Cross My Heart

by Elizabeth Morgan

  “A penthouse wouldn’t be big enough.”

  “The palace?”

  “Get real.”

  “What? It would be big enough.”

  “Yeah, way too big. Besides, I think we would notice if the monarchy were Vampires.”

  “Well, where would you choose to Nest?” He rolled his eyes at my disgusted expression. “I know, dare you imagine yourself as one of the undead, but seriously, you become a Vampire and you can live anywhere, where would you live?”

  “Well, it isn’t that simple, t’start.” I sagged against the wall. “When you’re turned, you have t’stay with your Master or Mistress for a while, and then once they allow it, you can wander off and start creating your own Bloodlings.”

  “Those are the Vampires that are linked t’you, right?”

  “You have been doing your research.”

  He grinned. “I’m a quick study.”

  “Well, say you start doing that, then yeah, you would need a Nest. It depends on which decade you’re in and from, I suppose. And being the Leader of the main Nest, well, that’s just a ton of politics—”

  “Oy, country girl, just answer the question.”

  “I don’t know.” I folded my arms. “I’ve never imagined being anywhere but home.”

  God, wasn’t that sad. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, even imagine having my own place. Well, there had never been a point thinking about such things as we were taught to see a constant and ever-changing expiry date depending on what type of day it was.

  “Well, your parents’ house and land are a perfect safe haven.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with keeping your family safe, Elle.”

  “Much good it does anyone.”

  He walked over to me and clasped my shoulders. “We’re going to find her.”

  I managed a smile despite the lack of reassurance I currently felt.

  Something wasn’t right. Where were all the Vampires? Or were my expectations too high? Did I honestly think I’d walk into London and all the Leeches would be walking around with blood oozing from their mouth as they stood on a pile of victims?

  “Considering what y’know about the Leader, where would you guess he’d set up house?”

  I scrubbed my hands across my face in an attempt to wake myself up. The night was still young. Maybe the Leeches didn’t come out until later.

  “Michael was born in the Elizabethan era but was turned around the Stuart Period.”

  “Yeah, that doesn’t mean much t’me.” He let go of my shoulders and moved to the opposite wall. “Was he rich or poor?”

  “Born, bred, and turned in London. He came from a good family. I believe he worked his way up to the upper circles of society.”

  “When did he become Leader of the UK Nest?”

  “Within a few decades?”

  I’d actually read he was one of the youngest Vampires to have fought and won the right for leadership. He hadn’t even been a Vampire for a hundred years, but having read his history and how he’d worked himself up to be someone, he didn’t seem like the type of man that would lie back and take orders. I also knew what he did to Dorian … He was one sick bastard.

  “So, needless to say, he has been brought up in a day and age where a person’s class was a big deal, and if you were rich, you had a proper massive house with servants and nice things?”

  “The Nest is not Buckingham Palace.”

  He rolled his eyes. “No, but rich folks are usually quite proud, so I imagine he still has a big house somewhere, and considering we are near the area in which the royals have lived for many years, which happens to be in proximity to our two locations, I’m willing t’bet the Nest will be some old, fancy building. Can I use your phone?”

  I slid my mobile from my pocket and unlocked it, closing the space between us, and handed it to him. A few clicks, and he turned the phone to me. A Wiki page filled the screen.

  “This is a list of Grade One and Two listed buildings in London. All listed in alphabetical order of which county they are in.”

  “That will take forever.”

  “Not if we stick with the two-mile radius idea. Hunting ground, remember.”

  “Yeah, but their hunting ground could be bigger.”

  “Well, this is the best we have at the moment.” He looked at the phone and began typing once more. “Bayswater is just outside of the perimeter, but Belgravia is within. Plus, it’s not too far from here, and it’s situated on the other side of the palace.”

  “Why have you suddenly got an obsession with Buckingham Palace?”

  “I haven’t. You’re the one—” He shook his head. “Never mind. I say we start here. We have nothing else to go off, Elle. At least let’s try and if we find a Vampire on the way, then we can ditch this plan and go back t’yours.”

  I was so aware of the time, of each second ticking by. We had come to London with no lead only to follow one that was three weeks old. We literally had nothing, no clue, no idea.

  At least this was something. Checking old building. It kept us moving and made it feel like we might be on to something.

  Who was I kidding? We were clueless and had no choice.

  “Okay.” I accepted my mobile back off him. “This is better than nothing.”

  “I’m not just a pretty face, y’know?”

  With a roll of my eyes, I tapped on to the GPS to figure out the easiest and most public route that would take us to this fancy area. It would only take six minutes in the car which we had brought into the city with us and parked in a car park near by the nightclub, but I needed us to stay out in the open in the hopes that Nathan would lure a little bloodsucker in.

  “Okay, roughly twenty-five minutes from here to there.” I shoved the phone in my pocket. “If you sense or smell anything, just say so.”

  “Like what?”

  “Fresh blood, for one, or that musky scent that Leeches always stink of.”

  “Musky scent?” He pinched and lifted the oversized black T-shirt to his nose, inhaling deeply. “Is that what I smell like?”

