“And the fiancée of the kingpin for the La Paz cartel.” Ryder took in a calming breath before running a knuckle down Gabby’s cheek. “Look, sweetheart, I love you, but you have to know we can’t make decisions for Adri. She’s an adult. Even Gunner agrees.”
“What’s Gunner have to do with this?” Cara asked.
“They’ve become friends, talked on the phone quite often when he wasn’t in Oregon,” Gabby said. “When he was, they either hung out at the house or the Blood ’n’ Rave. I think Gunner might’ve even liked Adri as more than a friend, but she’d closed herself off to relationships following Mateo. In the back of her mind, I believe she feared Mateo would come after her, and go through anyone standing in his way.”
“Which is exactly what he did, Gabs,” Ryder said. “He wasn’t even quiet about it.”
The door opened again. Viper, Kaleb, and a young woman Janelle didn’t recognize, entered the clubhouse. Janelle assumed her to be the donor they had retrieved for her.
“What’s going on?” Kane asked.
“Adri texted Gabby, said she was going back to Mexico with Mateo, supposedly on her own,” Cara filled him in. “She also wired Gabby money to rebuild.”
“What do you think, Gabby?” Kane asked.
“Adri said she loves Mateo and that leaving him was a mistake. But I believe she’s lying and just trying to protect us.”
“Should we take it to the table? Put it to a vote whether the Sons should go after her?”
Ryder placed an arm over Gabby’s shoulder. “You should know, Viper, I’m against it. We already lost enough men due to the La Paz cartel. However, what Gab’s wants is most important to me. I’ll go along with what needs to be done.”
Gabby shook her head. “There are too many of them. I couldn’t live with myself if more of you died.”
“Did you try talking to Adri in person?” Kane asked.
“Her phone is no longer in service.”
Kane glanced at Ryder. “We could call in the Washington chapter.”
“We won’t get their help,” Ryder said. “I talked to Gunner. Whatever she said to him, he’s washed his hands of her. If we do this, Viper, we’re on our own.”
“Gabriela?” Kane gripped one of her hands. “Your call.”
A tear slipped past her lashes. “It’s too risky. Even if you are vampires, you’re far outnumbered.”
Kane squeezed her hand before dropping his hold. “I’m sorry, Gabby. If an opportunity comes up to get Adri back, we will do our best.”
“Thank you.”
Kane turned to Janelle. “You ready to feed?”
Blood seemed to have drained from her head, leaving her lightheaded and no doubt white as a sheet. Instead of saying anything that would give way to her apprehension, she nodded and squared her shoulders. She had this. She was no longer just a grown-ass woman, but a badass vampire. Passing out wouldn’t do. Kane led her and the young woman to the meeting room. Cara and Suzi followed, leaving everyone else in the main room.
“Cara and Suzi will take good care of you.” Kane smiled, then left them to their privacy, closing the heavy doors behind him.
Janelle’s eyes heated as her gaze trained on the young woman’s neck. She could actually hear the rushing of her blood through her veins, smell the bouquet of it. The bones in her face cracked and shifted, uncomfortable yes, but not in a painful way. Her gums ached as her newly gained fangs punched through. Suzi had been correct, the woman’s blood alone brought out the fiend in her. Her animalistic nature had taken over, and good God, she was hungry. At this point, Janelle doubted she’d need guidance. Having had Vlad feed from her was probably instruction enough.
The young blonde walked over to where Janelle stood and pulled her hair to one side, exposing her neck. Janelle looked at Suzi and Cara, who both nodded. Janelle cradled the young woman’s head, then leaned forward and sank her fangs deep into her slender throat. Blood flowed. The warm metallic-flavored fluid warmed her, much like a good shot of whiskey, only ten times better. Euphoria set in. Janelle’s stomach no longer ached.
Janelle’s name drifted through her subconscious as someone in the room called to her, but she ignored the summons and continued to suckle. A gentle hand to her shoulder, though, had her withdrawing her fangs and stepping away from the young woman.
