Nimo turned and grabbed the papers that Griffin had emailed to him and he’d printed out that morning. He handed them over to Dakota. “I’m talking about you being royalty, Dakota. Or former royalty. You don’t have to pretend with me. It’s okay. I mean, it freaked me out a little bit when I first found out. I mean, your family is like quasi-royalty over in Romania, but, you know you’re all so laid back and stuff here, so it obviously doesn’t mean anything to you, you know what I mean? I just want you to know that this is the reason that my parents are wanting to have dinner with us, or rather with you all. Zay and I are just invited a means to an end. They really want to get a connection, or an introduction to you all. So I want you to be aware of that before we get to their house, so you’re aware of just what lengths they will go to in order to climb the social ladder.”
Dakota appeared shell-shocked and Nimo stared at his mate in confusion and then at Decebal and Adelina who looked equal parts guilty and ashamed. “Did I miss something?” he asked.
Dakota turned to his parents and held up the papers. “Tată? Mamă? We are royalty? Why did you never tell us?”
Oh. Shit.
CHAPTER NINE
“You didn’t know?” Nimo gasped.
Dakota shook his head. “No and I’m trying to figure out why.”
Adelina spoke up then, tears shining in her big blue eyes. “Because, son, if we were to return to Romania to try and reclaim our place, even with the monarchy being overthrown, we would be killed and slaughtered for crimes against humanity.”
Dakota’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Decebal’s eyes slid closed. “During a brutal war centuries ago, Prince Ciprian Sevion, mad with the blood-bond thirst and having gone rogue, slaughtered thousands of Romanians, draining them dry, and tried to blame it on the war. He was caught by other members of the Sevion family who were forced to kill him. When members of the Council brought us before them, we were given two options—we could either offer up our eldest child for slaughter since we’d taken the law into our own hands instead of bringing Ciprian before the Council so that they could mete out punishment or we could flee Romania and never return. At the time, your mother and I, and your aunt and uncle, Lenuta and Sergiu, were the only ones with children, everyone wanted to offer up the firstborns but we refused, so we fled in the middle of the night and we have stayed away ever since.”
Dakota’s eyebrows lowered. He shook his head, something just didn’t make sense. “But you said we were all named after the states in which we were conceived or born in. Arizona is the eldest. There is no Arizona in Romania.”
Decebal and Adelina looked at each other and bobbed their heads in agreement. “We changed his name when we came over to America. He was not born with that name.”
Dakota sat down shakily. “What was Arizona’s name before you left Romania?”
Adelina sniffled. “Vasile.”
Dakota gave his parents a disgusted headshake. “King. You named him king. No wonder he acts like a pompous ass.” Dakota stood to his feet and looked at his parents. “I want to be angry that you hid this from us, but I know you did it to save Arizona’s life.” He sighed. “So thank you.”
Decebal nodded. He turned to look at Nimo, his eyes narrowed. “You, little one. How did you come to be about this information?”
Nimo pointed at his laptop. “I have a friend named Griffin. He works with computers. He found the information. It’s kind of easy to find out whatever you want on whoever you want these days. Especially with Google.”
Decebal shook his head and snorted in disgust. “Humans and their belief that they are entitled to know everything there is to know about everyone even as they try so hard to protect their own privacy.”
Nimo nodded. “Yeah, we’re kind of confusing.”
Dakota reached over and pulled his mate into his arms. “Don’t let my dad’s grumpiness get to you,” he said, trying to reassure his mate even as his mind swirled with the news he’d just received. He was fucking royalty? Granted, it was defunct Romanian royalty, but still… “He’s just upset because there’s something about himself online that he doesn’t know how to control. Just think of this, Tată, there is nothing about us being vampires on there.”
Decebal gasped and pointed at Dakota. “And there never will be or I will destroy the whole of the internet.”
Dakota nodded, hoping his face looked as if he were taking his father’s threat seriously.
“Daddy?” Zay said, tugging on the bottom of Nimo’s tuxedo jacket. “Look at the long caw outside! It’s a limo!”
Dakota walked over to the window and peered out, whistling at the long, white stretch limo that was parked out in front of Nimo’s home. He turned to look at his mate, taking note of his clenched jaw. He rubbed his hand up and down Nimo’s back.
“They sent a car because they know this way we’ll be trapped at their place until they’re ready to bring us home,” Nimo said.
Dakota scoffed. “That’s what they think.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Utah and Carolina and told them what was going on and let them know that he would tell them the address and directions when they got there. Utah and Carolina assured him that they would drop off his SUV right across the street with his keys inside. He thanked them and smiled at his mate.
“It’s all taken care of,” he reassured his mate.
“What did you do?” Nimo asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dakota said. “Just know that no matter what your parents try tonight, we have a way out.”
“Quick word of warning about my parents. Every compliment is underhanded and an attempt to get you to trust them in order to pull you into their web of lies. They are not to be trusted. At all,” Nimo said. He swallowed and shook his head. “They are vipers, vultures, and spiders spinning webs intending to lure you in. They will say that we are all family, will act like it. They will smile. They will even share something personal about themselves or our family, but it’s all to get you to trust them so that they can strike you where you are most vulnerable. Do not trust them.” Dakota’s eyes widened as he listened to Nimo describe his parents. How was it possible that Nimo lived with people like this and still turned out semi-normal? He lifted a hand and cupped Nimo’s cheek. He turned Nimo’s head until his mate was looking at him.
