Illusions (Night Roamers) Book Four (11 page)

Nikki

I left Faye and rushed back to Victor’s cabin. When I arrived, Nathan
had left with the car. I pulled out my phone and tried calling and texting him, but received no response. I then went back outside and checked on Drake’s body, which was still lying headless in the snow. Staring down at his corpse, I wondered what he’d meant exactly by “things not being what they seemed.” Of course, he was murdered before he could elaborate.

J
ust my luck.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been about to tell us.

Was it about Faye? Or my mother?
I wondered.

Frustrated, I
flew back to Duncan’s house and then the marina. Unfortunately, they were both quiet. Thinking that Nathan may have gone to search for me at Club Nightshade, I decided to head over there.

***

The club wasn’t far from the marina, so I flew and landed in the alley. I then hurried around the building, next to the parking lot, and began searching for his car. When I found the Mustang, I heaved a sigh of relief. Being twins certainly had an advantage – I could almost always predict his moves.

I
quickly ran through the snow and met my first roadblock – the bouncer at the door.

“You got I.D.?”
he asked. He was a large, muscular guy with darker skin. His nametag read Honi.

I gave him my friendliest smile
. “I’m just looking for my brother. I’m not here to drink alcohol or anything.”

He
smiled back. “You still need to be twenty-one to get in, honey.”

“I am twenty-one,” I lied, staring into his eyes. “You’ve already seen my I.D.”

His pupils dilated. “I’ve seen your I.D. You may enter.”

I stepped away from him and turned to go down the hallway leading to the club, when the woman behind the counter called for me. “You need to pay to get in,”
she explained.

Sighing,
I turned around and walked back to her. Then, because I was broke, I charmed her into letting me in.

“Have fun,” she answered, closing her register.

“Thanks,” I answered, stepping into the main part of the club. As usual, the place was packed with guests drinking, dancing, and groping each other.

“
You looking for someone, too?” asked a voice behind me.

I turned to find another Roamer staring
down at me. He had dark hair, even darker eyes, and his face, although handsome, was painfully gaunt. As if he hadn’t fed for a while.

“Um, yeah,” I replied without elaborating.

His eyes scanned the crowd. “Tell me, when did this open up?”

“End
of the summer.”

He turned back to me. “You’re not from around here, are you? Not originally.”

“Are you?” I asked, not answering.

“I’ve lived here. I haven’t been back for a few months
, however.”

“Are you here to feed?” I asked, watching his face as he stared at the undulating bodies on the dance floor
. I could tell from his expression that he was struggling with his hunger.

“Eventually,” he replied, smiling grimly. “Right now, however, I’m trying to locate someone. As are you, obviously.”

“Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help you. I know most of the people in this town.”

“My sister. Celeste.”

I stared at him in shock. “Celeste? I didn’t know she had a brother.”

“I’m
Martin,” he replied, holding out his hand. “And you are…?”

“My name is Nikki,” I replied, watching for a reaction as I shook his
hand, which was much cooler than mine.

His face lit up. “Ah… Nikki. I should have guessed. My father me
ntioned that you were quite attractive. He always did have good taste.”

I gave him a guarded smile. He seemed nice, but that meant nothing
. “Well, thank you.”

“I didn’t
realize that you’d been turned. Caleb was trying to protect you from that. That’s what he told me, at least.”

“
Caleb. He actually was, I think. I… I … assume that you’ve heard what happened.”

“Yes. It’s
why I’m here,” he replied, lowering his voice. “A friend tipped me off.”

“Are you here to avenge your father’s
death?” I asked, hoping that he might actually be an ally.

Before he could answer, someone began to scream. As I turned to look at what was happening, Martin grabbed my arm, and pulled me
toward the shadows. “There are lycan in this place,” he hissed. “I smell it.”

There was a loud roar from the top of the staircase and I watched in shock as one of the large creatures
raced down to the main floor, its muzzle and brown fur covered in blood. It then ran past us toward the exit, turned the corner, and disappeared out of sight.

Martin released my arm
. “Looks like a lot of blood. Someone’s been hurt, obviously.”

“Looks that way
,” I replied, moving away from him toward the hallway. There was a loud growl and then the sound of glass breaking near the entrance. When I reached Honi, he was staring after the creature as it tore off through the snow, looking stunned.

“You okay?” I asked
, touching his arm.

He looked at me and then back at the broken glass entrance.
“What in the hell was that thing?”

“I
… I don’t know,” I lied, as Martin joined us. “A wolf?”

“A wolf? That thing didn’t look like any wolf I’ve ever seen on the Discovery
Channel. Maybe it was some kind of Bigfoot?”

