Illusions (Night Roamers #4)

by Kristen Middleton

He nodded. “Yes. In fact, part of me can’t decide if what happened was a dream, or someone slipped me drugs, making me hallucinate.”

  “Believe me, I’ve been there.”

  “Yep.”

  “So, obviously the lycan that bit you infected you.”

  “Appears that way,” he replied. He stepped back from the counter, leaned down, and rolled up the leg of his jeans. “And, check this out – the bite is completely gone.”

  Sure enough, his leg was completely healed. “At least your leg isn’t any hairier,” I joked. “It already needs a weed-wacker.”

  “Ha ha…” he replied, standing back up.

  “So, what exactly happened?”

  “You first,” he replied, opening up the mayonnaise.

  I sat down on the stool. “Well, I followed Faye to that house I was telling you about. Shocked the hell out of me. I had no idea she owned a ranch home.”

  “Maybe she’s borrowing it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then what happened?”

  I ran a hand through my hair. It definitely needed a washing. “She confronted me. Knew that I was following her.”

  “Was she naked?”

  My eyes widened. “First of all – how did you know? And second of all – why were you thinking about it?”

  He grinned sheepishly. “I don’t know. I guess I’m really a dog now, huh?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Great. Anyway, yes. Obviously when she or you lycans change, you need to make sure there’s a change of clothing nearby. If I ever have to see you naked again, I’m going to rip out my own throat.”

  “Good thing it was cold and you couldn’t see much,” he joked.

  “You’re sick, Nathan. Anyway, moving away from this disturbing subject and back to Faye… she basically said that she had Duncan in her home and asked if I wanted to go in and see him.”

  “A trap.”

  “I’m sure.”

  He licked the mayo from his finger and covered his sandwich with the other slice of bread. “Either way, Duncan is missing and she obviously had something to do with it. So, what should we do? Go back there and raid the ranch?”

  “No. I think we should watch for her to leave it, and then go in.”

  “Why would she leave if she has a hostage?”

  “I don’t know. She did before, obviously.”

  “Then she has someone posted there. To keep guard.”

  “Yeah, but I’d rather face whoever is inside of that place, instead of her. She’s pretty hard to take down.”

  He took a bite of his sandwich. “What if it’s Ethan?” he asked, his mouth full of food.

  “God, don’t talk with your mouth full.”

  He swallowed. “Sorry. But, like I said – what if it’s Ethan who’s helping her? Are you going to be able to fight him?”

  “Of course,” I replied. “I had to do it before. Besides, we still have your gun.” I walked over to the wastebasket I’d taken from Faye’s office, which was sitting in the corner, by the door. I pulled out the gun.

  “It’s not going to stop vampires,” he replied, taking another bite.

  “How do you know? I thought you were all gung-ho on trying this before.”

  He finished chewing. “Because Celeste told me. Before I turned into a werewolf and killed her,” he replied.

  “You mean a lycan?”

  He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and began filling it with water. “Whatever the hell I am now. I mean, I’m sure it would slow them down, but I think I’d be much better to you if was one of them. Look at what I was able to do to Celeste.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “Yeah, maybe. But… doesn’t being a lycan scare you?”

  “Scare me?” His face turned serious. “It freaks the hell out of me, but right now, mom and Duncan are in danger, and I’m trying not to think too hard about what just happened at the club. There’s no more time for feeling sorry for ourselves. We save them and then worry about this shit later.”

  I nodded. “I agree.”

  I just hoped that there would be a time when we could move past all of this, and concentrate on getting our lives sorted out.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you – I met Celeste’s brother tonight. At Club Nightshade. Right before you raced out of the building.”

  His eyes widened. “She has a brother?”

  “Yes. I guess he’s been gone for a while. He found out about Caleb and returned to avenge his death.”

  “Shit.”

  I smiled grimly. “Looks like he might be trying to avenge more than one death now.”

  He waved his thumb at his chest. “She attacked me. I was only trying to protect myself.”

  “It’s her brother. I don’t think he’ll care too much.”

  “She’ll survive. Just like she did before.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m sure you’re right.”

  He let out a ragged sigh. “Did he know who I was?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “She’ll tell him and it won’t be good. Not for either of us. I thought that maybe he could have helped us with Victor. But now…”

  “He’s going to go after Victor for killing his dad. Even if we’re not on the same side, it’s still going to benefit us.”

  “Yeah. True.”

  “So, what was he like?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Our conversation was short and I couldn’t really tell. He seemed like he was reasonable, though.”

  “Let’s hope he’s reasonable enough to hear my side of the story when he comes looking for blood.”

  “I’ll talk to him first, before you do. But only if she pulls through. No need to offer him the information if it’s only going to put you in more danger.”

  He smiled grimly. “I won’t argue that.”

  “Are you finished eating?”

  He took another drink of water and then wiped his mouth with a paper towel. “For now. I’m still hungry, but nothing in the refrigerator sounds good. I need meat. A steak would be really sweet right now.”

  “One that’s extra rare?” I replied.

  He frowned. “Probably. Let’s drop it, though, okay?”

