Red (35 page)
Jack Horner.
Sarah Dickerson’s new employer.
Sebille had admitted that Sarah Dickerson’s murder was personal—now I knew why. Sarah Dickerson was, in fact, Amanda’s friend—the poor girl whose Mistress had treated her so heinously and had dismissed her out of jealousy for the man she wanted and couldn’t have to herself. Hot tears stung my eyes as the rest of the story came into focus and the identity of Sebille’s mystery man was suddenly clear.
“Oh, God,” I groaned, crossing my arms over my stomach and bending forward as the agony of sorrow and betrayal hit me deep in my gut. “Vlad.”
“Clever girl.”
I whirled around and launched to my feet with a startled cry.
Vlad stood in the doorway, leaning nonchalantly against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. He gave me a lazy smile. “I told Sebille you were not to be underestimated.”
“You were behind all of this,” I breathed.
Vlad shrugged. “Alas, ‘this thing of darkness I must acknowledge mine,’” he replied, bastardizing
The Tempest.
The Tempest.
“Why?” I demanded, my heart racing. “Why did you do this?”
“The opportunity presented itself,” he said, his expression bored. “When Sebille came to me to discuss investing in Caliban’s endeavors, I agreed to assist her. For a price.”
“And what was the price?” I asked, inching toward the desk where I’d left my phone.
“Well, aside from the obvious, I required her assistance in the elimination of some rather . . . bothersome competition,” Vlad replied, strolling into the room.
“Who?” I demanded, my hip bumping into the desk. “Dale Minnows? Tim Halloran? Were you even taking on Nicky Blue?”
Vlad’s mouth hitched up in one corner. “As it turns out, my ambitions and Sebille’s dovetailed quite nicely. My only competitor not covered by her schemes was easy enough to resolve. All it took was a little instruction in the old ways of my homeland.”
My fingers closed around my phone. “You taught her the spell to transform into a ruvanush,” I deduced. “You wanted the murders committed by a werewolf.”
“Indeed.”
“And you wanted everyone to know it was a werewolf,” I guessed. “You had Sebille destroy the forensics lab during the day so I would see the wolf and be more inclined to believe it was Seth.”
“Right again, little one.” In a sudden blur of motion, he was suddenly pressing into me, his fangs long and hungry. “He stood between me and my heart’s one desire.”
I kept my gaze averted, not daring to make eye contact. “And what was that?”
“Come now, my own,” he growled, his speech distorted by his fangs, “you know how I crave you.”
“What about Sebille?” I asked. “She was your mistress. She killed Sarah Dickerson to keep you to herself.”
“As it turns out,” he continued, a note of regret in his voice, “the sidhe enchantress’s lust for me, for my bite, was more powerful than I’d anticipated. She grew greedy, sloppy. Caliban became suspicious when she came to his bed less often, and so it was necessary to treat his anxieties in a more aggressive manner. . . .”
“By upping his fairy dust,” I deduced, trying to squirm out of his hold. “Did you order her to overdose him?”
“That was an act of her desperation,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck with barely restrained hunger. “Had she followed my orders, our plan would have worked perfectly. Your little lapdog would have been behind bars, courtesy of your dedicated efforts to bring in the perpetrator of these
heinous
murders, and I would have consoled you, convinced you to be my own for eternity.”
heinous
murders, and I would have consoled you, convinced you to be my own for eternity.”
“So why steal Sebille’s body?”
I felt Vlad’s muscles tense at my words. After a fraction of a second’s hesitation, he drew back, his expression betraying the merest hint of confusion. He hissed something under his breath and shook his head as if dismissing whatever thought had brought the curse to his lips.
He didn’t know Sebille’s body was missing, I realized. And, for some reason, that worried him. Which worried
me
even more than the body’s actual disappearance.
me
even more than the body’s actual disappearance.
Taking advantage of his distraction by the news of Sebille’s disappearance, I pushed on. “And what about the assassination attempt in the hospital? How’d you pull that off?”
Vlad forced his attention back to me and offered me a smile that lacked its typical smug superiority. “As it turns out, the ghosts of Ordinaries are very pliable and quite useful for such purposes,” he explained. “And it was really quite easy to find one willing to make such a sacrifice for me. In fact, my little love, it was you who put her in mind.”
A sudden, horrifying thought struck me. “Amanda.”
Vlad smiled, his eyes twinkling. “So clever. Is there any wonder why I
must
have you?”
must
have you?”
He pulled back and opened his mouth to strike at the vein throbbing in my neck, but I darted to one side, narrowly avoiding the treacherous points. Trying to put as much distance between us as possible, I scrambled onto the bed in an attempt to make it to the door, but he was too quick. I felt him coming for me a split second before the impact took me down on the mattress. I tried to roll over to fight him off, but he pinned me down with his superhuman strength, keeping me where I was. A moment later I felt his hot breath on my cheek.
