Illusions (Night Roamers #4)

by Kristen Middleton

  Something made a crunching noise behind him and he whipped around, only to find a deer next to the boathouse. Their eyes met and Nathan’s heart began to pound.

  “No way,” he muttered, staring at it.

  Although the animal was hundreds of yards away, he could see its rounded eyes as clear as day. He could also smell it, and its scent wasn’t exactly a bad one. Hell, it was enough to make his mouth water.

  The hair stood up on the back of his neck. He’d never been much for venison, even cooked, so his reaction was a little more than disturbing.

  The deer took off and Nathan had an insane urge to chase after it. Trying not to think too hard about it, he shook it off and began searching for his sister.

  “Nikki!” he whispered loudly, circling the garage. When she didn’t answer, he stood frozen, listening to the familiar sounds of nature all around him. After a few minutes, he got into his car and started the engine. His instincts told him that both Nikki and the gargoyle-monster were miles from the cabin and that he was wasting too much time. Something also told him that Faye had come for Nikki, and not just to murder her in cold blood. She could have done that at any time during the last couple of weeks. She obviously wanted more than just Nikki’s head, and he decided that Celeste, Faye’s number one fan, might have some answers. After the way she’d tried killing both him and his mother, he knew that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to get them from her. He just hoped that a silver bullet to the head would be enough to stop the crazy bitch if she tried attacking again. Even if it didn’t stop her, it would have to slow her down.

  The snow was still coming down as he drove back toward town. He took the roads slowly and kept a watchful eye on the sky, half-expecting Faye to drop Nikki’s dead body onto his car, or land on it herself. Thus, the ride seemed like it lasted for hours, although it was only about forty minutes. When he finally reached the club, it was almost ten-thirty, and the place was even more jam-packed than before. He pulled out his phone to send Nikki a message, when he noticed his battery was dead. Sighing, he shoved it into his jacket pocket and tucked the gun back under his belt, making sure that it was safely hidden. Then he got out of the car and went inside. Fortunately, the bouncer at the door recognized him quickly and let him in without asking him for I.D.

  “Long time no see,” said Honi. “Where’ve you been, man?”

  He forced a smile. “Oh, you know, here and there.”

  “What happened to your ankle?” he asked, staring down at the bandage.

  He looked down; he’d forgotten all about it. “Uh, a dog got me.”

  Honi laughed. “A dog?”

  “Yeah, a wild one. Got me good.”

  “Did you get him good, too?”

  “Let’s just say he won’t be biting anyone else.”

  “Damn, you just never know what you’re going to find out in this area.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  Honi rubbed his chin and grinned. “Hey, I think Celeste is inside. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

  “Sweet. I’m looking for her.”

  “You guys had a thing before, didn’t you?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess.”

  “You together now?”

  “No.”

  Honi lowered his voice. “If you talk to her, put in a good word for me. I wouldn’t mind having a thing with her. You know? That girl is fucking hot.”

  “Uh, sure. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you, bro.”

  “Thanks, hoaloha,” he said, slapping him on the back. “Have fun in there. Oh, by the way, there’s going to be a band playing tonight. Here,” he said, handing him a ticket from inside of his jacket pocket. He lowered his voice. “They’re charging ten dollars to get in tonight to see them, but I’ve got your back.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “Just don’t forget about Celeste. I take care of my friends, you know?”

  “Yeah. Thanks again.”

  “Go have fun.”

  After showing his ticket to the woman behind the counter, Nathan walked down the hallway and entered the main floor, which was flooded with people dancing, drinking, or making out. Again, he noticed that his vision was exceptional, even in the darkness. As he scanned the area, in search of Celeste’s silhouette, he found himself getting distracted by several of the girls as they moved their bodies on the dance floor. Distracted to the point of getting excited.

  What in the hell is wrong with me?

  He’d always enjoyed coming to the club and checking out the girls. What guy didn’t? But tonight was different. There was an urgency that he’d never experienced before. An urgency to grab the first girl who made eye contact, find somewhere private, and have his way with her. The need was enough to give him a painful boner, and he had to take off his jacket to hide it. Frustrated by his own raging hormones, he forced himself to think about the flying gargoyle, and how he needed to save his sister and mother. It was then that he remembered the V.I.P. rooms above, and decided to look for Celeste there.

  He walked toward the staircase, and as he began to climb, he noticed something else a little off – his ankle no longer throbbed. When he reached the top of the stairs, he bent down and touched the bandage, only to find that there was absolutely no pain. Puzzled, he stood up and decided to examine it when he had the chance. For now, he needed to locate Celeste and not worry about the lycan bite.

  Fortunately, neither of the V.I.P. rooms had security posted, so he stepped into the first one and began searching for her. It didn’t take long before he found the red-haired demon nestled between two guys in a booth, obviously enjoying each of them. Her hands were below the table, doing doings he could only imagine, and her tongue was shoved down one of their throats. His pants tightened again and he decided that when he left the building, he was going to shove some snow down there if it didn’t let up.

