A Night of Redemption (The Night Series Book 2)

by Lori Brighton

  “And you didn’t bother telling anyone that you were still alive?”

  He set the vase down and that’s when Nate noticed the way his hand trembled. He wasn’t as immune to Nate’s presence as he’d first assumed. “I immediately went searching for my wife, afraid for her welfare of course.”

  Of course. Nate stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, attempting to keep himself from lunging at the man, or worse…turning right there in the parlor. Any closer, and he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He’d seen men like him before in war…men with no conscience. Men who were so selfish they’d stab their own comrades for a loaf of bread or coin. How long had he been loitering around Grayson’s property, just waiting to find Beth? Good lord, what would he have done to her if Nate hadn’t been there to protect the woman?

  “I’m not quite sure why you’re here,” Grayson said, settling in the chair near the hearth, all ease and comfort. But Nate knew the man well. Grayson was merely biding his time, weighing their options. The problem was Nate wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand there and listen to the monster spew his lies before he did something rash. “Your wife has made it quite obvious that she wants nothing to do with you.”

  Her husband bowed his head slightly. “Forgive me if I’d like to see my wife with my own eyes and hear her say the words.”

  Unable to stop himself, Nate surged toward the man. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

  He laughed, not the least bit nervous. “You have no idea how much trouble I could make for you both.” His gaze shifted from Nate to include Grayson. “You think I don’t know what you are? You think I’m going to stand here and pretend like we are all mere humans? Shall we lay the cards upon the table? You want a war? War you will have.”

  Nate paused only a few feet away, his lips lifting into a growl.

  “Well then,” Grayson said. “If you know what we are, then you know that together Nathan and I will prove to be a formidable enemy. Do you really want to try us both? I promise you will not come out the winner.”

  Grayson was baiting him…attempting to find out how much he knew. He’d seen the man do it before when they’d captured a spy or two during the war.

  The man’s eyes narrowed, that smirk back in place. “Two against one? Yes, that would be to my disadvantage. Fortunately, I have my own friends.”

  And there it was…the information Grayson searched for. Beth’s husband wasn’t working alone. Who worked with him? Instinct told him that Brockwell wasn’t pulling the strings…someone else was in charge. And how was Beth tied to it all? She was of no importance to him now that her inheritance was gone. So what was the reason for the man’s interest? Did he mean to pay her back for the role she’d had in his demise? Was it mere arrogance that had him demanding his wife be returned to his side? Or did he think he loved her in his own sick and perverted way?

  Slowly, Grayson stood. “Are you threatening us in my home?”

  “No,” the man said, his shoulders stiffening. The charming façade was gone. The wolf inside him was clawing its way to the forefront. Nate could sense the beast’s arrival. “I’m merely stating a fact. She is my property. I own her.”

  “Who is your sire?” Nate demanded.

  The man’s gaze rested on him. Like Allen, Lord Brockwell was too confident, too cocky. A normal reaction when one was turned into a wolf. “I don’t know. I never saw him.”

  It wasn’t uncommon, yet Nate knew he lied again. He knew exactly who had bit him. Was probably even working with the man.

  “There is nothing more to discuss,” Brockwell said. “I will find her if I have to tear down every damn wall in this house.”

  He started toward the door. Nate was quick to step in front of him. Nose to nose, they could control their beastly natures no more. Both men growled, their bodies hunching. If Brockwell turned, Nate would have no choice but to turn as well.

  “The only place you’re going is to hell,” Nate said, “and I’ll gladly escort you there.”

  The man’s lips lifted into a smirk. He feigned ease, but his grin didn’t reach his glowing eyes. Nate could sense the anger pulsing so close to the surface. The flare of his pupils, the slight widening of his nostrils and the sweat dotting the man’s upper lip told him all he needed to know: Lord Brockwell was losing control.

  “I see my wife has gained a protector. How lovely for her.”

