Dark of the Night, page 18
“We have two choices, Henley. Neither of which are good.” Saul bounced on the balls of his feet, displaying a nervous fear he’d never shown before. “Choice number one, we go back there and fight and die. Choice number two, we go back and beg forgiveness and join Demitri.”
I balked at him. “Join him! He just killed our mates!”
“And I don’t want to die like that!” Saul’s eyes took on a haunted look. “I can’t die like that, Henley. Even if I have to serve that evil man for the rest of my life, I can’t die like they did.”
“And that’s the difference between you and me, Saul. You denied Vada, but I love Alex. I love him, and I can’t live without him. I’d rather go back there and die than spend one more second alone in this world without him.”
Those three little words had snuck up on me, but I couldn’t deny them once they’d been said. I did love Alex. It had nothing to do with the mate bond. It was all us. He’d been so cruel, but looking back, he’d only been trying to push me away and deny our connection because he felt something for me too. His reasons weren’t good, but I understood now that I’d met his family.
“You can run, Saul. Just go. But I won’t be going with you.”
As I watched Saul, his mask of sorrow slowly cracked and morphed into a wide grin. Deep laughter which twisted my gut rumbled from him. It had the hair on my neck and arms standing up. “Oh Henley, that was beautiful. If only your prince charming could be here to see it. As it is, he’s either searching for you or he is torn apart. Either way, this was an entertaining conversation. I had hoped that you’d choose the second option and give in. It would’ve been so much easier for both of us.”
Sorrow shifted to dread. “You...you…” I backed away from him as he laughed.
“I’ve been hoping to pull Alex from his pedestal for quite some time and bring him to my Court, but he’s been too attached to Amos’s clan to see the light. He’s a powerful vampire with a powerful family. But then he brought you into my home, and I knew what I needed was a powerful halfbreed at my side. No one would dare fight me then. And my plan was working. Until Alex decided to give in and fall for you. You would have been easily led away had he kept himself cold. I’ll have to have a long chat with him about that while he gives me his undying support.”
“He’ll never do that, Demitri.”
Demitri laughed. “Oh he will. He’ll never risk hurting you.”
My heart raced as I glanced around for a good exit. “Why? Why did you take on a different persona? What was the point in Saul?”
“Don’t try to run, Henley. I’m much, much older than you and a full vampire. You won’t make it two feet before I catch you. And you won’t like it when I do.” He gave me a grin, showing off his fangs. “As for why I became Saul, well, Alex is a good representation why. People trust Saul. Saul is someone a friend can open up to. He’s a vampire who will never share your secrets because he just doesn’t care about the rest of the world. The best way to keep tabs on people is to become their confidant.”
With Demitri focused on his gloating, I risked a mad dash away from him. Only he was prepared. The evil vampire rushed forward. I didn’t see him. He was there feet in front of where I stood, and then he was behind me, holding my arms behind my back. I screamed as his fangs dug deep into my skin.
“Let her go!” Alex, Vada, and Manuel ran from the tree line. My mate shook with rage as his eyes glowed a brighter red, matching the eyes of the two beside him. “You piece of filthy dirt, let my mate go.”
The three were bloody and haggard, but alive. Relief had me sagging into Demitri even with his fangs still inside me. I whispered a silent thanks in my head to anyone who would listen.
Demitri pulled his teeth from my neck and chuckled. “Hello, Vada, dearest. Sorry to disappoint you.”
The horror that had ripped through me earlier reflected in Vada’s face as she paled, understanding who her mate truly was. But it was nothing compared to the momentary joy that burned in my heart that Alex was indeed alive, standing before me. Momentary because we were all about to die.
Teeth scraped across my skin as Alex tensed and Demitri snickered. There was nothing I could do. Demitri had my arms in his grasp, and after draining most of my magic in the initial fight, he’d drunk enough his first round to make my magic almost useless. I was at his mercy.
“Join me, Henley,” Demitri murmured into my ear, “or they start to die, one by one.”
My gaze landed on Alex, who shook his head, and then flicked to Manuel, who lifted his hands in a defensive stance. They’d fight. I wasn’t to give in.