“Lick the twin holes,” Cara urged. “Your saliva will help heal the wounds.”
Janelle did as asked, feeling as though she were in some sort of mental fog. Cara eased her into a chair as the young woman left the room.
“Did I hurt her?” Janelle asked.
“No.” Cara smiled. “I stopped you well before that could happen. You’ll learn to know when you’ve taken enough. We never harm our donors.”
“How will I know?”
“The hunger pains subside. That’s when you stop.”
Suzi gripped Janelle’s hand. “Welcome to the family. I think Cara is right, you should stay here, even if it’s just for a bit. Your boss still believes you’re undercover with Vlad anyway. Why not take the time to come to terms with all of this?”
“Who’s your boss?” Cara asked. “Maybe I’ve heard of him.”
“Captain Robbie Melchor—”
Cara cursed. “Better yet, quit that damn job.”
Janelle shook her head, clearing the remaining the fog. “Why?”
“Come to work for the sheriff’s office. I’ll get you a job as my partner when Joe takes over for sheriff.”
Her brow furrowed. “But I like my job.”
Cara told Janelle about her time in the Eugene Police Department, before Kane. Robbie and she had been dating when he had taken advantage of her, raping her. Cara knew no one would believe her story due to his position and power within the department. He had even threatened to ruin her if she told. So Cara quit, moved to Pleasant, and took a position as a detective for the Lane County Sheriff.
“Jesus, Cara! I’m sorry.” Janelle thought about her boss, believing he was capable of the acts Cara described. The rumor mill around the office had been correct. Captain Melchor was indeed guilty of raping an old girlfriend. “That egotistical ass.”
“You don’t have to leave your job because of me. I just thought maybe you should watch out for him. But the offer for a job still stands.”
Janelle mulled over what Cara had said. She loved her job, but Melchor had always rubbed her the wrong way. Man, she was glad she hadn’t taken him up on any of his blatant offers. Maybe working side-by-side Cara would be the perfect solution to help ease her into her new life.
“You know what?” Janelle smiled, feeling right about her decision to quit the DEA. “You get me that job with the Lane County Sheriff and you got a deal.”
“Joe takes office in a couple of months.” Cara’s grin lit up her face. Janelle knew she would like working alongside this woman. “I’ll make sure you get his position when he becomes sheriff.”
“I’ll call Captain Melchor tomorrow and tender my resignation.”
Janelle stood and Cara drew her into a hug, her large belly bump between them. “The Lane County Sheriff’s Office will be lucky to have you.”
“I’m sure I’ll be more than happy there…” Her voice trailed off.
Vlad was near. His scent was damn near a calling, making it all she could do to stay put. How would he perceive her, scenting his brother’s blood on her every time she came near? Cara and Suzi stole glances at each other, telling Janelle they were also aware of his arrival. Seconds later, one of the large doors opened and he strode in.
“Out,” Vlad said, his pointed finger indicating Cara and Suzi should leave.
Cara looked to Janelle. “Do you need me to stay?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
Once the door was closed behind them, Janelle placed her fists on her hips. “Were you even going to tell me?”
His dark brows gathered over the bridge of his nose. “Tell you what?”
Janelle wasn’t a
bout to let him know how much his departing hurt, not when she knew his leaving was probably for the best. She didn’t want to be a daily reminder of the brother he had to kill with his own bare hands. Or the fact she was Mircea’s mate. She may have fallen hard for Vlad, but having him look upon her disgust one day would only tear her up inside.
“That you’re leaving.”
* * *
Vlad threaded both hands over the top of his head, brushing his hair back from his face. What the hell had her so fired up? He had just left the penthouse, having packed everything up and readying it to ship home. The only thing left to retrieve was her. He supposed he should have explained himself earlier, but this certainly was not the response he was expecting when he returned. She looked as if she was ready to do battle.
His nostrils flared, taking in her unique aroma, now slightly different than before, tinged with a bit of Mircea’s essence. Had she also inherited his brother’s stubborn streak?
