Shon (The Seeker Series Book 2)

by Ditter Kellen

  Ellis screamed behind his gag as Shon jerked him out and tossed him over his shoulder. He blurred his way through the woods, stopping on the shore of the gator-infested lake.

  He tossed Ellis face down on the muddy bank, retrieved his knife from his boot, and severed the asshole’s bonds.

  Yanking the gag from the Seeker’s mouth, Shon dropped to his haunches next to him. “We’re going to play a little game, you and I.”

  “W-What kind of game,” Ellis stuttered, his gaze darting around, obviously searching for an escape route.

  “I ask a question, and you answer honestly. If you lie to me, I’ll begin removing body parts.”

  Fear seeped from every pore the Seeker had, the pasty color of his skin glowing in the moonlight. “If I tell you what you want to know, you won’t kill me?”

  Shon touched a finger to the pointed tip of the knife. “No. I’m definitely going to kill you, Kojak. But how and to what degree is totally up to you.”

  Ellis scrambled back a foot, his Adam’s apple rapidly moving in his throat. “Please. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just don’t do this.”

  Shon took a patient breath, images of Laura’s mutilated body swirling through his mind. “Who sent you?”

  Shaking his head, Ellis opened his mouth without sound.

  With lightning-quick speed, Shon gripped one of the Seeker’s hands, removing his pinky finger at the second knuckle.

  Ellis screamed, a high-pitched sound that ricocheted off the trees. “Gina. Gina Calimari sent me,” he sobbed, attempting to pull free of Shon’s hold.

  “Sent you to do what?”

  “To kill Angelo Dimitrov, along with his wife and child.”

  More rage slammed into Shon’s already pissed-off brain. “Why hurt Laura?”

  Ellis continued jerking his arm, desperately trying to break Shon’s grip.

  Shon removed the man’s middle finger at the same knuckle.

  Another ear-piercing wail burst from Ellis’s throat. “We weren’t expecting Vlad to show up in town,” he cried, tears streaming down his disgusting face. “It was the only way to draw Angelo and his family away from the Impaler. It wasn’t personal. I swear.”

  “How many more Seekers are there?”

  “Close to a hundred.”

  Shon released Ellis’s hand and yanked the man’s pants down to his knees.

  Ellis began to fight in earnest, flailing about like a fish out of water.

  Subduing the insane piece of pond scum, Shon sank the blade of his knife deep into one of Ellis’s thighs. “Where are they located?”

  “In Anchorage!” Ellis shrieked, his back bowing off the ground.

  Shon slowly pulled the knife free before sinking it into the guy’s shoulder. “Where?”

  A gurgling sound bubbled up in Ellis’s throat. His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.

  “Fuck,” Shon snarled, shaking the unconscious man with enough force to nearly snap his neck. “Wake up, you son of a bitch.”

  “It would appear that he’s dead.”

  Shon shifted his gaze to Vlad’s cloaked form. “What are you doing here?”

  “The elders have gathered. Calimari will be arriving at any moment. You are needed as a witness.”

  “I need another minute with this asshole.”

  “He no longer lives,” Vlad pointed out, dropping to his haunches next to them.

  Shon bit back the growl of denial that rose in his throat. “He can’t be dead. I didn’t cut any major arteries.”

  “The shifter beat him severely prior to returning with him in the trunk. I’m sure he had internal injuries as well as blood loss. You merely finished him off.”

  Shon was beyond livid. “He was just about to give me the location of the Seeker Society.”

  “At least you were able to locate their home base. That is a hell of a good place to start.”

  “You heard that? Damn. How long have you been here?”

  A soft laugh came from beneath Vlad’s hood. “I followed you here. You were too filled with revenge to pick up on my scent. Always stay aware of your surroundings, young Shon.”

  “I’ll try to remember that. Now, would you mind helping me dismember Doctor Evil? The gators are beginning to salivate.”

  Vlad laughed, a rusty sound that reminded Shon of fingernails sliding down a chalkboard. “Take the car and go get cleaned up. I’ll handle things here.”