Shaking my head, a scream of frustration split the air. “I’ll never join you. Never. From this moment on, I don’t work for anyone. I own me. No one else will.”
“That’s too bad. I rather liked your friend.”
Panic struck me as Demitri released my arms. He was a blur, crossing the space between us and my allies faster than I could see. But I did see the blood. It sprayed through the air as Demitri ripped open Manuel’s throat.
I screamed. Alex tried to save Manuel, rushing to his side, but he’d been one step too far from the young vampire. Vada crouched, ready to fight as my knees shook from blood loss and reeling emotions. He’d killed Manuel. The one person who’d had my back since I joined Amos’s household. If I were honest, my one friend. And Demitri had killed him like his life didn’t matter.
When shock faded as Demitri laughed, rage burned inside me. He would pay for what he’d done. He would pay for leading us on a wild chase after him, killing and threatening people along the way. Demitri would pay for hurting Vada. I knew what a mate’s denial felt like, and Vada did not deserve that. Manuel and Cutter hadn’t deserved to die.
A cry rose in my throat and I called on as much power as I could to wield my magic. The ball I threw at Demitri was pathetic and he dodged it easily, but as long as my attacks moved him from Alex and me toward my mate, things would work out. I prayed.
Demitri’s laugh echoed through the forest. “Oh come on, Henley, we both know you’re better than this? I’m disappointed. I mean, your first show was amazing, but isn’t this supposed to be your grand finale?”
Using every ounce of concentration and magic I had left, I threw a magic ball at him. However, this one was different. There were still a few secrets I’d kept tucked away. Demitri easily sidestepped the ball, but one word from my lips and it exploded, shooting lightning in every direction. Too close to avoid being hit, Demitri took a direct blow. It wouldn’t be enough to kill him, but it knocked him off his feet and stunned the vampire.
I leapt at Alex. While he took me in his arms to make sure I was safe, I had another mission. Instinct took over, and instead of a passionate frenzy, I bit down with determination. No one else would die here today. I’d avenge Manuel. The blood pouring into my mouth promised that retribution.
I gulped as much of Alex’s blood as I could before Demirtri found his feet. His eyes, as red and angry as smoldering coals, narrowed in my direction.
“You’re more intelligent than you look, Henley. You’ll do nicely in my army. You’ll join me or Vada and Alex will meet the same fate as your friend. Is that what you want?” Demitri sneered, but I wasn’t about to let him win.
Rage burned in me, hot and dangerous. “My only plan is to destroy you.”
Demitri smirked before he ran at his mate. I met him halfway, throwing him to the side. He rolled from me, stunned. It was my turn to smirk at him as my tiny fangs revealed themselves. Too many people underestimated me. Even I had underestimated myself. But instinct was a vampire’s greatest weapon and I’d allow my instincts to help me make this kill.
Rushing at me, Demitri swiped black claws at my stomach, but I was already moving before he reached me. While he was faster, I’d had an excellent trainer. Keep moving. Always expect the unexpected. That was why when Demitri threw a blade at me, I easily avoided it.
A frustrated growl rose from Demitri’s throat as he snarled. “I’ll kill you, Henley. You aren’t worth the effort in capturing you.”
“You know what my favorite shirt says?” I grinned. “Bite me.”
A matching sinister grin lifted Demitri’s lips. “I might just do that.”
Rushing at me, I let the older vamp grab hold and sink his fangs deep within my neck. I’d learned early on that vampires tended to forget about my magical side when I showed any sign of being part vampire. And I’d just used that against the worst vampire in history.
I shoved my hand against his chest as he took the first swallow, my gaze on Manuel’s broken body, Vada crouching beside him. Both victims of a man who’d chosen power over love, over life. I didn’t care why Amos wanted him dead as my vision blurred. All that mattered were the memories of Manuel’s smile and all the times I caught him lying on my bed. Blazing heat exploded from my hand straight into the vampire. And I didn’t stop as his teeth ripped from my skin in a scream. I pushed more and more raw power into him, crying out when the pain of it almost became too much for my body to handle.