“I was on my way here to tell you. You were asleep when I left.”
Janelle crossed her arms beneath her chest, pushing her cleavage above the V-neck of her sweater. Lord, even now she made him hard enough he could drive through concrete blocks. But now was not the time.
“Well then, I guess I should tell you to have a safe trip.”
His gaze lifted from her cleavage to her crystal blue eyes. They reminded him of the ocean surrounding his home, what he was hoping to be their home. Lord, she was killing him. Letting her go wasn’t something he was prepared to do. He raised a brow. “I take it you’re staying.”
Janelle’s brow furrowed. “I was never asked to do otherwise.”
He reached inside his jacket pocket and withdrew a travel itinerary and tossed it to the table. “You didn’t give me the chance. I planned to take you—”
“No.”
Vlad inhaled sharply. Her denial felt like a blade had been driven straight through his heart. “You aren’t coming?”
“No. And the fact you assumed I would, frankly, pisses me off.”
“I expect you have a good reason to stay. Care to share?”
Tears filled Janelle’s sad eyes. She quickly looked away. What was she hiding? He reached for her hand but she pulled it from his reach. “Don’t.”
“You’re not being straight with me.” Christ, his chest hurt. Tell her you love her. What difference would it even make? “What’s going on, Janelle?”
“Please.” Her voice trembled. She took a step back. “You’ve done enough.”
Vlad swallowed the lump threatening to choke the life from him. Enough? Although he had been the one put her in danger, he had also been the one hold her over the past week. To cherish the very blood that ran through her veins, even if some of it belonged to his damn brother.
“You blame me for all of this?”
“Damn it.” A tear slipped past her lashes but she swatted it away, looking to the floor. “Enough, as in holding me all of this past week. I meant that as a compliment.”
“Then what the hell is wrong?”
Janelle was walking away from him and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do. Christ, he could envision spending the rest of his life with her. And she was rejecting him? He wasn’t above begging if necessary. He, the eldest of all vampires, was ready to get on one knee.
He stepped forward, closed the gap between them, and reached out to touch her cheek. She jerked from his contact, turning her head to the side.
“I have to go,” her voice cracked.
Didn’t she know how much he loved her? So much so that it hurt? “You belong with me.”
“If I understand this whole mating thing correctly, then” —her haunted gaze rose to his, chilling him— “I belong to your brother.”
And with that, she skirted him and ran to the door, yanking it open. Vlad stood there momentarily stunned, before dropping heavily onto a chair. It wasn’t long before he could no longer scent her. She was gone. His gaze dropped to the itinerary. Well, that hadn’t gone as planned. Vlad rubbed his palm over his sternum in an effort to ease the pain her words had caused—fucking words. Jesus, had he been so wrong about her? No, he knew she loved him, had seen it in her eyes, felt it when they made love.
Just as he stood and was about to go after her, Kane entered the room and shut the door. “What the fuck do you want, Kane? I’m a little busy.”
Pacing over to him, Kane gently pushed him back into the chair. It hadn’t taken much effort as Vlad’s energy was spent. Janelle walking out had depleted him.
Kane’s gaze took in the paper lying on the table. “You planned to take her with you?”
He nodded but said nothing. There were no words. Her rejection stung more than anything had in his centuries on this hell-stricken earth. She had been the one to give his life hope again.
“You love her. I get that,” Kane said. “But you have to let her go.”
“I can’t.”
His great-grandson sat in the chair next to him and placed a hand on Vlad’s knee. “She’s not a possession, Vlad. She has to make her own decisions.”
Vlad clasped his hands between his spread knees and looked to the floor. He cleared his clogged throat. “She told me that she belongs to Mircea, for God’s sake. My brother.” His voice broke on the last word.
Kane retracted his hand and sat back, looking at him in pity. Vlad, a broken man, had been brought to his fucking knees. “I failed her, and because of that, Mircea gave her life. I could even smell the son of a bitch on her.”