  I agreed. He was still having a hard time dealing with what had happened to him, and I couldn’t blame him.

  He put his plate and glass in the sink and turned to me. “So, back to the ranch? You’ll give me a ride, right?”

  “Yes, but before we fly there, do you think you can transform into a lycan at will? Or are you going to need some practice? It’s taken me awhile just to get the flying thing down, you know?”

  He scratched the side of his head. “Hmm… Good question.”

  “Maybe you should practice before we head on out? Instead of going in there blindly.”

  “But, what if I can’t change back at will? Or worse, what if I come after you?”

  My eyes widened. “Nathan, are you saying that you probably can’t control yourself?”

  He was silent for a few seconds and then sighed. “Honestly, I really don’t know. I mean, I was still conscious of who I was after I’d changed. But, I also had this twisted urge to hunt and kill something. Like I was some kind of predator. I literally wanted to stalk, kill, and eat. And, I did, too. A small rabbit, which disgusts me now. But at the time, it felt… awesome.”

  “Of course it did,” I replied. “It was the wolf part of you. Don’t feel bad about it. At least you only do it when you’re a lycan. I always crave blood. I don’t have to change into a predator to do it. I’m always this way. It’s pretty pathetic.”

  His eyes softened. “It’s not your fault, Nik. Don’t feel guilty.”

  “I’m not sure if it’s guilt that I feel,” I replied. “It’s more like… a feeling of remorse. I miss being normal.”

  “At least you’re alive. You have to remind yourself of that every time you start feeling bad about it.”

  I cleared my throat. “I do, but it doesn’t make it easier.”r />
  He sighed. “You’re not a bad person, Nikki. Neither am I. We were just thrown into bad situations and now we have to make the best of it. We can’t go back, but we can move forward with what’s been dealt, and face it head on.”

  I grinned. “When did you become so philosophical?”

  He gave me a smug smile. “What are you talking about? I’ve always been philosophical and full of great ideas.”

  Before I could come up with a smart-assed comeback, someone knocked on the door.

  “Crap. Who in the heck is that?” I said, lowering my voice.

  “It’s probably someone looking for Sonny or Duncan. I’ll get it,” he replied, walking toward the doorway.

  My heart was racing. Nobody ever stopped at the house looking for either of them. “Wait, it could be Martin.”

  He turned back to me. “How would he know about this place?”

  As I was about to answer, the door swung open and Martin walked through.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nikki

  Nathan and I both stared at him in apprehension.

  Martin smiled grimly. “It wasn’t hard finding you both. Nikki, you of all people should know that our hearing is superb.”

  I forced a smile. “Of course.”

  Martin turned to Nathan. “So, you’re the mongrel who attacked my sister?”

  Nathan stood up straighter and looked him in the eyes. “Yes,” he replied. “But, she attacked me first.”

  “Relax,” he said, chuckling. “She’s healed and we talked. In fact,” he stepped back outside and pulled Celeste through the door. “You guys can tell each other you’re sorry and we’ll move on.”

  Celeste, who looked pale but totally healed, glared at Nathan. “He needs to tell me he’s sorry first. He almost killed me.”

  My brother grunted. “You were going to kill me first. Hell, this hasn’t even been the first time.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Only because you were threatening me!”

  “Children,” said Martin, his voice stern. “Enough with the fighting. We need to get over this and figure out how we’re going to kill Victor.”

  “And rescue our mother,” I added.

  Martin looked at me. “Your mother? I thought she died?”

  “That’s what he wants us to believe,” I said. “But she’s not dead.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “Do you have proof?”

  “No,” said Nathan. “But Victor is plotting to create an army of vampire-slash-lycan soldiers or something.”

  “What does that have to do with your mother?” asked Martin.

  I explained what Victor had told me and how Anne had become pregnant with Caleb’s child. How he had originally planned to experiment with the baby, but then claimed that our mother had committed suicide.

  “And you don’t think she killed herself?” he asked, looking perplexed.

  “No,” I replied. “She would never kill herself. Victor told us that she was dead because he knew we’d try to help her escape. He did this to keep us out of his hair.”

  “Let me get this straight – if your mother is alive, then she’s carrying our father’s child?”

  “Yes. So, not only did he kill Caleb, but he’s going to do horrible things to our little brother or sister. We can’t let that happen.”

  “No,” he replied. “I agree.”

  “Anne is dead,” replied Celeste, still looking at me and Nathan as if we were scum of the earth. “You’re fools to think she’s still alive.”

  “How do you know that she’s dead?” I asked her. “Did you see her body?”

  “No, but she wasn’t there when Victor brought me back to the cabin and tortured the hell out of me. Thanks for not helping, by the way,” she snapped.

  I pointed my finger at her. “You have no right trying to make us feel guilty. You’ve tried killing us more than once, and almost got away with it.” I looked at Martin. “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust Celeste. Not one bit.”

  “I know and you probably have no reason to trust me, since we’re strangers. But, we have a common enemy and I think we need to work together to take him out.”

  “He’s right,” said Nathan, who looked very relieved that Martin hadn’t ripped his head off. “Victor has his army of lycan and we need all the help we can get.”

