Release, book 3 of The Angler series (11 page)

The night swallowed me whole. I’d done this a hundred times.
Acting as bait should be a breeze, except Colby and Red weren’t my backup, I wasn’t wearing a tracking chip if the predator snapped me away, and we wanted to catch Rurik alive, whereas on all other stakeouts the vampires I’d lured were killed. Trust was an important factor when I placed my life on the line.

Rurik mi
ght snatch me out in the open and that would draw unwanted attention. The last thing we needed was human authorities searching for him as well. I looked around and headed toward the back of the building. Walking with purpose, I turned the corner.

He waited there, leaning against the building with his arms crossed over his chest.
The starved look around his eyes had faded into something darker.

I opened my mouth to scream but he moved fast and pressed his finger to my open lips.

“Shhh, Rabbit.” He stared into my eyes. A wave of warmth flooded pass my mental shields and through my body. It had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with mesmerizing my mind.

I reached out to Tane and came agains
t resistance shielding me from him. Too late—Rurik had taken me right from under Tane’s nose.

Carried in his arms, I struggled as he raced into the co
untryside. My limbs moved as if in deep water, unable to break his iron hold. “Rurik, let me go.”

He slowed and set me on my feet. “I thought you’d want to be with me.”

“I do.” A sob strangled my chest. I pulled from his grasp and tumbled to the ground. “Not like this. We figured out what’s wrong with you. We want to help.”

“We.” He snarled the pronoun and kne
eled in front of me. “You were once all mine.”

Searching the surrounding area, I saw lights in some houses in the distance. Rurik had stopped in field of wildflowers. Nothing appeared to move in
the underbrush. No sign of my rescue anywhere. Shouldn’t Kam be capable of following his scent? Maybe, but not before Rurik killed me.

I touched his hand. “I
am
yours. Always yours.” On a whim, I rose to my knees. “We—we shouldn’t do this here. I’d like somewhere more private.”

He ran his fingers though my short hair and hesitated. The glassy hunger faded from his eyes. “You cut your hair?”

I blinked. His voice was gentler too, almost hurt. “To hide from the Nosferatu.” He appeared so normal all of a sudden. It gave me whiplash. I wanted to dig my claws into his soul and keep him above the waves of his horrid change. “Baby.” I kissed him, clashing teeth to fang.

He pulled me against him, returning my kiss with just as much loss. His fingers
splayed over the middle of my back as he bent me backwards.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. Could it be over? The transformation didn’t seem finished. He still had some peach fuzz on his head and
his ears weren’t anywhere near as pointed as Tane’s.

His fin
gers dug harder into my flesh. He clutched me too tight and I struggled to breathe. Like a switch being flicked off, he faded and was replaced by the monster I feared.

Yankin
g my mouth from his, I gasped for air in a wheeze. With my elbow, I jabbed him in the side of his neck to distract him from squeezing the guts out of me.

He jerked away.

“Pull it together.” The words came out strangled. I pressed my hand to my stomach and crawled away, catching my breath. “You’re transforming. Tane’s blood is inside of mine and it’s turning you into a Nosferatu.”

He
bent low to the ground and snarled. “They want me dead.” His eyes reflected the moonlight and he no longer even looked like the person I’d met in Budapest. This stranger sent chills down my spine and not the good kind.

“Can you blame them? You’re acting nuts. You have to fight these urges.” I climbed to my feet.

“But you smell so good.” His fangs grew to the size of a tiger’s as he followed my motion.

I did the only
thing left in my defense arsenal. I screamed like a horror movie heroine. It came up from my diaphragm and burst from my throat, filling the empty countryside with an ear-piercing sound.

Rurik lunged for my throat
as if to rip it out.

Reflexively, I slammed my eyes shut and kicked out like Kam taught me. I was thrown aside
like my heel caught a moving train and I rolled with the momentum. When I untangled my limbs enough to manage to sit, I stared at all three of my boys.

