Shiver (Night Roamers #2)

by Kristen Middleton

  “We need Duncan,” said Nathan, coming up behind me. He grabbed his cell phone from the counter and tried calling his number.

  “He’s going to be wrecked,” I moaned, thinking about how much he loved his father. “Poor Duncan.”

  Nathan closed his eyes and nodded. “Come on,” he said into the phone. “Pick up, bro.”

  When Duncan didn’t answer, Nathan slammed his phone down on the counter.

  “Don’t! You’ll break it and then she won’t be able to contact you.”

  He picked it back up and reached for his own knife from the butcher block. Then we drove back to Duncan’s house and as I kind of expected, he wasn’t home.

  “Should we check the club?” I asked nervously, although the last thing in the world I wanted to see was him with another girl, even if he was just feeding.

  “We don’t have time,” said Nathan. “Let’s go get mom before Caleb does something disgusting and irreversible to her.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  When we arrived at Caleb’s mansion, it was eerily quiet.

  “Well, Caleb’s squad car is here,” said Nathan, gripping his knife firmly. “And there,” he pointed, “is his Jeep.”

  I noticed there were two other cars parked in front of the house, but I didn’t recognize either of them.

  “Should we knock?” I whispered as we stepped onto the porch, both weapons in hand. I really didn’t think we’d have much chance with the weapons, but it gave me extra courage.

  He licked his lips and shook his head. “No, let’s just go in. Chances are they know we’re here anyway.”

  My heart was pounding as he turned the knob and I half expected Celeste to greet us like she did the day before, this time, however, as an enemy. Fortunately, I was wrong.

  “What are we going to do if he won’t let us see her?” I whispered.

  “He has to. I won’t take no for an answer,” snapped Nathan.

  We searched the lower level first, but found no signs of anyone.

  “I’m sure they’re upstairs,” he whispered. “Resting or whatever it is they do.”

  I nodded and followed him. As we crept upstairs, I could hear myself breathing heavily with fear.

  Suddenly Nathan stopped and I slammed into him. “Listen,” he whispered, turning to glance at me. “If this doesn’t go the way we’d planned, I just want to say sorry for doubting you these past few months, and…I love you, Twerp.”

  “Me too,” I whispered.

  He released a shaky sigh. “I hope this plan works and we don’t end up as bat food.”

  “Nathan, I don’t think these particular vampires turn into bats.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just have each other’s backs at all costs.”

  I nodded and continued to follow him.

  After inspecting three bedrooms on the second level and finding nothing, we went up to the third and final level.

  “I’ve been up here before. This is where Ethan’s room was.”

  “I hope he’s back so I can slice his throat,” mumbled Nathan.

  We proceeded to check each of the bedrooms and found they were also empty.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered angrily. “Where the hell is everyone?”

  He sucked on his lower lip for a while and then his eyes lit up. “You know what? Let’s check the cellar. I mean, shit, they must have one of those? Don’t vampires like dark, dank places?”

  I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. These vampires are different than the others.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Others? You mean they’re different than what…the fictional ones?”

  I smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

  He snickered and began walking away. I quickly followed.

  We went back down the steps and next to the kitchen, we eventually found another set leading to the cellar. As we began to descend the rickety staircase, I heard an unearthly growl from somewhere down below.

  “Did you hear that?” I squeaked, pausing on the steps.

  He nodded. “Sounds like some kind of animal.”

  “I don’t think we should go down there,” I whispered, my eyes straining to see down into the darkness.

  He sighed. “I don’t either, but we have no choice. I mean, what if mom’s down here?”

  I bit the side of my lip and nodded. “Okay. Yeah, fine. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  Every step creaked against our weight, making it all much more ominous.

  “We should have brought a flashlight,” I told him, trying not to fall.

  “We weren’t exactly planning this to begin with,” replied Nathan.

  There was another growl, followed by a pained moan.

