Her intense energy swallowed me and I followed behind Tiki. At this rate, I wasn’t even sure my elements would be of any use on her.
Willy stood beside the couch, his hands clasped in front of him. He hadn’t said a word and his eyes were on the floor.
“Is there a problem?” Alessia looked at Willy.
When nobody answered, Willy cautiously brought his eyes up. When he saw we were all looking at him, his eyes quickly diverted to the floor and he shook his head. “No…no pro—problem.” Willy’s skin flashed to match the dark brown walls.
“Then please sit,” she said, but her tone wasn’t as friendly as it had been.
“Ye—yes ma’am.” Willy did as he was instructed, sitting on the far edge of the couch. His skin shifted from deep brown to the black of the couch and he leaned back, letting the cushions mold around him.
“My, you are a strange creature, indeed.” Alessia walked in long, slow strides towards Willy. “There is power inside you.” She sniffed the air. “But you’re just a puppy.” Her fingers ran through his messy brown hair, and I could see Willy wincing at her touch. “How does a creature with such power carry so much fear?” She crouched down and forced Willy to look at her.
The moment her hand touched his face, his body relaxed.
“Tell me darling,” she whispered. “Tell me what troubles you.”
“I…I don—don’t want to.”
“Calm yourself,” she said, and power enveloped the room. “Tell Mother your fears.”
Willy sat up straight and stared into her purple eyes. “Your son scares me. You scare me. I’m scared you are going to hurt me just like your son did.”
“My sweet, sweet boy. You need not fear me at this time. I wouldn’t dream of doing to you what my son did.”
Alessia’s power pulsed as her fingers danced along Willy’s jaw. Willy nodded and smiled.
“Good boy. Now get comfortable.” Alessia rose to her feet and moved back to her chair.
Willy cracked his neck and knuckles and leaned back, throwing his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. The pale tone returned to his skin and he smirked, brown eyes meeting mine.
“Now, let us talk business. You know my son as he is now, not as he was. This is a perfect opportunity for me to get your insight, without past emotions being involved. What do you think of him?”
I opened my mouth but didn’t speak. Naturally, I was going to be honest about my feelings for Vincent, but the last thing I wanted to do was offend her.
“Come now, don’t be shy. We’re all friends here,” Alessia said.
“We don’t always see eye to eye,” I said. “And I spend as little time with him as possible.”
Alessia pursed her lips and examined my face before turning to Tiki. “And you?”
“I share many things with him. What others may see as faults, I understand on a different level, and as such, I embrace them. I enjoy his company.”
“And what about you?” She turned to Willy, an unnerving smile pulling at her lips.
Willy shrugged. “I’d love to tear his throat out and eat his ashy remains.” His voice didn’t waver and he said each word with conviction.
I didn’t say a word, but I shoved my elbow into him.
“What? She wants to know. No need to pussyfoot around. We all feel the same way—except for Tiki. He likes everything.”
“Is that so?” Alessia’s eyes fell back to me.
My stomach tightened and sweat formed on my palms.
“Your heart rate spikes. Fear and pheromones leak from your pores, Chase. Why don’t you try again? But before you do, let me just say I expected more. I’m disappointed you don’t respect me enough to give me your honesty. I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”
“It’s not that I don’t respect you.”
“No? What then?”
“I didn’t want to offend you with my response.”
Willy laughed. “Since when do you wear a filter?”
I glared at Willy, who picked at something on his fingers.
Alessia smiled and leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of her hand. “This will be the last pleasantry I offer you, my dear. Your looks can take you no further. Perhaps you should take a page from your friend’s book.” She acknowledged Willy with her hand. “Now try again, with feeling this time. What do you think of my son?”
I glanced back at Willy and I could feel her power floating around him. I shook my head and met her gaze. “I think Vincent’s a dick.”
“Yes!” Willy shouted. “A giant dick!”
“He does evoke that response, doesn’t he? Do you hate him? Have you ever wanted to drive one of those pretty little ruby encrusted daggers into his cold black heart?”
The sweat on my palms didn’t slow and I wiped them on my pants. I looked at Tiki, who remained silent, not even offering me a shrug. “I may have attempted that a time or two.”
“Oh please!” Willy laughed. “If you could have, you would have killed him long ago. We all would have. No offense lady, but your son is a little crazy in the head.” Willy swirled his finger beside his head and then sighed. “I really hope you take him home with you.”
Alessia’s expression remained neutral and she ignored Willy’s outburst, keeping her eyes on me. “Attempted…and failed? I’m shocked to see you alive.”
“Yeah well, the silver blade I stuck in his chest didn’t do much. Your son heals fast.”
“Oh, that he does. Such is our family’s gift.” She grinned. “So, what do you think I could do to convince my young Vincent to cooperate?”
Willy snorted. “Cooperate? Vincent? Those words don’t belong in the same sentence, lady. My thought is you should just stake him. Be done with your troubles.”
I shook my head and ran my hands through my hair, stopping midway to pull on it. I needed to feel something in this moment. Alessia’s hold on Willy was going to get us all killed.