Kam held Rurik from behind
, while Tane grasped his head between his hands. He touched foreheads with Rurik. Instantly, Rurik went limp, and Tane caught him before he hit the ground. Gently, he pressed a kiss to his slack lips.

Air rattled in my bruised lungs. The scream had knocked
something loose. “Took you long enough.” I struggled to my feet once more, covered in new bruises. I wiped the dirt from my jeans so Tane wouldn’t see how much I shook. “What did you do to him?” My pulse calmed from racecar roaring to pony trot. It would take time before my body realized it wasn’t about to die.

“I made him sleep. He’s grown stronger mentally as well as physically. He might have beaten some of my weaker brothers.”

I leaned against Tane and joined him in staring at Rurik’s angelic face.

“He’s my child but I still don’t feel a link forming between us like it should
. I wonder if he’s still connected to Catarina, his maker. This might be the cause to his madness.” Tane lifted Rurik in his arms and handed him to Kam. Sighing, Tane scanned the area. “Wait at the gas station for me.”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He stared out in the darkness. “It’s hard to explain, but I sense something is…off in the area. I should take a look. It might be nothing or it could be one of my brothers poorly trying to mask his presence and creating a mental void around the humans.” He took off at speed I couldn’t achieve on my own.

“Don’t eat anyone,” I shouted after him. “What?” I aimed the question at Kam, who gave me a raised eyebrow. “I already have one boyfriend starting bad habits. If Tane goes back to hunting humans then I’m cracking the first bottle of hard liquor that has the misfortune of crossing my path.” It had been years since I craved a stiff drink but I sure could use one or three
or twelve.

“Connie.” Kam’s voice took a warning note. He knew about my
past issues with the bottle. It never occurred to me he cared until now.

“Everything is going straight to hell
, and I don’t think I want to be sober when the end comes.”

Kam shook
his head and left me staring after Tane. I didn’t like him facing his brothers alone. Who knew what waited for him in the night? It would be best if we stuck together. With that small piece of advice, I trotted after Kam so I wouldn’t be alone. The distance to the station was farther than I’d thought. No wonder it had taken them so long to track me. Maybe I should apologize for my outburst? I glanced at Kam. Nah.

Rurik’s arms hung
loose, swinging back and forth. How had we gotten here, running in Italy with the world’s deadliest killers wanting our heads? We couldn’t get a break. Whenever I thought my happily ever after had arrived, someone came along and snatched it away. Maybe I didn’t deserve one. If I left Rurik and Tane, maybe my dark cloud would follow. They would finally have a chance at the happiness I yearned for.

The side door of our van slid
open.

Fear
stiffened my spine.

Tane waved us inside.
Geez, he could move fast. I didn’t want to imagine a whole clan of vampires with his skills hunting me but I couldn’t ignore it. Not anymore.

Kam set Rurik on the b
ack third seat and blocked my attempt to follow. “Best if you stayed separated.” He pointed to the front passenger seat.

“Fine.” Once we were belted in
, Tane took off on the highway toward Florence but took the first exit heading east. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll seek sanctuary and council
from the Lady of Venice. Maybe with her help we can save Rurik’s mind.”

My stomach plunged, hitting rock bottom. He needn’t say more. “We’re going to Rurik’s maker?”

“Though it pains me to seek her help, yes, we are.” Tane stayed focused on the road ahead.

His response hammered my sliver of
worry deeper. “So this is a sane thing we’re doing? I thought you weren’t on good terms. What will keep her from calling the Nosferatu when we arrive?”

“Rurik. They’ll kill him first then figure out creative ways to punish me.”

The marrow in my bones froze. “What about me?”

His worried glance gave me little comfort. “Many of my brothers are lonely. One of them will keep you.”

“Nice.” I drawled out the word laced with venom. “I think I like the plan where they kill us better.”

