Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three (17 page)

“
Tell me, how did you guys get separated from Nikki in the first place?”

Duncan explained how they’d been watching her in the casino.

“Then Ethan suddenly decided he needed to feed and couldn’t wait any longer. Since there is no arguing with Ethan, I stayed back and watched Nikki while he went off to go search for blood. He came back after a while, telling me that he’d lined us up with this stripper. Apparently there’s a strip joint that caters to more than just horny guys looking for naked chicks.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you bring in some cash, ask to see Sam, or something, and you get more than just a lap dance.”

“
Hmm,” he grunted.

“I thought i
t sounded too good to be true, but much better than the other alternatives. So, I switched spots with Ethan, but when I went to look for this stripper at the club supposedly waiting for me, she’d disappeared. Then, when I went back to tell Ethan about it, he’d disappeared, and so had Nikki.”

Max sighed.
“Taken, you mean.”

“Yeah, they’d
obviously taken her by then.”

“
What about Ethan, did he come back at all?”

“
Oh yeah. He showed up right after. I guess he’d followed a woman into the bar, convinced she was someone named Miranda.”

“
So, they managed to snatch her while both of you were gone.”

“Yes.”

“Both setups, I’m sure.”

“Even the donor?”

“Definitely. What better way to lure a vampire than something like that?”

“Damn.”

“So, you found Ethan in the bar?”

“No,
he came back into the casino. I just said that.”

“
Sorry,” he smiled. “Just making sure there aren’t any holes in your story.”

“I suppose,” replied Duncan, putting his hands in his pockets.

So, you didn’t get a look at the woman he thought was Miranda?”

“No.”

“Do you trust Ethan?’

Duncan smiled grimly.
“Not one bit.”

“Are those two a couple?” asked Max.

“Only because he’s brainwashed her.”

Max smiled.
“You have feelings for her, don’t you?”

“You could say that
.”

“Why is it the
se days that the asshole always gets the girl?” muttered Max, shaking his head. “They must have some kind of magnetic pull or something. Doesn’t seem to matter the species of asshole, either.”

“
Ethan doesn’t deserve her. He never did.”

“Well then it’s up to you to convince her of that,” replied Max.

“I’ve tried.”

“Try harder.”

Duncan sighed.

“Look, it sounds like this Ethan character is on his own agenda. That’s actually in your favor.”

“He’s a selfish bastard. He even left me alone with Rena to face those Lycans before you arrived. Didn’t lift a finger to help.”

Max’s face darkened. “
He just took off?”

“Yeah.
Like I said, selfish bastard.”

“
Duncan, let’s go find your girl before Ethan stumbles upon her and looks like a hero.”

“
Thanks, Max. I appreciate your help.”

“
Don’t thank me yet. These guys are dangerous, and right now, the odds are not in our favor.”

“Maybe not, but I’m not giving up until I find her.
”

Max was impressed with the young man’s passion for finding the girl he loved, even though the chances were slim that she was still alive.
“Look, my insider told me where they were keeping her, and unfortunately, I’ve already checked the house, but it was deserted.”

“Maybe she got away?”

“Hopefully. But with that group, I find it highly unlikely.”

“So what do we do?”

“We check it out one more time, and scour the desert. You take the sky and I’ll take the ground. We’ll meet back at the strip joint you dropped Rena off at by morning light, with or without Nikki. Then, we’ll just have to go from there.”

“Okay.”

“Godspeed,” said Max, his face already beginning to sprout fur.

“
What you said,” replied Duncan, shooting up into the darkness.

Nathan

“Are you okay?” asked Celeste, nibbling on his ear.

In response, he turned his head and vomited.

Celeste
quickly rolled away from him. “Yikes.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s normal, by the way. Your body is getting rid of any toxins left over from your mortal body.”

He wiped his mouth. “Great.”

The truth was, he felt pretty good. The round of mind-blowing sex with Celeste had not only lifted his spirits, but it had also raised his adrenaline.

“We should get dressed,” she said, pulling her tank top back over her head.

He stood up and pulled his boxers on. “So, am I one of you now?”

She stared at him for a few minutes and then sighed
. “Oh, Nathan. I just… I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?”

“I’ve had a change of heart. Look, I just couldn’t go through with it completely. I mean, I started to… but then…”

He stopped. “What do you mean, you couldn’t do it?! We just
did
it, didn’t we?”

She pulled her panties up over her
thighs. “We had sex, but we didn’t bond.”

“I thought we bond
ed really fucking good,” he muttered angrily.

She smirked. “
No, what I mean is that I didn’t bite you.”

“You could have bitten me
if you wanted to. I don’t mind a little kinky stuff.”

“
As I was saying,” she said irritably, “I didn’t inject you with anything, which means you’re still mostly human. It takes three injections all together and you’ve only had two.”

He wiggled his eyebrows.
“I thought I was supposed to do the injecting?”

She
snorted. “You just don’t quit with the lame jokes, do you?”

“
Lame? Hey, what about the vomiting, thing? You said my body was getting rid of toxins.”

