by L. E. Wilson
“You touch her again, you evil bitch, I’ll rip your fucking head off,” he promised.
She raised an amused eyebrow. “So protective, Nikulas. I don’t remember you being so protective over Eliana.”
“What the FUCK is it with you and Eliana!” he raged in her face.
Leeha pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes in warning at his outburst. Seconds ticked by with no sound other than Nik’s harsh breathing.
Emma breathed a shaky sigh of relief when Aiden—who until now had been hovering silently by the entrance—took her attention.
He sauntered into the room, edging closer to Nik and Emma. Leeha jerked her head to the side again, blatantly devouring him with her eyes.
Puffing his chest out like a strutting cock, he winked at her and blew her a kiss. “Evenin’ love.” He gave her a slow, sexy smile.
Emma suddenly gasped out loud, interrupting their sick flirtation to blurt out, “It was you. You killed Eliana.” As Leeha’s haunting eyes skittered back her way, she sucked in a breath and immediately dropped her own again.
Aiden forgotten just as quickly as he was noticed, Leeha's lips turned up a bit at the corners. “She’s smart, Nikulas. I would be careful with this one.”
Retracting his fangs slightly, Nik frowned down at Emma even as he spoke to Leeha. “What are you talking about?”
“Why don’t you ask your mate to explain it to you?” Aside to Emma, she murmured, “Isn’t it a shame the pretty ones are always so slow?” Then she turned and slithered back to her throne.
“Yes! That’s it!” Aiden smacked himself on the forehead. “You bloody bitch! You killed Eliana!”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, my love,” Leeha murmured, adjusting the flowing material of her gown just so as she sat down.
“Would someone please tell me what the fuck you all are talking about?” Nik gritted out in frustration.
Emma moved in front of him, ignoring his frustration at her continued disregard of his attempts to protect her. “Listen to me,” she beseeched him, placing her hands on his hard chest. “You didn’t kill Eliana! It was her, Nik! She killed her!”
“What?” Grasping her hands in his, he held them where they were, his eyes bouncing around as he remembered that night. “No. No. Emma, I was…I was fucking there. It was me. She was alive when I came home to her. And dead five minutes after. No one else came in the room.”
“How alive, Nik?” This from Aiden.
“I…What? I don’t know. I was all riled up from the fight. She was asleep.” But there was the slightest glimmer of hope in his blue eyes.
Emma smacked his chest excitedly as another thought popped into her head, one that had been eluding her since he’d told her this story. “Nik! Was it normal for the woman who supposedly loved you to be home, sleeping, while you were out fighting?” Looking at it from a woman’s perspective, she’d finally realized what it was about his story that had been bothering her all this time. “Because I know if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink until my man was home safe and sound.”
Chapter 45
Hope plucked at the guilt as Nik pondered Emma’s question. He’d never questioned why she’d been in bed when he got home. Eliana always waited up for him. Always, without fail. Whether it was to welcome him home or fight with him was questionable, but Emma was right. Why had it never occurred to him before?
Because he’d been too entrenched in guilt and self-loathing, that’s why.
Aiden whacked him hard on the back as Emma gave him one of her mind-numbing smiles. He memorized her glowing face, a face that had become more beloved to him in these few days than anything or anyone in his life.
Slow applause came from the front of room, and Leeha heaved a sigh. “Finally! I thought I was going to have to spell it out for you, like, literally. I-k-i-l-l-e-d-h-e-r.” Admiring her manicure, she added, “This is why I went after Luukas, and not you, Nikulas.You are but a weak replica of your brother. You could never rule.”
Emma whipped around at the insult, her small form vibrating with fury. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that! You’re not worthy of licking the mud from his boots.”
Nik pulled back in surprise. His little Emma was standing up to a crazed female vampire, because she’d insulted him? He felt a pulse of magic reverberate through the room. Keira was here, too. Her magic felt similar to Emma’s, but stronger. A lot stronger. It was her spell that caused the torches to come alive as they entered.