Demitri’s body collapsed at my feet as my knees gave out from the energy I’d used. Smoke rose from the gaping hole in Demitri’s shirt. Not even a vampire could survive having most of their chest burned away.
Vada’s cries broke my heart as her mate fell. She hadn’t loved him as far as I knew, but she’d probably held out hope he’d come around. And now she had a figurative, gaping hole in her own chest. Vampires were unlike shifters. They had the ability to find another mate. I wished that for Vada. Anger buzzed through me again at the way Demitri had tossed her aside.
Alex sank down onto his knees in front of me, his lips quirked up on one side. “Beautiful.”
I blinked at him. “I just killed someone!”
He shook his head. “And you know I love it when you get angry. Your eyes, they’re red and blazing.”
“Mind out of the gutter, vampire. We still have one more vampire to take care of after we take your sister home. She needs us.” I crawled to the vampiress. Wrapping my arms around her, I was surprised when Vada leaned into me.
Alex knelt and picked up Manuel’s body. “Demitri might have killed him, but we need to take care of the man who sent us out here in the first place. Even if he didn’t send Manuel, he sent the two of us to die. Now, it’s time he finds out what he puts his people through while he governs them from on high.”
My truck had sustained heavy damage and wasn’t anywhere near drivable, and with the sky to the east growing pink, the clock was ticking. Saul’s truck was nowhere to be seen and the semi was also a no-go. However, Vada found her phone among the wreckage in the truck and called a friend who lived nearby. Once help was on the way, the three of us buried Manuel. The bodies of the dead were usually burned, but being surrounded by a forest, none of us wanted to risk a forest fire. Manuel would understand, and he’d tease me about being buried like a witch.
No, he wouldn’t tease me. He was dead.
A tear slipped down my cheek as I stared at the freshly turned up soil. I’d had a friend, and I hadn’t even recognized it. A friend, an ally, a confidant. He’d never told Amos some of the things I’d said about the Elder when I needed to vent that would’ve had me killed had the Elder found out. Manuel had just let me talk.
“They’re here,” Vada murmured, voice still thick with emotion as she crossed the street to the yellow jeep that pulled over.
We’d called Alex’s family and let them know what happened, and they’d begged Alex to bring Vada home so they could care for her. No one had been aware that she’d left with us, but they’d guessed her intentions when she hadn’t shown up. Looking back, I couldn’t blame her for coming to defend her brother, and then staying when she knew her mate would be in danger as well. Little did she or any of us know the truth.
“Come on, little dove.” Alex tugged me away from the makeshift grave. “He wouldn’t want you to be hurt by the sun. You know, he didn’t have to stay. I gave him the choice when I walked him to his room at my parents’. He chose to stay.”
“Why in the world would he do that?” Another tear slid down my cheek and I wiped at it.
“He stayed for you. You were as much his friend as he was yours. And whether you realized that or not, it makes no difference because you both still would’ve done the same things you did.”
We climbed into the jeep and Vada’s friend put the accelerator to the floor. We were only miles from the wreckage of Black Beauty, my first love, when my body finally gave out from exhaustion and I slept, my body tucked close to Alex.
When I awoke, I was lying on a couch in someone’s living room. The sunlight around the curtains was low. My body still felt drained, but I could tell the sun was setting by how much better I felt than when I’d first fallen asleep.
Sensing I was awake, Alex crouched beside me and smiled. “We need to go. Word will spread of Demitri’s death, and we need to confront Amos now. Vada’s friend is taking her to my parents and letting us borrow a car. I’ll drive and you can sleep.”
In less than half an hour, we’d said farewell to Vada and were on the road, after we’d stopped to grab me a hamburger at a fast food joint. I barely tasted it past the swell of emotions running through me. But I had Alex, and his hand in mine kept me grounded.
“What’ll happen to my truck?” I murmured when I finally felt like talking.
“Father asked a few friends of his that can go out in daylight to erase any signs that we were there, so they have her. I’m sorry. I know that truck meant a lot to you.”