“
Like I said, I started and then changed my mind. It made you a little sick, obviously.”

“
So, what was this all about?” he said, pulling on his jeans. “I thought you were going to make me into a vampire. To help save Nikki?”

She
wiggled into her skirt. “Well,” she said, turning towards him, “there’s a little something that I forgot to mention.”

“What?”

“I don’t actually
want
you to find her.”

He stared at her in shock.
“What?”

She ran
her fingers through her curls, fluffing them around her shoulders. “You heard me. I don’t want you to find Nikki.” She sniffed. “For all I care, she can rot in hell.”

His jaw dropped.
“What? I don’t understand.” 

“
God, she’s such a whiny little bitch, always nagging at everyone.” She raised her voice, mimicking Nikki: “Celeste is a vampire, Ethan makes me do things I don’t want to do, Duncan is missing, we have to look for him.” She snorted. “She has all of you wrapped around her little finger, including my dad because of your mother. Well, fuck her. I hope those Lycans tear out her annoying little throat.”

“Celeste!”

She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin. “I’ve come to realize that you and your mother need to go as well. With all three of you out of the picture, my dad will have more time to help me with
my
mission. I need his support now more than ever.”

“Your
mission?”

“Yes. Well, mostly Victor’s, but he said he’d take care of me when the time came. He’s going to rule the world, someday
, you know?” She sighed dreamily. “And I’m going to be at his side, enjoying every minute of it.”

“You’re crazy.”

Her eyes narrowed. “The only thing crazy around here is the fact that Roamers are forced to hide, when we should be treated like gods. You mortals should be bowing down to us, showing the respect we deserve.”

“Respect? For being a killer?”

“We’re all killers, Nathan. Roamers and Lycans are just higher up on the food chain.”

“
Listen to me, don’t you
dare
harm my mother,” threatened Nathan. “Or I will bury you myself.”

She opened her mouth and bared her fangs. “Are you so sure about that?”

He took a step back. “Stay away from me.”

She licked her lips and nodded. “Now, d
on’t you worry about a thing, Nathan. Because I really do like you, I’ll make both of your deaths quick and uneventful.” She giggled. “Kind of like the sex we just had.”

“You
are
truly an evil bitch.”

She smirked
. “You have no idea.”

***

Max

He smelled her fear
long before the screams filled his ears. With a surge of adrenaline, he launched into the direction of Nikki’s terrified cries, reaching them quickly. Before he could get close enough to help save her, however, a dark figure stepped into his path.

“
Don’t
interfere.”

Max stared at Ethan in
shock. “What are you talking about? She’s one of your own! He’ll kill her!” he hollered incredulously.

Ethan
smiled coldly. “You have no idea what’s really going on here. Leave before you get hurt.”

“You’re insane,” snarled Max,
pushing him aside. Before he could reach Jordan and the Nikki, however, Ethan jumped on his back and tried putting him in a chokehold.

“Stand down or I’ll kill you!”
growled Ethan, tightening his hold. “I’m not going to warn you again.”

Enraged,
Max reared up and slammed Ethan into a large boulder. “Fool! You and what army?”

Grunting in pain,
Ethan released him. “You’re making a mistake!” he snarled. “Leave them be, or you’ll be answering to more than just me!”

“Why are you allowing this?”
he asked, clenching his fists.

Instead of answering, Ethan looked towards the sky. “Dammit,” he
muttered and then shot up into the darkness.

Max immediately raced towards Nikki.

“Get off of her!”
he ordered, grabbing Jordan by the neck and pulling him away from the girl.

“Maximus!
Leave us alone! This has nothing to do with you!” Jordan growled angrily.

“Trying to rape that girl makes it
my
business,” snarled Max.

“I repeat, don’t interfere or I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

“You really are an arrogant bastard,” replied Max, staring down the smaller Lycan. “And obviously not very bright.”

A shadow from overhead made both of them look up
.

Duncan.

“Nikki!” he yelled, landing next to her body. He got down on his knees and stared at Jordan, ready to kill him. “What have you done to her?”

Jordan
growled angrily and then tore off into the desert.

Shaking his hea
d in disgust, Max returned to his human form. “Victor’s nephews are even crazier than he is.”

Ethan
descended from the sky. “You found Nikki, thank God!” He bent down on his right knee. “Is she okay? What happened?”

Shocked at this bold display, Max watched Ethan, wondering what he’d do next.

“I don’t know,” replied Duncan, removing his T-shirt. He slipped it over her shoulders and pulled her arms through the holes. “She’s cold and obviously needs to feed.”

“I’ll take
care of her,” replied Ethan, trying to scoop her up into his arms.

“No,
I’ve
got her,” snapped Duncan, pushing him away. “You can’t just waltz in here and play hero whenever you like.”

“She’s
mine, Duncan,” hissed Ethan. “Let her go.”

“W
hat games are you playing?” snarled Max, stepping closer.

Ethan
scowled up at him. “Duncan, don’t listen to Max. He’s with them, and full of lies.”

Max pointed at Ethan.
“You’re the one full of lies!”