by Maggie Walsh
As much as he wanted to look down at Adam, finding this whole thing fascinating, Dax kept his gaze locked with Vik’s. He had a ton of questions for his old friend, but the first that came to his mind was Nikolai. He was dying to ask about him, but afraid of the answers at the same time. Vik must have seen his apprehension and smiled at Dax.
“You want to know about Nicco. I can see it in your eyes.”
Dax sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, but as much as I want to hear about him, maybe see him again, I know I don’t have the right to ask about him or know anything about his life now.”
“You’re his mate, Thaddeus, so you will always have a right to know anything you want about him,” Vik stated.
Dax’s eyes filled with sadness. “No, I used to be his mate, but I was a childish fool and walked away from him. I rejected him and…well, you were there. I don’t need to explain it to you,” Dax said as he moved around in his seat uncomfortably.
“You were young, Thaddeus. We all understood that back then.”
“Maybe you did, but Nikolai didn’t. I hurt him. I never wanted to hurt him. I love him,” Dax declared.
Vik raised a brow as he studied him. “You still love him,” he said as a statement, not a question.
He knew it was stupid and useless to deny it. He had been a huge fool once before letting Nicco go. He wasn’t about to make those same mistakes again. So, he looked Vik square in the eyes and confessed, “Yes. I never stopped loving him. I realized pretty quickly what an asshole I was and how stupid, but it was too late to change my mind. So many times, over the first two years, I wanted to come back and beg Nikolai to forgive me. To take me back. But I knew the pain I had caused him, and I was too ashamed to face him.”
“You are his mate, Thaddeus. You could have come back at any time and talked to him, told him all of that. You still can.”
Hope filled Dax’s heart for the first time in many years. “Do you think he will forgive me? Do you think it’s possible?”
Vik’s eyes turned sad, and Dax’s hope died. His stomach fell, and he could swear his heart was cracking. “I’m not sure after all this time, but I do think he would listen to you and go from there. Nicco is a good man, a reasonable man, but yes, as you said, he was hurt. I do think, though, that if you spoke to him and were honest with him about everything, that Nicco would most likely take your words to heart and think about them,” Vik answered.
Dax sighed again. “Well, I guess that’s better than nothing and a lot more than I expected, or deserve. Is he here?”
Vik shook his head as he gave Dax a tight smile. “No. Nicco doesn’t live here with the coven.”
“What? I don’t understand—he loved you, Dante, Sky, and the others. Is he okay? Was there a problem?” Dax asked anxiously.
“No, nothing like that. There has been a lot going on in our world. One of those things is that, as you can see, I can now walk in the sun. So can Dante, Nicco, and many others of our kind. Because of these things that have happened, we needed to come here to this island to hide. Not all of us, but some. Most of the coven still resides back in Sanctuary now at our coven home there. Nicco stayed behind to head the coven house and work with a special task force that the council created.”
“In Sanctuary? With Micah and the guys? But what about the other coven house?” Dax asked.
Vik smiled. “Yes, in Sanctuary, but in our own home, not Micah’s. Our home that you remember was destroyed not long ago in this war that we are a part of. It is because of that that we came here to keep Dante and his family safe.”
“Dante has a family now?” Dax asked.
“Yes. He has two mates and three sons. Speaking of which,” Vik said and looked toward the door. Just then there was a knock. “Come in, Milo,” Vik called out.
The door opened, and a cute Latino guy with short dark hair walked in, smiling brightly. “Hey, Vik, sorry to interrupt your meeting. Have you seen my dad? I wanted to see if he had time to train me on dissemination today seeing as I have the day off.”
“He, Dale, and Dare took the twins on a picnic up the beach,” Vik replied.
“In their favorite spot?” Milo asked with another smile.
“Yes, but they should be back soon if you want to hang out and wait for them.”
“Great, I’ll do that. Thanks. I’ll head to the kitchen and wait there if that’s okay. I didn’t have any lunch today. Josh asked me to help with one of his clients, but as soon as they were done, I got the hell out of there,” Milo said with a laugh.
“No problem. Help yourself, you know that.”