“If this comes to a bad
ending, I’ll shield you from my pain as long as I can.” He’d done it before. What a Nosferatu warrior could suffer would vaporize a normal human’s mind. I’d experienced it for a flash second in Rio and it had left me inert on a sidewalk. Being linked to Tane had its bonuses, but the downfalls would kill me literally.

“Let’s not plan on them catching us alive. Keep the focus on finding a hole deep enough for us to hide in until we can fix what’s broken.”

He opened his mouth to respond then snapped it shut with an audible click. Turning to face me, he gave me a reassuring smile. “Everything will be all right.”

Oh God, he thought we were all going to die terrible, painful deaths. “I thought you were better at lying than this.” I crossed my
arms and glared out at the starry sky. Barely any traffic joined us on the highway at that time of the night. I just didn’t get men sometimes. When Laurent, my deceased husband, had found out he had cancer, he’d hidden the truth from me. He’d hoped not to upset me, but it had done more damage once I’d discovered what I thought was him slipping out to see a mistress were really chemo treatments. I might look fragile but I was made of titanium when it came to the ones I loved.

I twisted in my seat. Rurik lay in a peaceful slumber. “How long of
a drive are we looking at?”

“Two and
a half hours. We’ll be there before dawn.”

“Let’s hope she’ll give us shelter.”

“Do you think she’d refuse her king?” Tane’s smile held an edge of sly amusement. I loved that about him.

In a daze, I watched the land va
nish as we drove onto the bridge spanning the space between the mainland and the many islands of Venice. The glow of the city lights ahead broke through the night like a beacon of hope.

I leaned forward. “Do
you know where to go?” Even from this distance, I could discern the canals crisscrossing the city. The water reflected the lights and it seemed like the city floated on a sea of stars.

“Don’t I always?” Tane drove the van with confidence. I hadn’t seen him behind the wheel once during the years
of living with him. This skill didn’t surprise me as much as it should. Tane always tried to keep up with the times. “Have you been to Venice?”

“No.” The bridge descended toward land and ended by the biggest parking lot on the planet. “Why do we have to stop here?”

“No cars allowed past this point. The best way to travel in Venice is by boat.” Tane exited the van.

Kam followed with Rurik in his arms. “I might attract attention carrying an unconscious man.”

Tane slid his arm around my waist. “Nonsense. This is Venice. They’ll think he drank too much.”

Where we stood t
he canals ran black with inky water, and the dark cobbled streets echoed our footsteps. I hadn’t imagined this sinister side of Venice. My mind held images of crystal-clear blue waters, pots over-flowing with brightly colored flowers, and song filling the air. I guess the night touched all things. Even the ancient brick buildings seemed to weep at our passing as the condensed humidity trickled down their walls.

As I stared down at the water
I recalled an unexpected swim in the Danube River in Budapest. It had seemed like hands of the unfound dead reached for ankles in the murky waters.

“We’ll take that boat.”
Tane pointed in the distance.

A motorized water taxi immediately aimed toward us without anyone making a signal that we wanted a ride.
Docking against the stone canal wall, the driver climbed out in a daze and sat on the cobblestone. Tane jumped on board and secured it to the wall.

The boat wobbled wildly when Kam hopped in with Rurik. It tore the wall from Tane’s hold. He swore and held out his arms as they fl
oated away. “Jump.” The command came out sharp as a whip. He expected everyone to follow his orders instantly. I was the only person who gave him shit when he spoke to me in this manner. Except tonight.

Shutting my eyes, I leap
ed from the edge of the canal in what I hoped was Tane’s direction. I held my breath, expecting to plunge into the dark waters. Fear sent my limbs flailing as if I could swim through the air and avoid the horrors below.

With a sudden halt and jerk, I landed on something hard instead
of liquid. I opened my eyes and met Tane’s displeased gaze. We lay sprawled on the bottom of the boat with me on top.

