Enemy Within (Vampire Born Trilogy, #2) (34 page)

Today’s the worst day of my life. Kaitlynn is slipping away from me, I told my dad I hated him and now he’s gone, and Mirko won’t let me explain. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t just promised him minutes before that I wouldn’t give him up, no matter what. And I was surprised, almost offended, he even doubted me when I promised him. If I were him, I’d hate me.

I
’m cursed. I know it.

This is proof.

I’ve stayed away from the den and Mirko for as long as I can stand. “Let’s go see what’s going on,” I say to my mom and Ace.

We make our way into the den, and when Mirko sees who’s coming in, his brown eyes are blank. They look at me like I’m simply another person, like I’m not his Slatki.

It kills a piece inside of me.

I focus on Garwin. He looks at me like he always has. It’s reassuring and I latch onto it.

“What’s going on?” Ace asks when we approach Garwin’s desk.

“Let’s sit.” He pushes back from his chair and we all move to the sitting area by the fireplace. The pops and crackles from the burning wood are comforting.

Mirko drags the armchair back over and offers it to Garwin.

“Thanks,” Garwin says and sits down.

My mom and I sit on the couch across from him.

Vasek sits, but Mirko remains standing with Ace next to Garwin’s chair. There’s room on our couch, but he won’t sit near me.

Ouch.

“Orell had Zladislov arrested,” Garwin says.

My mom gasps. “Why?”

“We’re not sure yet.”

“I want to see him,” I say. I’m still mad at him for what he tried to do with Mirko, but I’m scared and want him to know I don’t really hate him.

“We don’t know where he is,” Garwin explains.

How is any of this possible?

“Well, we need to find out,” my mom says and regards Vasek. “You don’t know where he is, either?”

“No. We’re waiting for a call back from Florian, but I doubt he knows. Anton said Orell is the only one who knows.”

“I can’t believe this,” my mom says. “When did Orell become more powerful than Zladislov?”

“It’s not only Orell,” Garwin says. “It’s the majority of the Commission.”

My mom rests her elbows on her knees and drops her head in her hands.

Garwin gets up and makes himself a drink. He finishes it and then makes another. Then he paces. Time has forgotten this room.

Mirko and Ace turn toward the door to leave.

I consider getting up and following him out, but the phone rings.

Mirko and Ace stop.

“Florian,” Garwin says and hustles over to the phone. The ice in his drink clinks against the glass. He puts the phone on speaker. “Hello, this is Garwin.”

All of us get up from the couches and move toward the desk.

“I need to speak with Brooke Keller,” the caller says. His voice is grainy and obscured like he’s using a distorter box.

Everyone looks at me.

I frown. I don’t know who it is.

“Who’s calling?” Mirko asks and leans over the desk to the phone.

“I have pertinent information for her, but I will only speak with her,” the deep, distorted voice says.

“Until I know who this is and what you want with her, I’m not sure I can allow that.”

“I was Lijepa’s cleaner, but you would need to confirm that with Lijepa. However, that’s not possible anymore, is it?”

Lijepa? I step closer to the desk. “I’m right here. This is Brooke.”

Mirko glares at me, but I don’t care. I want to know what this guy wants to tell me, and I want to know what Lijepa has to do with it.

“What was the color of the walls of Lijepa’s den?”

I see myself in her home, in her den. Lijepa is wrapping me in a blanket because I’m cold. I’m filled with warmth remembering her kindness.

My smile fades as sadness replaces the fond memory. I’ll never see her again. “Baby blue,” I say.

“Lijepa called me before Jelena made it inside. She instructed me to go to her safe deposit box in Rome. What I would find there had to be relayed only to Brooke Keller.”

“Yes, that’s me. What did you find?” Anxiousness flows through me. I rub my hands down my legs, wiping off the sweat.

I can’t help but choke up that instead of Lijepa running or arming herself, she made a call for me.

“Listen carefully,” the voice says.

I swallow hard and lean in closer. I want to pick up the receiver, but then no one else will hear.

“Because once I disconnect, you’ll never hear from me again.”

“I’m listening.”

“It took me some time to figure out how all the pieces fit, but I’m certain of it now, and I know why Lijepa called me with this information.”

I adjust my weight. Just get on with it already.

“Kresimira is Emerik’s mother. Emerik is the Pijawika known
as the son of Orell, and is also your father’s stražar. You may already know that, but what you don’t know is that Kresimira had an affair with a duke, and nine months later she gave birth to Emerik. Emerik is not Orell’s son. Emerik is a melez.”

CHAPTER T
HIRTY

Mirko

Hell fucking yes!

This is exactly what we need.

“Thank you so much for calling me,” Brooke says. She’s smiling ear to ear now and she doesn’t even know the half of what this means for us.

