CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Oh, my god,” Kamara breathed when they stepped into an old abandoned middle school in a small town south of Dallas.
“Quit gaping,” Jai whispered from the corner of his mouth. “You’re here to buy a blood slave. Act like it.”
She knew that, of course, but she hadn’t been able to help herself. A thousand times, she’d imagined what they’d find inside the auction, but it hadn’t prepared her for this. Hundreds of cages, stacked on top of each other, all filled with humans, shifters, vampires, and the odd werewolf. Some of them were unconscious, and some looked close to death. A few growled and gnashed their teeth at anyone who came close to their cages, while others—humans she assumed—coward in the corners of the wire crates, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
They’d spent the entire night working out her backstory, just in case anyone asked. She was to be Lady Hana Saito, a wealthy, but very private business woman, looking for a companion for her current blood slave. Obviously, that blood slave had to be human, taking Nikolai out of the running for the position, which had led to a turbulent and heated argument. In the end, he’d grudgingly agreed, and it had been decided that Jai would accompany her.
Honestly, she’d have preferred it to be Kellen. Not because she liked Jai any less, but she felt Kellen’s kind nature would have played a better to the role of a submissive. Every inch of Jai’s six-feet-seven frame oozed with confidence and dominance, and she worried about his ability to hold his tongue if someone pissed him off, but it was too late to turn back now.
The morning had been all about dressing her for the part of a rich and snobby vampire. In an old shopping center about sixty miles from their safe house, they’d found her a stunning green dress that complemented her natural skin tone. The strapless gown clung to her minimal curves and accentuated her cleavage, a fact that had sent Nikolai into a spiral of alternating appreciation and possessiveness.
Once she’d chosen her dress, they’d scoured every store, shop, and boutique within twenty miles to find her a suitable wig. All the males had debated against the snowy white, angled bob she’d chosen, but she liked it. No, it didn’t look remotely natural, but she thought it gave her a certain flair and just a smidge of eccentricity.
A little makeup, the perfect pair of matching heels, and she’d been all set, or so she’d thought. The entire four-hour drive to the deserted town of Broken Ridge, Texas, she’d been grilled by not just her mate, but every member of the Valkyrie. They’d made her repeat the same information over and over until she was pretty sure she could recite it in her sleep.
She was a wealthy heiress whose parents had died in the aftermath of the Purge. Before that, her family had made their money in the pharmaceutical business after introducing a groundbreaking infertility drug for human women. She currently maintained an estate in a highbrow neighborhood on Houston’s north side, but she was originally from the sunny shores of San Diego. Her hobbies included gardening, tending to her horses, and basically being a spoiled, pampered, self-absorbed dimwit.
After the tiresome task of memorizing all the information, she’d been a little disenchanted when she’d strolled right through the doors of the junior high with nothing more than a brief pat down to check her and Jai for weapons. Inside the cavernous room that she assumed had once been a gymnasium—or maybe a cafeteria—no one paid much mind to her, either.
“Are you sure they can see us?”
Taking her hand, Jai placed it in the crook of his elbow and led her deeper into the room. “No, but they can see what you see.”
To allay some of Nikolai’s anxiety, the Valkyrie had worked their magic, digging up a complete surveillance kit at an electronics store in the strip mall. Once they’d had the gear, it had been a simple matter of rigging a tiny camera inside her audacious, bejeweled neckless. The feed connected remotely to a tablet without the assistance of Wi-Fi, making it possible for her mate to watch her every move.
Two blocks away from the school, they waited and watched, sitting in an SUV parked behind and old, rusted factory. Their location was much too close for Kamara’s comfort, but she’d been able to dissuade them. Partly because her camera wouldn’t transmit any farther away, but mostly because they insisted on being close in case things went sideways.
She did appreciate their concern, but it made it much harder to feign indifference when she constantly worried about their safety.
“Heads up,” Jai muttered. “Incoming at twelve o’clock.”
Removing her sunglasses, she passed them to her companion, and stretched her lips into what she hoped was an ingratiating, yet bored, smile that showed her fangs.
“Hello,” a skinny vampire with graying hair and a chipped fang greeted. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched, but pulled up short when Jai slid in front of her.
“Excuse him,” she said to the vampire, peering at him around Jai’s massive body. “He’s very loyal.”
