Chapter Fourteen

 

 

Willa woke slowly. She was warm and comfortable, wrapped in the arms of the most amazing man.

Her head lay cradled in the crook of his shoulder, and her right arm was thrown over his waist. She flexed her fingers, needing to touch, but not wanting to wake him. Etie had tucked her in last night and then disappeared to meditate and regain his control. She wasn’t sure what time he had finally come back to bed, but it had been late. She had waited up for over an hour before succumbing to sleep. He hadn’t returned.

She studied the soft chest hair covering his tawny skin. It was dark, almost black, but soft and fine. She could pet him all day. But why was everything a little blurry?

Carefully, she tilted her head to see his face. His face was blurry, too. Weird. Maybe her contacts were dirty. Etie was on his back with all of his glorious hair fanned across the pillow and down his arms. That must be what was tickling her shoulders. Mystery solved. Stubble shadowed his jaw in the most enticing way. She itched to touch but restrained herself.

There was more to him than handsome good looks that super-charged his appeal. Etie had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever met. He always took care of everyone and put himself last. Etie had a heart of gold, ravaged and perhaps tarnished by life, but golden all the same.

Willa slowly worked her way out of the bed without waking the sleeping giant. He looked exhausted and needed his rest, but she needed two things… stat: the bathroom and coffee. In that order. The bathroom was easy enough since Etie had an en-suite. The coffee would be more of a challenge.

She grabbed clean clothes and quickly dressed. Quietly she slipped from the bedroom and used the facilities. First things first, she relieved her screaming bladder and then gazed at her blurry image in the mirror. Carefully, she removed one contact to clean it.

She dribbled a pool of saline into her palm and was washing the lens when she realized she could see her hand clearly. Her gaze jumped to the mirror again. If she closed the eye that still wore a contact every detail of her face was sharply defined. Heck she could see her pores plain as day. Holy cow! Her vision was perfect. She didn’t need contacts or glasses anymore. Score!

Quickly she removed the other and smiled at herself. Whoa. She had little fangs at the edges of her lips. Leaning into the mirror, she examined them more closely. Crap, they were sharp. She would have to remember to stop biting her lip.

That was when she recalled the fight at her apartment and how a vampire could lengthen its fingernails. She brought up her right hand and concentrated. Awesomesauce!

She stared at them until they went back to normal, so she could brush her teeth and hair. Hair! HAIR! Son of a… The length was right, but all of her rainbow colors were gone. Dang, it! She was plain old blonde again. Scowling, she went in search of caffeine.

Once in the kitchen, she searched the cabinets until she found the coffee grounds. Typical men! The can was in the cupboard—empty. She could fix that. Café Beignet was only eight blocks straight down Royal Street. Easy peasy. As a local and college student, she was used to either walking or biking most of the time.

She would be there and back with a tray of steaming large coffees before anyone knew she was gone. The sun was shining, and people were out and about. What could happen?

As quiet as a mouse she slipped out of the house. She had just passed the entrance to the police station next to Café Beignet when a blast of dark fury hit her hard. Her chest tightened with fear, and the fight or flight response kicked in. What the heck?

Then she spotted her tall, dark, and handsome man. He had his back to her, so she rushed forward and grabbed his hand to turn him around. “Etie? How did you get here before me? I left you sleeping in bed.”

She snatched her hand away and stumbled back when he leaned in and snarled.

“What crawled up your butt and died?”

He glanced left and right. “It’s too early in the day for your crassness.” he sneered back, his voice every bit as cutting as his expression.

“You should know by now that I speak my mind.”

“I noticed,” he spat. “It’s impossible to miss.”

She watched him follow the progress of the pedestrians on the opposite side of the street. Poking him hard in the chest she hissed, “I’m also an empath, remember? I feel what you do, and your unwarranted anger is pissing me off. I thought you took care of this last night.”

His jaw ticced ever so slightly, and he pulled his sunglasses down his nose to glare at her. “You’re an empath? With a gift like that, you could ruin all my plans. It’s a damn good thing I’m ready for him.”

That’s when she realized he didn’t sound like himself. His accent was different, he smelled like cheap aftershave, and his eyes were the wrong color. Etie had silver eyes. This man had gold. Dread chilled her flesh. He’s not Etie.