“I said jump, not have a seizure.” He shoved me off and grabbed control of the boat, steering us along the narrow water ways with his superior night vision.

Lucky I jumped at all.

“I wouldn’t have dropped you.” His response caught me off guard. I hadn’t meant to broadcast that thought.

“No, you would have thrown me. And get out of my head.” I tried to slam my mental shields to block him, but stubbornness ran in Tane’s blood as much as it did in mine.

“You deserved it. If you keep acting like this, I might dip you again.”
He gave me a grin, the one that showed more fang than was necessary.

The boat pulled into a much larger canal. Lit bridges spanned the width and the light shimmered on the water, chasing away the eerie gloom. A few people walked next to the canals, some less stable than others, and waved at us.

Tane grabbed my wrist before I could wave back. “They think I’m a taxi driver and they want to share your ride. That wouldn’t be wise.”

I broke eye contact with them and turned my back to Tane. “Will we ever live a normal life?”

He barked out a sharp, surprised laugh. “No, we’re far from normal people.” I sensed his eyes boring into my back but he stayed quiet. I didn’t need a mind link to hear his unspoken questions. Until tonight I hadn’t regretted my choices, but I was growing tired of fighting to survive. This would be the third round of battles with Tane and Rurik.

“Does fighting ever
end?”

“What do you mean?”

Kam cleared his throat. “She means, will she be able to live without a bodyguard watching her back all the time?” He gave me an understanding smile.

Tane’s silence was answer enough.

I sighed and sat next to Kam, who somehow understood me better than my vampires. That wasn’t as reassuring as it sounded. “How do you know this woman still resides in the same house?” I asked Tane. Vampires, like humans, grew bored of homes and moved.

“
Some vampires don’t accept change as well as others. They remain stagnant.” He steered us under the bridge. “Catarina’s existence is a swamp.”

I’d met a few of these
types of vampires while in Tane’s court. Like a person caught in a snapshot, they couldn’t progress, learn, or evolve. Some visited court to protest Tane’s stricter laws about killing. Most didn’t leave with their heads. Ever since Luckard had tried to take Tane’s throne, he had grown much colder toward those who couldn’t follow the new ways he supported.

Visiting Rurik’
s maker sounded better and better the more I learned about her. I tossed Tane a sharp glance over my shoulder. “Can you refrain from killing her? You seem on a short fuse.”

He gave me such a shocked expression I almost thought him sincere until he opened his mouth. “I’ll wait until we
’ve resolved our current predicament.”

Kam laughed. He had set Rurik in the seat next to him and had his arm around
Rurik’s shoulders for support. This wasn’t the romantic boat ride I’d envisioned us sharing in Venice.

“Don’t encourage him,” I snapped at the shifter.

Tane turned off the main route into an unlit narrow canal. I would have missed it. The city consisted of many islands linked with bridges and the buildings were ancient compared to my native New York. I could understand how this place would lure vampires trapped in the past. It smelled of decay and history. Tane pointed toward a moss-covered stone dock. “That the place.” He landed the boat with ease, and Kam secured it.

The building rose above me by three stories, each with its own balcony. Curtains shrouded tall windows that lined the walls. I grew dizzy as I
stared and I hugged the side of the boat for stability.

An arm snaked around my waist. “Don’t fall in. I’m sure you’d find a way to blame me if you did.” Tane lifted me effortlessly onto the dock and followed.

“Umm…are we telling her the truth?” I whispered low enough so only Tane and Kam could hear with their supernatural hearing.

“The truth?” Tane straightened his causal wear as if in full regal attire. “What a novel suggestion.”

“That’s usually not your forte.”

“I’m aware of my habits, but I won’t risk Rurik’s life just so I can save face. She will have to accept that I
’m running from my brothers for Rurik’s sake.”