  “What the hell do you want?” asked the guy waiting his turn to kiss Celeste.

  “Heard this was the kissing booth,” said Nathan, smirking.

  Celeste stiffened up, shoved the guy away who she was making out with, and turned to look up at him. She sneered. “Well, well… Nathan.”

  “Needed two guys to replace me I see.”

  “Who is this putz?” asked the guy she’d been kissing, a blonde guy with bleached hair and a piercing under his lips.

  “We need to talk,” said Nathan, ignoring him. “Now.”

  Celeste sighed. “Fine. But let’s make it quick. I’m hungry.” She smiled wickedly. “Unless you’d be interested in feeding me?”

  Nathan rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll buy you dinner,” said the blonde. “Let’s go.”

  She patted his face softly and then kissed his cheek. “Patience, Jon. And Gary,” she said, turning to the other guy, who was still scowling at Nathan, “you can join us for dinner, too. I hate having my meals alone.”

  Gary leaned over and kissed her mouth, then whispered something into her ear. She smiled. “Hold that thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my brother needs to talk.”

  “Your brother?” asked Gary, as he stood up to let Celeste out of the booth. “You should have said something.”

  “She keeps me in the closet since most people wouldn’t understand our relationship,” said Nathan. “She slip you some tongue, Gare? Celeste has an amazing tongue.”

  Jon’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything.

  Celeste grunted and began walking away from the table. “Just ignore him, guys. I’ll be right back. Come on, Nathan. ”

  Nathan lowered his voice. “Either of you tap that yet?”

  “We just met her tonight,” said Jon.

  Nathan smiled. “She’s one kinky chick. Has this giant rubber toy she likes to take out and use. But, don’t worry; it only hurts for a couple of days, although you might want to get yourself some stool softener. Baths will also help.”

  Jon turned to Gary. “That’s fucked up. Nobody is shovi
ng anything in my ass. I don’t care how hot she is.”

  “No shit. Let’s ditch her.”

  Nathan turned away from the table and smiled in satisfaction.

  Celeste was waiting outside of the V.I.P. room, texting someone frantically on her phone.

  “Sending out the warnings?” said Nathan, stopping next to her.

  “What do you want?” she snapped, sliding it into her purse.

  “Where’s my sister?”

  She frowned. “How would I know?”

  “Don’t play games,” he said as another song began. “Is there a quiet place where we can talk?”

  “Yeah, come on,” she replied, walking down the hallway. She opened up one of the doors, which led to an office. “We can talk in here. Although,” she sneered, “I’m surprised you feel safe enough to be alone with me.”

  “I don’t,” he replied, shutting the door. He took out the gun and pointed it at her. “That’s why I have this.”

  Her eyes widened and then she laughed. “A gun?”

  “It has silver bullets.”

  “Oh, Nathan,” she replied, sitting down behind the desk. “You’re such a dork.”

  He ignored her comment. “How come you’re still alive?”

  “How come you are?” she countered.

  “How did you get away from Victor?”

  She sighed. “I’m not answering that. You don’t need to know. I don’t even know why I’m talking to you anyway.”

  “Does he know you’re alive?”

  Celeste stared at her nails. “Of course he does.”

  “He killed your dad. Blew his head off. We think he still has our mom and Caleb’s baby. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  She looked at him. “Victor won’t hurt the baby.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because he can’t create his super-army of lycan freaks without it.”

  “So, you don’t care if your little brother or sister is part of that nightmare?”

  “Not really. Besides, I have a feeling he won’t be around much longer. That he won’t even be a problem.”

  “Why?”

  She smiled darkly. “Let’s just say I have friends in high places.”

  “You mean Faye?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “We saw her tonight. She killed Drake.”

  Celeste’s face lit up. “Good. Drake deserved to die.”

  “So, Faye never died. Is she going after Victor then? For you?”

  Celeste stood up. “You know, I’m done with this conversation. I said too much anyway.”

  “You haven’t said enough. Do you know where Duncan is?”

  She snorted. “No, why would I know where he is?”

  “What about your buddy, Ethan? Did Drake kill him?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Like I said, I’m not answering any more questions.”

  “Bullshit. You’re answering,” he cocked the trigger. “Or, so help me, I’ll put a bullet through your head. One that’s silver.”

  “A silver bullet?” she laughed. “You really think that’s going to kill me?”

  “Maybe not, but it will certainly ruin your plans for dinner.”

  Before he could blink, his gun was knocked out of his hand and she had him by the throat. Raising his body above her head, she smiled up at him with her fangs bared. “You really think I’m afraid of your threats?”

  “Let… me… go…,” he whispered hoarsely, his feet dangling.

  “Oh, you’re going someplace,” she replied, digging her nails into his skin, and drawing blood. Celeste chuckled at the pain reflected in his blue eyes. “Just follow the light, Nathan.”

  As her hand tightened on his larynx, he really began to panic.

  This was it.