She turned to run, but he was on her before she took a step. Her feet left the ground, robbing her of all leverage. Then he started to haul her toward a blacked-out SUV. She tried to scream, but he clamped a massive hand over her mouth.

Willa squirmed and swung out at him like a mad woman. She head-butted him, kicked his shins, and brought her fist up and back breaking his nose. When his grip slipped, she lunged for the café and the safety of witnesses.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head to the side. Before she could get free again, he plunged a syringe into her neck, and everything went black.

Ivan tossed Willa’s dead weight into the back of the SUV and climbed in. “Get us out of here before the cops show up,” he barked at the driver. The vampire floored the SUV jerking the vehicle into oncoming traffic leaving a minor pileup in his wake.

“I can’t believe my luck. Etienne’s bitch walked right up to me. If I had known it would be this easy I wouldn’t have wasted the manpower on her.”

He had his enemy’s woman. He leaned around his seat to look at Willa and took a good long sniff. That was when he noticed her hair. Hot damn! He had abducted his brother’s muierimei. Etienne would come after him for sure. His original plan was to steal the woman from his brother, robbing him of what he coveted.

And who was he kidding? Probably kill her, too. This plan was so much better. And it had gone down so smoothly as if it was meant to be. Well, except for his nose, but that would be healed within the hour.

Etienne had claimed and converted the woman. Her scent and sudden change of hair were evidence of that. She was the perfect homing beacon to draw him to the warehouse.

He glanced into the back again and barked out an evil laugh. She was out cold and would stay that way for at least an hour. That was plenty of time to prepare his fun and games.

 

 

Etienne sat bolt upright the instant he felt Willa’s terror and pain. He leapt from the bed, shredding the sheets with his effort. “Xander! Max! I need everyone. NOW!” he bellowed as he took the stairs three at a time to the main floor.

He flashed to the kitchen, then the library, where the hell was everyone? His breath pumped in and out of his lungs. His chest ached, and his face hurt like someone had used it as a punching bag.

“Willa!” He could feel their connection growing thin. Whatever had happened, she was moving farther away by the second. The vampires must have her. She was being taken from him. That was unacceptable.

The legacy of rage deep inside of him welled to the surface. Fury poured from his very pores as an arctic blast. The glass of the windows fractured, crystals from the chandeliers rained down to skitter across the floor.

Xander skidded to a halt as he rushed into the room. “What happened?”

Etienne swung around crouched and ready to attack. “They have my muierimei,” he growled in a guttural voice.

Xander held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “The men are all on their way, we’ll get her back.”

Max ran into the library and quickly took in the situation. “What’s going on? Where’s Willa?”

Etienne clenched his fists, threw back his head, and roared again. Panic was setting in, he didn’t do panic. He was a man of action. He needed a direction to focus his rage before he tore his men and the house apart.

The sound of the front door banging open, grabbed everyone’s attention. Darius strolled in, pushing past the others who had gathered as far away from Etienne as possible. He boldly walked right up to the enraged vampire, grabbed him by the shoulders—and shook him. Hard.

“Calm down, damn it. Get hold of yourself. You’re worthless to your woman acting like a Berserker.”

Etienne bared his fangs and snapped at Darius.

“Knock it off, or I’ll knock you on your ass,” Darius hissed.

Etienne narrowed his eyes but took a deep breath. And another. His rage was so intense, so feral, frost coated the furniture and bookshelves. With each exhale a blast of arctic air gusted from his lips. Finally, the deep freeze began to subside. He’d spent a lifetime containing his curse. But for the first time in his existence, he was willing to unleash it on the enemy.

“Thank you.”

Darius released his hold and stepped back. “Anytime. Now, what’s the plan?”

“We take her back. I want every man involved with taking her dead. Do you hear me? I want to see heads rolling.”

 

 

Willa slowly came awake on a bed but didn’t open her eyes. She was groggy, her lips were dry, and the inside of her mouth felt like cotton. She licked her lips and swallowed repeatedly trying to dispel the desert that had taken up residence in her mouth.

She listened for a couple of minutes, trying to count the separate voices around her. Six? No, eight at least. She opened her eyes just enough to see through her lashes. Her captors rushed around what looked like the inside of a warehouse. Granted, they were in a large room with four walls and a door, but it was definitely inside a warehouse. Why was there a bed in a warehouse? And were those traps they were setting and weapons they were hiding? It sure looked like it.