  I knew he was right, but working with Celeste left a bad taste in my mouth. “So, you’re really willing to forgive Nathan after what he did to Celeste?”

  Martin smirked. “She’s my sister and I love her, but I also know her. Sometimes I think she’d stab me in the back.”

  Celeste’s head whipped around to Martin. “You’re an ass, Martin. You really are.”

  “Yes, but I’m also the only family you have left, so get over it. I’ve gotten over most of your antics throughout the years.”

  She hissed at him.

  “What about Faye?” I asked, looking at Celeste.

  Her eyes became guarded. “What about her?”

  I looked at Martin. “Faye, your sister’s crazy shape-shifter buddy, is holding our friend hostage. Plus, she’s a threat to me and Nathan.”

  “You mean Faye Dunbar?” asked Martin.

  “Yes. We were just about to go rescue Duncan from some ranch. She’s holding him there hostage I believe.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Faye Dunbar is staying at a ranch? It’s not the one in Valley City?”

  “I think so,” I answered, trying to recall the signs nearby. “I mean, I’m not for certain. I wasn’t really paying attention to the road signs when I was following her.”

  “Where’s Valley City?” asked Nathan.

  “North Dakota,” he replied. He turned to his sister and the expression on his face wasn’t a happy one. “Celeste, why is Faye using my ranch?”

  She let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “Um, she needed a place to stay. One that was far enough away from Shore Lake. You’ve been gone for so long; I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “I have been gone for a long time, but it wasn’t your place to loan out one of my homes,” he replied sternly.

  “Maybe if you would have kept in contact with us more, I’d have known that,” she huffed back.

  “It couldn’t be helped,” he replied. “I had important business in Europe. I couldn’t get away.”

  “You mean – trying to locate Emily?” she sneered.

  “Drop it,” he answered.

  “She’s never going to love you, you know,” said Celeste. “You should just give it up.”

  “And I wouldn’t blame her,” he said stiffly. “What happened to her was tragic and inexcusable. What happened to all of those women? Father had been wrong to take out his vengeance like that. And I let him talk me into helping him. Now, I’ve got to live with that.”

  Celeste rolled her eyes. “Get over it, Martin. Daddy suffered too.”

  The pain and anguish in Martin’s eyes was enough to make me want to change the subject. I cleared my throat and did just that. “So, do you know Faye?”

  He looked back at me. “I’ve heard of her but we’ve never spoken. Our father used to work for her.”

  “She’s one crazy, scary bitch,” said Nathan. “I’d hate to interview with her for a job.”

  Celeste glared at him. “She is not. Faye has never been anything but good to me.”

  “That’s because you haven’t crossed her,” I replied. “Or had a relationship with Ethan.”

  From her silence, I knew that even she couldn’t argue that.

  “Speaking of which, is he dead?” asked Nathan. “Because he really was a prick.”

  Celeste shrugged. “I don’t know. The last time I saw him was when Drake went after him. You should ask him if he killed Ethan.”

  “Drake is dead,” I replied.

  Martin’s eyebrows show up. “What?”

  “Faye killed him. Ripped off his head a few hours ago. It wasn’t pretty,” said Nathan, grimacing.

  “That’s a shame,”
said Celeste with a small smile. “Drake was hot and I loved that little accent of his.”

  “Dammit,” snapped Martin, clenching his jaw. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “His body is probably still at Victor’s cabin. We were there when it happened. In fact, Drake was about to tell us something. Something important, I guess.”

  “And he was killed before he could tell us anything,” said Nathan.

  “So, you knew Drake pretty well then?” I asked.

  “We were good friends. In fact, he’s the one who contacted me to let me know what Victor had done to our father.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Nikki

  My eyebrows shot up. “Drake worked for Victor, and yet you two were still friends?”

  “He only stayed working for Victor to keep an eye on him. Then he was going to help me kill the bastard.”

  I frowned. “Victor made it sound like Drake had been on his payroll for a long time.”

  “He did do some odd jobs for him throughout the years, but once Victor killed our father, Drake’s loyalty stopped,” said Martin. “And that’s when he called me.”

  “How come I didn’t know about that?” whined Celeste. She scowled. “You always leave me in the dark.”

  Martin smirked. “Because you’re not exactly one to keep things quiet.”

  “Oh, come on, Martin. I wouldn’t have said anything,” she protested. “I keep your secrets quiet.”

  “I couldn’t take that chance. I’m sorry, but your track record for keeping them isn’t very good, Celeste.”

  She folded her arms under her chest and sulked. “That’s not fair.”

  He just sighed.

  “Martin, do you have any idea what Drake wanted to tell us?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I’m not too sure. Maybe it was the fact that I was returning. Or, maybe it had something to do with your mother.”

  “I guess we’ll never know now. So, will you help us free Duncan?” I asked, not even looking at Celeste. “Before Faye tortures him to death?” Hopefully she hasn’t already…

  “You say he’s a Roamer?” asked Martin, rubbing his jaw.

  “Yes,” replied Nathan. “And a very good guy to have on your side.”