“Well, clearly someone is a sore loser,” the teen said pointing at the scattered playing cards.
Elle stopped at the left, where the French glass doors lay open. I stopped beside her, glancing out onto the wide courtyard mainly made up of flag stones and potted plants. Across the way was a three-story building, a set of black iron stairs leading up to a door, similar to the set just to the side of the doors we currently stood at.
“Jesus, this place is huge,” I whispered.
Her focus moved back to the room, gaze falling to the wooden floor, which I now noticed had the same black marks that rested at the bottom of the door we had come through.
“Is that what I think it is?”
She met my gaze. “That depends. What d’you think it is?”
“I saw similar markings at the facility after it had apparently been attacked.” I glanced back down at the markings, which could have passed for burn marks apart from the ash texture. “They’re Vampires, aren’t they?”
“They were.” She made her way back to the large archway, glancing to either side before she slipped into the last room that had been situated at the very end of the hallway.
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about hiding Vampire bodies once they’re really dead.”
Silver lining, I guess.
Elle appeared. “All clear. Storage that leads to a kitchen, and it looks like the bottom of that building could be a garage of some kind.”
She shrugged and made her way back down the hallway.
I followed as she made her way upstairs. She kept her back against the wall and a tight grip on her blade. As she reached the landing, her eyes widened. Turning to me, she placed her index finger on her lips and then pulled her ear.
Quiet and listen out.
She headed through the door at the top of the stairs. I waited on the landing. The walls were white wooden panels with golden trimmings. As my gaze moved higher, I noticed that the top border were carvings of what looked like vines and flowers, all painted gold. The ceiling was high, and two intricate crystal and gold light fittings hung down, casting the same warm white light. The old beauty of this place was ruined by the odd indents in the walls and the fact that the wide gilded mirror across the way was cracked, as if a heavy weight had been thrown against it. A few shards had fallen to the floor and had been crushed into pieces.
I tried to count the markings of extinguished Vampires dotted about the rich wood floor, but I couldn’t be sure—they seemed to collide into one another as I doubted a Vampire could be that large on only a liquid diet.
Elle exited the room, concern and confusion masking her face. She glanced at the open glass door to her left before descending into the hall. The front door lay ahead of us, two large arches in the walls at either side. Elle glanced to the left at what I could only presume was the sitting room. A grand marble fireplace took centre stage, another gilded mirror sitting high above the mantel piece reflecting the chandelier that hung down into the room … which was more of a mess then downstairs had been.
Even though the fancy furniture now lay in pieces, it was easy to see that the room hadn’t been heavily furnished. The mess was comprised of two red chaise lounges and armchairs, end tables, vases, and the odd ornament. The same scorched markings splattered across the place.
“Okay, I’m starting t’think this isn’t someone having a hissy fit over a hand of cards.” Teen Elle stood among the mess with her hands on her hips.
I turned to the archway on my right and stepped through into another sitting room, the décor almost matching apart from a grandfather clock and one of those fancy drinking globes. I stepped over the mess, glancing to my right to see that the room extended a little further.
Elle stopped beside me.
“This is exactly the same as the room across the way.” Her brow furrowed as she walked over to the next archway that led to another hallway. “This is the house next door.”
“What?” I walked over to where she stood and looked at another front door. A glance to my right confirmed that there was another set of stairs and a door leading out back.
We both looked at the archway in front of us to see one more sitting room, but no other archway beyond the third hallway.
“Are you telling me that the Vampires own three of these houses?”
“And they’ve knocked the walls through in the centre house to open them up to each other.”
“Jesus, they’re filthy rich.”
“They’ve had time to get filthy rich.”
She took a deep breath and circled back to the centre living room.
“Okay. Safe to say something happened—” She glanced at the floor. “—There are a lot of vanquished Leeches here.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“That depends on who did the vanquishing.”
“Heather and Brendan?”
A small pop of hope entered her eyes. “Maybe, but … I don’t know. This is a lot of Vampires.”
“Your cousin’s special.”
“Yeah, but this is just …” She threw her hands to the ground. “A lot.”
“Michael killed her father. Poisoned her mother and therefore her. Safe t’say this would kinda make sense.”
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. We need t’finish checking everywhere t’see if any Leech is left alive and can tell us what t’hell happened.”
“And if Heather isn’t here?”
Her shoulders sagged, arms dropping to her sides as she stared off into the room.
“Or whoever may have done this?”
“Then we hope that we can find something t’give us an idea of where t’hell we go next.” She pointed at the hallway of the first house. “Would you mind checking the top levels while I start checking this house?”
“Sure. I will shout if I find anything or anyone.”
“Ditto.”
***
~ Danielle ~
I rolled my neck in a full circle and then side to side, forcing the built-up tension in my muscles to crack and pop.
This wasn’t good, and I wasn’t even sure what this was. Why were there a ton of disposed Vampires littered everywhere? Why was the UK Colony Nest smashed to pieces? Sure, I hadn’t finished searching, but I was willing to bet my life that every other room would be broken or at least contain charred Leeches.