“My little love, why do you struggle so?” he mocked. “You know, in the end, you will give me everything I ask of you.”
His fangs struck hard, making me cry out. But my cry faded to a whimper when I realized he was right. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do. I went limp, letting him draw what he would from me. A fog began to descend upon me with each pull upon my vein, but I fought to remain in control of my mind, waiting for him to let down his guard. Finally sated, he ran his tongue along the wound in my throat and rose to his knees.
I remained completely still, allowing him to think he had me under his control. With surprisingly gentle hands, he rolled me over onto my back and grinned down at me, preparing to slake his thirst in other ways. I closed my eyes and gasped and moaned as he would have expected as his hands and mouth roamed my body. And when I felt him lift my shirt to press a kiss to my stomach, I opened my eyes to confirm that he was kneeling over me exactly as I’d hoped.
I jerked my leg upward, nailing him in the crotch, and swung my hand holding the cell phone, catching him in the temple. The double assault was enough to stun him and knock him to one side. Without hesitation, I bolted to the bedroom door and down the stairs. I had just thrown open the front door, when a sudden jerk of my hair pulled me off my feet. I landed hard on the foyer floor, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.
Vlad straddled me again, this time his face distorted with rage. “I tried to protect you, to keep you from harm,” he snarled, his punishing grasp bruising the skin on my throat. “Had you just given yourself to me completely, I could have given you everything your heart desired, loved you for all eternity.”
I glared at him. “And now?”
His grip tightened. “Now,” he hissed, “you shall feel my wrath.” He pressed a punishing kiss to my lips, his fangs cutting my skin and drawing my blood once again into his mouth. Running his tongue along my lips, he savored the final taste, then lifted his head. “But make no mistake, my little love, I
will
conquer you.”
will
conquer you.”
I spat in response, bloody saliva spraying his face. “Bring it on, asshole.”
Vlad’s chuckle was low and menacing. “Ah, my dear little Red,” he drawled. “It appears the game is afoot once again.”
He gave me a cocky smile and abruptly released me. Then he was gone, once more on the run, knowing I would pursue, that I wouldn’t rest until he finally let me catch him. But this time there’d be no rehabilitation. There’d be a reckoning.
Feeling betrayed, humiliated, violated in more ways than I could count, I closed my eyes against tears of sorrow and anger, but they came anyway, trickling down my cheeks to pool in my ears and hair.
I was really getting into my pity party groove when my phone rang, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I sniffed a couple of times, trying to find where the phone had ended up when I’d hit the ground. I found it a few feet away and snatched it up.
“This is Red.”
There was a slight pause, then, “What’s wrong?” It was Nate’s raspy voice, taut with anxiety and concern. “Where are you?”
“Nicky’s.” I covered my eyes with my forearm, hoping it would dam the waterworks, but the floodgates were jammed open. Cradling the phone against my ear, I curled up on my side, no longer able to hold back my sobs. “Oh, God, Nate—I need you.”
I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth when he appeared in the foyer, his shadows thick and menacing, his eyes blazing with smoldering fire. Without a word, he pulled me to my feet and into his arms, holding me until my tears finally subsided.
I lifted my face to his, feeling a twinge of shame for letting him see the confused, hurt, angry woman I tried so hard to keep buried. But to my surprise, there was no judgment or censure in his eyes. There was only . . . love.
He smoothed my hair away from my face and kissed me tenderly. “Come on, sweetheart,” he said softly against my bruised lips. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 42
I jolted awake to the sound of a heavy fist upon the door. Frowning, I glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to Nate’s bed.
Six a.m.
“What the hell?” I muttered, wiggling out of Nate’s hold and slipping from his bed. I glanced around, finding the bathrobe I was beginning to identify as my standard wardrobe when at his house, and pulled it on, tying the belt as I hurried to the door.
Without thinking, I threw open the door, ready to tell off the jackass on the other side, but the words stuck in my throat. I gaped at the man before me. “Seth?”
Seth gave me a self-conscious smile and shifted a little, adjusting the duffel bag he had slung over his shoulder. “Hey, Red.”
I frowned at him, confused by my happiness at seeing him and my apprehension about what had brought him to Nate’s doorstep. “How’d you know where to find me?”
Seth cleared his throat a couple of times. “Uh, your Gran thought you might be here. I stopped by there first. She makes really good blueberry muffins.”
I blinked at him. “Yeah, I know.”
“Anyway, I just stopped by to say good-bye.”
My stomach clenched at his words. “What? Good-bye?”
“I need to get away. Clear my head.” He glanced over my shoulder and gave a nod to Nate, who was coming up to stand behind me. “Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for everything. All things considered, you could have left me hanging.”