“Yes, I can see that.” The male’s lips turned down at the corners, and his eyes narrowed. “Normally, we don’t allow humans in here, not outside of their cages anyway.”
“Understandable.” She patted Jai’s arm and smiled at the stranger. “Down boy.”
It took everything in her to maintain a passive expression when Jai immediately stepped to the side and knelt at her feet. Okay, maybe he was better at this than she’d originally thought.
“I am Lady Hana Saito,” she said in the haughtiest tone she could muster. “My human stays.”
The vampire took her hand and brought it to his lips. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Saito. William Ashford, at your service.” He glanced down at Jai. “Since your human male seems to be well-trained, I think we can make an exception this time.”
Pulling her hand back, she placed it on Jai’s head and caressed his long, ebony locks. “Yes, he is a good boy, isn’t he? Which is why I would like to find him a suitable companion. Not anyone too willful, but not too broken, either. I would like to be able to feed from her, of course.”
“Of course. Someone obedient?”
“Obedient is a good word.”
William bobbed his head a few times as he scratched at his jaw. “I think I have just the thing. If you’ll follow me.”
“Very well.” Kamara snapped her fingers. “Come, pet. Let’s go meet your new plaything, shall we?”
“Where did you say you were from?” William asked as he led her between a long row of stacked cages.
“I didn’t.” Pausing for effect, Kamara waited several heartbeats before she continued. “I have an estate north of Houston.”
“Oh, of course, lovely area. Forgive me, but I don’t detect an accent.”
He was shrewd, and smarter than he looked. Suddenly, Kamara was grateful for the hours of endless badgering as her mate and their friends drummed meaningless details into her head.
“My family is originally from San Diego. Have you been there?”
Her answer seemed to appease him, and some of the tension eased from William’s thin frame. “No, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t. I hear it’s quite beautiful, though.”
“I miss it sometimes, but since the virus, I’m afraid the sunshine doesn’t agree with me any longer.”
Sadness and longing filled the vampire’s eyes. “I do miss the sunlight.”
Kamara frowned. She couldn’t spend hours outside during the day like she could as a human, but her transition hadn’t regulated her to the shadows like in the myths and stories.
“Forgive my bluntness, but why do you say that? It isn’t as though we can’t go outside at all.”
The vampire smiled. “Ah, to be young again. Age, my dear. Us old vampires aren’t quite as resilient as we used to be, and the sun affects us much more strongly than it does the young.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that.” It felt like something she should have known, so she felt obligated to add, “I wasn’t aware. My parents died when the virus hit, and I don’t socialize much.”
If he’d detected anything amiss, William didn’t show it. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He bowed his head. “Don’t worry for me. There are many wonderful things to enjoy about the night.”
At the end of the row, he came to a stop in front of a cage and waved his hand at the human female. She sat in the middle of the crate, her legs crossed, hands folded in her lap, and stared up at them unblinkingly with big, gray eyes. Her ebony hair fell in a matted mess down her back, and every inch of her exposed skin was littered with cuts and bruises.
Kamara pretended to study her as if she were an organism under a microscope, but really, she was fighting the urge to curse or vomit. “What do you think, pet? She looks a bit wild, doesn’t she?”
“Too wild,” Jai agreed.
“Hm, yes, I think you’re right.” Turning to William, she shook her head. “Perhaps something a bit more…” Trailing off, she twirled her hand in the air.
“Well-kept?” William supplied.
“Yes, exactly. This one is filthy. I’d have to hose her down for a week before I let her into my home.”
The vampire laughed. “Yes, yes, follow me. I know just what you’re looking for, my dear.”
Around the corner and down another aisle, they stopped at a cage containing a pretty female with a long, golden braid. She was young, likely in her early twenties, and she wore a flowery summer dress that was clean, but inappropriate for the chilly temperatures within the room. Her blue eyes swam with tears as Kamara studied her, but she didn’t make a sound. She was brave, but clearly terrified, and it killed Kamara that she couldn’t offer the woman even the smallest word of comfort.
“Oh, yes, I like this one very much. Pet?”
Jai leaned close to the bars, and turned his head one way, then the other. “She’ll do.”
“Very good,” William exclaimed. “She’s a little pricier than the others, but I’m sure money is no issue.”
