Vengeance (Night Roamers) Book Three (5 page)

She smiled
up at him. “I was just about to leave, but thank you.”

“Too bad.
Stop back for a nightcap later?”

“Maybe.”

He grazed his lower lip and smiled. “I’m through at eleven. If you’re looking for company.”

With his blue eyes, spiky blond hair, and muscular frame, she figured this attempt at scoring
typically worked. Hell, he probably had women slipping him their numbers frequently in this seedy town. But dogs like him were a dime a dozen and she was in the mood for something more challenging to sink her teeth into at the moment.

“Believe me,” she replied, “y
ou’re better off enjoying that nightcap with someone else.”

“I don’t know about that,” he replied
, “I haven’t seen a girl as gorgeous as you for a long time. Are you an actress or model?”

She decided to play with him while
trying to get another glimpse of her shadow. “Baby, it’s better if you don’t know
what
I am,” she replied with a wicked grin.

He raised his eyebrow
s and smirked. “Oh yeah? Why is that?”

She reached out and touched his cheek. “
Sometimes knowledge can be more dangerous than ignorance.”

His eyes widened.
“Your hand, it’s freezing.”

“So is her heart,”
replied a gravelly voice behind her.

Sighing, she placed her hands
on her hips and turned around to face the familiar Lycan who’d been pursuing her. He stood just over six feet, had a craggily face, white hair, and eyes the color of rich gold. Dressed to the nines in a tailored Armani suit and designer shoes, nobody would ever guess the kind of monster lurking just below the surface. It was a trait she couldn’t help but admire.

She smirked.
“Victor. I thought I caught a whiff of mongrel when I stepped into this hotel.”

His eyes narrowed.
“Are you sure that wasn’t the smell of death still lingering on your lips from the night before?”

“
Cute. I wouldn’t go pointing fingers if I were you.”  

He shrugged.
“I’m not. Just acknowledging my budding appreciation for your kind.” He turned towards the waiter. “I’ll have a scotch, straight up.”

The waiter nodded.
“Of course,” and then walked away, looking confused as well as dejected.

“So,
Celeste, what brings you back to Vegas?”

H
er smile fell. “My father is getting married.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

She wrinkled her nose and scowled. “Yes, he’s fallen for a woman from Montana. We were planning on coming out here so they could get married, but ended up running into a little trouble and had to leave town.”

“Trouble? That’s unusual,” he replied dryly.

“I know, right?” she giggled, “Speaking of which, if you’re in the mood for some hunting, I have targets that I think you’ll be very interested in.”

“Is this related to
your trouble in Montana?”

“Yes, and they’ve
followed us to Vegas. They’re pissing me off, Victor.”

“Interesting. So, w
ho’s hunting you? Lycans?”

“No, Roamers.”

“Vampires?” he lowered his voice. “You’re telling me that you want
us
to hunt your own brethren?”

“That’s exactly what I’
m telling you.”

His eyes began to sparkle.
“Hmm… sounds appealing, I have to admit.”

“
I thought it might. The sooner you take them out, the better.”

He scratched his chin.
“How many?”

“Three. They shouldn’t be a problem
.” Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “The female, Nikki, I need her disposed of first and foremost.”    

He
studied her face. “This sounds a little murky. Can’t you handle your own kind, Celeste?”

“Normally. Look, it
’s just complicated. Specifically because Caleb wouldn’t approve.”

“Even though they’re hunting you?”

She reached over and trailed her finger over his sleeve. “Yes. I wish I could tell you more, but like I said, it’s complicated.”

“Hmm…
Tell me, Celeste, if I do this for you, what do I get in return?”

“The thrill o
f the hunt,” she said, smiling seductively, “and… a night with me.”

He grabbed her arm
, twisting it roughly behind her back until she whimpered in pain. “I’m taking my payment now then,” he growled, his eyes glowing with anticipation.

She
glared at him. “Fine, but no teeth. It took me forever to heal after the last time.”

“Like you didn’t love every minute of it
,” he murmured as the waiter returned with his drink.

She smiled.

***

Nathan

Nathan knew he was still pretty messed up when he woke to find his mother sitting next to him, her expression grim

W
here is she?” he whispered hoarsely. He knew he’d been in and out of consciousness for the last few days, dreaming of some kind of freakish caged creature. In it, his sister was crying and reaching for the shriveled monstrosity while he stood back, unable to do anything but watch the nightmare unfold. Just before she touched the creature, he’d wake up, never knowing the outcome. It freaked the hell out of him, mostly because it seemed more like a memory than a dream.  

“I don’t know, honey. Caleb said
she’s here in Vegas and that we just have to be patient. He promised that he’d find her, especially with all of the contacts he has in the city. It shouldn’t be long now.”

“Caleb?” he mumbled
, trying to keep his heavy lids open. He was so groggy and weak, that it was hard to move let alone process anything.

“Yes,” she chuckled
, patting his hand. “The Sheriff? My fiancé, you silly goose, remember?” He grimaced and she laughed. “See, you’re obviously coming around.”

“Tell me what happened again,” he
said, clearing his throat as he tried to sit up. His head felt like someone had used it to kick a field-goal.

“Let’s wait until you’re more awake.”

“No, I would really like to know now, mom.”

