The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3

by Jessica Gleave

  “They mean well.”

  Morgana giggled.

  The purity of her emotional response overwhelmed him. He turned toward her, and they held each other’s gaze for the rest of the elevator ride. He fought the urge to lose himself in the depths of her deep brown eyes. She wasn’t to be trusted, his mind said, but his heart had other plans.

  The ding announcing the elevator doors were opening echoed somewhere in the recesses of his mind. It took all of Gareth’s strength to pull away from her gaze. Yet, he still couldn’t shake the irking suspicion she knew something she wasn’t saying about the attacks in the woods. He had to know if the Van Wildens were involved and the reason why Morgana was following him.

  They exited the apartment building, walking slowly toward Morgana’s car. The instinctive desire to reach for her hand bothered him. Instead, he shoved his fists into his pockets.

  Morgana seemed to be struggling a bit as well, and a flush crept over her cheeks upon realizing she had led him to the wrong side of the car. “I’m still getting used to the different driving sides.”

  His eyes watched the movement of blood, and it spurned his desire more. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to get dinner sometime?” he asked, blocking her path. He had thought this would be the perfect opportunity to question her one on one, but clearly, he was going to need more time and focus.

  “Sure,” she replied, quickly slipping through the small space between him and the adjacent vehicle. Her hair brushed his cheek. He could have blamed her tea tree shampoo for the tingle he felt—the scent overwhelmed his sinuses most pleasantly—but this was something more. So much more, the last time he’d felt anything even remotely similar was a lifetime ago. Morgana was bringing that side of him out in this moment, and at this point in his guarded, quiet life she was pushing him beyond the brink of restraint.

  “How about Friday, say about eight o’clock?” she asked, snapping him out of his trance.

  He had no recollection of following her to the other side of the vehicle, but there they stood, face to face. Gareth nodded. “Friday is good.” He leaned forward, now was his chance. Despite the conflicting suspicions, he had wanted to kiss her all night. He stiffened, but not because of Morgana. He sensed the presence of a nearby vampire, and it wasn’t Alastor. This was a stranger.

  Morgana stiffened as well.

  They both glanced in the same direction, but now Gareth was watching Morgana. Could she sense the vampire’s presence as well?

  “It might be best if you head back indoors,” she said, a not-so-thinly-veiled warning. “I should be getting home.” She bumped his hand in her haste to close the door.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  Gareth feared for her safety. He felt a sudden need to protect her from any danger. Strange how he would think like this when only earlier in the night, he had viewed her as a potential enemy and considered taking her blood. Her worried response to the vampire presence was tipping the scales in his mind. She had seemed just as surprised and concerned as he was.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he said.

  “Goodnight,” she mouthed from behind the glass window, then drove away.

  He watched her go until she was out of sight. The vampire had not come any closer. He raced back inside, hoping the strange vampire wouldn’t be able to enter the building at all. He needed to warn Alastor and Ava of this new possible threat. Could this be one of the new vampires attacking in the woods? It was one thing for them to hunt in the woods for prey, but another for them to come into town.

  He found both Ava and Alastor in the kitchen, cleaning. Gareth shook his head in wonder. It was still strange to see Alastor doing domestic chores. He had changed so much during his time with Ava, which was saying a lot given how long Gareth had known him. Alastor would do anything for her. He’d even accepted the fact she didn’t want to become a vampire—yet, at least. She wanted a successful career first. The humans nowadays are all career-driven. It was such a different world from when he had been human. But there were more important things to deal with than domestic duties. Gareth requested their attention and warned them about the new vampire presence he had sensed outside.

  “Are ye sure ye just weren’t sensin’ Morgana for the first time?” Alastor asked while wiping a plate.

  Gareth rolled his eyes. “After the smell of her blood subsided, I felt the strange presence.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised ye didn’t notice, mate. Ye were so besotted by Morgana the whole night. She has got to be a vampire.”