Who would do this? Nathan was right—Heather had a million reasons to destroy the Colony, but this was crazy. There were different generations in this Colony, and although I knew my cousin was strong and had her Werewolf with her, I highly doubted they could have caused this much damage, especially to the number of Vampires who Nested here and while there were civilians living on either side of it all.
And destroying an entire Nest? I know killing Vamps is what we did, but surely, there would be some sort of consequence to slaughtering a Colony?
With Nathan searching the first house, I began my exploration of the second, moving further through the sitting room and trying hard not to trip over the remains of expensive furniture that littered the floor.
I moved into the study at the end of the corridor. It pretty much matched the one in the first house. Nothing of any interest jumped out, so I decided to head upstairs before descending back down into the basement.
The mahogany banister was cracked in the centre; two of the wooden poles lay discarded on the wide stairway. The walls were the same fancy white and gold patterns all the way through, every room giving off the same elegant and regal feel. Crystal light fittings and chandlers. Artwork and sculpture. Beautiful antique furniture and large mirrors. Long, thick curtains hung at all the large, long panelled windows, which I had noticed had UV-tinted glass.
The houses were classy. It was easy to see why they had been selected for the Colony Nest. Each house had six floors and ample rooms and plenty of ways in and out. It was elaborate and deceiving, and quite perfect from what I had read about Michael.
The first floor was smaller, the hallway recognisably shorter. The glass door at the top of the stairs led out onto a rooftop terrace, the hallway only having two other doors lining the walls. I moved to the first one, peering round the wood as it lay open. Surprisingly, the mahogany dining table still stood upright with the chairs all neatly pushed under. I walked around the room, past the fireplace and through the open archway into another sitting room. This one seemed a little fuller. A little more personal.
The red sofas had been tipped over, and the coffee table in the centre lay flat, the fancy legs collapsed beneath. The fire still blazed in the fireplace. Trinkets and photographs lined the mantel, but it was the huge portrait hanging above that caused me to stop and stare. A man stood by a large window, the countryside visible on the other side of the glass. I couldn’t name his clothing, but the top was puffy and vibrant. It looked like he wore leggings and a dress, with a high white frilled collar that looked heavy and tight enough to choke you, which might explain his pale complexion. Narrow, black eyes starred down at me under thick black eyebrows. His hair was raven black and curled at the ends, stopping beneath his ears.
My gaze fell to the gold plaque at the base of the intricate frame. “Lord Michael John Kirk.”
So, this was the Colony Leader back in his hay day? The stories and information I had heard and read started to make sense.
“So, you’re the bastard that fucked so much up?” I asked the portrait.
The planes of his face were sharp and harsh, his lips thin and unforgiving. Maybe it was just the way the artist had painted him, but I could see the cold brutality burning in his dark eyes. Yeah, it was easy to see how this young Vampire had become Colony leader.
“Well, I hope she killed you. I hope you suffered,” I said, before making my way back out to the hallway and ascending the next flight of stairs.
The remaining three floors were smaller in length. The master bedroom on the second floor was clearly Michael’s. I was sure I would have guessed right regardless, but the fact that he had at least four more portraits of himself hanging up was a big clue. His walk-in wardrobe was impressive and filled with top design suits and the odd casual item. Not one sign of jeans or T-shirts in sight.
The smaller rooms on the last two floors were nice, the décor not matching the flow of the house, but then, most of the Vampires here would be younger than Michael and naturally wouldn’t share his rich tastes. Apart from the rooms being a tad messy, nothing was broken. There was no sign of a struggle or any indication that any Leeches had been slaughtered up here.
As I descended the stairs, making my way down to the basement level, it dawned on me that any Vampires who had been on the uppers level would have made their way downstairs at the sound of intruders and fighting. Still, checking every floor and room was the smart thing to do.
Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised to find that the lower doorway which was similar to the one Nathan and I had used had also been broken open, the difference being that someone had barged into this one, knocking it off its hinges. The black painted wood lay on the floor before another small end room filled with fridges and freezers. A sneak look confirmed that they were filled with blood.
“Elle?” Nathan’s voice echoed throughout the house.
Every hair on my body stood on end. I sprinted up the stairway, the hilt of my dagger still resting firmly in my hand.
As I reached the landing of the centre house, a loud snarl met my ears, pulling my attention to the right. The air caught in my throat at the sight of the black Werewolf standing amongst the ruined furniture in the sitting room of the third house.
“I asked you a question,” came an unfamiliar male voice. “Where did you get these clothes?”
I moved into the room to find Nathan pinned halfway up the wall situated next to the fireplace, held by his T-shirt which was balled up in the fist of an athletic, shirtless, blond man.
“Let him go.” I sank as much lead into my voice as I could muster, my focus flickering between the two and the very large Werewolf whose piercing ice-blue gaze had turned on me.
“Found someone,” Nathan said dryly. His eyes were trained on the Werewolf, his face a mixture of disbelief and wonder. The hold he had on the male’s wrist was pointless as he didn’t even seem fazed by the fact that his feet had left the floor.