The last thing he remembered was
hearing about Susan’s death and then waking up in Vegas. The worst part was that he was still too injured to go out and explore the sights or help locate Nikki, all because of some accident at Sonny’s boat shop. Supposedly, he’d been working on a yacht with Duncan when a piece of machinery had fallen from the rafters, hitting him in the head so hard, he’d passed out. Apparently he’d had a short stay at the hospital and then was whisked away by Caleb and his mother, so they could drive to Vegas to search for his sister.

“
Nikki ran off with this Ethan character to get married.”

“
No… that just doesn’t sound like Nikki at all. I don’t believe it.”

She stood
up and then bent down to pick up a blanket that had fallen. “It doesn’t but it’s what she wrote in the note she’d left. It said that if Caleb and I were going to get married, then she could do the same. I tell you, I don’t know what has gotten into that girl.” She sighed. “Ever since she met this boy, she’s acted crazy.”

“Mom, this doesn’t make sense at all. What about Duncan? Does he know
anything about this?”

“No, at least, I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken to him since last summer.”

“Wait, that’s not right. You did, you
had
to have. He disappeared just recently and then came back, don’t you remember? And then…” he grimaced and closed his eyes. “Hell, I don’t even remember.”

“
I wouldn’t worry about Nikki. If Caleb says he has everything under control, I believe him.”

“Did you try calling her cell phone?”

She waved her hand. “Yes, obviously it was the first thing I tried.”

He scooted to the edge of the bed.
“Where’s my phone? I’m calling Duncan, see if he knows anything. This whole thing is messed up. Nikki would
never
do something this stupid.”

“I saw the note, honey, she put some little hearts around Ethan’s name and said not to worry
, that she was in love and wanted to be with him. It was definitely her writing.”

“
Nikki
drew little hearts? Okay, where’s this letter? I have to see this.”

She stared
past him, looking slightly baffled. “Well, um, I don’t know.”

He stood up and
his legs felt like jelly. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

She folded her arms across her chest.
“I’ve been trying to find it, but I think it may have been misplaced in the last couple of days.”

Before he could respond, t
here was a light tapping on the door and then Caleb stepped inside. “Hey, how’s he doing?” he asked softly. “Oh, you’re awake. Good.”

“
Yeah, feeling pretty shitty but awake,” replied Nathan.

“Considering that bump on your noggin, you’re lucky to be alive,” he replied.

“He always did have a hard head,” smiled Anne.

Nathan touched the top of his head. “Bump? If there was one, it’s gone now. My head is still
pretty fuzzy though.”

“That’s to be expected,”
said Caleb, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Have you found Nikki yet
?” Anne asked.

“Uh, not yet but it shouldn’t take long now. I’ve got my
contacts here in Vegas checking the chapels. They’ll find something soon. I’m pretty confident.”

“
Good. Hey, mom, do you have any other clothes for me?” asked Nathan, looking down. He had on a pair of black sweatpants and a T-shirt. “I want to take a shower and get something to eat.”

His mother walked over to the closet and opened it. “Here,” she said, grabbing his
old backpack. “I packed some things for you. Shampoo, toothpaste, soap, clothes.” 

“Great, thanks,”
he replied, taking it from her.

“We’ll order something for you from room
service while you’re in the shower. What would you like?”

“A couple of cheeseburgers
, some French fries, and something to drink. I’m parched.”

Caleb frowned.
“Uh, you might want to go easy on food. It’s been a few days since you’ve eaten.”

“No, you don’t understand, I’m freaken starving. If I don’t eat something soon, I’m going to pass out
, again. I’ll deal with the consequences after, but I seriously need food,
now
.”

“He’s always been border
line diabetic,” explained Anne.

Caleb nodded his head.
“Well, okay, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”

“Relax,” said Nathan. “
I know my own body. It’s all good.”

An hour later, Nathan was back in bed after throwing up the
burgers and half-pound of French fries he’d tried eating.

His mother leaned over him.
“You poor kid. Why don’t you try resting again?”

H
e put his hand on his forehead, brushing away the beads of sweat. “Just until I feel better and then I’ll do what I can to help you guys search for Nikki.”

She touched his hair lovingly. “Good idea, honey. Close your eyes and let us worry about your sister
for now. We’ll find her, don’t you worry.”

He nodded and closed his eye
s.

Nikki

“
So, it’s you and him now, huh?” asked Duncan, as we waited on a bench outside of the Marlimore Hotel for Ethan. It had been his decision to go in alone to try and find some answers while we kept our eyes peeled outside.

I
smiled weakly. “Duncan, he saved my life. He saved yours, as well. I know you don’t care for him, but he isn’t a bad guy.”

His
eyes darkened. “Oh, come on, Nikki, if it wasn’t for him, our lives wouldn’t have needed saving.”

I turned my head and stared at the hotel entrance, wishing Ethan would come back so I could avoid this particular conversation. I knew it was overdue, but I still felt ashamed, especially for hurting Duncan.
“I know, but the truth is, I think I’m really in love with him.”

“You think?
As in, you’re not sure but you
think
it might be possible?”

“Ye
s. I’m sorry.” I touched his knee “Look, you have to know that it was never my intent to hurt you.”