“Easy there, killer.” With one eye on Leeha, he grabbed Emma by the shoulders and pulled her back against his chest. “It’s not worth it.” He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “But, thank you.”
He rubbed her shoulders until he felt her calming down. Though he understood her desire to lob rocks at the bitch, they needed to keep their heads about them if they wanted to get to their siblings.
“Ick.” Leeha made a face. “You two are disgusting.” She narrowed her gaze at Emma. “And I should kill you where you stand for how you just spoke to me.” She crossed her legs and contemplated the three of them. “But, I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll spare you. This time. However, I would strongly suggest you watch your tongue from now on, or I may change my mind. I still need a replacement human for Eliana.”
Aiden slapped a hand on Nik’s shoulder just in time, physically holding him in place and repeating his own words to him, “It’s not worth it, mate.”
As Nik struggled to take his own advice and get his hair trigger emotions under control, Aiden stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled closer to Leeha.
“So, tell me love. Why did you kill Eliana? What ever did she do to you?”
“I didn’t like her.” Her red lips pouted. “She was too close to Luukas.”
“But she didn’t belong to Luukas,” Nik pointed out.
“She didn’t belong to you, either.”
Nik waited for the pain of Eliana’s loss to hit him, but surprisingly, there was nothing more than a lingering need to know the truth. His gaze fell to Emma’s bright hair.
Maybe not so surprising.
Leeha’s chin rose as she turned those blood red eyes back on Nikulas. “She was mine. We were lovers, you know. I sent her to you. To get close to you, and therefore close to Luukas. Learn his secrets. His habits.” She sighed with disappointment. “She was supposed to help me win him over, but she was jealous, and became rebellious. She wouldn’t cooperate. She stopped reporting in to me. And then everything changed. She became too enamored with you, Nikulas. Why? I don’t know. But, she did.”
Standing up, she paced back and forth along the platform. “She stopped sneaking out to see me. Didn’t want to be with me anymore. She just. Wanted. YOU.” Leeha looked back and forth between Aiden and Nik with her horror-filled eyes, her expression open and beseeching. Nik felt her need pulling at him, willing him to understand. “I couldn’t just let her leave, you understand. She was mine. And she betrayed me.” With a sigh, she turned and sat down again.
“Luukas is meant to be with me. And Eliana wouldn’t help me anymore. So, I killed her. I coaxed her into coming to see me by promising to release her. And then I drained her to the point of barely being alive and had her returned to your bed. It didn’t take much for you to finish the job. And then, since he still refused to see what was right in front of his eyes, I had to resort to taking Luukas forcibly.” Satisfaction dripped from her tone. “With a little help, of course.” A secret smile played about her mouth. “And you don’t even know the best part.”
“I’ll bet.” Aiden put a hand dramatically over his heart. “But, you’re ripping my heart out, love.” Flopping down on the steps leading up to her throne disconsolately, he was the picture of a broken heart.
Leeha stared at the back of his hanging head, an internal struggle written all over her face, before rising and coming down the stairs to sit next to him. Pulling his hood down, she stroked his dark hair. “Don’t be jealous, my sweet. I’m so very h
appy you’ve finally come to see me. My relationship with Luukas doesn’t have to affect what we have between us.”
She lowered her voice. “Why don’t you stay with me for a while?” “We can stick these two in the dungeon for a fortnight or two—separate cells, of course—and let them wallow in their self-righteousness, while you and I wallow in other earthly pleasures.”
Sniffling, Aiden played it up a bit before finally raising his head to look at her with watery eyes. Lifting his hands to her face, he blocked her view while he placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, and then her nose. Pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her, he winked at Nik.
Nik smiled, then put two fingers in his mouth. A piercing whistle ripped through the cavern.
Leeha tore herself from Aiden’s embrace, pushing him aside and jumping to her feet to stare at Nik.
