering him up, he should have been the one to make his best friend laugh. Just because Ava didn’t know if she wanted to be human or not shouldn’t really matter. At least his girlfriend was safe and sound. So deep in his thoughts, he didn’t realize the others had stopped, and he walked into Gareth’s back with a huff.
“What’s goin’ on ‘ere—” His voice died at the sight that met them on the steps of the Van Wilden’s home.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Earlier that Night…
The fools.
Ragnorok had his network of human spies watching the Van Wildens for days now, and the so-called trained agents were none the wiser.
The loud, crass pinging noise from one of the human devices made him wince.
Cedric looked up from the thing in his hand. “Tiff says the four of them are on the move.”
“Excellent.” Ragnorok grinned.
“Do you think this is a good idea, boss?” Nasir asked.
“Yes. I want him to suffer. I want him to feel the burning pain of grief at finding the dead body of a loved one. I want him to feel how I felt finding Svetlana’s ashes.”
“Why not kill the half-breed, then? Dump her body at their feet?”
“No. Morgana still needs to be alive for what I have planned for her and The Council. No, we move ahead as planned.”
“But—” Nasir protested, only to be silenced by Ragnorok’s cold stare.
“If you don’t have the stomach for this, then I suggest you remain behind. You two…” he pointed to two other wretches, “Come with me.” He turned to Cedric. “Send word to your mate that we’re to converge on their property. Tell her to go ahead with the next phase.”
“Yes, boss.” Cedric looked down at the screen, tapping his thumbs on it. While the idea of words magically appearing on the screen fascinated Ragnorok, he missed the days when they had vampire messengers.
Once they were rid of The Council and all the humans were turned, he would ban all human devices.
They were, after all, Night Dwellers, and they were above the humans.
***
Tiffini grimaced at the message on her phone. It wasn’t so bad what she had to do.
She looked in the telescope once again checking to see that the house next door remained quiet. Once satisfied, she took the slab of beef leg out of the fridge and held it gingerly in front of her. She walked out of the house a few hundred yards away from the Van Wilden’s property and up to their front door.
Taking a deep breath in, she knocked on the door.
The sound of barking could be heard.
After watching the Van Wildens, she knew they never locked their front door. Apparently, they relied on the protection on their home from uninvited vampires. Not uninvited humans. Really, who would be stupid enough to break into a house belonging to vampires? Her, that’s who.
Placing her free hand on the handle, she turned it, and the door swung inward. Brutus, the name of the dog she’d come to learn during her spying, bounded toward her.
“Hello, little cutie. Remember me?” Every time she’d seen Brutus out with Oscar jogging, she’d made a point of stopping and patting him—all part of the plan to get him to trust her. “Would you like something to eat?” She held the meat out to him. Brutus’ tail wagged.
She stepped back from the doorway. “Well, come outside to get it.”
***
Ragnorok arrived at the Van Wilden’s property to see Tiffini sitting next to the dog as it happily chewed on their offering. “Good work. You will be rewarded for your efforts,” he said to her. She looked toward the dog and nodded slightly.
The dog lifted his paw and growled when he spotted Ragnorok.
Tiffini stood quickly and ran down the front steps.
“Where do you think you’re going?” One of the vampires flanking him grabbed her arm.
“My job was to spy and lure the dog out. But I’ll not stay and watch what happens next.”
“Let her go.” Ragnorok waved a hand. Some vampire she’d make if she couldn’t stomach what was to come. The vampire let her go, and she ran back to the neighboring house.
The dog whined as he watched her go but turned back to Ragnorok, his teeth bared, his hackles raised. Ragnorok smiled. Now he could see the appeal of this creature. But he was not there to admire the beast. He was there for vengeance.
Before the dog could lunge for him, Ragnorok was there grasping the dog’s head.
“A message for your master.” His grip tightened around the dog’s head. Brutus yelped as he twisted.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Back to the Present…
Oscar’s stomach twisted at the sight before him. His emotions were still reeling from the memory of Delizera’s death. Then to see what was before him, his body shook.
“Jaysus.” Alastor turned his head, his chest heaving.
“Fuckin’ hell,” Gareth muttered. “That fucker’s evil.”
“Oh no,” Vivienne cried, covering her mouth, her shoulders shook with tearless sobs.
But the worst of them was Oscar—a deep guttural cry of agony tore from his lips. He slumped to his knees, crawling along the ground.
Spread across the front porch lay Brutus’ forlorn body. A lump of meat and bone next to him. The fading presence of his enemy surrounding them.
No. Not my little buddy. He grasped his hair in his hands.
That fucker was going to pay.
Desperate thoughts shrouded his mind, and Oscar lifted his wrist to his mouth, his fangs piercing his skin. He moved the open cut over Brutus’ mouth trying to bring his friend back.
“Oscar!” Vivienne’s voice strai
ned as she reached a hand out to stop his movements. “What are you doing?”
“Saving Brutus,” he grunted, trying to tug his arm free.
“Darling, it’s too late. He’s too far gone.”
“No,” he screamed at her, pushing her away and inching closer to his furry friend. “I don’t believe it. I can bring him back.”
“With your blood?” Gareth asked incredulously.
“Yes,” he hissed. Why was it so difficult for them to understand? Gareth was the one who said Brutus reminded him of an angry vampire the day they met him. Why couldn’t Brutus become a vampire then?
“My dear…” Vivienne’s voice was soft and gentle, taking his hand away once again. “You know as well as I do, it’s not going to work.”
Oscar’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He’d let his little buddy down. “But… if I... just tried…”
“I know,” she said in a soothing tone, pulling him to her chest. “I feel the same.”
Oscar Van Wilden had not shed a tear since Delizera’s death. But his eyes stung, and water blurred his vision. His body shuddered with his grief as Vivienne’s arms tightened, burying her head into the crook of his neck.
A roar erupted from his mouth before he could control himself. Losing the campaign, one daughter imprisoned for trying to kill his wife, another daughter abducted, and now his dog was dead. He unwrapped Vivienne’s arms from around him and charged inside the house, not caring if he ripped the heavy oak door off its hinges.
Concern flooded the bond from his wife. “Oscar?”
He ignored her, picked up his favorite armchair in both hands before tearing the piece of furniture in half. He flung the broken pieces away from him, knocking over his liquor table. Shards of glass and amber liquid splashed everywhere, seeping into the floorboards and rugs.
“Oscar Van Wilden, you will cease destroying our home this instant,” Vivienne yelled, her icy-blue eyes on fire as she stood with her hands on her hips.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 49