  Nate’s hand curled, sweat breaking out across his forehead. His vision wavered, his muscles tightening, his senses flaring to life. So close…the animal was so close. “I will kill you before I let you touch her.”

  Lord Brockwell growled, a low vibration. If one of them turned, the other was sure to follow. In a home so full of family and staff, more than one innocent was sure to die. As strong as Grayson was, Nate wasn’t sure if the man could take on two wolves.

  “It’s time for you to leave,” Grayson said.

  They’d been so focused, so determined to kill each other that Grayson’s words startled them both. Lord Brockwell stumbled back, panting. Nate’s own reserve was fading fast. It never failed: put two werewolves in a room together and they couldn’t hold back. The territory was too small. It was one reason why he’d found friendship with Grayson…the vampire could defend himself and there was no competition between the two.

  “Fine,” Lord Brockwell said. He moved around Nate and headed toward the foyer. Nate didn’t miss the way he trembled with each step. Weak bastard. He might feign power, but he hadn’t a clue how to use his abilities. It would be so easy to kill him. “But I will be back, and next time I won’t be alone.”

  The front door slammed shut with his departure. Nate took a few moments to calm his racing heart, to catch his breath, to go within and dampen down the beast. He’d had years of practice, it was growing easier. But there were still times when he felt out of control. Assuming he could ever be in charge would be a mistake.

  Sated, he sank into Grayson’s vacant chair.

  “Don’t worry,” Grayson said. “I’ll make sure the guards are at their posts.”

  “No offense,” Nate muttered, rolling his head from side to side in an attempt to relax his stiff muscles. It would take a cold bath and time he didn’t have to truly calm his body, mind, soul. “But Beth snuck past your defenses only this morning.”

  Grayson raked his hands through his hair. He’d been duped and he didn’t like it. “I’ll double the guards.”

  “Your mistake was in hiring humans to keep her safe.”

  Grayson’s jaw clenched. He didn’t like being wrong. “You’re right. I’m trying to keep our two worlds separate, but it’s becoming more difficult every day.”

  Nate knew he was being an arse, calling Grayson out as he had. But couldn’t help himself. The animal was still in charge, always in charge. And the animal was blunt and cruel. “Who do you think is working with Beth’s husband?”

  Husband.

  Just saying the word made him ill. He closed his eyes. Beth had a husband. Beth couldn’t marry him when she had a damn husband. Shite. He should have killed the man when he’d had the chance.

  “I’m not sure. As far as I know no other blood drinker or wolf is in the area. I’ll send a letter to Millie, see if she’s heard anything in London.”

  Nate forced his hands to unclench and took in a deep breath. His body still buzzed. He couldn’t seem to relax. “Something’s wrong here, Gray. I know it. I can feel it.”

  Grayson nodded. “I understand you care about Beth, Brim, but for now we do things by the books.”

  “Fuck the books,” Nate growled, surging to his feet and stomping across the room. He felt restless, his skin tight, his body anxious for a fight.

  “What’s your plan then?”

  “Kill him,” Nate said, pausing near the fireplace where the bastard had stood. He swore he could still sense him there. It made his skin crawl. “Simple enough. Easy enough.”

  He could see Grayson nod in the mirror above the firep
lace. “Fair enough. But first we do things my way, and see if we can uncover what’s truly going on here. Because I agree…something is most certainly suspicious.”

  “Grayson!” Meg cried out, her voice echoing through the foyer.

  The frantic edge of her tone sent Grayson and Nate racing across the room. Meg was a flurry of skirts as she rushed down the steps, a whirlwind of worry. The paleness of her face told Nate something was most assuredly wrong.

  “Christ, Meg, slow down,” Grayson demanded.

  She launched herself off the bottom step and into Grayson’s arms. It was as she did that Nate noticed the tears in her eyes. A cold chill scraped down his body.

  “I was only gone for a few minutes,” she whispered, her voice quivering. “She said she needed to change.”

  Grayson cupped the sides of her face, forcing his wife to meet his gaze. “Meg, what?”