She knew Etie would come for her and obviously, these men knew that as well. Etie would absolutely track her down. Of that, she had no doubt. For the next hour, she watched them run around like madmen while she secretly worked to untie herself.

She listened for sounds outside the building. Traffic or voices, anything to give her a clue as to where she was. Water. She could hear water lapping and seagulls screaming. She must be in one of the old warehouses along the river. That meant she wasn’t far from home, and Etie would crash through the door any minute.

Ivan yelled in pain and threw one of his men against the wall in a fit of rage. The vampire slumped in a heap and didn’t get up. Something had gone wrong with whatever he was rigging in the corner, and he was taking it out on one of the guys. Let them fight amongst themselves. That’ll leave fewer men for Etie to battle when he rescues me.

Someone had undressed her and put her in a baby doll nightgown. She was scowling at the filmy negligee that left nothing to the imagination when she was slapped across the face. Hard. “I know you’re awake. Open your damn eyes.”

Ivan must have noticed her distasteful expression and snuck up on her. She did as he demanded, more to avoid getting hit again than to make him happy, and glared daggers at him.

He ran a finger along the satin edge of the gown. She arched away. “How do you like the lingerie? I chose it specifically for my brother. Seeing you in that, tied to my bed will push him over the edge. I can’t wait to see his reaction.”

She struggled, straining against the loosened ropes that hadn’t given way yet. He eyed her swaying breasts with interest. When he licked his lips, she spit in his face.

Ivan’s face morphed into a hideous, murderous mask. He swiped the spittle from his cheek, balled up his fist, and punched her. Willa’s head snapped back. Blood ran like a river from her nose. Her eyesight dimmed, but she refused to black out. She needed to stay conscious and get free of the ropes.

Ivan raked her body with utter madness burning in his gaze. For a moment she wondered if Etie knew his brother was insane. Her heart stuttered. Was Etie in trouble? Did he know he was dealing with a crazy person who didn’t act rationally? She had to get free and warn him.

Ivan wrinkled his nose and scrunched up his face as if he smelled something foul. Then he spun on his heel and returned to berating his men.

“Etienne is a skilled fighter and as powerful as myself. He can take this entire building down if he wants to. Are you completely useless? Hide weapons outside. If he brings down the roof in here, we’ll need weapons along the river.” Ivan threw his hands in the air and screamed, “Idiots. I am surrounded by idiots.”

Suddenly he stopped ranting and turned in a circle to survey the room. “Even if he doesn’t order his men to accompany him, they will follow. I want all of you outside. Find a place where you won’t be seen but is close by. When his men arrive, engage them. Don’t let them come inside. I want to deal with my brother, one on one.”

The men followed his orders without question or comment. Within seconds, she was alone with a madman.

“And now we wait,” Ivan murmured, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Willa twisted her raw, bloody wrists and tugged. There was no way she wanted to be alone with Mr. Nutjob. She stifled a gasp when the rope gave way and fell to the mattress. Instantly, she was on her feet and bolting for the only door in the room.

Ivan rushed to intercept her, but she made it to the door. Willa twisted the knob left and right, pulling with all her might. When that didn’t work, she leveraged one foot against the wall and pulled harder. It didn’t budge.

Cackling like an old hag, he lifted a ring of keys and jangled them just out of her reach. Then he dropped them into his pocket, balled up his fists, and advanced on her.

Willa backed away, never taking her eyes off the enemy. She knew how to fight, and now that she was free of the bed, she intended to use her newly acquired vampire speed and power. She knew she couldn’t take him, but she could hurt him and give Etienne an advantage.

As the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed, he shoved her viciously. She hit the mattress hard, bouncing from the impact. Before she could scramble off the other side, he was on her. All of the air burst from her lungs as he landed on top of her with a full body slam.

He lunged for her neck, snapping his teeth when she lowered her chin and dodged his attempts to sink his fangs into her.

Willa arched her back and tried to buck him off. When that didn’t work, she grabbed his hair with both hands and ripped great chunks from his head.

Howling in pain, he didn’t ease his hold.

She couldn’t match him physically, but she could mess with his head. That just might keep her alive and give Etie time to find her. It was time to find out what new tricks her empathy gift had in store. On the off chance she could reverse the ability, she pushed shame and regret at him. Making him feel the emotions all the way to his bones.