  Gareth shook his head dismissively. “She was our guest. I was just getting to know her. I still think Morgana is human. She has a beating heart.” He rushed on before Alastor could protest. “She does also appear to have some vampire qualities. I agree with that. Could you smell her blood? Quite a powerful scent.”

  “Aye, I could. Jaysus, it was makin’ me hungry.” He rubbed his chin. “But I could also sense she was a vampire. I sensed it at the campaign rally. Ye know what I think? She’s a half-breed… half-human, half-vampire.”

  “But how can that be?” Ava interjected. “I’d assumed the mother had her before she was turned. How can she be half-vampire? I thought vampires couldn’t procreate?”

  Alastor regretted stepping into this one again, but he knew it was coming. Ava was career-driven, there was no doubt about it. Children were the last thing she wanted right now. She had still wanted to have a family later in life after she became a successful journalist, though. But to Alastor’s knowledge, the opportunity to have children would never happen with him. The issue had nearly driven Alastor and Ava apart, but their love had held strong.

  Alastor shrugged. “I don’t know how that could be, love.” The hope in Ava’s eyes made him feel terrible.

  Ava looked to Gareth for an answer.

  Gareth rubbed his chin. “How they could have conceived a child has been going through my mind ever since I first laid eyes on Morgana. I can’t explain it either.”

  “Well, it’s something we’ll have to find out.” Ava struggled to contain her excited curiosity. Her eyes took on a faraway look.

  Both Alastor and Gareth shared a look. If there were an answer to this question, Ava would likely find it, which didn’t sit well with either of them.

  “I’m thinkin’ we should leave the investigatin’ to Gareth, love, especially with an unknown vampire lurkin’ about. ‘Sides, if there’s any one goin’ to find out the truth about Morgana, it’s goin’ to be Gareth.” Alastor clapped Gareth playfully on the bac, and gave Ava a mischievous grin and wink.

  Gareth grunted. "It's not like that.”

  Alastor and Ava both made a goofy face and gave a patronizing nod.

  “We believe you,” Ava said with a chuckle.

  Gareth waved them off, grabbed a blood bag from the fridge, and headed for the living room.

  Chapter Nine

  Morgana drove away from Ava’s apartment block. She could see Gareth in her rearview mirror becoming smaller. His eyebrows furrowed, and he stayed watching her until she turned the corner. Warmth spread through her at his concern for her well-being.

  But he needn’t have worried. The presence of the other vampire was also fading the further she drove. The strangest thing about the mysterious vampire’s presence was she was sure she had felt the same energy before at the campaign rally. So why was the vampire now outside Ava’s apartment building? Was he there to meet Gareth? She would have to go back and scout the area, try to find some answers.

  Meanwhile, she couldn’t help wondering if Gareth had been about to kiss her. It seemed so. He’d also seemed very suspicious of her during dinner, so she wondered what was causing the extreme currents in his emotional responses. Although, she was feeling much of the same. Shrugging the thoughts aside, she reminded herself she was there to do a job, and there was no time to entertain her raging hormones.

  Arriving home, she parked her car in the garage, then raced inside to change into more suitable spy clothing
. Morgana grabbed two stakes from the weapons room—always good to be prepared, just in case. She liked to gather all the information she could and analyze the situation before taking any sort of action. But if needed, she would fight.

  Her parents were asleep upstairs. She wasn’t about to wake them. It was going to be a quick scouting trip. She’d share her findings with them in the morning.

  Morgana ran swiftly back to Ava’s apartment building. It felt good to run, stretching her legs like a gazelle in motion on the grassy plains of Tanzania.

  At the spot where her car had been parked, she picked up the vampire’s scent straight away. Her and Gareth’s scents still lingered as well. She smiled to herself but quickly shook the thoughts away. Thinking of Gareth made her too scattered. She had to concentrate. She was on a mission. Not here to fall in love.