“I may be a vampire but I am not heartless. He is my son and I love him. I miss having him in our home, and I want to see him returned without incident. Please, Chase, tell me what I can do.”
“I’m not sure there is anything you can do. He loves the very things you despise—turned vampires. I don’t know why he sees things differently than you, or what caused all this, but he wants nothing more than to see them alive and know they’re safe. To him, they’re family.”
Alessia grimaced and shook out her hands. “I never understood his appeal for these…atrocities, but you make a valid point.”
“Me either,” Willy said. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no need for any vampires in this world. They’re a waste of skin.” Willy looked to Alessia and smiled. “No offense, lady.”
“I think I preferred you as a monster trapped in a terrified little boy’s body,” she said.
“Yeah well, you got more than you bargained for then, huh? Let me tell you a little something about your son—”
“Enough,” Alessia said. Her power pulsed, vibrating against my skin.
A pink color crept up into Willy’s face and his eyes opened wide. He didn’t look at anyone as he slumped back in the leather, his skin rushing back to a black that made him blend in with the furniture.
“That’s better.” She smiled. “Thank you, Chase. You told me exactly what Vincent wants more than anything. That’s the key to winning him over.” She rose effortlessly from the chair, her heels clicking along the hardwood. “I was hoping for an alternative measure, but I had a feeling this would be my only option. I’m glad to know you didn’t ruin my surprise after all!”
I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I wiped my hands on my pants again and leaned back in my seat.
“Bring me Veronica!” She beckoned, still managing to keep the subtle caress of sweetness in her tone.
Veronica? Veronica was dead. I saw the blood pouring out of her when I drove out of the parking lot. There was no way she could’ve survived those wounds. That thought mad
e guilt rise in my throat. I’d left her to die.
A shuffle came down the hall and two vampires returned with the very girl I’d left bleeding and begging for help in the parking lot. The shock at seeing her overpowered the guilt, but something wasn’t right about. She looked…different.
“Such is my power, Chase.”
I turned to her. The smile that crossed her lips was devious, and in that moment she looked just like Vincent. She tapped the side of her head and didn’t take her eyes off me.
Panic rushed through me. I had made sure my shields were up; she couldn’t possibly have read my thoughts.
“You underestimate me.”
“I…it would seem so.” I tried to remember everything I’d thought but didn’t say out loud. My pulse sped and the sweat returned with a vengeance.
“Bring her to me and leave us,” Alessia said.
The vampires pushed Veronica forward, revealing her hands bound behind her back with rope. The pair then bowed and disappeared back down the hallway.
Alessia touched Veronica’s face but she pulled away. “Don’t touch me,” she said. Her voice was cold and raspy.
“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.”
Veronica’s response was to spit in her face, and I expected Alessia to lash out, but she didn’t. She grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped away the foamy white saliva that speckled her pale skin.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your hatred of me, my dear. I’ve given you what you’ve always wanted, what you’ve been serving my son for in hopes of earning. After saving your life while you bled out in the street and nourishing you back to health with my own blood, I’ve allowed you to be reborn a goddess of the night. I fulfilled your deepest desire, yet still you deny me.”
“I don’t serve you, and you haven’t earned my respect. I will now, and until my death, serve your son. I know what you did to him and I won’t bow to your insatiable cruelty.”
“You poor, naïve girl. If you’re so familiar with me, then you must be extremely stupid. I could tear you apart without a touch.”
“I’ve survived far worse than anything you could do.”
Alessia’s gaze hardened and her lips pursed. I waited for her to reach out and slap Veronica, although I had to admit I admired her fiery spark. I’d only ever been on the receiving end of Veronica’s attitude and it was a pleasant change to be watching it from the sidelines.
Veronica smirked and lifted her chin, as though she expected Alessia to respond violently. But Alessia just took a long, slow breath and stepped away from her.
“I give you my son’s favorite: a woman who has served him faithfully for half a decade, but who he has not yet turned. I present her as a gift. I want you to take her with you and deliver her to my son with a message: if he concedes to my offer, the rest of his family shall go free and unharmed, including Veronica.”
“If it’s against your laws to create vampires, why would you do this?”
“As much as I enjoy a good hunt, I’m not one for war. I want my son back, Chase, and I will convince my husband and the rest of them to abide by my wishes. I will get what I want. I always do.”
“How are you going to convince ancient vampires to suddenly change their ways?” Tiki leaned forward, finally speaking.
“You leave that up to me, my dear. I assure you, my methods of persuasion do not fail me.”
“It’s daylight; she can’t leave with us,” I said.
“Bring the vehicle you arrived in to the door. We have blankets to cover her. I trust I can count on you to do this for me?”
“I don’t see much of a choice.”
“Wonderful!” Alessia smiled. Before I could move, Alessia was in front of me, placing a soft kiss against my cheek. Power vibrated beneath her lips and I shuddered. “You’re such a good boy.”
I pulled the Jeep around to the barn. Alessia had Veronica at the bottom of the stairwell covered in blankets. Willy didn’t make any attempt to help. Instead, he sat with his eyes facing the floor as we guided Veronica up the steps and laid her down in the back.