“Thanks, Vik. Oh, and can I…” Milo hedged and motioned with his chin toward Adam. Vik smiled and nodded.
“Hi, Adam,” Milo said.
“You may answer,” Vik commanded.
“Hello, Milo. It’s good to have you back,” Adam answered, but never moved from his spot.
“Hopefully my mates can make it this weekend when we come. I know Josh is looking forward to seeing you all, but Maddy may be gone on a mission. Anyway, it was nice seeing you, Adam, Vik. Hopefully we can talk again before I have to head back to Sanctuary.” Milo stepped back and closed the door behind him.
Dax turned and looked at Vik in confusion. “Dante has a grown son? How did I not know this when I was here eleven years ago?”
“It’s a long story. Let me get you a drink, and we can catch up, as well as talk about your stalker and what we can do to catch him,” Vik said, and then patted Adam’s head. Adam lifted his head off Vik’s knee, and Vik stood.
It seems like I have a lot to catch up on here, Dax thought.
* * * *
“Dinner is almost ready. Can you set the table for me, Tay?” Jesse asked as he tossed a salad.
“Sure,” Taylor answered and jumped off the stool he was sitting on at the counter.
“Oh, can you turn that up? A volcano erupted in Chile today, and I want to see what’s going on,” Jesse asked.
“No, it was in Hawaii, and not just one, but three,” Taylor said as he raised the volume on the TV that hung in the upper corner.
“How are things going there, Dan?” the anchorman asked.
“Officials from all over the planet are scratching their heads right now, Steve. First, we had Kilauea blow, then Mauna Loa and Loihi. Then Cerro Azul in Chile, and Tarawera in New Zealand. Now reports are coming in from Washington State that smoke has been seen coming from Mount St. Helen’s, and Rainier has now started to erupt. A minute ago, I spoke with Nate Gamble of the USGS, and he told me that they now have reports from Japan and the Philippines. Hold on a minute, Steve,” the newsman said and pressed a hand to his ear and began to nod. “We just heard off the wire that Mount Fuji has blown. I repeat, Mount Fuji has blown. Reports are saying the ash cloud is reaching over two miles high and lava about a mile high and running down the mountain side.”
“Yes, we received that same report here in the studio, Dan. We’re also getting reports in that an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the scale is occurring right now in northern California, and another earthquake measuring 9.4 had been reported off the coast of Sumatra.”
“Steve, can you still hear me?” Dan asked.
“Yes, Dan, we hear you, but your visual is going out.”
“We just heard from the USGS that a magnitude 9.7 has struck Prince William Sound in Alaska. It looks like the Ring of Fire has been acti…”
“We lost our feed from Dan Williams, who was reporting to us live from the base of Kilauea. We’ll bring you more updates after this commercial break.”
The news blacked out, and a commercial came on. Taylor and Jesse stood frozen, just staring at the TV screen.
“Baby, are you okay?” Micah asked as he and a few others walked into the kitchen.
“The news, Micah,” Jesse whispered in a scared voice.
“What about it, baby?”
“The Ring of Fire has gone crazy,” Taylor said.
“What ring of fire?” Lexi
asked.
“The Ring of Fire in the Pacific Rim around the Pacific Ocean. There are volcanoes erupting everywhere and earthquakes happening right now. It’s horrible,” Taylor said, not taking his eyes off the TV.
“It can’t be that bad. Those things don't usually go off all at once like that,” Crew said as he took a seat at the counter.
“Ssh, ssh, it’s back on,” Taylor announced and turned up the volume.
“It appears that we now have sixteen volcanoes all along the Pacific Rim that are erupting. Officials in the affected areas are calling for mass evacuations. Also, reports of total devastation have been flooding in from the earthquakes in Alaska, California, and Sumatra. Another magnitude 9.9 has hit Japan, and 10.0 has hit Vanuatu. We’re waiting on an emergency press conference with George Shyler, the head of the USGS, who should be coming on in the next few minutes. We will interrupt coverage and go straight to the conference when George arrives. Right now, we break for another commercial,” the reporter said in a panicked voiced, before the screen went to another commercial.