I gave him a sad smile. “All things considered, there’s no way I could. So, where are you going?”
Seth shrugged. “Maybe out West. I’ve always wanted to see the mountains.”
“Will you be back?”
He nodded. “Someday.”
Nate’s arm came around my shoulders and he leaned forward, offering his hand to Seth. “Good luck to you, Wolf,” he said. “You need anything, just let us know.”
Seth couldn’t hide his surprise at Nate’s words. “Thanks.” He then jerked his chin in Nate’s direction. “Is this the guy?”
I nestled a little closer to Nate and nodded. “Yeah.”
Seth nodded his approval, then turned to go, but before he’d reached the first step he pivoted around and came back. “Sorry. Forgot to give you this.” He handed me a simple white envelope. “Gran asked me to drop it off.”
“Thanks.”
There was an awkward pause with Seth glancing back and forth between Nate and me. Then he muttered something that sounded like “Fuck it,” and darted forward, pressing a hard, but brief, kiss to my lips. “Take care, Red. I’ll be seeing you.”
Watching Seth walk away until he turned the corner at the end of the street, Nate and I then closed the front door, turning our attention to the envelope in my hands.
“Who’s that from?” Nate asked, not mentioning Seth’s kiss—much to my relief.
I didn’t need to open the envelope to know the answer. “Nicky.” With a sigh, I tore it open and pulled out the missive inside. The note was short:
I know you’re blaming yourself for Jules. Don’t. It’s not your fault. I love you, kid. And I’ll see you soon. Nate, take care of our girl, or you’ll have to answer to me.N.B.
“He’s gone, too,” I said, handing the note to Nate.
“He won’t be gone long,” Nate assured me. “He’s got a business to run. And friends who care about him. We’ll get him through this when he’s ready.”
I nodded, then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “So, what now?”
Nate wrapped his arms around me. “Well,” he said, peering down at me, “now we track down Vlad Dracula and bring him to justice for what he’s done.”
“We?” I asked. “You want to help me bring him in?”
Nate gave me one of his cockeyed smiles that set my heart to thumping. “Try to stop me.”
“It’s going to be dangerous,” I told him. “Vlad’s not going to come quietly.”
“I’m up to the challenge.”
“And we still don’t know what happened to Sebille’s body,” I reminded him. “Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of her.”
“Bring it on.”
I arched a brow at him. “Think you can keep up with me? Being an Enforcer requires some pretty strenuous physical activity. . . .”
“I think you’ll find my stamina equal to the task,” he said, bending a little to nuzzle my neck, and setting my head spinning. “Care for a demonstration?”
“God, yes,” I breathed, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer.
He untied the bathrobe’s belt and let it fall open, making me shudder with the sudden chill. But I wasn’t cold for long. The second his hands began to explore the curves of my body, heat exploded from deep within the center of my belly, spreading out through my limbs and warming me in the best possible ways.
As much as my body was ready to give in to Nate’s not-so-subtle suggestions for passing the time, reason momentarily took control and I pushed him back.
“So, I guess we’re really going to do this,” I said, mildly shocked that the thought of giving things a go with him didn’t make me want to hyperventilate.
Nate gave me a cautious look. “You okay with that?”
I cocked my head to one side, studying him for a moment. Then I nodded, feeling somewhat bemused by that remarkable truth. “Yeah, I’m okay with that.” Then a sudden thought struck me. “But Al’s going to be so pissed when he finds out about us.”
“He’s used to being pissed when it comes to you,” Nate reminded me with a chuckle. “He’ll get over it.”
“But—”
He cut off my protests with a kiss that left me breathless and nearly sent me over the edge before things even got started.
“I forgive you, by the way,” I told him, trying to hold on to my wits as he pressed a sultry line of kisses along my jaw. “For lying to me and all that. Just in case you were wondering.”
Nate’s teeth grazed my earlobe. “So I gathered.” He moved lower, nibbling along my collarbone, then further down until he reached the valley between my breasts.
I closed my eyes, twining my fingers in his hair. “I just wanted you to know—oh, God!” I gasped as he took one of my nipples into his mouth and did something unbelievable with his tongue. I swallowed hard, trying to form a coherent thought. “I mean, I understand why you lied to me, and I—”
Nate abruptly lifted his head and gave me an exasperated look. “Red.”
“What?”
“Shut up and let me love you.”
When I blinked at him, momentarily stunned by his words, he chuckled, the sound echoing through every atom in my body and making me pulse with desire for the incredible man I loved, needed, didn’t want to live without. He had given me everything I could ask for, restoring hope and happiness to a heart that had given up on such luxuries long ago.
And all he asked in return was that I let him love me.
So I did.
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