  “You stink of cologne, which in the long run is probably burning all the Leeches’ nose hairs, which is no doubt why they haven’t confronted you yet.”

  “I’d rather stink of Dolce than of death. Especially since these aren’t even my clothes.”

  “Well, congrats. You nailed it. Now come on.” I set off at a swift pace down the high street, Nathan on my heels.

  Luckily, it was a straight route. My focus flitted between the people I was passing and any turning or entry way. Poised. Listening for arguments or screams, which wasn’t easy considering how nosey London roads were, but Nathan’s hearing would hopefully be able to filter anything out.

  Once we hit the perimeter of Hyde Park, I stopped to take out my phone and double check the GPS. “We just have t’walk round this corner and then cross the road in a few feet. You heard anything suspicious over the racket?”

  “Other than drunks arguing about stupid things?” He shook his head.

  I shoved my phone back into my pocket as we continued en route. “How are you so good at this?”

  “At what?”

  “Figuring all this out? The map, where t’look?”

  “I guess because I’m not emotionally involved?”

  I stopped and turned to him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, think about it, Elle. You’ve grown up with this. It’s been your entire life. It’s personal. For me … it’s all new. I want answers, so I’m looking at the facts and making the links.” He shrugged. “Plus your ancestors kinda pointed out a lot of stuff in their journals and findings.”

  “It’s been a long time since I read them.”

  “Well, I get why you wouldn’t want t’read them again.” He playfully punched my shoulder. “Plus, you’re forgetting I had t’put up with a crime and mystery fanatic for years. I guess I kinda just picked up on looking at the bigger p
icture.”

  “You seem to have picked up on a lot.”

  It was helpful, but I found myself wondering yet again if Nathan knew more than he was letting on. Did he know where the Nest was? Was he leading me into a trap?

  “My head isn’t as empty as it appears.”

  Trap or not, I still didn’t have much of a choice but to go along with all of this. I needed to find Heather, and whether she was at the Nest or not, it was the only place I could go for answers. Especially because I didn’t have a damn clue were Brendan’s Pack would be. Were they looking for him? Could they be trusted? Come to think about it, could Brendan be trusted? What if Heather was missing because of him?

  “Earth to Elle.”

  I blinked. Nathan was standing in front of me waving his hand in front of my face.

  “You okay? You blanked out.”

  “Thinking,” I replied, brushing past him and continuing down the road.

  What if I had all of this wrong? What if Werewolves had kidnapped Heather? But then, why would they? And why would my aunt ask one to help if that was the case? She would have seen if they couldn’t be trusted, wouldn’t she?

  My aunt wouldn’t put Heather’s life in danger, would she?

  God, Auntie S, it would have been so helpful if you had been a little more detailed in your goodbye video.

  Watching the road, I indicated to Nathan that we needed to cross. Sprinting between the vehicles, ignoring the abrupt honking of horns, we made it to the other side. My phone bleeped in my pocket to indicate we had reached our destination.

  I retrieved it and showed Nathan the area on the map. “Mainly residential. So, it should be slightly quieter. So, keep your eyes open, and say if you smell of see anything that’s … odd.”

  A long road lay ahead of us. After the shop and hotel that sat at the top of the street, the remainder was lined with what I could only presume were town houses as they towered well above the size of a terrace.

  We set off at a steady pace, pausing once the line morphed into a semi-circle. A triangular private park lay in the centre, parking spaces situated before the black iron fence. The houses were the same on both sides of the curved, quiet road. The smooth white stone just kept going, each house only made visible by the sight of a front door and steps leading up to them.

  My focus travelled the length, noting the windows. Five floors in total. All windows had small balconies either made of stone or black iron.

  “Jesus, it’s pristine.” Nathan shook his head. “Even the pavement looks white.”

  “Let’s split up. Both take a side, and whistle if you find anything. Okay?”

  “You’re the boss.”

  I stayed on the left side while Nathan headed down the right. I took my time as I passed each house, listening out for noises, scanning the doorsteps for signs of blood drops. They would be easy to see considering how clean the street was, but would Vampires be stupid enough to leave marks on such a clean surface?

  A sharp whistle broke my concentration. I crossed the road, moving past the parked cars. Turning the sharp corner of the private park, I found Nathan frozen to the spot outside one of the houses.

  I stopped in front of him and placed my hands on his shoulders with the pretence of making it look like we were in a deep discussion in case we had any curtain twitchers or passer-by.

  “What is it?”

  “Can’t you smell that?”

  I inhaled, getting a good load of his cologne. “Not over your Dolce, I can’t.”

  “I can’t explain it.” His focus didn’t leave the house. “There’s blood, but not loads. I just—” He finally looked at me. “It smells wrong. Does that make sense?”

  “It makes enough sense.”

  “Are there lights on?”

  He glanced. “I can see a faint glow in the windows next to the door.”

  “Okay. So, the black iron fence that’s behind me, there’s a gate. We’re going down and in.”

  “Isn’t that breaking and entering?”

