by Jessica Snow
A woman’s horror-filled voice cracked through the foyer like a whip. "Liam!"
Liam whipped his head around. His mother, Victoria, stood in the doorway, her gold-specked eyes wide with terror. Then with a low cry, she rushed to her husband’s side, pushing her son off his chest, and cradling the battered patriarch in her arms. "What have you done?"
Liam climbed to his feet and sneered at his parents. "I’ve done this family a favor."
Victoria shook her head in disbelief as she stared down into her husband’s bloodied face. "He’s your father."
“My father who tried to murder me because I wouldn’t marry a degenerate like Crystal. And who may yet have murdered poor Carly. He’s a monster, mother, even worse than Crystal in his own way. To hell with him.” Liam walked over and grabbed his duffel bag. Then he went over and picked the unconscious Carly up off the floor. There was a small pool of blood where Carly had hit her head. Her injuries were serious. It might be days before her regeneration could do its work—if it did.
"He’s not my father anymore," Liam stated coldly. Then he turned and walked out the front door with his burden.
"Liam, come back here at once!" Victoria screamed.
He ignored his mother’s cries and made his way to his vehicle. He was just about to lay the unconscious Carly into the passenger seat when a sporty vehicle screeched into the driveway. The car came close to rear-ending Liam’s Porsche before skidding to a stop.
Zack Lilly, Crystal’s younger brother, jumped out of the car and ran up to Liam, out of breath.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Liam demanded.
Zack glanced at Liam’s healing face, and then at the unconscious Carly before responding. "It’s Crystal. She kidnapped my girlfriend and I have no idea where she took her."
"Sorry, man," replied Liam as he shut the door, "but I have too much on my plate at the moment. I can’t help you right now." He paused and gave Zack a suspicious look. "Why the hell would she kidnap your girlfriend anyway?"
Anger flared briefly in the younger boy’s eyes. "Because of what you did."
Liam let out a heavy sigh. It seemed like his actions were affecting more than just his family. Still, it made no sense that Crystal would steal her brother’s girlfriend to get revenge on Liam. Maybe she was just taking out her anger on the one that was closest to her. Either way, it reminded Liam of the danger his own woman was in. The sooner he got back with Kat and took her to a safe place, the better.
Liam walked over and placed a strong hand on Zack’s shoulder. "Listen, Zack. As you may already know, I’m in deep shit with your family and my own. I’m sorry about what happened to your girlfriend. Really, I am, but I’m sure she will turn back up. Crystal is just pissed off at me and going through one of her rages." Or at least I hope that’s what it is, Liam thought. He released the teen and turned away, intent on getting in his Porsche and leaving.
Zack slowly shook his head. "I don’t think so, Liam. It’s not that simple."
Liam froze in his tracks and turned to face Zack. "Huh?"
Zack’s next words chilled Liam’s blood. "My girlfriend is Kat’s sister."
Chapter 21
What am I doing here? Though her instinct told her to flee the vampire club, something kept Kat rooted in place. She had a strange feeling she might discover something here that would aid her in finding McKenzie.
"May I help you?" a voice asked.
Kat whirled around.
A pale-skinned waitress, baring her midriff in a flimsy black satin outfit, with a spiked choker coiled tightly around her neck, stood staring at her curiously as she held a serving tray of glasses of dark red liquid.
Kat could smell the blood stench emanating from the tray, and it made her stomach curdle. It was bad enough that the vampires supposedly drank human blood, but they even had bottles of the stuff? What the hell was going on in this place? Liam had told her that the vampires were extremely low-key. Having a club filled with blood drinkers mixed with unsuspecting humans didn’t exactly strike Kat as low-key.
Sure you can, she wanted to say to the vampire woman, by getting your skinny blood-sucking ass out of my face. "No, I don’t think so," Kat replied as casually as she could manage. "Just looking around, thank you."
The vampire waitress eyed Kat curiously, looking at her full-figured form and faded second-hand clothing up and down. After a moment, her eyes widened and she took off towards the bar, occasionally casting frightened glances back Kat’s way.
What the hell was that all about? Kat was not sure she wanted to find out. She continued moving through the club, looking for signs of the handsome vampire that had lured the underage girls. There was still no sign. Scanning the room, her eyes fell on a young human girl who was enthralled with and talking to a vampire man.
The girl looked so much like McKenzie that for a second, Kat thought for sure it was her. After a moment of staring, she realized it wasn’t.
But she looks so young, thought Kat. Barely sixteen. I wonder what will happen to her? She wondered what would happen to all the innocent humans in the bar. Liam hadn’t told her what vampires did with their victims after they drank their blood. Did they turn into vampires? Or did something more sinister take place?
Whatever the case, Kat felt honor bound to help the young McKenzie look-alike out of her predicament. How she was going to do that, she had no idea. Pretending to look for somewhere to sit, she walked near the couple, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"My parents would totally kill me if they found out I was in a place like this," the girl was saying.
The vampire chuckled, gifting the girl with a creepy smile. "But they shall never know, dear child." His way of speaking sounded strange to Kat’s ears. She wondered briefly if he was from another country.