Nikolai had told her once about the electronic credits they’d used in his hometown of Trinity Grove. It was how they “paid” humans for their assigned duties, though paper currency and coins were still very much in circulation. On the other hand, she’d been on the move, scavenging for what she needed for so long that she’d almost forgotten that things like money still existed.
She didn’t have a penny to her name, and more to the point, she had no intentions of completing any kind of transaction with the vampire.
“Naturally,” she answered with a charming smile. “I’m sure she’s well worth it.”
“Excellent. I’ll just go draw up the paperwork, and we can have you on your way shortly.” He waved vaguely down the long row. “Why don’t you browse while you wait? Maybe you’ll find something else to your liking.”
Kamara just nodded. She had the information they needed, and she was ready to get the hell out of there.
Two guards posted at the front doors, two outside, and nine patrolling the cavernous room. A baker’s dozen should be easy enough to take down between the six of them, but she had no idea how they were going to transport so many people to the base in Kansas City. She’d expected ten, maybe fifteen prisoners, not a hundred of them.
That was a problem for later. First, they needed to dispatch the guards, take care of William, then they could worry about transportation issues.
“Come on,” she whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Right behind you,” Jai answered, giving her a gentle push toward the exit. “If anyone asks, you’re feeling a little faint and need a pick-me-up. You’d like to feed in private.”
“You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
Jai smirked. “Shut up.”
Getting into the auction had been easier than she’d expected, and as they neared the double doors at the back of the room, she realized it would be just as easy to get out again. Being a vampire in a world controlled by Gemini clearly had its perks.
Three feet from the exit, her heart sank, and her stomach twisted when a handsome male dressed in a tailored suit stepped through the doors. His hair was longer than she remembered, and the burns on his face and neck had mostly healed. Where the skin had once been blistered and singed, it now looked more mottled, like spider webs of red, creeping veins. In a few more weeks, she imagined those, too, would be gone, and Elias Diavolos would be back to his former self.
“Well, well,” he sang, standing inside the doorway to block her exit. “Hello there, my dear. It is such a pleasure to see you again.”
Kamara said nothing. It amazed her how much Nikolai looked like his father, yet they were complete opposites in morality and personality.
Removing a white handkerchief from his breast pocket, he used it to clean his sunglasses while he studied her. “I wonder why it is I can’t see into your mind any longer. Tell the truth.”
His command should have evoked something in her, but she felt…nothing. He had no control over her anymore, but it was obvious he didn’t know that. She could tell him to shove it, cause a scene, and blow the entire operation, or she could play along for the time being.
“Oh, but I enjoyed it so much.” Finished cleaning his glasses, he passed them to a guard beside him and tucked the handkerchief into the pocket of his slacks. “Tell me, where is my son?”
“He’s dead.” She didn’t know what had possessed her to say it, but the moment Elias grinned, she knew she’d said the right thing.
Elias chuckled darkly. “Is that so? How did he die?”
“Ravagers.”
The king’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
“Raiders took our vehicle just across the Oklahoma border. We were traveling to meet your other children.” It was hard not to smile when his eyes widened. “We traveled on foot for a couple of days before finding what we thought was an abandoned town.”
The memory of the old jail still chilled her, and when she remembered how she’d almost lost Nikolai for real, she no longer had to feign her sadness. Tears welled along her lower lids, but she did nothing to dispel them, letting them spill over to run down her cheeks.
“We were ambushed in the police station. I couldn’t save him.”
Approaching her, Elias placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed affectionately as he offered her the same handkerchief he’d used to clean his sunglasses. “Now, now, my dear. It’s not really such a great loss, is it?”
Kamara ignored his offer and took a step back so that his hand fell away from her shoulder. She was really going to enjoy killing the asshole.
“I loved him.”
“I’m sure you thought you did, but can you really love someone so weak? You’re special. I knew it from the moment I met you, and you deserve so much better than my pathetic son.”
Fisting her hands at her sides, Kamara bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. Every instinct in her demanded she claw and bite, drain every last drop from the fucker’s body, but she would take no part of that evil into her.
“Send your pet away,” the king demanded.
Nikolai and the others were already on their way. She didn’t have to be a Seer to know it, either. The moment Elias had stepped in front of the hidden camera on her necklace, her mate would have been on the move. She just needed to stall for a little bit longer.
“Pet, please go wait in the car. I’ll be with you shortly.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Lifting his hand, Elias snapped at a nearby guard. “See that this one finds a good home.”