He just shrugged at her. “Sorry. The sight of you two was making my stomach turn.”
Narrowing her eyes, she didn’t get the chance to form a rebuttal before a hair-raising howl rent the air.
Whipping her head around, her glowing eyes pierced through Aiden. “You brought wolves to my door? WOLVES?” she shrieked at him.
Scratching his head, his features twisted up in a grimace. “I had no choice, love.” He sounded sincerely sorry. “They just showed up, and you know how stubborn those bloody Scots are.” Placing his hands low on his narrow hips, he gave her an admonishing look. “Besides, if you would just stop stealing people—”
With an ear-piercing screech, the back of her hand lit across his face. Stumbling from the strength of the impact, he nearly toppled down the stairs.
Charging down after him, she got right up in his face, fangs bared. “You have no idea what you’ve just done!”
Smiling broadly, he spit out a mouth full of blood and sneered at her. “Oh, I know exactly what I’ve just done, love.”
She drew herself up to her full height. “You all think you’re so smart, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.
Another spine-tingling howl sounded, closer than before.
“This isn’t how I planned for this meeting to go.” Leeha sighed. “I was hoping to make you all disappear, like your Hunters. But I can adapt…TAKE HIM!”
Before anyone could move, dozens of rotting, grey bodies filed out of a hidden door to the left of the throne. The horrid stench of them flooded the space as their angry snarls vibrating throughout the room.
A group surrounded Aiden, and though he gleefully managed to take a couple of them out, they dragged him back up the stairs and out of the room.
With a last, angry glare at Nik, Leeha followed, appearing to disappear right through the wall behind them.
Nik watched them go, a feeling of sick helplessness washing over him. Torn between keeping Emma safe and saving his best friend, he fisted his hands at his sides, and threw back his head with an anguished roar.
Chapter 46
Terror flooded through Emma as the monster’s shrieks drowned out Nikulas’s roar. They were completely surrounded.
“Nik?” Her voice shook so much she didn’t think he could hear her over all the noise.
But he did.
Emma gasped as he turned toward her, and for a brief instant, she recoiled in fear at the sight of him. He seemed larger, his muscles straining against the fabric of his clothes. Like in the midst of this overwhelming danger, his physical form couldn’t hold all of what he now was. His lips were drawn back from his dagger-like fangs as he snarled rabidly at the creatures surrounding them. The skin pulled so tight across his features, his cheekbones and eye sockets were stark slashes across his face. Bright eyes glowed so blue they were near colorless as they darted around the room, tallying his prey like the killer he was.
Scooping Emma up in his arms as she shrieked, another roar thundered from his chest, daring any one of them to try and take her. Emma knew this. She could feel everything he felt, more so with him in this heightened stage than ever before.
Slowly backing away, Nik threatened them with bared fangs as they prowled around him. They seemed hesitant to attack, as if they sensed he wouldn’t be an ordinary opponent.
Eventually, though, they would.
Emma’s clung to Nikulas as her eyes skittered around, trying to watch everywhere he couldn’t. Glancing over Nik’s shoulder, she saw they were almost to the wall behind them. “Nik. Put me down.”
He growled softly in response.
“Nik. You can’t fight them while you’re holding me. Put me down!”
The creatures were close now. One of them made a half-hearted swipe at them even as she spoke. Nik stiffened, snarling back in response.
“Nik!”
Suddenly, complete and utter chaos erupted around them as the wolves, in full-blown wolf form, arrived on the scene. Their guttural howls echoed off the walls as they tore into the creatures. Going for their throats, they ripped out jugulars, their long jaws snapping spines and nearly beheading them in the process.
Emma was happy Nik was still holding onto her, for she was momentarily stunned by the utter violence of the werewolves as he took full advantage of the commotion to get Emma the hell out of there.
Keeping a close eye on the battle around them, he tucked Emma up against his chest, hunching over her to protect her with his body as well as he could. Sprinting across the room at full speed right through the thick of it, he roared as the creatures slashed at his back and arms.