“You know that’s not the way a true family operates, right?” he asked hesitantly.
Nimo hesitated for only a moment before he nodded. “Yeah, I know that now.” He smiled and turned to place a kiss in the center of Dakota’s palm. Dakota shivered. “Thanks to you, your family, and the family that I’ve made with my friends, I know that.”
“Great. Let’s go. I suddenly have an urge to tangle with vipers,” Adelina said with a small smile on her face.
Dakota shivered and looked over at Nimo. “I sort of feel bad for my mom all of a sudden,” Nimo whispered as he took Zay’s hand and grabbed his car seat which he passed to Dakota.
“Yeah, me too,” Dakota agreed as they stepped out of the front door. Dakota waited for Nimo as the man locked his front door and then held his mate’s hand as they walked towards the waiting limo. Their steps slow and measured and Dakota surveyed the area, his gaze alert, making sure there was no one around watching them. He didn’t get the feeling that there was anyone else in the area, so he relaxed a bit and helped Nimo and Zay inside, after Nimo installed the car seat and got Zay situated in it. He climbed in the limo after them and settled into the seat. Dakota noticed that his parents and Nimo seemed quite comfortable inside the limo while he and Zay were fascinated with everything inside of it. The limo pulled away from the front of Nimo’s house and Dakota took out his phone and began tracking where they were going.
“What are you doing?” Nimo asked.
“I’m making sure I know where we’re going so I can tell my brothers so they know where to bring my car,” he told the other man.
“Oh,” Nimo responded with a smile. “That’s smart.�
��
“I have my moments.” Dakota’s eyebrows rose when he realized that they were turning into a neighborhood not too far from where he and his family lived. It was in the wealthier part of Loweston, okay, it was in the wealthiest part of Loweston and when he sent the coordinates to his brothers, their response that it all seemed fishy sent a frisson of fear skittering up his spine. Was it possible that Nimo’s parents knew more about Dakota’s family than just their connection to Romanian royalty?
When the limo pulled up in front of a large, gated mansion, Dakota quickly sent the address to Jersey and Carolina and put his phone on vibrate. He let out a low whistle and passed a glance over at Nimo. His mate appeared sick as he stared up at his childhood home. It was a very strange reaction. Most people would look nostalgic as they gazed at the place where they grew up, even if they were cast out of it, unless the memories were bad ones. Feeling his man’s distress through their mate bond, Dakota reached out and grabbed Nimo’s hand, squeezing it gently.
Nimo cast his eyes up at him and smiled gently.
The limo stopped and seconds later the door opened. Nimo pulled away from Dakota and climbed out before reaching in to help Isaiah out of the car. Dakota followed them and then turned to help his parents out of the car. He peered up at the large five story mansion and saw two tall, gorgeous, African-American people, dressed in formal wear, standing in front of an open door with smiles on their faces. At first glance their smiles seemed genuine, especially when they both said Nimo’s name with joy and rushed down the stairs toward him with their arms outstretched. But when Dakota looked at their eyes he noticed that they were trained on his parents’ reaction to their actions rather than on Nimo’s face. When Dakota glanced at Nimo, he saw the disappointment there and realized his mate had noticed the same thing.
Nimo held up a hand which caused both of his parents to stop a few feet away from him.
“Let’s dispense with the false warm welcome for the Sevions’ benefit and go inside for dinner. You summoned me, I am here and I brought them. I would like to get this over with so that my son and I can return to our lives where you don’t exist.”
Nimo’s mother, Georgia-Anne if Dakota remembered her name correctly, blinked and regarded Adelina with a sad glance that seemed sincere. “I apologize for my son’s behavior, things have been… tense between us since he had a child out of wedlock and left,” she said.
Nimo growled. “Let’s get something straight,” he said angrily. “If you’re going to play the martyr, I’m going to leave right now. I left when you and Father kicked me out because you didn’t want to accept my son because his mother didn’t have the right breeding.” He let out a sound of disgust and tossed up his hands. “Why did I come?”
Dakota rubbed Nimo’s back and pressed his lips against his temple. He felt Isaiah turn and wrap his arms around Nimo’s legs. Neither of them spoke for long moments. The tenseness in Nimo’s muscles eased after Dakota began his ministrations and Isaiah wrapped himself around Nimo’s legs, he grew pliant and took a deep breath. Feeling that Nimo was finally calm, Dakota stepped away from his mate and turned to watch Nimo’s parents who were looking at him with an intense sort of curiosity in their eyes. It made him extremely uncomfortable, but to cover it, he straightened his lapels and offered them a bland smile and decided that he would dispense with the niceties but would be pleasant.