  That surprised Shon. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. The elders do not like to be kept waiting. And I prefer that you arrive ahead of Gina.”

  Shon stood and clapped Vlad on the shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Closing the trunk, Shon got behind the wheel once more and turned the car back toward the condos.

  It would appear that Laura and Nita would both be on the premises while the elders were in attendance.

  Not a good combination, Shon thought, glancing in the rearview mirror. The swirl of a dark cloak caught his attention a second before Shon turned the corner and lost sight of Vlad altogether.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Laura slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment to allow them to adjust to the darkness around her.

  “Hello?” she whispered, scanning the shadows for signs of life.

  “You’re awake.” The shifter that had saved her life lounged on a chair in the corner of the room. “How do you feel?”

  Laura tested her injuries by moving her legs. “Much better. Where is Shon?”

  Nita stood and sauntered across the room to the bedside table to switch on a lamp. “He’s in a meeting with the casket liners.”

  “The…casket liners?” Laura chuckled a moment before sobering. “Thank you for everything. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…”

  “Don’t mention it. Mind if I take a look at your wounds?”

  Laura shook her head and pulled the sheet down to her belly button. “The one in my stomach was the worst one.”

  Nita took a quick peek before meeting Laura’s gaze. “It’s completely healed up now.”

  “What?” Laura breathed, lifting her head to have a look. “Oh my God, it’s gone.”

  “That’s good news,” Nita murmured. “Personally, I’d rather die than be owned by a bloodsucker.”

  Laura replaced the sheet, covering her nakedness. “Owned?”

  “You drank the blood of the damned. The one called Shon. He owns you now.”

  “No, he doesn’t. He said that we weren’t bonded. That I—”

  “You’re not bonded,” Nita hissed, cutting Laura off in midsentence. “He didn’t drink from you, only you from him. He now owns you.”

  Laura’s stomach tightened with anxiety. “What exactly does that mean for me?”

  Pity entered Nita’s beautiful amber eyes. “It means that you will never want another. It will always be Shon that you crave. He, on the other hand, is free to pick and choose. To take who he wants, when he wants.”

  “But he drank from Gina, and he doesn’t want her,” Laura argued.

  “Shon is a vampire, Laura. You are human. The pull will be a hundred times stronger for you.”

  Laura sat up in bed, propping her shoulders against the headboard. “What can I do?”

  “There is nothing you can do. If he loves you, he will crave your blood as well as your body. That blood, combined with his love, will bind him to you for as long as he lives.”

  “And if he doesn’t love me?”

  Nita shrugged. “Then you will be a nice, tasty meal. Nothing more.”

  Laura’s heart ached with dread. What if Shon’s feelings for her didn’t go beyond lust or friendship? She would be sentenced to spend the rest of her life in love with a vampire, craving him and needing him while he merely tolerated her.

  “And there’s no way for me to rid myself of this bond?”

  “Only if he dies.”

  Laura’s heart stuttered. Nothing Shon could do would ever warrant her wanting him dead. Life without S
hon would be unbearable.

  Attempting to imagine herself as a vampire, Laura drew a blank. “I couldn’t see myself as one of them. Not that being different is a bad thing. It’s just that, well, no more food, no warm, sunny days spent lying on the beach. My career would be over.”

  Nita sat on the edge of the bed. “You sound as if you’ve thought about it.”

  “Once or twice, out of curiosity. But that’s it.”

  “It’s not a life you would want,” Nita persisted. “Always hunted, hated, and feared. Vampires are the stuff of nightmares.”

  Laura tilted her head. “Why do you hate them so much?”

  “Because of what they are, where they originate from, but mostly from what they do.”

  “Not all of them hurt people,” Laura defended, feeling herself growing agitated inside. “Ember is a good person. Vampire or not.”

  Nita ran a hand through her ink-black hair. “But she is still capable of killing. It’s in their nature.”

  “Any of us is capable of killing, depending on the circumstances.”