  “Only if it isn’t the UK Colony Nest.” I cupped his chin and brough his focus to me, locking eyes. “Are you willing t’bet my life that there are Vampires in there?”

  “Elle—”

  “Yes or no, Than?”

  His eyes flicked to the building, nostrils flaring. “Yeah, something is definitely in there.”

  “Good enough for me.” Hands falling to his T-shirt, I pulled him until my back hit the iron.

  His eyes widened. “What are you—?”

  “Reach down and open the gate.”

  I heard the click and the slight whine of metal as he opened it. Letting go over his T-shirt, I turned and hastily made my way down the stone steps, my gaze snagging on a patch of black at the bottom. The space was wider than I had expected, and a metal door lay to my left, a security pad sitting at the heart of it.

  But it was the door in front of us that held my attention, or should I say the giant hole where I presumed the handle would have been. I glanced over the railing into the corner past the security door—the splintered chunk of wood had been discarded, the brass doorknob crushed.

  Unfortunately, I’d had to leave my sword in the Rover as there was no way I could get away with walking around central London with it on my back. And I was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that it would have been the weapon of choice for this evening.

  I slid my dagger from my holster and glanced back at Nathan who had stopped behind me, his nostrils flaring.

  “Keep quiet,” I whispered.

  He nodded, uncertainty flashing across his face.

  “We got this?”

  Shoulders back, he balled his fists and gave a curt nod.

  I moved to the wall. Back pressed against the brick, I splayed my left hand on the black wood and slowly pushed it open.

  Chapter Nine

  ~ Nathan ~

  I was pretty sure that if my heart was still working, it would have punched a hole right through my rib cage. I had never been so freaked out in, well, my life even though it had technically ended.

  There was something off with this building. Sure, it was a ‘house’ on the outside, but so far from homely. Not that I could actually imagine a Vampire’s Nest being homely. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and in all honesty, I didn’t want to, but we were here to find Heather. Finding Heather meant that I would get a better understanding of my predicament, or at least I hoped I would.

  So regardless of the icy chill sweeping over my already cold skin, I had to suck it up and go into this strange foreboding building.

  I could smell blood, and boy did I hate how easy it was for me to pick up regardless of the fact that the air around me was tainted with a number of scents, from remnants of exhaust fumes to rubber on asphalt, a number of dishes that had been made and consumed in the homes surrounding us, the trees and damp grass of the nearby park. All of that, and yet, my new super nose had zoned in on blood—some human, but the rest … There was a familiar tinge to it that I had smelled before but couldn’t remember where.

  All I could do was watch as Elle pushed open the secret little door at the bottom of the outdoor stairs. Once upon a time, it was probably the servant’s entrance, where deliveries and such would have been received. I would have thought that someone would have sealed it nowadays, but as my focus dropped to the gaping hole in the wood, I realized that it probably could have been.

  “Shouldn’t we be concerned that someone else had the same idea and broke in?” I whispered.

  She didn’t look at me, but the ripple of concern that crossed her face was answer enough. Someone had broken into a Vampire Nest. Why the hell would you, unless you were a Hunter like Elle and her family? Unless they thought this was a normal home? God, they were in for a shock. Perhaps that’s why I could smell blood? Had a thief broken in and ended up being supper?

  Poor thieving bastard. I would say it served them right, but that would be way too harsh. Although, karma was a bitch.

&nbs
p; “Well, they should scout their properties better, like the burglars from Home Alone.” A shimmer of a silhouette rippled behind real Elle.

  Yeah, that didn’t work out well for them either. I looked at the space where the teen was starting to form. I can’t have you here right now. This is serious. I need t’have my wits about me.

  “Don’t tell me that. Tell yourself. Just relax.”

  Relax? I had to contain a snort. I’m about t’walk into a building full of Vampires … And this time willingly.

  “Elle won’t let anything happen t’you.”

  Yeah, and that didn’t make me feel any better. What if something happened to her?

  Oh, shit, what if something does happen to her?

  Would I be able to defend her? Escape with her?

  “You’re overthinking, Ninny.”

  Shut up.

  Elle slipped inside. I followed her in, mimicking as she kept her back pressed against the wall to the right of the door. I slowly closed the useless stretch of wood, revealing a stone archway to our left. Through the opening, I could see that the room was lined with what I could presume were fridges and freezers.

  A nudge to my ribcage brought my attention to Elle who nodded in that direction.

  “I think that means she wants you t’check no one’s in there.”

  Ignoring the growing form of Teen Elle who stood in the archway, I moved across and peered into the room. It wasn’t huge, but the industrial appliances sure as hell made the room a heck of a lot smaller.

  I turned back to Elle and gave her a thumbs up to say the room was clear. With a nod, she slipped into the next open archway only to return a second later with a nod.

  The lights in the hallway were a warm yellow, which suited the fact that the walls were bare brick. It was kinda rustic and didn’t really suit the exterior of the building, but who was I to judge?

  I followed Elle down the hallway, past the stairs that led to the ground floor, watching as she moved through the next archway. I paused at the sight of tipped over tables and broken chairs. She slowly made her way round the space, her gaze tripping over the wreck of a room.