Jordan stared at Victor in shock. “What?”
“Nikki,” he ordered, cocking the gun. “Now.”
Terrified, I pulled my arm away from Jordan, wondering what was going to happen next and if I’d ever get out of this nightmare.
Jordan leaped towards the doorway, changing into his Lycan form. Before he reached it, Victor pulled the trigger.
I screamed in shock as brain matter exploded all over the kitchen floor, painting it red.
“See what happens when you disobey me, Nikki?” said Victor, his voice calm as he put the gun away. “I’m sure silver bullets are useless on vampires, but they’d hurt like a sonofabitch.”
“That was really your nephew?” I whispered in horror, although I had to admit, the smell of blood was distracting. “Your own family?”
He smirked. “Exactly. Now that you know what I’m capable of, you won’t hesitate to follow my orders. Am I right?”
I licked my lips, desperate to get out of there. If lying would keep me alive, then so be it. “Yes,” I replied.
He nodded. “Good. Now, it would be a pity to waste all of this blood, so go ahead. Before it gets cold.”
Deciding that I would need my strength to get away from Victor, and unable to ignore my own burning hunger, I kneeled next to the body and drank.
“How is it?” asked Victor, after watching me for several minutes.
I raised my head. “Different. Thicker.”
He nodded. “Is it unpleasant?”
“No,” I replied.
“Good. You don’t feel sick or anything?”
“Should I?”
“The truth is, I’m not sure. I’ve never volunteered my blood to a vampire, nor has any of my clan. I’ve heard stories from others…”
“What stories?”
“That the blood doesn’t always agree with vampires. I wanted to test this theory out on you, however. Especially since you’ll soon be carrying my child.”
I stared at him in disgust. “What?”
“Since my nephew is gone, we’re going to need you to carry my seed.”
I felt like I was going to be sick. “No. You’re joking!”
“Not at all.” He waved his hand. “We’ll have it performed artificially by someone I know. In a lab.”
“A lab.” Thank God.
“Go ahead, take what you need from Jordan and then we’ll go. I would like to start the process as soon as possible.”
“What if I don’t care for this idea?” I asked, curious as to what he’d do.
“Then, you’ll be responsible,” he replied with a smirk.
“Responsible for what?”
“Nathan and your mother – their deaths. I was going to let them live, but not if you’re going to be difficult.”
Before I could answer, the kitchen door burst open, and Nathan himself was thrown against the floor.
“Nathan!?” I squealed, rushing to his side.
“Nik, thank God you’re still alive!” he said, getting up. Just as he was about to throw his arms around me, he froze. “What in the hell is that on your chin?”
I stared at him in shame and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Nathan, I –”
“Just like I told you, Nathan,” said Celeste, standing in the doorway. “Your sister is now a vampire.”
Tears filled his eyes. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you, Nikki. You must be so pissed off at me.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, of course not.”
He raised my chin with his finger. “Well, except for the red stain, you don’t look like a vampire.”
“That’s because she just fed,” said Victor.
Nathan’s head whipped around. “Dad?”
Victor smiled widely and opened up his arms. “I missed you, Nathan. Come and give your old man a hug.”
Before Nathan could oblige, my hand snaked out and grabbed his arm. “Nathan, wait a minute.”
“Why?”
I looked at Victor. “He’s not really our father and… he’s a Lycan.”
Nathan’s eyes grew really big. He turned to Victor. “Is this true?”
His shoulders slumped. “I’m not your father by blood, Nathan, but I love you all the same. As far as being a Lycan, yes. It’s true.”
In shock, Nathan turned back to me. “Nikki, you’d better explain what’s going on here. I want to hear it all from you.”
“Me?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the only one I can trust. I’ve been ignoring all of your warnings and it’s gotten both of us into a shitload of trouble. So, tell me what in the hell is going on around here.”
“I take it you already know what’s going on with Celeste?”
“Yes,” replied Celeste, walking over to Victor. She linked her arm through his and smiled triumphantly. “He knows he’s going to die, that is.”
“Is that so?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
“Tell them, Victor. Better yet, let’s just get this over with,” she replied.
“Victor?” asked Nathan.
“That’s his real name,” I said. “Obviously he lied about that, too.”
“It had to be done,” said Victor. “No matter what you may think, I really did care about your mother and didn’t want any of you dragged into this mess. Now we can all start fresh. All four of us.”
Celeste stepped away from him. “What are you talking about?” she snapped. “I thought you promised to take these two out? They’re not Lycans; they’re not even your kids!”
Victor sighed. “What can I say, Celeste? I lied.”
Her eyes blazed with fury. “This is not what we agreed upon. If you think that I’m going to let you get away with this, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Actually, Celeste, I didn’t lie about everything,” he said. “I did promise that you’d never have to deal with Nikki again, and I won’t go back on that.”
Before she could respond, he leaped towards her, changing into a massive Lycan in midair, larger than any of the others.
“Fuckin’ kidding me?” gasped Nathan, as Victor landed on Celeste, his giant muzzle wrapping around her face.