  The door opened and Ember stepped inside, carrying a sleeping Lucius in her arms.

  Ember side-eyed the shifter perched on the side of the bed before rushing over to give Laura a hug. “How are you feeling?”

  “Almost as good as new,” Laura replied, hugging Ember back. “Is the meeting over with already?”

  “No. It’s getting pretty intense. I didn’t want Lucius exposed to all those…”

  “Shadow huggers?” Nita finished for her.

  Ember cut her eyes in the shifter’s direction. “I suppose I can let that slide since I’m pretty sure you have your own dachshunds to battle.”

  Nita stared back at Ember for several heartbeats. “Touché.”

  “What happened to Ellis?” Laura whispered, interrupting the tension in the room.

  Ember took a seat at the foot of the bed. “He’s dead. That’s all you need to know right now.”

  Nita glanced back in Ember’s direction. “Why don’t you tell her the truth?”

  “What is she talking about?” Laura questioned, sitting up straighter in bed.

  Ember narrowed her eyes at the shifter before responding. “It’s nothing. The point is, he will never be able to harm you or anyone else, ever again.”

  Laura blew out a shaky breath. “Just tell me.”

  “He’s gator food right now,” Nita barked. “Shon tortured him, killed him, and Vlad took the liberty of tearing him limb from limb. Vlad tossed the body parts into a gator-infested lake.”

  Nausea rolled through Laura’s gut at Nita’s description, but she managed to hold it in. Laura was grateful that Ellis no longer lived, no matter how he met his demise. “He needed to suffer.”

  “Well, he did.” Nita stood. “I’m going to make me a sandwich. Would you like one, Laura? It’ll make you feel better.”

  Laura sent her a small smile. “I’m not hungry. But thank you for asking.”

  “Sure.” Nita disappeared through the open doorway.

  Ember quickly moved up to Nita’s abandoned seat beside Laura. “I’m not sure how I feel about her.”

  “She saved my life, Em. I’ll forever be in her debt.”

  “Yeah, I know. And I’m beyond grateful to her for that also. It’s just that…”

  “What?” Laura prompted, nudging her with an elbow.

  “The way she looks at us, always watching, studying. Sometimes when she doesn’t realize she’s being watched, I can see contempt in her eyes.”

  Laura thought about her conversation with Nita. “Maybe she’s had a bad experience with vampires.”

  “Angel saved her life,” Ember pointed out.

  “Yes. He saved her from vampires.”

  Ember sighed, meeting Laura’s gaze. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. I have no idea what she’s been through in her life. I suppose I shouldn’t judge her.”

  Laura rested her head against the headboard. “Nita pointed something out to me earlier that’s got me more than a little concerned.”

  “Concerned about what?”

  “Taking Shon’s blood. She claims that I’m now bonded to him for the rest of my life.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes. Especially if he isn’t bonded to me in return.”

  Seeing the moment that realization dawned in Ember’s eyes, Laura continued. “I don’t want to be bound to a man that doesn’t feel the same as I do.”

  “How do you feel about him?” Ember pressed.

  “I have deep feelings for him, Em. I always have.”

  “You love him,” Ember stated. It wasn’t a question. She continued before Laura could interrupt. “Shon has the power to release you from a bond, but he can’t release you from the love you have for him. Only you have the power to control that.”

  “Then, I’m screwed…”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Shon watched from his position in the corner of the room as Vlad explained the circumstances of Gina’s part in consorting with the Seeker Society.

  Atticus listened intently, occasionally lifting his gaze to meet Vlad’s pale blue one. “You have evidence of this tyranny?”

  “I do,” Vlad murmured in a bored tone. He glanced at the circle of elders seated in Angel’s living room. “Her first attempt on Angelo’s life happened a little over a year ago. She used Detective Clay Harper to try to kill Angelo’s mate as well. Which is how I come to be in Florida myself.”

  “Why did you not tell us of her betrayal then?” Declan asked, his long fingers steepled beneath his chin.