“Mr. and Mrs. Moore, thank you for having us over for dinner. We do know the circumstances behind your split with Nishon and not just his version of events, but those from impartial parties,” he said, implying that someone from their staff had been talking, taking delight when the two humans shared a glance between them. “However, we came for dinner and we believe that the past can truly be healed from with a true apology on the part of the guilty party and an open and forgiving heart on the part of the wronged party.”
Nimo’s father nodded and cleared his throat. “Indeed.” He gestured back towards the front door and offered no apology to Nimo, which Dakota honestly hadn’t been expecting. “If you will follow us inside for dinner? I believe the meal is ready.”
“Thank you very much,” Decebal said.
Dakota started forward with his family, his hand on Nimo’s lower back and heard his mother’s low growl next to him.
“I have never wanted to bite someone in anger so bad in my life,” she said.
“Patience, my dear. Perhaps, they will allow us to have them for dessert,” Decebal said.
“Daddy?” Isaiah said softly.
“Yes?” Nimo asked, sounding distracted.
“Why do your mommy and daddy smell like they’re starting to become zombies?”
§ § §
Nimo followed his parents into the house, Zay’s question ringing in his head. Dakota and his parents had hissed at Zay’s words and when Nimo had questioned them, they’d said they would explain later. Nimo was really getting tired of people saying that to him. He may be a “human” or rather the only “non-special human” in their little group, but he was pretty smart. Obviously his parents were severely altered from the last time he’d seen them, they seemed a little too… perfect and smelled off, and they were now zombies, or beginning zombies. He just wanted to know how they’d gotten that way.
Suddenly remembering that he had a way of communicating with Dakota without anyone else being aware of their conversation, Nimo smirked and decided to mindspeak with his mate.
How did my parents become zombies?
He gasped when his parents both let out cries of pain and grabbed their skulls. Decebal and Adelina stepped forward and created a protective wall in between Nimo’s parents and Nimo, Zay and Dakota. Nimo tried to see over their shoulders but after a few seconds of soft whimpers and hissing, the noise finally drifted off and Dakota’s parents moved back to their original positions.
“Wow, Daddy, they moved fast,” Zay said softly.
“I know, baby,” Nimo agreed. He glanced at his parents and then over at Decebal and Adelina. “Someone want to tell me what the heck is going on now?”
Abraham’s lips lifted into a smirk and he looked Nimo up and down before he shrugged. “I suppose that it’s best that we dispense with the pretenses. You know what we are and we know who you are mated to and what his family is. Come, sit and eat and we’ll let you know why you were summoned, and who wants you.” Nimo held tightly to Zay’s hand as he led him around the table to sit next to him, Dakota and his parents sitting on the same side of the table.
Nimo shook his head as he stared at his parents. “Who are you?” he asked.
Georgia-Anne laughed, a sound that she always tried to present as musical but which always came off as grating. “Why, we’re your parents, Nishon. Just… improved.”
“You are not improved,” Decebal said, his nose wrinkling in distaste. “You are altered and not in a good way. You are slowly decaying. Rotting. You will slowly cease to exist as you used to be. You will still look like yourselves, but your minds will not be your own, your wants, your desires, your ambitions, will all be at the whims of your vampire master, this person whom you have allowed to enslave you.”
Abraham chuckled as he sat down at the table and lifted a glass of red wine to his lips. He took a sip before lowering the glass. “Yes, he said you would say that.”
“Who is he, exactly?” Adelina asked.
“Oh come now, Mrs. Sevion, surely you of all people must have figured it out by now. Of everyone that you know, who would have cause to hold a grievance against you?” Georgia-Anne asked as she too took a sip of her red wine. As Nimo looked at the wine he realized that his parents weren’t drinking wine, at least no wine he’d ever seen before. He’d never seen a red wine so… dark and thick before.
“Oh God,” he whispered.
Abraham chuckled. “Why, darling,” he said with a smile. “I do believe our son has figured out that we are drinking blood.”
“Blood?” Zay asked, grabbing Nimo’s hand. Nimo glanced over at Dakot
a who sat on the other side of Zay, the two of them protecting Zay by seating him between them. “Daddy, why are they drinking blood?”
“It’s the way we maintain our connection with our Master. It’s also how we get stronger,” Abraham said, shaking his head. “He obviously gets his intelligence from his mother’s side of the family.”
Nimo pushed to his feet. “You will not talk about my son like that.”
Abraham rose slowly, staring at Nimo the entire time, his eyes unwavering. He pointed at Zay, his face pulled down into a frown. “It is because of your little… problem that your mother and I even felt compelled to seek a Master in the first place, so you will sit down and shut up or I will take matters into my own hands.”
Nimo’s eyes widened at his father’s words and he was so shocked that he found himself sinking back into his seat. “What are you talking about?”
Georgia-Anne sighed and rolled her eyes. “Try as we might to keep your little indiscretion from becoming public knowledge, everyone found out that you had a child with that undesirable woman. We were ostracized from polite society and those who did come to our events came only to talk about you or to ask about Isaiah, all with a twinkle of malice in their eyes. So when we were approached and asked if we wanted to return to our former glory and not only that, but if we wanted to rise above where we once were, we jumped at the chance,” she said with a smile.
Dakota (The Sevion Brotherhood) Page 12