  Morgana tracked the strange vampire’s scent, following it toward the forest. Gareth had not followed. If the vampire were there to meet with Gareth, surely, he would have followed? The longer Morgana spent thinking about it, the more it seemed Gareth was innocent. What seemed more highly likely was the forest vampires were the ones sending scouts into town.

  But what are they looking for? Were they searching for a new food supply? Vampires are greedy. Hence, the reason for The Council—the reason for her job. Vampires couldn’t be allowed to feed uncontrollably without cause. The entire human species would end up in jeopardy. Her family had been summoned to this town to assess the situation and determine any necessary actions to take. Unfortunately, the trail went cold a few feet into the forest. The vampire could have climbed through the trees to be untraceable. If this is a new clan, they must be led by a vampire who’s a lot older. The stranger from the campaign rally, perhaps? Or someone else? Whatever the case, it was a smart move. If these are new vampires, they likely don’t know of the existence of Morgana and The Council. This could give her an advantage. They may be aware of Gareth and Alastor, though. The stranger was spying on Ava’s apartment. Morgana searched a bit further, trying to pick up the trail again. She doubled back, leading her to the outside of the apartment block.

  She crouched down and grabbed a handful of dirt, letting it fall through her fingers. Glancing down, she spotted two faint footprints. The vampire had stood in the shadows watching for a while. Did the presence of the Daywalkers threaten this forest residing clan? Did they wish to recruit Gareth and Alastor into their coven?

  Morgana dusted the remaining dirt off her hands. She wasn’t going to find the answers tonight. She would have to come back in the morning when she was better equipped. The trail had gone cold and wandering deeper into the forest could result in stumbling upon a trap or an ambush, and she wasn’t going to let that happen to her.

  Chapter Ten

  The shrill of her cell phone ringing woke Morgana. She blinked wearily. Returning so late after her second long-night trekking through the woods left her feeling like she’d only just barely fallen asleep. She groaned. Who would be calling at this time of the morning? She glanced toward the side of the bed. Her alarm clock read ten o’clock. She must have overslept. Picking up her phone from the nightstand, she saw Gareth’s name flashing on the screen. She pressed the answer icon. “Hello, Gareth.” She couldn’t hide the smile from her voice.

  “Hi, Morgana.” His voice was low and steady.

  Her heart fluttered when he said her name.

  “I made reservations for us.” He spoke in a hurry, “At Tessandra’s at eight like we planned?”

  “Yes, sounds perfect.” Her voice seemed breathless even to her.

  “Shall I pick you up?”

  “I have to stop by the campaign office on the way, so let’s just meet at the restaurant.” Really, though, the Van Wildens preferred to keep the location of their home private, especially from vampires they were investigating.

  “Great, I’ll see you there.”

  “See you there.” Morgana pressed end, smiling to herself. She’d be seeing him—or rather spying on him—much sooner than eight o’clock. She rose from the bed, anxious to begin her day of spying, though she doubted the result would be much different than the day before.

  ***

  Much to her surprise, Friday had come around all too soon, and Morgana found herself looking forward to it. After spending the last few days trailing Gareth and Alastor, she had wanted to talk to Gareth again, though she hadn’t seen either of them do anything suspicious.

  During this time, there had been no more attacks on humans in the forest. The stupid hunters believed they’d scared all the bears away, but they could not help themselves and continued going out in large groups, attempting to hunt them down. Gareth and Alastor had kept a reasonable distance from the chaotic activity in the forest. They may have suspected she was following them, but they didn’t seem to give it away. A hunting vampire wouldn’t go this long without feeding on a human. No, it was looking more and more like it was an isolated clan of vampires in the forest.

  The Council was happy with the reports she was providing them. They too seemed to think it was likely an isolated clan in the woods. They’d seen it all before—the same patterns of attacking and feeding. Oscar had wanted to examine the bodies from the latest attacks, but it was impossible without upsetting the families or raising suspicions. By the time they had arrived, most of the bodies had been returned to their families and buried. Because there were no new attacks since their arrival, there was no way of knowing for sure.