“Etie is going to burst through that door any second because he loves me. I’ll bet you have no idea what it feels like to have someone love you so completely. You’ve never experienced unconditional love, have you? You never even allowed your parents to love you, did you? Etie has something you’ve never had and never will.

“It’s sad really. You could have had it all. A woman to love, men who followed you because they cared for you, people who trusted you to rule honorably.

“You control people with fear and violence. They don’t follow your orders because they respect you. They do it out of fear of you.

“But now that you’ve taken me, you’ll never have any of that. Etie is going to kill you, and you will never have the chance to make things right.

“Do you think I’m afraid of you? You’re wrong. I feel pity for you.”

With every statement of fact, she felt his anguish grow. Suddenly, he shook his head, as if to clear it. His expression darkened, and his eyes burned hotter with hatred. “You talk pretty big for someone being held captive. Perhaps I’ll teach you what it means to anger me after I dispatch my brother.”

“Etie doesn’t kill so easily. That’s why you had to lure him to a place where you could set traps. You’re incapable of killing him in a fair fight. Face it, Ivan, you’re terrified of Etie.” She lifted her head so she could look him straight in the eyes. “And you should be.”

Ivan barked out a laugh, and then sobered just as suddenly. Holding both of her wrists with one hand, he pulled a knife from behind his back and raised it. The tip aimed at her heart.

Twenty-two was too damn young to die. She stared at the blade, never taking her eyes off of it, and opened a can of whoop-ass. Either she made a move with the chance of dying, or she lay there like a ninny and died for sure. Willamina Josephina Donnella Witt was no ninny.

She pressed her head into the mattress and then head-butted him with every ounce of vampire strength she had. Ivan reared back, bellowing in pain, blood gushing from his re-broken nose into his mouth and down his chin.

His change in position gave her just enough leeway to buck her hips hard and send him crashing to the floor. Willa pushed with her feet and hands, crab walking off the other side of the bed just as Ivan sprang to his feet.

She glanced around wildly for a weapon. There was a wicked looking knife hidden a mere three feet to her left. To get to it, she would have to lose the barrier of the bed between them. She took the chance and lunged for the knife.

At the same moment, Ivan dove across the bed, grabbing nothing but air. Willa snatched the handle of the lethal blade and kept moving. She had to put space between herself and Ivan. He was too fast and experienced a fighter to take on willy-nilly.

He got to his feet, tossing his knife from hand to hand. They circled one another like cage fighters looking for an opening.

She didn’t blink. Didn’t look away. Vampires were fast. Even a blink could be the end of her. Inside, her heart thundered, but outwardly she appeared calm, cool, and collected. Ivan was used to everyone cowering in fear. She was throwing him off his game.

“I think I’ll change my plan,” he sneered. “Instead of him finding you tied to my bed, I’ll leave you at the door with your throat cut. I’ll even put a bow on you, like a gift.”

He stepped forward.

She stepped back and to the side.

Every move he made, she made a counter move.

Ivan snarled in frustration. “Enough of this game!” He lunged forward, knife raised to plunge into her chest. Willa leapt to the side. The knife missed its mark, but not her body. She screamed and hit the floor hard as the blade stabbed deep into her thigh, missing the bone and coming out the other side. She panted through the pain, fighting the blackout that threatened to engulf her.

Before she could catch her breath, Ivan pulled the blade free, twisting it to inflict maximum damage. He wiped it clean on her nightgown, smearing blood across her breasts. All the while he grinned with maniacal glee. A huge erection tented his pants. The sick bastard got off on her pain and fear.

Then he positioned the blade over her heart. He placed one flattened palm on the hilt, prepared to drive it through.

Willa acted out of instinct and desperation. She grabbed his balls, closed her fist tight and twisted.

Ivan screamed. He fell to his side, dropping the knife to the floor as he clutched his crotch in agony.

She awkwardly scrambled to her feet, limping to the far wall, putting as much distance between herself and Ivan as possible. Suddenly, a loud rumbling began outside the warehouse. Did the train tracks run alongside the building? No, that was much too loud to be a train. Willa covered her ears to dampen the volume.

The floor began the shake beneath her feet, and across the room, trash left behind on a table jumped and rolled to the floor.

Ivan grunted as he got to his feet. He grimaced in pain but managed an evil smile. “Ah. My brother has arrived.”