“What the hell is going on?” Micah asked, dumbfounded.
Chapter Four
Nicco rushed toward the door, stopping as he saw Zane, Valor, Slade, and Sage coming toward him. “Guys, I gotta go,” he announced as he ran past them.
“Nic, what’s going on? Where’s the fire?” Zane asked.
“You heard about all the damn earthquakes and the volcanoes yesterday, right?”
“Yeah,” Slade replied.
“I just heard on the radio a Category 5 hurricane is barreling toward the Florida Keys. The damn thing was a tropical storm yesterday, but it’s picked up speed and intensity. It looks like it will be a direct hit on the Keys, then move across the Gulf and hit Texas. I need to get to Dante!” Nicco yelled over his shoulder as he ran. After a few feet, he disseminated.
“The Coast Guard has issued a warning to all residents along the western coast of the United States and southern coast of Alaska. A tsunami has been spotted building in the Pacific and rushing toward the coast. Warnings have also gone out to Russia, China, Japan, and the Philippines. We will keep you updated as this story unfolds.
“In other news, doctors around Europe are scratching their heads due to a mysterious illness that has been sweeping through the region. As of five days ago, only four cases were reported, but as of this morning, emergency rooms all over Europe are filling up. The number of infected is now up to five hundred. All international travel has been suspended in the region.”
“If you are experiencing shortness of breath, tightening of the chest, hives, fever, congestion, runny nose, and blood in the sputum, please seek help from a medical professional immediately.” Nic heard the TV announcing as he appeared in Dante’s living room.
“Dante! Vik!” Nicco called out as he ran through the living room and headed down the hall.
“Nicco!” Dante yelled back, and Nicco stopped, turned, and headed back from where he came. As he reached the living room again, he spotted Dante, Dare, and Vik coming down the stairs with another six of their coven members behind them.
“We need to get you all out of here, now,” Nicco said as he rushed to them.
“We know. We’re all that’s left. We just did a sweep of the entire house and island, and everyone is accounted for,” Dante replied.
“Did everyone go to the Sanctuary coven house?” Nicco asked.
“Yes, we’ve been sending them all morning since we heard. Okay, everyone, let’s get out of here,” Dante said and grabbed Dare’s hand. Once he disseminated, the others followed.
They all appeared in the foyer of the Sanctuary coven house where Dale was standing there waiting, along with a few other members.
Dante immediately walked over to Dale and pulled him into his arms, kissing his cheek. “Is everyone settling in, Bello?”
“Yes, everyone’s fine, and the boys are taking their nap. You all must be hungry. Jesse and Rory came over to lend a hand in the kitchen, and Taylor, Shelby, Raffy, and Noah showed up to help everyone. Micah said he and the others would be here soon.”
“That’s great, mate, thank you. Okay, guys, I say we get something to eat. It looks like it’s gonna be a long day,” Dante said and headed toward the kitchen.
Nicco took two steps and then froze in disbelief when he heard a voice he never thought he would ever hear again. “Nikolai?”
Turning slowly, Nicco looked up the grand stairway in the direction the voice had come from, and there, standing on a step halfway down, was the most beautiful man Nicco had ever seen, his mate. No, not his anymore, he reminded himself. Damn, he had been right all those years ago. He knew Thad would grow up to be one handsome man. Spending the last eleven years only seeing him on TV or in magazines didn’t do him justice. The live and in-person form was a thousand times better. But Nicco couldn’t go there. Loving Thad had been too painful. No, loving Thad had been the best thing he had ever experienced in his life—losing him was the most painful, and he couldn’t risk going through that again.
Nicco clenched his jaw to hold in the anger that was beginning to serge through him. “What are you doing here?”
Thaddeus stepped down a few more stairs, their gazes locked, as he replied, “Vik rescued me. Well, Harley and Falcon did, but they sent me to Vik.”
“Of course, I should have guessed. California is being destroyed, and you didn’t want to get caught in the melee,” Nicco said between clenched teeth. “I guess it’s a big enough house to hold the both of us until the threat passes.” And with those last words, Nicco turned and headed to the kitchen to join the others.