  She meant business.

  She was going to kill him.

  Bullshit.

  He gave up trying to uncurl her hand from his throat and instead, shoved his fingers into her eyes.

  She screamed in rage and threw him across the room. “You asshole! That fucking hurt!”

  He scrambled to his feet and stared back at her angrily. “Just tell me what’s going on and I’ll leave you alone!”

  “I should have killed you when I had the chance!” she snarled, launching herself at him. They fell to the floor and she reached down and grabbed his crotch. “I’m going to rip you apart. Starting with your balls.”

  The thought of her taking away his manhood triggered something that took him over the edge and miles away from sanity. A rush of energy exploded throughout his body, and before he could make sense of what was happening, he became something entirely else. Something with pointy ears, dark fur and teeth made for tearing through flesh and bone.

  Celeste stared down at him in horror, her lips moving but no words coming out.

  Nathan roared into her face and she screamed as his jaws tore into her skin.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nikki

  When I left Nathan in the cabin, I caught a glimpse of Faye flying away from the cabin. I quickly leaped into the sky and began following her from a distance, which was difficult because of the weather. It didn’t take long before we ended up at a large ranch, somewhere in North Dakota, where it was also snowing pretty heavily. The lights were on and a truck was parked next to the garage. She landed near the front door, while I hid next to the stables, watching as she changed out of her gargoyle form and back into human. Naked, she began walking toward my hiding spot.

  “Did you really think I didn’t know you were following me?” she hollered, her breath frosty. “You may as well come on out.”

  I swore under my breath

  “Come on now, Nikki.”

  I stepped out of the shadows.

  She smirked. “I’m impressed. You do have balls, don’t you?”

  “Where’s Duncan?” I asked, trying to ignore the fact that she was completely naked under the falling snow. Her body was toned and perfect in every way, so the vision was both creepy and striking.

  “Why in hell do you think I know where that boy is?”

  My eyes narrowed. “Because you seem to know everything that happens in this town.”

  “It took you this long to figure that out?” she answered, looking smug.

  “Look, I have no beef with you. I just want to know where Duncan is.”

  “Why should I help you find Duncan?” she asked, staring at me with scorn.

  “Why do you hate me so much?” I asked, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. Following her had been reckless, and now that we were alone, I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d gotten myself into.

  “Why? Simply because you’re you.”

  “Why did you kill Drake? Because he was Drake?”

  “I killed him because we’re not on the same side.”

  “How many sides are there?”

  She ignored my question. “So, you really want to know where Dunky is?” she asked with a sneer.

  “Of course I do.”

  She studied me closely for a few seconds and then nodded. “Very well. I’ll take you to him. Follow me.” She turned around and began walking toward the house.

  Warning bells went off in my head. “Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?”

  “Because I have this idea that you’re not going to quit bugging me until I show you where he is.”

  “Are you seriously holding him prisoner?” I asked, following her slowly.

  She walked up the steps and opened the front door without answering.

  I stopped. Something told me that if I went into the house, I’d never leave. “Bring him out here.”

  She turned around. “Excuse me?”

  “Bring him outside or I’ll… I’ll get the police involved.”

  She laughed.

  “Fine. The FBI.”

  She stretched out her hand. “Call them. Be my guest.”

  I took out my phone. “Maybe I’ll just call Victor and tell him what you did to Drak
e. The head of his security force here in Shore Lake.”

  “Oh please, Victor? Like he scares me.”

  “He killed Caleb,” I said, studying her reaction. “I’m sure that Celeste mentioned that.”

  “Victor has stepped on the wrong toes and he’ll eventually pay.”

  It was probably the first time we agreed on something.

  “Where is Celeste?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “Right,” I answered dryly.

  She ran a hand through her long, blond hair and sighed. “Well, I’ve had enough games with you this evening. Either come in or get off of my property. Your choice.”

  “Who else is here?” I asked, motioning toward the pickup truck.

  She looked at the truck and back to me “Godrick. He takes care of things while I’m away.”

  “What’s he taking care of now?”

  She smiled like the Cheshire cat. “Come in and find out.”

  My gut told me again, not to go inside. I took a step back. “If you’re not bringing him out here, then I’m leaving.”

  “If you leave here, you may never see him again,” she said quickly. “Can you live with that?”

  My mind began to race. I felt trapped and wasn’t sure exactly what to do. “Do you really expect me to walk into your house when I know that you hate me and have tried to kill me on at least two other occasions? Now, you’re inviting me in and I really have no proof that Duncan is even in your house. I’d be stupid to trust you.”

  She snorted. “I’m not forcing you to do anything, and if I wanted to kill you, I could have already done it.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Look, I never asked you to trust me. Walking into my house is obviously risky, but, if you care about your friend, Duncan, then you’ll take that chance.”

  Again, the warning bells in my head were telling me that once I stepped foot in that house, I’d never leave it. “Actually, I’m better to Duncan alive,” I answered, and then leaped into the sky.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Faye