Meeting Jai’s gaze, Kamara nodded as the Coalition soldier led him away, knowing it couldn’t have been easy for him to pretend weakness and subservience. He’d get his chance, though. Backup was coming, and everyone in the school would wish they’d never set eyes on her.
“I think we should continue our conversation somewhere more private.” Taking her elbow, Elias turned her around, ushering her through the open double doors and into the parking lot behind the school. “Don’t you?”
“Kamara!”
A slow smile stretched her lips, and she jerked her arm away. “I’m okay,” she sent to her mate. Then, aloud to his father, “No. I really don’t.”
Pointing as a shiny, black sedan surrounded by four guards, Elias sneered at her. “I command you to get in this car.”
“No. That shit doesn’t work on me anymore.”
Gunfire erupted inside the school, eliciting screams and growls from those trapped inside their cages. The reports rang through the parking lot, the sound loud enough to make her ears throb, but she couldn’t find reason for joy. Nikolai would find her, and when he did, he’d be rushing straight to his death.
The chaos inside the school did little to banish Elias’ smugness. Hell, it barely seemed to faze him as he grabbed her by the arm again and dragged her toward the vehicle. Kamara would be damned if she was getting into that car, though.
She managed to twist free again, but before she could run, a guard stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Gun drawn, he pointed the barrel between her eyes, his lips curling to reveal long, pointed fangs.
“Get in the car.”
“You’re going to have to kill me, because I’m not going anywhere with that psycho.”
The guard nodded. “That can be arranged.”
“No,” Elias snapped. “Injure her if you must, but get her in the fucking car!”
Footsteps pounded against the pavement, but Kamara felt no relief when Nikolai charged toward them, his own gun aimed at the guard in front of her. Even if he killed the male, there were still four more guards surrounded the king, each heavily armed. They were outnumbered, and she highly doubted the Valkyrie would make it in time to save them again.
“Nik, no!” she screamed when the guards raised their guns.
Time stood still, her heart breaking as it climbed into her throat. She loved him so much, and she couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not now. Not after everything they’d survived.
“Get down!”
So startled by the command that roared inside her head, Kamara obeyed at once, dropping to her stomach on the dirty asphalt. Then, as if in slow motion, the guards crumpled to the ground, one by one, starting with the asshole standing over her. She could still hear the gunfire from inside the school, so she knew it couldn’t be the Valkyrie. Nikolai had fired only one shot, his bullet finding its mark in the back of the guard’s head that had held her hostage.
“What the fuck?” Pushing up from the ground, Kamara wiped her hands off on the side of her dress as she took in the scene. “Nik?”
Keeping his gun trained on his father, Nikolai rushed to her, pulling her against his chest with his free arm and hugging her fiercely. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again.”
Still shaking, Kamara chuckled as she arched up to kiss the side of his neck. “I’m very sorry I scared you. Playing along seemed like the best option at the time.” She looked over her shoulder at Elias. “What do we do with him?”
Nikolai turned to his father when the king began to laugh. Before, when he was younger, he’d made excuses for the man, because despite everything he’d done, Elias was still his father, his blood. Now, well, some things just couldn’t be forgiven.
“I have to say I was more than a little pleased when I thought you were dead. This is such a letdown, but then again, you always were a disappointment.”
“You will never come near my mate again,” Nikolai said coldly, pushing Kamara behind him as he advanced on his father.
“Or what?” Elias taunted, stretching his arms out to the side. “You’re going to kill me?”
“If I have to.” He didn’t relish the thought of taking a life, even one as twisted and corrupted as his father’s.
The king sneered. “You can’t do it.” His gaze flickered to Kamara. “She will be mine. Maybe not today, but soon. Now, I’m going to get into my car and drive away, you will let me.” Cocky, he took a deliberate step toward Nikolai, ignoring the gun in his hand. “Do you know why?”
“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“Because you are pathetic. You never could make the hard choices. You’re weak, just like your mother was.”
Nikolai flinched at the mention of his mother, which only made Elias laugh again.
“Don’t like me talking about your mommy?” He took another step forward. “Let me tell you something about your mother. She was the biggest mistake of my life. I wanted heirs, and this is what she gave me.” The king gestured toward Nikolai with a disgusted snort. “I should have killed her as soon as she had you. Then, your siblings were just as disappointing, just as weak.”