“It’s fine.” I bit down on my nail, debating if I should ask my next question. Though, after a moment of thought, I figured it couldn’t hurt. We could be dead at any moment, from anything. “Alex, if you’re the oldest Elder in the clan...why didn’t you take your place as the leader instead of letting Amos call all the shots?”
“Joining Amos’s clan was an act of rebellion against my parents that I made decades ago. I wanted nothing to do with leadership. I just let Amos run the place as he saw fit, ignoring everything when I returned there from whatever job I was on or wherever I decided to travel. That was a mistake. Had I paid attention, you wouldn’t have needed to fight for your life every day. You would have felt safe in your clan, as every vampire should.”
I shrugged. “You’ve grown up a lot since leaving Amos’s house with me. Even if you ran things before, I’m not sure how much different they would be. What I would like to know, speaking of Amos, is why he sent us out after Demitri now. What changed?”
Alex cringed at the name. I’d need to watch how much I mentioned Demitri and Saul. While he had killed my friend and broken Vada’s heart, Demitri had also betrayed Alex. I wasn’t the only person to lose their friend.
“At least we have each other.” I squeezed his hand. “I love you, Alex.” His head whipped to the side to look at me. My eyes stung. “He told me you were dead. All of you. And I wanted to die myself. I hated you before and then somewhere along the way, I fell in love with your arrogant, I’ll-kick-your-butt self.”
Alex lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers. “I love you, too, Henley. More than I ever could have imagined when you made my heart beat.”
Less than an hour later, we were passing through familiar territory. Instead of pulling the car down into the parking garage, Alex parked right in front of the main house. I’d never used this entrance before. It was the drop off point for my targets’ quick access to Amos. Opening my door, Alex grinned and helped me from the car.
“Alex, wait.” I didn’t budge when he attempted to escort me inside. Instead, he narrowed his gaze at me in confusion. “I know we’ve gone this whole time saying we’re going to kill Amos...but don’t you think there’s been enough death? What will his death solve?”
“You want to let him live?”
“I’m just tired of people dying. Plus, he has a daughter who will miss him, even if I hate her. Can we just kick him out? Or would that not solve anything?”
Alex shrugged. “He’d be less likely to gain an Elder position again unless he started a new, smaller clan. Most of the larger ones wouldn’t take on another Elder to share power, especially one who was removed from his position.”
I grinned. “So, he’ll be suffering a bit?”
“More than he’d like. Let’s do it.” A wolfish smile lifted Alex’s lips before they pressed against mine in a heated kiss of agreement. “Let’s go make Amos’s day.”
This time when Alex stepped away, I let him lead me inside. Amos’s office was to the right, and Alex wasted no time leading me in that direction. The few vampires we passed stopped to stare. It was either because of our dishevelled appearance or the fact that Alex held my hand and kissed the back of it as we passed so they could see. That visual claim warmed my soul until it shivered as we strode through Amos’s open office door.
The Elder peered up from his papers. His eyes rounded. “What are you two doing here?” His eyes dropped to our clasped hands and he gave one of his loathsome, arrogant smiles. “You’re taken with the halfbreed now, aren’t you?”
“Don’t ever call her that again.” Alex’s voice was low and guttural. Amos needed to watch what he said. Alex would be set off by the smallest thing. “The job is done.”
“You killed Demitri?” Amos relaxed into his chair. He seemed as though a weight had been lifted. Ignoring Alex’s irritation, Amos continued talking. “Thank you. He upped the price of our payment to him. If clans wanted to be safe, they paid him. We were tired of paying the creep.”
“He killed Manuel,” I offered and my temper rose when Amos waved his hands.
“No big deal. I’ll find you a new trainer. They’re a dime a dozen.”
“Get out from behind that desk,” Alex ordered, voice soft and deep. “Time for you to come face to face with the consequences of your actions.”
Amos’s head whipped in Alex’s direction. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve decided to take over this clan as it’s leader. I’m the eldest, so it’s my place. And I’m finally taking it.”