A booming roar shook the building to its foundation. The lights flickered, dust and debris rained from the ceiling, and then everything went black.

Ivan swore from somewhere across the room.

Willa listened hard. Ivan could be sneaking up on her, and she wouldn’t see him coming. Then she heard his labored breathing from where she had last seen him. Relief washed over her. She was safe for the moment. When the lights flickered back on, Ivan’s brow was beaded with sweat. He was much more terrified of Etienne than he let on.

Willa shivered as an arctic blast raced through the warehouse, layering everything with frost.

Suddenly, the door splintered into a million pieces. Overhead beams shifted and groaned. At first, Willa thought Etie had used explosives. He hadn’t.

 

 

The instant Etienne stepped out of the mansion he turned toward the river, he sensed she was in that direction. His blood in her veins and their soulmate connection were better than any GPS locator. After last night, he could find her anywhere in the world.

“Should we take the cars?” Xander asked.

Etienne took off down Governor Nicholls Street without answering. There was no way he would waste another second. Besides, he could track her better on foot. With each step, thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the sky in answer to his rage.

“Get the cars and follow us, we may need transportation for the injured,” Darius yelled over his shoulder as he rushed to catch up to Etienne.

By the time they hit the French Market, the cars drove slowly behind them. They would have to take a detour and go around to reach the warehouses on the other side.

“What do you want the men to do when we find her?” Darius asked as they jogged through the market.

“I will get my muierimei. You take care of any vampires guarding her.”

“Do you think it’s Ivan?”

“I’m sure of it. This is exactly the kind of thing he would do.”

“What are you going to do if he is with Willa?”

“Kill him,” Etienne said in a flat tone.

Darius shot him a look, which Etienne ignored. It was long past time to put his brother down. He couldn’t ignore Ivan’s behavior any longer. If he had killed him decades ago, Willa wouldn’t be in danger now. This was on him, and he would not let his brother live to hurt anyone else ever again.

They neared the waterfront warehouses and slowed to case the exterior. “There are at least ten men station around the building. When the men join you, take them out. I’m going in,” Etienne growled out on a gust of arctic exhale.

He shoved past his second-in-command when Darius opened his mouth to protest. Nothing and no one would keep him from Willa and live. Surprisingly, Ivan’s men made no move to stop him. That meant his brother wanted to take him on alone. This would be easier than he thought.

He paused just inside the warehouse to scan the dimly lit space. Much of the warehouse was filled from floor to ceiling with shipping crates offloaded from ships, but in the far corner was a walled off room. Willa was in there. He sensed his blood flowing in her veins. Smelled it, too. Etienne hissed furiously. His brother would pay dearly for the injuries he had inflicted. He could hear Ivan’s heart pounding like a jackrabbit chased by a coyote. Ivan was terrified. He should be.

Etienne marched through the warehouse, dodging boxes and crates until he stood before the door. There, he raised one hand and pushed air at the obstruction. The door shattered, pieces and shards of wood exploding into the room.

The space was empty except for a bed at one end and a long table at the other. Ivan stood in the center holding a bloody knife. Willa leaned against the far wall, favoring her left leg.

Her chin came up, and she smiled at him, then looked pointedly at Ivan. That was his woman, she may be frightened and physically outmatched, but she wasn’t giving up. Not by a long shot.

Willa breathed a sigh of relief and pressed herself against the wall in an effort to remain upright. The murderous wave of rage rolling off of Etie was one hell of a calling card. The blast of dark emotions nearly sent her to her knees.

Etienne filled the doorway with his bulk and immense power. The air around him seemed to bend and shimmer with his need for vengeance. When he looked at her, his gaze softened for a split second. Then he turned his attention on Ivan, and his eyes went deadly cold again. “It is time to pay for your sins, Ivan. You took my woman. Hurt her. For that, you will die.”

Ivan scrambled for something hidden near the table. “Do you think this woman is the only person I’ve taken from you? Who do you think organized the mob that killed your first bitch? And who do you think took out our parents during that war they died fighting?”

Etienne roared, his rage shaking the building so hard Willa threw her arms over her head as junks fell from the ceiling.

In a move too fast for her to track, Etienne went from the door to directly behind Ivan. Ivan turned with a pistol in his hand. The rapid fire of three gunshots made Willa’s ears ring. She slapped her hands over her ears and screamed.