“It could have
just been disfigured,” said Martin. “I’m sure it was a wolf, though. A very big one.”

Honi still didn’t look convinced. “Wolf or not
, someone is hurt in the club. There was a lot of blood on its snout.” He turned to the woman behind the counter, who was also staring at the broken doorway in bewilderment. “Call the police!”

She nodded
, just as a crowd of customers began to pile out of the club, many of them looking frightened.

“Everyone, just calm down!” hollered Honi, as
some of them began to push at each other. “And watch out for that broken glass!”

Remembering the blood on the
lycan’s fur, I pushed my way through the crowd, back into the club, and headed toward the staircase.

“Wait, there could be more,” said Martin, catching up to me. “Let me go first.”

“Fine by me. Go for it.”

He took the stairs
, two at a time, and I followed him toward the hallway leading to Faye’s office. When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the massive amount of blood on the walls and carpeting.

“Celeste!” ga
sped Martin, rushing over to her crumpled form. He got down on his knees and stared down at her in horror. Her throat was ripped open and she didn’t appear to be breathing.

“
Martin, I’m sure she’ll be okay,” I answered, noticing that her chest was intact, as well as her brain. I touched his shoulder. “They’ve done worse to her and she’s pulled through.”

Our eyes met.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “This isn’t the first time those bastards hurt her?”

I sighed. “
There is this lycan – his name is Victor. He attacked her a few weeks ago, much worse than this, and she survived.”

“Victor?”

I nodded. “Yes and it looks like he may have sent someone else to finish the job.”

“She needs to feed,” he replied, picking her up. “And I need to get her out of here. The cops will arrive shortly. I suggest you come with us.”

“No, I’ve got to find my brother.”

He
nodded. “I understand,” he replied. “Well, good luck finding him. I’m sure we’ll meet again.” 

“I’m sure,” I replied.

He stuck his head out of the office and disappeared before I could blink, with Celeste in his arms.

I was surprised about Martin.
Caleb and Celeste had never mentioned a word, nor did my mom. Obviously, more secrets. I wondered how much Martin knew about Victor and who’d contacted him. As I thought about this, something caught my eye next to Faye’s desk. I stepped closer and my heart sank as I recognized Nathan’s clothing from earlier. They were ripped to shreds, but no blood.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Looking around further, I also found his gun and cell phone on the carpeting. I grabbed the small garbage can, shoved everything into it, and then took off.

Nathan

Holy crap – I’m a
lycan!

Nathan
’s heart and mind were racing as he sprinted through the snow, the taste of Celeste’s blood still on his tongue. He had to admit – the idea of what he’d just done was slightly revolting, but her blood had made him feel invincible.

Sirens in the distance spurred him forward
through the empty streets as his mind tried to wrap around what had just happened. How he’d been getting attacked by Celeste and then had turned the tables on her. Although she deserved it, part of him was still horrified that he’d ripped out the throat of someone he’d once kissed in the same spot. Someone he’d actually started to grow fond of. But, she’d tried to kill everyone in his family, which made the idea easier to swallow. He supposed that if anyone deserved to die, it was her.

Lycan
. Lycan. I’m a fucking lycan
!

The words repeated themselves
in his mind as he caught his reflection in one of the storefront windows. He didn’t know whether to be horror-struck or thrilled. One thing was for certain – he’d never felt better, stronger, or faster.

Move over
, Wolverine, there’s a new dog on the block!

On four legs, h
e turned down a street corner and ran toward Duncan’s house to find cover. When he arrived, he could tell that the place was still empty. No Duncan or Nikki. Frustrated, he paced around the outside of the house, unsure of how to transform back into his human shape. As he moved by the garage, he smelled something that made his stomach growl. Something mouthwatering that drew his attention. It wasn’t until he saw the rabbit hopping away that he realized where the delicious smell had resonated from. Licking his chops, he leaped toward the small animal, and in less than thirty seconds, devoured almost everything, including its fur and bones. When he’d finished, he felt sated and exhausted. Thirsty, he licked some of the new fallen snow, and then went back behind the tool shed and curled up. Within seconds, he was asleep.

***

Nathan woke
up several minutes later, to the sound of his sister’s voice.

“Wake up,” she
repeated, loudly.

Shivering
and slightly disoriented, he opened his eyes. “Nikki?”

“
Thank goodness for you it is. Meet me in the house. And, you might want to wash up.”

He sat up, grateful for the blanket she’d given him, and pulled it in closer.
Then, he stared down at his hands, which were red with dried blood. He shuddered.

Shit.

I’m a lycan,
he thought, this time in dismay. Shivering, he stood up and headed for the house.