  “Oh, crap, Nathan!” I whispered loudly. “This is nuts. We’re going to get ourselves killed!”

  He raised his hand. “Shush.”

  The cellar was large and filled with old boxes and jars of things I didn’t even want to know about.

  “Look,” he pointed when he reached the bottom first.

  On the other side of the basement or cellar, whatever the hell it was, we saw a single door with a light shining underneath. As we stared at it, another moan escaped from the other side, one that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

  “Stay behind me,” whispered Nathan.

  We stepped quietly towards the closed door until we were just outside. When Nathan put his hand on the knob, I had another panic attack.

  “No,” I whispered, on the verge of hysteria. “We should think about this. We don’t know who or what is in there.”

  “We don’t have any other choice,” he whispered. “Every second that ticks brings mom closer to an eternity spent as a blood hunter. Look, if you’re too chicken, I’ll just go in myself.”

  “I’m not chicken,” I snapped, secretly praying that the door was locked.

  “Right,” he whispered, turning the knob. When he started pulling the door open, my chest tightened up, making it hard to breathe.

  Crap.

  I did not want to know what was on the other side of that door, but of course it was already too late. Nathan swung it open and both of us froze in horror at what was waiting on the other side.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “What is it?” I squeaked, unable to stop gawking at the hideous creature sitting with its back against the wall. Thankfully, it was caged in some kind of makeshift prison and there were thick metal bars separating us.

  “Jesus,” shuddered Nathan. “I have no fucking clue.”

  It was very thin and wore a pair of dark jeans that seemed to hang from its bony hips. I stared at its gaunt face, which looked shrunken and withered past the point of being alive. When it opened its eyes, I felt as if the air was sucked right out of me.

  “Oh, God!” I choked, recognizing the crystal blue eyes. “Ethan?”

  His lips curled up into a grim smile and then his head fell forward as if he’d expended the last of his energy.

  I rushed to the cell and tried desperately to open it. When that didn’t work, I began to shake it in frustration.

  “What the hell are you doing?” barked Nathan, trying to pull me away.

  “It’s Ethan!” I cried. “We have to help him!”

  Nathan turned towards Ethan and scowled. “If it really is that asshole, why should we help him after everything that’s happened?”

  I didn’t care what he’d done at that point. My heart cried out and I wanted nothing more than to save him. “He needs us! Please, we have to help him.”

  Nathan raised his hands in exasperation and moved away from me. “I’m not helping him. In fact, I think he’s well beyond help. I mean, look at him!”

  I turned to look at Ethan and it broke my heart. It looked as if someone had sucked the life right out of him, either a vampire or something far worse. Then it hit me…

  “Faye,” I whispered.

  Ethan opened his eyes, again and blinked quickly, as if trying to
answer my question.

  I reached an arm through the bars. “Ethan,” I cried. “Come here, let me help you!”

  Ethan shook his head and closed his eyes.

  “Are you fucking crazy!” hollered Nathan, pulling me back away from the cell again. “What in the hell are you thinking?”

  “He needs me,” I sobbed. “He’ll die if we don’t do something.”

  “So let him,” snapped Nathan. “You can’t save him, and from what I can see, he needs more than just a little blood to bring his skinny ass back. It would probably kill you to even try.”

  “He’s right,” murmured a smooth voice behind us.

  We both turned to see Drake standing in the doorway, staring at us with his now-familiar cocky, disarming smile.

  “Stay the fuck away from us, vampire,” snapped Nathan, raising his knife.

  Drake sighed in and then walked around Nathan towards the prison cell. “You have nothing to fear from me, mate. I’m here to help Ethan.”

  “Yeah, right,” said Nathan. “It’s kind of a coincidence that you showed up here the same time as us.”

  “I just finished having breakfast,” he replied with a dark smile. “Which is lucky for Ethan, as well as you.”

  “Can you save him?” I asked, wiping the tears from my face.