I watched in horror as his jaws drove into her cheeks, tearing flesh and bone while Celeste fought to get away.
“Help me!” she screamed.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing Nathan’s arm.
Victor’s head whipped around. “You stay!” he growled.
Celeste, whose pretty face was now horribly mangled almost beyond recognition, opened her mouth and latched on to Victor’s neck with her fangs.
“Bitch!” he hollered, grabbing a handful of her red curls. He tried pulling her back and away from his neck, but she stabbed him in the eye with two of her fingernails.
“What should we do?” whispered Nathan, his face filled with horror.
“Get her off of me!” raged Victor, now trying to kick her off of him.
I watched as Celeste clung to him, digging her nails into his fur while sucking his blood.
Let’s go, I mouthed to Nathan.
He nodded and we ran out of the kitchen to the backyard.
“I’m going to fly you,” I said quickly.
“Okay.”
“Nikki!”
I whipped my head around to find Duncan racing around the house.
“Duncan,” I cried, as he pulled me into his arms.
“God, I thought I was too late,” he said, clutching me tightly.
Nathan patted him on the back. “You almost were. We have to get out of here. Did you drive?”
Duncan released me. “No time for driving. We’re taking the sky.” He looked at me. “You’re warm. I take it you can fly now?”
I nodded.
He reached for Nathan, who seemed to think he was getting a hug.
I bit back a smile.
Nathan patted Duncan on the back. “Okay, yeah. Good to see you too, bro.”
“Let�
�s go,” said Duncan, launching into the air with Nathan.
Taking a deep breath, I followed him into the glaring sunlight, trying to shield my eyes as much as possible. I trailed them back towards the city, landing on the terrace at the Marlimore.
“That was a close one,” said Nathan, sliding down to his feet. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand over his face. “You guys, I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared shitless in my entire life.”
I turned to Duncan. “How did you find us?”
“After you disappeared out of the club, I figured the Lycan had snagged you again,” said Duncan. “So I searched the desert. It was much easier this time.”
“It was Ethan.”
They both stared at me in shock.
I crossed my arms under my chest. “He deceived me. You were right,” I said, looking down so they wouldn’t see my eyes well up. “Both of you.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” replied Duncan, stepping closer.
I swept a hand under my lashes, brushing away tears. “Why? If I would have listened to you a long time ago, things would have been different.”
Duncan touched my arm. “Nikki, it’s not your fault. He not only lied, but charmed you. You didn’t have a chance.”
“I know you’re probably right, but I still feel like such an idiot.”
“You have to let it go. If he knew how upset you were, it would probably go to his head. It’s time to move on.”
I only hoped that I could, but the dark truth was that I still yearned to be with Ethan. As much as he’d hurt me, I knew that if given the chance, I would take him back in a heartbeat if he had a good enough excuse. The realization disgusted me.
“What about our dad?” said Nathan as he stood up and brushed the sand from his blue jeans. “I still can’t believe that shit. And mom never knew that he was a Lycan? How is that even possible?”
“Well, we definitely need to talk to her. Where is she, Nathan?” I asked.
“At the Drake Hotel.”
“Do you think Caleb is in on this?” asked Duncan. “I mean, Celeste is his daughter.”
“Victor said that Caleb fell in love with mom when he was supposed to be watching her,” I said, and then proceeded to tell them everything Victor had told me.
“So, Ernie was in on it?” said Nathan, scowling. “That nice old man was an accomplice to all of this?”
I sighed. “I guess so.”
“You know, everything makes sense now,” said Nathan. “He was always away when we were growing up, and then when he was around, they were at each other’s throats. They were always fighting, and she was scared of him.”
“With good reason, whether she knew the truth or not. Look how he went after Celeste,” I said.
Nathan nodded. “Yeah, good point. Speaking of Celeste, I wonder if she got away?”
“I hope not,” I said. “She’s completely insane.”
“I know one thing, Celeste hates mom as much as she hates us. She wants her gone,” said Nathan. “And as much as Caleb loves mom, he would choose Celeste over everyone if it came down to it.”
“On that note, let’s go find your mom and get her out of Vegas,” said Duncan. “Before he has to choose.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
When we arrived at mom and Caleb’s hotel suite, they weren’t there.
“Here’s a note,” said Nathan, picking up a piece of hotel letterhead paper.
I snatched it out of his hands and sighed in relief. “It says they’re meeting Maximus Johnson at the Marlimore. Apparently, he has information about me.”
“Isn’t that the place we just were?” asked Nathan.
“Yes,” replied Duncan. “This is very good news. Max won’t let anything happen to your mom.”
Nathan turned to him. “You know this guy?”
“Yes. Met him yesterday,” said Duncan. “He’s a Lycan, but on our side.”
“Are you sure?” said Nathan. “Because I’m getting tired of thinking everyone is on our side but finding just the opposite.”
“I trust him enough,” said Duncan. “Obviously we have to be wary of everyone, but this guy helped me earlier. I think your mom is pretty safe.”