  Vlad shifted his gaze to the tall, dark-haired elder. “I do not answer to you, Declan.”

  Anger sparked in Declan’s eyes. “Had you come to us sooner, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

  “You cannot control Calimari, any more than I can,” Vlad rasped, pinning Declan with a deadly stare. “She is beyond reasoning with.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do?” The softly spoken question came from Atticus.

  Vlad studied the blond elder for a moment. “Destroy her.”

  Atticus didn’t flinch. “We do not kill our own. It is against our laws.”

  “A law created by me,” Vlad snarled, the irises of his eyes glowing red. “Calimari will be the death of us all if we do not do something about her now.”

  “I agree that she needs to be stopped,” Atticus returned. “But death is not something we wish to mete out at this time. Not without justification.”

  Vlad slowly stood. “I gave you justification.”

  “No lives were lost,” a hooded figure quietly offered from his position on the couch.

  Vlad turned his heated gaze toward the faceless voice. “Eamon. I was wondering when you would pipe in. Plenty of lives were lost last year. We were fortunate that Angelo and his bride were not among them.”

  “You think to take Gina’s life for the unfortunate passing of a few humans?”

  “If you do not destroy Calimari, I will.” Vlad’s voice echoed throughout the room with eerily soft finality.

  Atticus stood. “We will retrieve her tonight and take her home to be judged. You have my word that we will not take what you have revealed lightly. She will be executed.”

  “You are willing to take the life of one of our own because of a few simple humans?” Eamon growled, springing to his feet.

  Shon wondered what he looked like under the hood of his robe.

  Atticus glanced from Vlad to Eamon. “She mingles with Seekers, Eamon. She leaves me no choice.”

  The remaining elders rose to their feet as well and filed toward the door. Atticus extended his hand to Vlad. “It was good to see you, old friend. Even for a short time.”

  Vlad accepted his outstretched palm. “Likewise. Take care of yourself, Atticus.”

  The elder released Vlad’s hand and shifted his gaze to Shon. “Word has reached us of your human play toy.
”

  A growl rose in Shon’s throat. He flew across the room, nearly slamming into Vlad’s outstretched arm.

  “Check yourself,” Vlad ordered without removing his gaze from Atticus. “He is an elder.”

  Shon stopped, but continued to stare into the blue eyes of Atticus. “Do not think to threaten Laura. I don’t care who you are. I won’t allow you to harm a hair on her head.”

  Atticus smiled without humor. “She doesn’t interest me, young Shon. But I can’t speak for the others.” He followed the others out the door, vanishing into the night.

  Shon moved to go after him, only to come up against Vlad’s immovable form.

  “You cannot stop them, young Shon.”

  “They will kill Laura if I don’t do something.”

  “There is nothing you can do besides make her into what we are.”

  “No,” Shon snarled, clenching his fists at his sides. “I won’t do that to her. She would hate me forever.”

  “At least she would have forever. She may not make it through the night otherwise.”

  Shon blasted past Vlad and blurred his way next door to Laura’s side. He peeled the sheet back to have a look at her injuries, relieved to find them completely closed.

  Laura gasped and covered her breasts with her hands. “What are you doing?”

  He ignored her question. “Are you able to travel?”

  Without waiting for her to answer, he barked at Ember. “Pack her a bag as quickly as possible.”

  Ember blinked. “But—”

  “Just do it. I’ll explain later.”

  “Okay. Be back in less than a minute.” Ember hurried from the room.

  “What’s going on?” Laura whispered, her eyes huge in her face.

  “I’ll tell you everything once I have you safely away from here.”

  Ember returned, holding a duffle bag. She tossed Laura a T-shirt and a pair of blue shorts. “I packed what I thought you would wear. I hope I didn’t forget anything.”

  “Where’s Lucius?” Laura asked, pulling the shirt over her head. She snatched up the shorts and shoved them beneath the covers to tug them on in privacy.

  “He’s with Angel.” Ember grabbed on to Shon’s arm. “Where are you taking her?”

  “Away from here. It’s better if no one knows.”