  Drake tore off the lock without breaking a sweat. “I’m going to bloody well try. This bloke and I have been friends for far too long to just let him dry up into a pile of dust.”

  Ethan opened his eyes and I saw a flicker of amusement in them.

  Drake crouched down next to Ethan and laughed. “Looking pretty rough, mate; not a good look for a randy vampire such as yourself I must say. Remind me to never get on Faye’s bad side. Now, smile and show me some teeth.”

  Ethan opened his mouth and Drake offered him his wrist.

  “You’re just lucky I’m such a good friend. Now, remember to go slow or I’ll have to kick your bloomin’ ass,” he said as Ethan closed his eyes and began to feed.

  Nathan and I watched in stunned silence as Ethan slowly began to change. First his cheeks began to fill out, then his legs and arms; finally his chest and muscles began to take on the shape I’d remembered. When it was over, he lay breathless and pale, as did Drake.

  “Have to refuel,” groaned Drake, as he struggled to get up. He actually looked like he was ready to pass out himself. “Anyone care to volunteer?”

  “I don’t think so, pal,” snapped my brother. “I didn’t sign up to be on anyone’s menu now or in the future.”

  “Such a delightful character,” breathed Drake.

  “Drake, are you going to be okay?” I asked him.

  He staggered over to me and then steadied himself using the wall. “You know,” he murmured, staring down at me. “If Ethan wasn’t so smitten by you,” he teased, “I’d take you away from all of this and make you forget about that bloke.”

  I could tell by the look in his eyes he wasn’t lying, either. My cheeks turned pink.

  “I hope we meet again, under better circumstances,” he said, grabbing my hand. His was so cool, it gave me goose bumps.

  “I agree,” I said as he kissed my knuckles.

  “You saved my life, friend, but that means we’re even and I no longer owe you,” said Ethan, coming up behind me. He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against his body.

  “He’s not very good at saying ‘thank you’,” chuckled Drake with a gleam in his eyes. “Is he?”

  I opened my mouth but couldn’t respond because I was so flustered, especially now that Ethan seemed to be claiming me once again.

  Ethan reached out a hand and gave him a slight shove. “Thanks. Now go and feed before you make yourself more dangerous around Nikki than you already are.”

  “You know me all too well,” said Drake. “Take care of this little lady and stay away from the shape-shifter. Didn’t I warn you about her before?”

  “Yes, I should have listened.”

  Drake turned to my brother and chuckled. “Nice seeing you again, Nate. I hope you get over your attitude. Not all of us are the monsters you may think we are.”

  My brother glared at him. “It’s Nathan.”

  “Nathan,” he said and turned back to me. “Nikki, you’ve got your hands full with these two blokes,” said Drake. “You sure you don’t want to come with me? I’ll be heading back to New York soon. You’d be like… a breath of fresh air.”

  Before I could respond, Ethan cut in. “Goodbye, Drake,” he said.

  Drake laughed and turned to leave. “Try to stay out of trouble, all of you.”

  “Easier said than done,” mumbled Ethan.

  I stepped out of Ethan’s grasp as soon as Drake left and turned on him, my confusion now replaced with anger. “What in the hell is up with you?”

  He stared at me in confusion. “What?”

  Nathan, sensing I was about to explode, backed away towards the door. “I’ll meet you upstairs, Nikk, and you… Fangs,” he said to Ethan. “You hurt my sister, in any way, I’ll skin you alive.”

  Ethan shook his head in exasperation.

  “I’ll be right up, Nathan,” I said.

  “Now, tell me what’s wrong?” asked Ethan once we were alone.

  I scowled. “What’s wrong? Do you even have to ask?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I’ve had a rough night and don’t have time for games. What exactly are you referring to this time?”

  I tapped my foot on the ground, angrily. “Yeah, I know you had a rough night, lover boy. Before you were turned into a…a… mummy, you were worked over by a couple of girls. You don’t recall that?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  I folded my arms under my chest and leaned forward. “Oh, you don’t remember that part of your adventure?”