The gun shook in Nikolai’s hand, and anger blurred his vision. “Did you kill her?”
“Of course I did!” Elias sounded damn proud of the fact. “Did you really think Hunters killed only her in a town full of vampires? Damn, I knew you were stupid, but that’s priceless.”
“You didn’t deserve her.” His kind, sweet, giving mother, and she’d been murdered by her own mate, left to die alone and scared in the woods.
“No, I didn’t!” Elias shouted. “I deserved better!” Composing himself, he cleared his throat as he smoothed his hair back from his face. “But don’t worry. You’ll join her soon enough.” Eyeing Nikolai’s shaking hand, he began to laugh again, clutching his stomach as the sound boomed around the parking lot. “Look at you! I just told you I killed your mother, and you still can’t do it. You can’t ki—”
The shot ripped through the afternoon air, effectively silencing Elias Diavolos once and for all. His lips were still parted, forming his last word, and blood spilled from the hole in the center of his forehead as his body jerked backward before collapsing to the ground.
“That hurt you a lot more than it hurt me.”
“Nik?” A small hand landed in the crook of his elbow. “Nik, I’m so sorry.”
Dropping his gun to the ground, he pulled Kamara into his arms, cradling the back of her head as he hugged her tightly. “Don’t be. I’m not.”
“It’s over,” she breathed. “It’s really over.”
“It’s really over.”
Logically, he knew he should feel something. Shock, guilt, grief, pity—something. Staring down at his father’s lifeless body, Nikolai only felt relief.
“What about the guards?” Kamara asked, her gaze darting to the fallen bodies. “How?”
“Them,” Nikolai answered, pointing to the three people on the roof of the school.
Each sported high-powered rifles, and they all waved before the male wrapped the dark-haired female in his arms and leapt off the top of the building. The other female followed, landing beside them with a muffled thud in the parking lot.
“Oh, wow.”
“Sorry we’re late,” Syrus said in greeting when he reached them. “I guess our invitation to this little party got lost in the mail.” His upper lip curled as his gaze settled on Elias. “Nice shot by the way.”
“Goddess, I thought he would never shut up.” Veronica sneered at her father, but her bright smile returned when she looked up again. “See? I told you I was useful.”
“Technically,” Heather corrected, pushing her hair out of her face, “I did most of the work.” She slung her rifle over her shoulder by its strap and smirked. “Hello again.”
Nikolai had to laugh. “Hello to you.”
Kamara was still gaping at them. “But how did you find us?”
“Well,” Syrus explained, “when you never showed up at the rendezvous point, we figured you’d probably gotten yourselves into some trouble.”
“So, we backtracked,” Heather continued, picking up where her mate had stopped. “We found some humans driving the SUV you left the house in.”
“They’re dead.” Veronica shrugged when Kamara stared at her. “What? They weren’t very nice.”
Syrus snorted and shook his head. “Anyway, we figured you had to go on foot, so we followed the most logical path.” His nose wrinkled. “Found the mess you left in Brookfield.”
“Along with a couple of cuties with big…guns.” Heather giggled when her mate growled at her. “Oh, come on. You have to admit those were really big…guns.”
“Just stop saying guns.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Syrus had to take a couple of deep breaths before he could speak again. “We followed them back to that house you were staying at, but we weren’t sure if they were friends of yours or if we were going to have to rescue you.”
“Then you disappeared,” Veronica said. “When we caught up with you again, you were on your way here.”
“They tried to save me from the warehouse,” Nikolai added, laughing at the memory. “Syrus, you should have seen your face.”
“I told you they had really big guns,” Heather said, making everyone except her mate chuckle.
“Wait, so you knew they were here?” Staring up at him, Kamara pursed her lips and crinkled her nose. “I thought you were going to die!” She jabbed him in the shoulder with her index finger. “Don’t you ever do that again!”
Grinning, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her hard. “I love you.”
Her sighed mingled with his breath, and she relaxed into him. “I love you, too.”
“Sorry to interrupt.” Syrus jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “What do we do with him?”
Nikolai looked at his father one last time and shrugged. “Leave him. I doubt anyone is going to miss him.”
“So?” Heather rocked up on her toes, then fell back to her heels. “What exactly does one do after saving the day?”
Taking his mate by the hand, Nikolai turned her toward the school and began walking. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have a fucking drink.”