  But she didn’t need to explain, Nate could feel it in his body, in his very soul.

  “She’s gone,” Nate said. “Beth is gone.”

  Chapter 18

  Beth didn’t speak as she was torn from the horse, dragged up steps and through the front door of a home she could just spy through her blindfold. Didn’t speak when her captor, who smelled like unwashed body and ale, threw her onto the floorboards, dust puffing up around her and choking the air from her lungs. She knew better than to beg for mercy, to ask questions or even scream that he release her. She’d already tried.

  “Got her like ye demanded, my lord,” a man said. “She put up a fight, but we managed. Jones is outside keeping watch.”

  Yes, she’d put up a fight and he’d smacked her so hard that she’d lost consciousness for a few minutes, maybe more. Dressed in a clean gown, she’d left her small room intending to meet Meg downstairs but they’d come up behind her in the dark hall. Instead, she’d woken up on a horse, her arms bound and her eyes covered

  Beth didn’t move, barely breathed as she tried to recognize the voice. She didn’t. Who was he? Most likely a hired hand. But who would hire him and why?

  “Good, well done,” another man replied.

  This time she did recognize the voice.

  A cold chill raced over her body.

  She knew that voice well.

  Too well.

  Nate had been right.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “Oh yes.” Suddenly the blindfold was ripped from her eyes. “Lovely to see you again, dear wife.”

  The light momentarily blinded her. But she didn’t need to see to know who stood before her. The entire world had shifted from one of warmth and hope, to a cold, harsh reality. Slowly, she tilted her head back. Her husband’s face wavered in and out of focus above her. Beth’s entire body froze, she barely breathed. The very same man she’d known, lived with for years, stood before her. The very man who was supposed to be dead.

  No. He couldn’t be alive. It didn’t make sense. Unless…Nate had been right and he was no longer human.

  “Surprised to see me?” He grinned down at her. “I knew you would be.”

  It was him. Christopher. Her husband. But he was different in some inexplicable way. He’d always been handsome and lean, but his muscles now stretched his fine linen shirt and black trousers. And although he had always been arrogant, he practically reeked of a confidence she didn’t understand. She knew, looking into her husband’s heated eyes, that he was a wolf.

  Frantic to find a weapon, she searched the room. It was only as she scanned the area before her that she realized she was home again. How fitting that she had lost her hope here, and would now lose her life.

  There was nothing, the house stripped bare. Even the gas lamps were gone. The furniture had been stolen, or maybe sold. All evidence of her life with her husband disappeared…but for the deep-seeded fear burning within.

  The nervousness she’d been trying to control surged to the forefront so she thought she’d be sick. She knew he would kill her eventually…in a matter of minutes, days, weeks, months. She prayed it would be soon.

  As she looked up into her husband’s burning eyes she was reminded of Allen, the wolf who had tried to kill her in Nate’s woods. She knew merely by looking at him that her husband was about to turn. And she knew if he did change into a wolf, she would die painfully here in this dusty, empty room where she’d arrived a young girl full of innocent dreams.

  She was so exhausted with it all. Tired of the wondering, tired of the waiting. Tired of her husband’s threats and abuse. Anger spurred her forward and she stumbled to her feet, her hands still bound. “Just kill me. Get it over with.”

  He stood before her, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his eyes. Eyes that should have been familiar but had changed in some inexplicable way. How she preferred him angry, out of control, as he’d always been. But this man…this calm, deadly man she didn’t know. “Oh my dear, I didn’t bring you back to kill you, but to lure your lover here.”

  Fear crept over her body. “Lover?”

  His lips lifted, a growl seeping from his throat. “You think I can’t smell him on you?”

  Dear lord, somehow he knew about Nate.

  “You’ve a protector.” Casually, he strolled across the room and toward the windows. “How lovely.”