  He smiled. “Wait a second, where and when did this happen? And I was with two girls, you say?”

  “You were at Club Nightshade,” I snapped. “Just a few hours ago.”

  He chuckled. “Listen, you may have been there, but I certainly wasn’t.”

  “That’s crap. Celeste picked me up at the cabin, brought me to the club, and there you were, getting it on with two dominatrix-type of skanks.”

  He laughed. “Are you serious? Did they whip me?”

  I glared at him. “Not funny.”

  He sighed and then grabbed my shoulders. “Listen to me, I swear to God,” he said, staring into my eyes. “I wasn’t there. I left you at the cabin and came straight here, like I said I would. Unfortunately, Faye was also here and like an idiot, I walked into some kind of trap. The next thing I knew, I was locked inside of that cell, unable to move because she’d somehow drained me of both my blood and energy.”

  “Why would she do that? I thought you were her little ‘boy toy’?”

  He frowned. “Who said that?”

  “Celeste.”

  He dropped his arms and ran a hand over his face. “Okay, fine…we had something a long time ago but it was clearly a mistake. Once I found out how dangerous and twisted Faye was, it drove me away. The only reason I was at the diner with her yesterday was because I knew she was up to something and I wanted to find out exactly what. Then, when you stopped over to our table, I could actually feel her rage. That’s the only reason I blew you off. She’d have killed you if she knew my true feelings.”

  “Well, I felt her true feelings about me. In fact sometimes I can hear her in my head.”

  “You can?” He frowned. “She was probably toying with you. She can connect to anyone she wants and send them messages.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Why in the world would she do that?”

  “Like I said before, she’s twisted and crazy. I guess you could say that she likes to play with her food before she eats it.”

  My jaw dropped. “Are you saying I’m on her menu?”

  “I’m saying that you definitely still need my protection, because she’s obvious
ly after you.”

  “Oh really? Well, you didn’t do so well protecting yourself,” I said.

  His face darkened. “I wasn’t prepared before; this time I am.”

  The image of him with the two girls flashed through my mind, again. “I still don’t understand who was at the club earlier, if it wasn’t you.”

  He shrugged. “I’m sure it was Faye.”

  I didn’t expect that answer. “What?”

  “As I’ve been trying to tell you, she’s a shape-shifter. She can transform into anyone she wants. Obviously, she had Celeste helping her out this time.”

  “Celeste?”

  “Celeste would do anything for Faye. She idolizes her.”

  “This is all so confusing,” I mumbled, feeling slightly dizzy.

  He grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. “The only thing you have to remember is that I love you and there is nobody else,” he murmured into my hair.

  “What about Miranda?” I whispered, catching a trace of his butterscotch scent.

  He stiffened up.

  “Ethan?”

  Sighing, he pulled away and raised my chin. “I love you, Nikki. I realize that you’re not Miranda, nor do I want you to be.”

  “That’s a relief,” I murmured.

  “Now, although I’d love nothing more than to take you up to my bedroom and have my way with you, it’s much too dangerous here.”

  “Which reminds me,” I said. “Where do you think Caleb took my mother?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Your mother is missing?”

  “Yes. I’m sure Caleb took her. He also murdered Sonny, Duncan’s dad.”

  “What about Duncan? Did he get him?”

  I pushed him. “This isn’t a joke. My mom is missing and Sonny’s dead! He was a nice man and Duncan doesn’t deserve any of this!”

  He grabbed me and held me to him. “Calm down. I’ll help you find your mom.”

  “Thank you,” I answered, into his chest. “Now, let’s go.”

  He followed me upstairs to the kitchen.

  “Huh, Nathan must be outside waiting,” I said as we moved through the house.

  “Let me check the rest of the house first,” said Ethan, disappearing.

  Two seconds later he returned wearing a dark pair of sunglasses and new clothes. “He’s definitely not inside. Good news is, I found my other pair of sunglasses.”