The blond’s attention turned to me. A strong jaw line accompanied by high cheekbones and a roman nose. He could pass for a businessman, and at the look of his lean biceps and flexing six-pack, one that took care of himself. But it was his eyes that ruined his calm, collected appearance. And those dark, swirling grey irises were narrowed on me.
His nostrils flared. “You’re human.”
It was stated as a fact and not a question, but still, I nodded.
“You know this Leech?” His attention moved back to Than, his fist tightened in the black material.
“He’s with me.”
The Werewolf snorted. Not a reaction that seemed fitting with such creatures. It was almost too human.
“He’s a friend.”
The male’s head snapped back to me, anger, confusion, and disgust fighting for dominance on his face.
“Friend?” He spat the word.
“Aye, has been since childhood.” The reply seemed stupid considering the circumstances, but the need to point the fact out seemed important.
That caused the male’s brow to furrow further. “He’s a Vampire.”
“Only has been for a few weeks. He’s useless.”
“Hey!” That snapped Nathan out of his daydream and earned me a scowl.
The Werewolf growled, a hint of white fang thrown in my direction.
“I swear it. He’s as dangerous as a bee.” I slid my blade back in my holster and held my hands up to show them I meant no harm. “Please, let him go.”
“Not until he tells me where he got these clothes from.”
Nathan looked down at me. “I tried to tell him I borrowed them—”
“Liar.” The man snarled, shoving Nathan further up the wall. The biceps in his left arms bulged, but he didn’t even break a sweat.
“It’s the truth.” I took a step forward, pausing when the Werewolf mimicked me.
The blond’s nostrils flared again. “They smell like a member of our Pack.”
Despite the tension that embraced my spine and shoulders, a slight flutter of relief passed through me. “Brendan?”
His attention back on me, the colour in his eyes began to soften, flecks of blue filtering through. “You know Brendan?”
“My cousin does.” I lowered my arms. “Her name is Heather.”
The Werewolf whined. The male glanced over his shoulder at the creature.
“My aunt Sofia knew Brendan. She was Heather’s grandmother. She asked him to help Heather with something.” I took another step forward. “I haven’t heard from her in three weeks. That’s why I’m—I mean why we’re here. We’re looking for her.”
“That doesn’t explain how—”
“Brendan has left a bag at Heather’s house, a travel bag,” I cut in quickly. “Nathan needed a change of clothes after escaping a facility where he was held captive. Brendan’s clothes were the only male clothes in the house.” I took another step toward the man. “The Vampires kidnapped him and his friend while they were in London. They experimented on them, changed them.”
The Werewolf made a low grumbling noise in its throat.
“A facility?” The male’s eyes met mine, tired, ash-blue eyes.
“Aye, if you let him go, we will explain.”
The Werewolf stepped toward us. My hand automatically dropped to the hilt of my blade, but the Werewolf’s large hand landed on the male’s shoulder. Its large fingers flexed, claws dinting into his taut skin, but not enough to pierce it. It was then I noticed the blue flecks running through its fur. It was only inches taller than the male. Bowing its head, it pressed its nose to the side of the man’s face, and I watched the tension e
ase from the male, watched as he lowered Nathan to his feet. He untangled his hand from the borrowed T-shirt and backed away from us. The Werewolf let go of his shoulder and remained behind him.
With a sigh, the male folded his arms over his chest. “Start explaining.”
“First.” I stepped in front of Nathan. “Where is Heather?”
He stared at me silently for what seemed like an eternity before confirming, “She’s alive, and with our Pack.”
Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. “Oh, thank God.”
“Now, I believe you owe us an explanation as to why I shouldn’t kill this Leech along with the rest of his Colony.”
“This isn’t my Colony,” Nathan stated, straightening out the oversized T-shirt.
I stepped in front of Nathan. “He isn’t a part of this Nest let alone this Colony. He and his friend were captured in London and were held captive for six weeks in a facility in Scotland. They sedated him—”
“Castrated me.” Nathan stepped beside me.
“The Vampires experimented on him.”
“And I didn’t ask for any of it. Nor did Freddie.” His voice hitched at mentioning his friend. “Only difference is he wasn’t lucky enough to survive this shite.” He indicated to himself.
The Werewolf did another whine. The male’s jaw flexed. Something flickered in his eyes as he stared at Nathan.
“Why haven’t you killed him?” His focus moved back to me. “Isn’t that what your family does, kill Leeches?”
He made it sound so simple, and up to a few days ago, it had been. Part of me wanted to point out that I nearly had when I first realized what he was, but it had also been the first time I had ever been face to face with a Vampire who had once been someone I knew and cared about.
“Aye, but Nathan isn’t a normal Leech.”
“You really can’t go a minute without insulting me, can you?” Nathan mumbled, folding his arms across his chest.
“Nathan was created. Not turned. Whatever they did isn’t normal for them.”
“You expect that to mean something to us?” The blond arched his left eyebrow.
Cross My Heart Page 17