  She ignored his taunt, instead focusing on the words. He knew about Nate. If he knew about Nate, he might go after him. Frantic, she attempted to find the words to soothe her husband’s ire. But as she took in his person she grew confused. The man’s clothing was fine, something he couldn’t afford. Where had he gotten the money? Something was wrong, the situation didn’t make sense.

  “Release her,” Christopher demanded.

  Her captor raced quickly to her side and pulled a knife from his boot. She flinched as he shoved the dagger toward her with fingers that trembled, sure he was going to cut her. He was just as afraid of Christopher as she. The rope gone, she could finally move her hands. She wasn’t sure why her husband had released her, but she would use it to her advantage.

  “Where have you been?” she tried, attempting to placate him as she rubbed her raw wrists. “How could you leave and not tell me?”

  “Leave?” he cried out, as he spun around to face her. The husband she knew had returned. Suddenly he was on her, his firm fingers biting into her upper arms. Before she could even try and fight, she was lifted and slammed against the wall behind her. “You thought I was dead. You thought you could take my money and escape.”

  “What money?” she gasped, glaring at him. “What little money you received from my family you gambled away!”

  He released her arms, only to slam his forearm against her throat, the pain immediate, consuming. She couldn’t breathe. Frantic, she clawed at his arm. He faded, the room faded, stars blinked at the edges of her vision.

  “Shut your mouth, you whore!” she vaguely heard him cry out. “You were no one. An ugly, gangly, pathetic blue-stocking. No man would have you but me!”

  Just when she thought she would fade away from lack of air, he stepped back. Beth’s knees buckled. She sank to the floor in a pile of skirts and dust as she sucked in great gulps. As cowardly as it sounded, she had hoped he would kill her quickly. Perhaps not. Perhaps he would enjoy toying with her, torturing her. How she hated that her life would end at his hands. He’d controlled her days far too long, she would not allow him to control her death.

  Anger spurred her to her feet. “Then kill me!” The words came out raspy and pain-filled. “Leave him out of this!”

  “Oh no.” He laughed, pacing back and forth, his boots stirring dust into the air. His henchman cowered in the corner, realizing his mistake in working for a madman. He would be of no help. At the fireplace, Christopher spun around, facing her.

  “It’s not about you, my dear.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the sweat dotting his upper lip and forehead. “It never was. You’re not important enough.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” she demanded.

&
nbsp; He narrowed those shimmering eyes, studying her in a way that made Beth feel exposed, naked. “Would you like to know what happened to me while I was dying in that creek?”

  Uneasy, Beth watched him as he paced in front of the cold hearth. The man was insane. The slightest thing could make him explode.

  “You thought I was dead?” He pulled a pistol from his waistband and checked the weapon. “You see, I wasn’t quite gone when you and that little tart decided to dump me in the creek. I was clinging to life, albeit by a very short string.”

  Oh God, she hadn’t known. Of course she hadn’t known. Torn between fear and disappointment, Beth searched for a response. Had he heard everything they’d said? Knew everything they’d done? She’d thrown a living man into the creek. She’d been numb as they’d left him there, but she’d thought he was gone. Dead. Realizing he lived, would she have done the same?

  Christopher slowly turned, the pistol extended from his fingers. Beth gasped, flattening herself to the wall. He didn’t pause in her direction, but swung the pistol toward his henchman. The man’s eyes grew wide.

  “I was in pain, slowly drowning,” her husband said.

  The sudden blast rang through the room, making Beth scream.

  The henchman fell to the ground, blood pouring from the hole in his forehead, down his nose and covering his face. She could merely stand there staring at the man in horror.

  “While I lay there dying in that water, a wolf bit me.” He laughed and lowered the gun. “At first I thought I was having a nightmare. Then, I thought he would kill me. He didn’t. I’m still not sure what happened. I remember hearing your friend Meg’s voice, I remember the constable coming, and I certainly remember you. But when I finally came to wake fully, I was chained in a cellar.”

  He moved closer, his steps full of determination. Beth tore her gaze from the dead man to focus on her husband. What he said made no sense. But then very little had made sense in the last couple months.