Knocked to the side by a flying corpse, Emma flung out her arms, but he quickly regained his footing, and deposited her in the hidden doorway just off the platform. The same doorway Aiden had disappeared through.
Nik planted himself in front of her and whipped around with a bellowing roar. As Emma huddled behind him, he swiftly annihilated any of the creatures who were unlucky enough to stumble near them.
Looking around for a weapon—a loose rock, anything—but failing to find so much as a piece of gravel, Emma quickly decided her best move would be to crouch down into the corner and try to stay out of Nik’s way. Magic sure would come in handy right about now, but unfortunately, it only seemed to make an appearance when she was angry. Not terrified.
Here and there, she’d catch a closer look at the wolves between his legs.
Twice as large as their human forms, a perfect wolf/human hybrid, they were fearsome to behold. Sparse hair covered their powerful physiques, more muscular than normal wolves. Long snouts were lifted in a snarl, encasing rows of dagger-like teeth capable of ripping through both flesh and bone with ease.
Running at the creatures on all fours at supernatural speeds, their eyes glowed with an unholy light as they tore into their victims with a ferocity Emma had never seen before from any other animal.
How much of their human side was left when they were changed? Would they even recognize them as friends?
Wait a minute. She peered around Nik’s blood-covered legs as she searched the room. There were only two of them. Where was the other wolf? Was he hurt? She looked again. No, he wasn’t in the room. She only saw the one with the reddish fur and the larger, black one.
It scanned the room with glowing eyes, but when nothing moved, the largest one—Cedric?—raised up on to his rear legs, lifted his snout to the sky, and let loose another hair-raising howl.
An answering howl came from below, joined by a second one, and followed by a tormented roar that shook the walls so forcefully, Emma stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn’t caught herself against the door.
Then silence.
“Luukas!” Nik bellowed, as both the wolves howled again.
All motion stopped as everyone held their collective breath, listening.
Emma quietly rose from her crouched position, afraid to bring attention to herself in the deafening silence, and listened with the rest of them. Was her sister down there somewhere?
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three…
The ground rumbled under their feet, gra
dually gaining power, the floor vibrating like a train was passing underneath them.
Nik backed up, shielding Emma from the rock particles raining down from the ceiling as the rumbling grew stronger.
The wolves prowled nervously back and forth on all fours, occasionally glancing toward the passageway out.
Emma wondered why they didn’t leave. Were they waiting for the missing wolf?
The smaller one looked at the large, black wolf and whined softly, then shook the dust from his fur.
Emma shivered as the temperature suddenly dropped. The sound below them grew louder and louder still, until she had to shout to be heard above it. “What is that?” she finally yelled.
Nik glanced over his shoulder, one side of his mouth turned up in a relieved smile. “My brother.”
Chapter 47
Suddenly, a blast of ice cold air shot across the room as a large portion of the wall exploded out from within, sending pieces of rock flying, and causing the wolves to scamper frantically toward the protection of the tunnel.
Nik spun around and hunkered down over Emma, protecting her as well as he could from the flying debris.
When the dust settled, Luukas stood in the opening, feet spread wide, one hand clenched into a fist at his side.
The other hand was wrapped around the wrist of a curvy, dark-haired female.
Eyes on his brother, Nik stepped out from the doorway, and Emma stumbled out from behind him. Pushing him out of the way, she ran toward the stairs before he could stop her. “Keira!” Her voice caught on a sob.
“Emma,” her sister breathed. Her hazel eyes, so similar to Emma’s, were wide with disbelief.
Luukas’s dark head whipped around at the sound of Emma’s voice, his eyes wild as they focused in on the tiny human running toward them. Nik watched as he pulled his lips back in a snarl, and hissed at her in warning.
But Emma couldn’t know the danger she was in, and so she ran, ignoring the warning.