Letting out an uneasy giggle, the girl asked, "Why is that?"
His gaze was so intent that it even made Kat squirm. "Because you won’t tell them."
He’s going to kill her! For some reason, the thought filled Kat with panic and she found her body moving forward of its own volition.
"Hey!" the young girl cried sharply when Kat grabbed onto her arm. "What do you think you’re doing?"
Saving you.
The girl struggled in vain against Kat’s bear-like grasp. "Ow! Let go of me, lady! You’re hurting me!"
"You’re coming with me," Kat asserted firmly. "This man...this place is dangerous. And you’re underage and too dumb to know when you’re in trouble. Come on!"
The vampire had gone completely still, his unsettling gaze chilling Kat’s blood. "And how do you think you will walk out of here with that child?"
"Easy," Kat replied. "Like this." She turned and began dragging the girl towards the exit.
"Let me go you crazy bitch!" the girl suddenly yelled, punching Kat in the arm and drawing the attention of several vampires.
Kat resisted the urge to turn around and smack the fool upside the head. Was the girl mad? Had she not seen the guy’s fangs hanging down between his lips? She got halfway to the club door with her captive before their way was blocked by a group of vampires. Kat pushed the girl behind her and glared at them. "Get out of our way."
The vampire that had been talking to the girl stepped in front of the group. "We have a way of dealing with trouble makers like you," he hissed, his eyes blazing with anger.
Shit. Kat could see his fangs peeking out between his blood-red lips. They were sharp and looked like they wanted to be buried into Kat’s flesh.
The vampires began advancing on them both slowly. Kat’s heart began pounding, her palms became sweaty. This was not going over so well. She closed her eyes, concentrating on turning into a bear. Maybe she would be able to turn and swipe their smug heads off. Her eyes popped open a moment later. No such luck.
As before when Liam had told her to shapeshift in the woods, she was unable to bring about the transformation. It seemed to only work when she was in a heightened emotional state, usually
anger. What made it worse was that she should have been very angry right now, but she wasn’t.
Figures I can’t depend on it when I need it, she thought with disgust.
The vampires were just a foot away, their sharp fangs ready for the juicy meal her luscious body would provide. Kat grew tense, preparing to fight for her life and that of the girl behind her. Even though she could not transform into a bear, she still had augmented strength in her human form. Maybe it would be enough to keep the vampires at bay and gain her freedom out of the club.
This was it. She was ready to pounce. She was going to send heads flying, or die trying.
"Enough," ordered a smooth voice suddenly. "Leave her be."
The vampires paused, glancing unsteadily at each other.
"I said enough," the voice repeated, this time more firmly.
Whispering amongst each other while casting hostile glares Kat’s way, the vampires slowly dispersed across the crowded room.
Kat sighed with relief. And then she did a double take. Dressed in dark leather pants that looked tight enough to cut off circulation, a tall and very slender vampire that had a tattoo of an elegant rose etched on his muscular forearm stood there staring at Kat with amusement. He had dark hair, oiled and slicked back, peaked eyebrows, high cheekbones and memorizing sea-blue eyes. Broad shoulders accentuated a slim waist, reminding Kat of a swimmer’s build.
The smooth talker nodded at the girl behind Kat. "I see you’ve taken a hostage."
Kat snorted. "A hostage? I’m just trying to protect this poor girl from you freaks."
The vampire chuckled and then his expression turned solemn. "Look at me," he commanded in a hypnotic voice.
For a moment, Kat was confused, thinking he was speaking to her, but then she saw the girl step forward and stare into the vampire’s eyes.
"You will leave from this establishment," he intoned, his voice sounding like pure silk, "you will call a cab and go home, never to return to a place like this again. Do I make myself clear?"
The teen girl had appeared to have gone into a trance, her facial expression as blank as a piece of paper. "Yes," she droned. "I will never come back here again." The girl then brushed past the vampire and walked like a robot out of the club. No vampires moved to oppose her.
"Holy shit," Kat swore. "What the hell did you just do to that girl?" Kat wanted to follow her and make sure she got home safe, but she was not sure if this new vampire would try to stop her.
The vampire smiled, showing gleaming white teeth absent of fangs. "We have our talents," he replied coyly.
Kat scowled accusingly at him. "’We as in ’we vampires’?’"
For a moment, amusement twinkled in his eyes. "If you choose to call us that." He extended his right hand. "My name is Theon...and you are?"
Her response was terse. "Katerina."
He kept his hand extended, his smile charmingly inviting. "It’s a pleasure to meet you...Katerina."
Kat glared suspiciously at him. "Charmed, I’m sure," she replied sarcastically. She did not want to shake his hand. Who knew what tricks he had up his sleeve?
Theon threw back his head and laughed. "Don’t worry, I don’t bite...at least not for now."
Kat stared at his hand for a moment, noting how intricate the rose tattoo on his forearm looked and how delicate his fingers were. After a long pause, she grabbed it, gave it a quick shake and then stepped back. His flesh felt firm and very cool.
Theon’s smooth lips spread into a wide grin. "Let’s move over to my table so we can stop standing in the middle of the floor like fools, shall we?" Not giving her a chance to respond, he turned and began walking towards the seating area.