  ***

  At about seven o’clock, she stood in front of her mirror, trying on different clothes to wear. She held up a purple jacquard, strapless dress, pulling it around her torso. She heard her mother approaching as her presence overwhelmed the room.

  “That dress looks lovely on you, dear. Purple has always been your color.”

  Morgana decided to wear the dress. No harm in looking gorgeous.

  “What time is your date?” Vivienne asked, obviously trying to keep her tone light.

  Morgana shook her head. Vivienne knew what time it was—she just liked to mention it was a date every chance she could get. “At eight. But it’s not a date. It’s a recon mission.”

  “Whatever you say, dear.” Vivienne left the room.

  Morgana rolled her eyes, then pulled her strapless, push-up bra from a drawer. No harm in giving herself a bit of plunging cleavage as well. Even if it were a recon mission, she rarely got the opportunity to dress up and was going to enjoy herself as much as possible.

  ***

  Gareth waited in the restaurant at the table where the hostess had seated him. He was early, but he had planned to be, so he could watch Morgana when she arrived and concentrate on recognizing and isolating her presence. She was still spying on him. He hated to admit it, but he found he liked having her around. Nevertheless, he still needed to know what she was, and if she and her parents were involved in the attacks on the hunters in the forest.

  He shifted in his seat as the familiar scent of Morgana’s sweet blood wafted toward him. It was like her personal perfume. His eyes finally spotted her entering the restaurant. Her presence became stronger as she walked toward him. She looked stunning dressed in a deep purple strapless dress. Her long, dark brown hair held a stronger curl than on dinner night at Ava’s—more formal, but still fell softly around her shoulders. Her long, dark, thick eyelashes framed deep, soul-baring eyes that conflicted with her childlike, youthful complexion. Everyone in the restaurant may as well have disappeared. During an insightful moment of tunnel vision, Gareth realized he was staring at a wise, experienced woman trapped in the body of a college sophomore. His heart leaped into his throat, and he could barely stand to greet her.

  “Hello,” she said softly as she approached the table.

  He pulled her chair out. Her warm body was so close to his, and she held his gaze. He gulped. This was not going to be easy. Whatever this intoxicating madness was when he was near her, he had to stop letting it cloud his judgment.

  Morgana sm
iled and thanked him for the gesture.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked, waving their server over. “Can we get a bottle of champagne?”

  “Certainly, sir,” replied the server.

  “So how has the rest of your week been?” Gareth asked Morgana.

  “It’s been crazy at the campaign office, but I think we’re really exciting the voters,” she replied.

  Gareth nodded. Her lie was smooth. Seeing as he was going to be volunteering there as well, he might as well play along with the charade.

  “How’s Oscar doing in the polls?”

  “Good, good. He was up another point today, so he’s pulling away from Mayor Coleman for the lead.”

  “When I first heard your father was running for mayor, I thought he’d never last.”

  “We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy run. But when he sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him. He’s worked hard at crafting policies the locals can relate to.”

  The waiter appeared with their sparkling wine and poured them both a drink. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.

  Gareth waved him away impatiently. The more Morgana talked, the more fascinated he became. He wanted to know everything about her.

  The waiter promised to return shortly, though it was accompanied with a huff and came across as more of a threat.

  “So, what role do you play in the campaign?” Gareth continued, completely oblivious to the waiter’s frustration.

  “I’m an office intern, more or less. I take care of the direct-mail campaigns, put up lawn signs and posters around town, and a bunch of other boring things.”

  “I suspect that’s a gross misuse of your abilities,” Gareth mumbled under his breath.

  Morgana smiled. “The waiter is stalking us. I guess we better take a look at our menus.”

  “Oh, yes.” Gareth opened his menu and pretended to scan the options.