Stepping into the kitchen, Nicco’s gut twisted and pain shot through his heart as his gaze fell on Dante sitting at the table with Dale straddling his hips as Dante fed from his mate. A vampire feeding from their mate was supposed to be one of the most blissful, sensual, and erotic moments for both parties, but Nicco wouldn’t know, seeing as he had never gotten the chance to feed from his mate. He walked to the counter and grabbed the bowl of salad Jesse had set there.
“Thanks, Nic, I’ve set everything up in the dining room as a buffet. I thought it would be easier for everyone to grab and go with so much going on,” Jesse said.
Nicco gave Jesse a bright friendly smile. “That’s a great idea. Thanks for all the help, Jess,” Nicco said, and then leaned in and kissed Jesse’s cheek. He pulled back and took a step away, his gaze meeting Thaddeus’s. Nicco smirked, then looked away, and headed toward the dining room.
As he placed the bowl on the table with the rest of the food and dishes, a ruckus came from the front foyer as the door opened. “Welcome back to dry land, you bunch of beach bums! So where is this hurricane party at?” Nicco heard Lexi call out, and he smiled.
As he headed back toward the kitchen, there was a few low gasps before Crew stated, “Shit, Thad, what are you doing here? Or should I call you Dax Dalton now?”
Nicco’s jaw clenched again, and his hands tightened into fists. Someone bumped his shoulder, and Nicco turned to see who and met the worried gaze of Shelby. “You okay, friend?” Shelby asked softly.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled.
“No, you’re not. I can see it. If you were strung any tighter, we would be able to use you as a guitar string. Come on, let’s grab a few plates and find a quiet corner,” Shelby said as he grabbed two plates and loaded them with food. Once he was done, he turned back to Nicco. “Grab some utensils, would you? Come on,” Shelby said again and motioned with his head for Nicco to follow.
Nicco did as Shelby asked and followed the cute vampire-shapeshifter from the room. Shelby led them to Nicco’s office, and once inside, he closed the door then sat on the couch, placing their plates on the coffee table in front of him. Nicco took the seat next to Shelby, and the two of them dug into their food in silence.
Once they were done, Shelby turned to him with a serious expression on his face. “When you found out that one of my gifts was finding mate
s, remember how scared I was that I would lose you as a friend if you wanted me to use my gifts to find your mate and I refused?” Nicco gave him a sad smile and nodded.
“I had no idea then that you had already found your mate, and even though you knew who he was, and had a good idea where he was, that you would in no way want me to find him for you. I wanted to run away again if you remember, because I thought I was about to lose the only friend I had at the time, but you promised me you didn’t want me to find your mate. That Fate would bring you your mate when she wanted to. When she thought it was the right time. It appears she already thought that time had come, and you found him, but he left. I know you’ve already told me a little about him since then, but maybe him being back, him returning to you, is Fate’s way of righting a wrong? She did say we all needed our mates before the final battle, so…” Shelby cut himself off, shrugging his shoulders.
When he got nothing in return from Nicco, he went in a different direction. “So how are you doing seeing him again?”
Nicco put his fork down and sighed as he leaned back into the sofa. He could tell Shelby anything. The guy was a great friend, and the two of them had become close over the past few years, but even closer since Shelby met his mate, Xander. And he knew Shelby wouldn’t give up until he told him something. He didn’t believe it was Fate sending Thad back to him. This was Thad running scared because the world was coming to an end and he knew Dante and Vik would protect him. “I wasn’t expecting to walk in and find him here, but I should have.”
“Why is that? You haven’t seen him in, what is it now, ten years?”
“Eleven, and I have seen him, on the TV, in the magazines, heard him on the radio.”
“True, but this is the first time since he left you that you’ve seen him in person, so why should you have even thought you would see him now?” Shelby asked as he sat back.
“With the world going crazy right now and California being battered by earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, and wildfires, I should have known he would run. He’s good at it. It’s what he does. And where else would he feel safest except for here with a coven of vampires to protect him?” Nicco replied in a tight voice.