Kat stared at his back. Every bone in her body told her she should flee, but then Crystal’s words came back to her.
If you ever want to see your little sister again, ditch the traitor and surrender yourself. You have twenty-four hours before she becomes a personal blood bank to the dark ones.
Crystal had said she had twenty-four hours to turn herself in, but turn herself in for what? Wolf justice? Would a pack of wolves surround Kat and tear her apart for daring to mate with one of their number, a sexy alpha male, no less? Kat wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it would not be good for her.
If she had twenty-four hours, maybe she could warn the vampires of Crystal’s intentions and they could help her track down the jealous wolf bitch before she put her diabolical plans into motion.
But didn’t Liam say that all vampires were evil creatures bred from demons? How could I ever trust them?
The truth was; she needed Liam, needed his counsel. If she had not let anger take over her mind when she had found the kidnap letter, she would have probably gone to him for help with finding his psycho-ex.
Debating her dilemma, Kat’s eyes tracked Theon. He had crossed over to a darker section of the club and was sitting down at a circular table that was covered with a red cloth and had several empty glasses waiting to be filled.
"Oh, what the hell," she muttered finally with a sigh.
She took off for his table, being careful not to bump into any vampires. Theon nodded for her to have a seat when she reached his table. She slowly sunk down into the booth. Surprisingly, the cushions felt nice and plush.
The vampire waitress that had confronted Kat earlier came sauntering up to their table as soon as Kat was settled in. She tossed Kat a quick glance before bending forward seductively and pouring dark, thick liquid into Theon’s glass.
"Care for a drink?" Theon asked Kat Coolly, his eyes on the blood.
Kat shook her head. "No thanks, I like keeping my food inside of my stomach." Kat’s stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in a while.
Shut the hell up!
She was sure the sound was heard by the waitress and Theon, but neither looked bothered one bit by Kat’s rude belly.
Theon chuckled and then nodded at the serving girl who took off for the bar after throwing Kat one last curious glance.
He quirked a fine eyebrow and said, "You don’t trust easily...which is a good thing.... but it was only wine."
"Please excuse me for my skepticism," Kat replied tartly. She pointed at his glass. “Wine doesn’t usually smell like a fucking slaughterhouse. Don’t lie to me again. I’ve heard a lot about your kind...and trust me, none of it was good.”
Theon picked up the glass, took several sips and then sat back in his seat. "From the lips of a wolf no doubt."
Kat froze. How did he know that?
Then, as if reading her mind, he said, "Not many humans know the truth of our existence, so it is not such a giant leap to guess at your source of information." He bent forward, staring at her intently. "But then again...you are no human."
Kat opened her mouth to protest. "But—"
"Normally, your kind would be turned away at the door. We don’t mingle with...outsiders. And the fact that you were able to get past security intrigues me." He cocked his head to the side, eyeing her like she was a zoo animal. "Tell me.... what kind of shapeshifter are you?"
Did Kat have anything to gain by telling this creature what she was? Being a new to the whole experience, she hardly knew what she was. But was there any point in lying? The vampire obviously recognized that she was not human.
"I am a werebear," she said at last.
For a moment, Kat thought Theon had turned into a statue.
"Impossible," he whispered, his eyes wide. "Your kind was supposed to have gone extinct centuries ago."
"Well, apparently, we didn’t."
Theon sat back in his seat, shaking his head. "Of all people, I should know. I led death squads against your kind."
Suddenly, anger gripped Kat’s chest. Though she had never known another werebear besides her father, the thought of her kind being slaughtered by vampires made her very angry. "How dare you! You have the nerve to sit here and offer me a drink when you slaughtered my people—" She froze as a sudden realization hit her in the face
like a cup of ice water. "You said centuries ago," Kat whispered, her eyes wide. "How could you lead something that happened centuries—"
Theon clucked his tongue. "Your wolf must have left out parts of our history. He did not explain to you that some of us supernaturals are...immortal."
Kat’s breath caught in her throat. "What? How is that even possible? Wait—how old are you?" Theon looked no older than twenty-four years of age.
The vampire’s face split into a wide grin. "Over five-hundred years old."
This cannot be.
Yet it had to be. Before finding out she was a werebear, Kat would have never believed demons, vampires, wolves, and witches existed. She would have told anyone who believed such a thing that they were off their rockers. But now her eyes were open to this dark and mysterious world that truly frightened and excited her all at once.
Theon continued, his eyes distant. "Your kind was one of our fiercest enemies, without fear and incredibly powerful. With one swipe, werebears could send a vampire’s head flying. Of all the shifter races, the werebears were the only ones who truly threatened the existence of us vampires. The ruling council could not and would not allow their existence. As leader of my order, I was forced to deal death and destruction until every bear had been exterminated."
It was hard for Kat to sit there and listen to it all. To know that her people had been killed by the creature that sat across from her. Though she had never known those bears that lived centuries ago, she felt a strange bond with them.
"So, you were the leader of your order? What order? Order of evil blood-sucking leeches?" Kat flinched slightly as the angry words left her mouth, half-expecting Theon to strike out.