The only part of Alessia I could see were her eyes glowing like violet embers from the shadows. Her voice echoed in the darkness and her power made my chest tighten. “I’ll be in touch soon, my sweet hunter.” And she was gone.
Driving away from the doorway, a small funnel of air appeared in the rearview mirror, and in moments, there was nothing but long weeds covering the grass once again.
I watched Willy sitting silently in the backseat and staring at his hands.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Just take me home so I can scrub my brain with steel wool. I never thought I’d feel like that again.”
“Again? So this wasn’t your first time?” I smirked.
“Jokes, really? You have no idea what it’s like, Chase. Let’s just say Vincent and Alessia share more than just a perfect complexion. And being forced to do something you don’t want to do is never funny.”
The smile faded from my face and guilt pulled at me. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Willy. I’m seriously asking now, are you okay?”
Willy shook his head. “Just take me home.”
Chapter 23
“Can you take these damn things off?” Veronica grumbled. Her attitude had started before I even had the Jeep’s hatch all the way up.
“I’ll leave that to Vincent,” I said, pulling the blankets off.
Veronica cringed and covered her eyes before realizing we weren’t outside. We were in the condo’s underground parking lot, where she was safe from the sun.
“Just take them off before I—”
“You’re new to this, so I’ll make this easy. Before, you were human. Now, you’re not. Since I have no problem killing demons, it’d be smarter if you didn’t finish that sentence.”
Veronica opened her mouth but thought better of it and remained silent. Tiki and I grabbed each side of her to help keep her balance and pushed the button to the elevator, while Willy disappeared into the stairwell. Luckily, all we had to endure on the way up was Veronica’s endless deep sighs and toe tapping.
Most of the injured shifters were up and moving around now. Whatever Grams had been doing seemed to be working. Veronica was covered with the blankets again as we entered the brightly lit condo, and some of the shifters sniffed the air, turning to us. Low growls came from their throats and their stares didn’t falter.
Swarms of people were packing things up and carrying them out the door.
“The Triquertas are done with the wards on the warehouse. We’re moving everyone over there now.” Marcus lifted a large box down the stairs and set it on the table. “Who is this?”
I explained the situation to Marcus and he shook his head. “Vincent is in Tiki’s bedroom. Probably best to put her up there with him…for now.” He eyed her from head to toe. “Once you’re done, come see me.”
“What’s up?” I asked.
Marcus eyed Veronica. “I’ll tell you once she’s settled.”
I pushed open the door to find Vincent lying on Tiki’s bed. His eyes were on the ceiling and he didn’t flinch when the door opened, or as I stood beside the bed.
“Vincent?” I asked.
Nothing. I waited a moment longer and reached over to shake him. With supernatural speed he was beside me, a razor-sharp talon pushed against my throat.
I waited for him to back up, and when he didn’t, I dropped Veronica’s arms and threw my elbow back into his stomach. Avoiding his claw, I ducked under his hand and rotated with a hunter’s speed. After a series of quick movements, my blade was against his neck and I let the edge bite into his skin.
“What the hell is your problem?”
Vincent’s eyes moved from my blade to me and he held his hands up, the claws retracting back into his fingers. The holes they’d torn in his skin closed and not a drop of blood was spilled.
“My apologies, but you should know better than to sneak up on someone when they’
re sleeping.”
“Sleeping?” I asked, pushing him away and sheathing the dagger. “Your eyes were open and you looked…normal. Or as normal as you ever look. Vampires become rotting corpses when they sleep.”
“You were going to do that on my bed?” Tiki grimaced.
Vincent eyed Tiki. “Not all of us, Mr. Williams. You know, for a hunter, you are sorely uneducated in the ways of the Underworld. Why do you think that is?”
“I’d only started to get into demonology when I was exiled, for one. Secondly, I don’t care much for your sleeping habits. I focused more on how to kill you than anything else.”
“Yet you’ve continued to fail at that.” Vincent pushed past me and fell back on the bed, posing with his hand supporting his head. “I don’t recognize this scent. Who is in the bag?”
“It’s a blanket, and you should, she’s yours,” I said, shoving her forward.
Vincent questioned me with a raised brow and peeled back the blankets. As Veronica’s waist-length blonde hair fell around her, her blue eyes found Vincent, and Vincent didn’t try to hide his surprise.
“Veronica…” he whispered. “I thought you were dead…” He got to his feet and put his hand on her face. “What’s happened to you? You’re a—”
“Vampire,” I said. “A gift from your mother.”
Vincent’s milky skin faded as his demon came out. “Mother? Tell me everything, now.” His voice was a low growl.
I relayed the events to Vincent, and his face grew angrier by the second. He tore off Veronica’s restraints with a single tug and let her sit on the bed next to him.
“How did she find you?” Vincent turned to Veronica.
“She found me on the street. I was too weak to fight and she ripped through my mind, finding the safe house’s location.” Veronica dropped her gaze, sounding disappointed.
“Do not feel guilt, my dear. Mother’s powers affect many vampires. Even at full strength, and with your training, you could not have resisted her.”
“She can compel vampires too?” I asked.
Release (The Protector Book 3) Page 19