“I’m not finished,” Lijepa’s cleaner says.

Of course it couldn’t be that simple.

“You need to have proof to use the information. I was only able to come by this information via Lijepa’s journals.”

“Well, how do we get proof?” Brooke asks.

And this is where I’m not smiling anymore.

“Lijepa’s journal mentioned that the proof is with Emerik’s mother. Kresimira has a journal about her affair and a painting of her with the duke. If you can get a hold of either of these, it should suffice as genuine proof.”

I drag my hand down my jaw.

Shit.

“And where is Emerik’s mom?” Brooke asks.

I could’ve answered that one for her.

“Croatia,” the cleaner says and hangs up.

Brooke twirls around to face me, smiling. She is beyond excited.

Even though I’m furious with her, I hate to be the one to ruin it for her.

“We have to go to Croatia,” she says, almost giddy.

“No,” I say, “that is not happening.”

“Why?” She pinches her brows at me.

“Because it’s dangerous. Trust me, you do not want to go to Croatia.” If she thinks the Pijawikas here are bad, she has no clue what bad is.

Garwin stands and comes around his desk. “Mirko, do you know what this means? Surely you could risk going to Croatia for the evidence.”

I walk away from all of them and watch the fire flicker against the marble.

“It means Emerik is a melez, same as me,” Brooke says, excited again.

“It means a lot more than that.” A burning log pops, sending golden particles flying into the chimney. I turn around and face them. “The line of the Commissioners is carried down through paternity. The line carries from Kresimira’s bloodline, but she’s a woman, so being as Emerik was a baby when their family line’s spot opened up on the Commission, Orell was allowed to fill the seat only because he was Emerik’s father. This information not only takes Orell’s vote away from him, it will cause him to
lose his seat on the Commission.”

“Mirko, we have to go!” Brooke takes a step toward me in her excitement before she thinks better of it and stops. She wrings her hands together, nervous.

“We aren’t going. We need to find Zladislov. This has to be what he knows about Orell and Emerik that they’re worried about. And of course, Orell couldn’t tell the other Commissioners why he thinks Zladislov is a threat because it would expose Orell.”

“We don’t know where Zladislov is,” Garwin reminds me.

“Well, we need to find out because Croatia is not an option.”

“I would also advise against going to Croatia,” Vasek adds.

“What? Why?” my mom asks. “This could save Brooke, and free Zladislov.”

“Yes, but we should try to speak with Zladislov first. The Pijawikas and Zao Duhs in Croatia are different than we are here. They’re dangerous and more aggressive. And much more territorial. I say we wait to speak with Florian and see if he can give us an idea of where Orell would take Zladislov.”

“Yes, let’s hope,” Brooke says. She narrows her eyes at me.

She has no clue. It’s not that I don’t want her safe. That’s exactly why none of us are going to Croatia.

I will find Zladislov, and I will take Orell and Emerik down.

Normally, I’d say that to reassure Brooke, but she fucking broke my heart today.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Brooke

I drive up Highway 60 in the middle of the night. I’m not certain yet if I’m running away from or toward something, but the urgency is the same. The quiet in the house is so heavy that if I don’t escape it, it’ll crush my bones.

Usually when I can
’t sleep, I sneak into Mirko’s room and he either keeps me company or tickles the inside of my arm until I fall under.

Not tonight, though. I knew when I broke my promise and told him to leave that I’d never recover from it. I just figured it’d be in a different way.

From the way he looks at me now, I’m afraid to go near him, afraid to look at him wrong only to never look at him again.

My life is falling apart, disintegrating the way cardboard does in seawater. With each wave, the threads pull farther and farther from the center. And that’s how all my relationships are going. I keep going back and forth on whether I love my father or hate him, Kaitlynn is all but a ghost of the girl I once knew, and Mirko is everything I want and need, but I find myself wrestling with that stupid saying about loving someone enough to let him go.

I wipe my eyes hard on my sleeve and turn the brights on, trying to ignore Mirko’s earthy scent lingering on my coat.

Thoughts of letting him go is what had me running out of the house to begin with.

No matter how many miles I put between me and my bed, I can’t escape the ugly thoughts.

And to make matters worse, Jaren has asked if I’d consider turning him. Of course I said no, but now he’s mad because I did it for Kaitlynn but won’t for him.

I couldn’t reason with him that it had to be done to save her life. He argued it was the same thing and then slammed my door when he left my room.

I pass the turnoff where last year’s seniors threw their graduation party in the woods. Kaitlynn made out with Levi from the lacrosse team while I roasted marshmallows by the bonfire and watched Jaren and Tiffany have one of their last as-a-couple fights.