Feeling as if things were finally going our way, I smiled. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go find them.”
We walked back to the Marlimore, and when we reached the elevator, Nathan started pumping us with questions.
“So, what’s it like being a vampire?”
“It’s not something I recommend,” I said. “In fact, I hate it.”
“But you’re fast and can fly,” he said. “That’s got to be so… exhilarating.”
“We also have to drink blood to live,” said Duncan as the doors opened up.
“That’s right,” I said. “No more pizza, steaks, burgers, or ice cream.”
“I don’t know, I still think it would be cool to fly whenever I wanted.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Nathan, it’s not worth it. I’d give up anything to be normal again.”
“If you were normal, you’d probably be dead by now,” he said, leaning against the back wall. “Did you ever think of that?”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but then again, maybe we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“I wish we would have stayed in California,” said Nathan. “We’re so close. Maybe we should grab mom and just drive. Go to a place where nobody could find us.”
“That’s what we’re planning,” said Duncan. “I’m thinking we should go to Minnesota though. My mom lives out there and she can help us sort things out.”
“That might not be such a bad idea,” I replied. “Shore Lake is too obvious of a place. They’d find us for sure.”
“Minnesota isn’t a good idea,” said Nathan. “You don’t want to risk your mom’s life.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. “Duncan’s eyes lit up. “The Keys. We’ll go to Key West. There’s a yacht out there that my dad recently purchased. He was going to bring it back here, fix it up, and sell it. It’s sitting in a slip in Key West. I guess it runs, just needs some cosmetic work.”
“But the sun,” I replied. “How are we going to deal with being in the sun so much?”
“It’s a fifty-four foot Voyager,” he said. “We can lay low during the day.”
“Sweet,” said Nathan, getting excited. “I can captain the boat during the day while you guys lay low in your caskets down below. Mom can keep me company. That’s an awesome plan, Duncan!”
“Seriously, Nathan? We don’t sleep in caskets,” I said dryly.
“Well, whatever. It’s the best idea I’ve heard yet, though.”
“Yeah. First of all, though, we have to get your mom away from Caleb,” said Duncan as the elevator doors opened up. “Whether Celeste is alive or not, I think your mom’s life will always be in danger if we don’t keep them apart.”
We stepped out of the elevator and walked to Max’s suite. As I was about to knock on the door, it opened up from the inside.
“Ethan,” I gasped, feeling as if someone had knocked the wind out of me.
“Come on, kids,” he replied with a dark smile. “We’ve been holding the party for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I stepped past him and went inside to find two men aiming rifles at my mother and Caleb. From their scent, I could tell right away that they were both Lycans.
“Nikki,” sobbed mom, who was sitting with Caleb on a sofa near the balcony. She stood up and held out her arms.
“Mom,” I choked, noticing how frail and sickly she looked. I rushed over and threw my arms around her.
“I’ve missed you so much, honey.”
“I missed you, too,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Don’t worry about me.”
“What’s going on?” asked Nathan, glaring at Ethan. “Why in the hell are you here?”
A door opened up in the back
of the suite and Victor walked in, drying his hands with a towel. “He’s here because I asked him to be.”
“You’re alive?” I gasped.
“Yes, don’t look so overjoyed.”
“Where’s Celeste?” I asked.
“Around,” he replied with a smirk. “And by that I mean her remains are probably lying all around the Mojave Desert. Fortunately, my brethren showed up before she could do too much damage. I let them have her.”
“You sonofabitch,” growled Caleb, springing from the sofa. “I’m going to kill you!”
Before Caleb could get close to Victor, Ethan had grabbed my mother. “I would rethink that if I were you, unless you’d like to see Anne’s neck broken.”
I stared at him in shock. “Ethan, leave her go.”
Caleb’s face fell. He raised his hands. “Fine. Please, just don’t hurt her.”
“Ethan, why don’t you take Anne into the back bedroom,” said Victor.
“Why are you doing this, Galen?” she asked. “This is madness.”
“His real name is Victor, mom,” said Nathan, glaring at him. “Isn’t that right, dad?”
“Save it, son. She already knows,” he replied. “We’ve had some time to go over things while we waited for you.”
I turned to her. “Do you know about me?”
My mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, Nikki, yes I know and… I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you in the first place. And I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that Galen, I mean, Victor, wasn’t your biological father. I love both of you kids so much. I hope you know that.”
I forced a smile. “It’s okay, mom. I love you, too.”
“Me, too. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of this,” replied Nathan, glaring at Ethan.
“Pretty sure of yourself,” smirked Ethan.
“Please don’t hurt her,” I said. “She’s never done anything to you.”
“You behave and I won’t have to,” he replied, ushering her out of the room.”
“Where’s Maximus?” asked Duncan.
“Oh, he met with some misfortune back in the desert,” replied Victor.
“In other words you killed him?” snapped Duncan.
“Actually, Ethan killed him.”
Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three Page 15