“All the more reason to let her go,” Kane repeated. “She’s not yours, at least not at the moment. Give her time; she’ll come around.”
Vlad couldn’t even fathom life without her. “And if she doesn’t?”
“Then she was never yours to begin with.” Kane picked up the itinerary and handed it to him. “Go home, Vlad. You also need time to heal.”
Kane left the room. Vlad left out a breath, deflated, crumbling the itinerary in his fist.
“I belong to your brother.”
Vlad bowed his head, tears falling to his fisted hands. He should leave, walk away, but Christ, it killed him to do so.
“…you have to let her go.”
Did he have any choice? Dropping the crumpled paper to the floor, Vlad stood and left the room. If she didn’t want him, then Kane was correct and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to change her mind. He glanced around the living area at his descendants, all of them. The Sons of Sangue were now just as much his family.
“I’ll be flying out.”
Not waiting for a response, he left behind the clubhouse and his Aston Martin sitting in the parking lot, taking to the woods and walking away.
Chapter 24
Weeks later, Janelle found herself 35,000 feet over the ocean, hoping she had made the right decision. Nerves fluttered like butterflies in her stomach, hoping Vlad would be happy to see her.
“Lord, I hate flying in these things. A large plane is bad enough, but a small jet?” Kaleb said, catching Janelle’s attention as he leaned against the headrest of the airplane’s seat. Other than the pilot, they were the only two onboard, the small aisle between them. “I’d much rather travel by land. But no, Grandpa has to live on some damn remote island in the middle of fucking nowhere.”
Janelle stifled a giggle, finding it funny that a badass vampire had an aversion to planes. Flying, she thought, was better than moving at the speed of light when you suffered from motion sickness. It had gotten marginally better now that she was a vampire, but she still preferred conventional methods of traveling. Thankfully, the small plane wasn’t bothering her motion issues at all.
“You could have sent someone else to babysit me.”
Kaleb lifted his head and looked at her. “You’re kidding, right? And miss the chance to see where the old guy lives? All this time he’s never invited any of us to his home. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
“You’re his great-grandson. Why haven’t you
been to his home?”
He shrugged. “Grandpa’s extremely private. I suppose he feels if he told us where he lives, we’ll just drop by.”
Janelle smiled. “Like now?”
“Yeah, like now. It’s my good luck Cara’s close enough to delivering that Viper had no choice but to send me to accompany you.”
“Not to mention our luck at Vlad leaving that itinerary behind.”
“The icing on the cake. He knows I’m coming because we had to get permission to land, but you” —he winked— “you’re his surprise.”
She sure hoped Vlad liked his surprise or the flight home promised to be a miserable one. With the help of the Sons and their mates, Janelle had finally come to terms with who she had become. It was time to see if Vlad could come to terms with it too.
After nearly a month of wallowing in self-pity, she realized she needed to tell him just how she felt. If he loved her as well, then everything else would find a way of working out. Her job was in the States, a job she wasn’t willing to give up. Janelle hoped he’d be open to compromise and live part-time in Oregon with her.
Come the first of the year, thanks to Cara, she would be a detective for Lane County Sheriff’s Office. A new career she was excited about. Janelle had called Robbie Melchor and told him she was resigning, that she would hand in the paperwork when she returned to collect her things. When it became obvious he couldn’t change her mind, his reply became quite colorful. Kane had taken the phone. His veiled threats left Robbie telling Janelle she could mail in that resignation and he’d see to it her things were packed and sent to her new office. Janelle got the impression Kane enjoyed every second of his conversation with Robbie, due to their history.
“You okay?” Kaleb asked.
Janelle looked from the window back to Vlad’s handsome great-grandson. It was easy to see where Kane and he had gotten their good looks. “Sorry. I guess my nerves are getting to me a bit.”
“You know, down deep he’s just a big ol’ pussycat.”
Vlad (Sons of Sangue Book 8) Page 21