I stood at his right hand and one step back
, where a good little blood slave should, so this vampire would understand I respected Tane. I had to admit that last part to myself again to be sure the thought really came from my brain and not his. Respect? Yes, I was beginning to sense some of this foreign emotion toward my personal demon. I had better keep watch so it didn’t blow out of proportion and I started jumping at his orders. Oh wait, I already did that once tonight.

“Give me Rurik, Kam.
I want you to rid us of this boat and any evidence left behind. Then get a room in the tourist section. Stay sharp until we need you.”

Kam’s gaze wandered to me then back to Tane. “Gwen will have my balls if something happens to Connie.”

“I’m quite capable of taking care of her. You’re dismissed.”

Kam bowed low. “Yes, Master.”

“Is that the best thing to do?”
I leaned over Tane’s arm for a glimpse of Rurik’s sleeping face.

“Yes. We may need backup, an extra pair of eyes, or possibly a rescue. It’s better that no one knows of Kam’s presence.
I can sense my brothers have realized the trail they followed was false. I’m sure one of them was in the Florence area. Time is running out. This will be a place they’ll search if they haven’t already.”

My heart seized. “What the fuck are we doing here then?”

Tane kicked the door since his arms were too full to knock and I was too flabbergasted to function. The sound vibrated within my marrow, but the door remained intact. Maybe this
would
be a good place to hide from Nosferatu.

It opened without a creak
, and a withered old man blocked our entry. “May I help you, sir?” He wore an old-fashioned butler’s suit of a fine cut, his back bent with age, and all five of his hairs were combed neatly to the side.

I blinked. His sharp gaze didn’t match his frail body and he didn’t flinch at the sight of a Nosferatu at his doorstep.

“Inform the Lady Catarina that her king is at her doorstep.” Tane barged past the old man.

He
teetered on his feet in the strong vampire’s wake. “Please, come in.” He spoke to the king’s back.

I steadied him with my hand under his elbow. “Don’t mind him. He’s a little testy. I’m Connie Bence.” I offered him my free hand.

“Very kind of you, Madame.” He spoke with a lovely British accent. “You may call me Hayden. Come this way.”

My feet tread upon gleaming marble tile that stretched ahead like an ice rink until it ended at a wooden staircase at the far end. Dim lights on the wall scones flickered until I realized they were old gas lamps. The kind that could explode if aged. Ha
d to love old vampires who scoffed at electricity. Bet they didn’t have wi-fi. Hadn’t she heard of online shopping?

Tane lay Rurik on an elaborately
embroidered sofa then sat on one of the matching chairs. He could make a stool seem like a throne.

I aimed for the only other empty seat
, but Tane shook his head slightly. Sighing, I stood behind him. As the king’s blood slave I should set an example to all others. Yada, yada, yada. As long he understood it was only show. How long before this show became reality? A hundred years, maybe two? I couldn’t foresee ever getting out having to publically defer to him. It would eat at my soul until nothing of me would remain. Would our relationship survive if what he loved most about me vanished? Yet, how could I remain an independent me when the public only saw a slave? I strove to bring our private life out in public but he insisted to separate the two. Could our public relationship overtake our private one someday? I would turn into a Hayden, who answered doors and presently shuffled to a brass tube on the wall.

He opened it and announced our arrival in a loud voice.

I cringed. “I don’t think your brothers heard him. Maybe you should ask him to repeat it.”

Tane remained still
, but I could sense his amusement in the way his shoulders relaxed.

A swish of cloth announced someone arriving. Descending the sta
irs, a young woman in an old-fashion pale green gown met my wide-eyed stare.

Her curly blonde hair was piled on her head with a few stray strands strategically loose around her shoulders. Her cool blue eyes assessed me from head to toe. She filled
the elegant dress beautifully with lush, feminine curves. She made a deep curtsey to Tane. “Your Majesty.”

He nodded. “Lady Catarina.”

She rose, her attention not on her king, but on me.

I gasped.
Who could blame her? It was like looking in a mirror, except my hair was short and dyed brown.