5 Darkness Falls (23 page)

“Let’s go,” I snarled.

Derek chuckled, tapping my cheek with his palm. “I knew I liked you.”

“I’ll take the back of the house,” Al said.

“We should take the sides and avoid the front. That’s the place she’s most likely to
monitor
first,” I stated.

“Alright men. Ready your weapons and let’s get into position.” Derek took off for the right side of the home.

“Be careful, son. If anything happens to me, don’t hang back. You run like hell. You’ve got a baby to be there for.” His eyes were dark spears, ensuring his message was received.

My gaze swept his black army uniform. With the gun in his hands, he looked every part the soldier he was. I refocused on his face. “I promise. I’ll see you on the other side.”

He shook his head, a scared, wistful emotion in his eyes. His brows furrowed as he glanced at me one last time before taking off for the back of the house.

I maneuvered my way through the trees
and
stopped just short of exiting the forest’s
line
of protection. My pulse pounded. I took a deep breath.
For my baby.

My father breached the yard and I took off at full speed for the house, just as he was and I knew Derek was too.

Something whistled through the air. A heavy object thudded against the
ground.

Al was still going. A small object flew right towards him. Panic rose in my chest. “Dad!”

I
deviated from
my course
,
running towards him when the dart hit the center of his chest. My breathing
became
labored as I skidded to a halt; fear crush
ing
my lungs.

He collapsed on the grass. His gun fell to the side.

My body shook with rage. The only thing keeping me from losing it was the fact that he was still breathing. His chest
maintained
a steady rhythm
, rising and falling
.

“You! Get your ass inside.”

My
eyes darted
towards
a
female voice. I was too slow though. The window coverings swayed in her absence. Maybe she really was a ghost.

***

Lexi

I glared at Beth. She refused to speak,
refused
to give anything away.

“Don’t get mad at her, Lex. We all know,” Mel stated.

“What?” I shook my head in dismay. I couldn’t have heard
her
right. “Why would he tell all of you, but not me?”

“He didn’t technically tell us, honey. He told our men, who may have mentioned it to us.” Aunt Claire
looked away,
feigning interest in her manicure.

“Mother
…”
My phone went off. I huffed, yanking the
source of the
shrilling
noise
from
a
pile of papers. “Yeah?” I barked, still angry from the
news I’d just discovered.

“We caught the little-“

“Language, Anthony!” I was exasperated. I leapt from the chair and left them sitting there. I moved into the office beside the conference room. Charles would just have to forgive me for using his space. I closed the door. “Talk to me. Who did you catch?”

“We got her, boss.”

“Who, Anthony?” My patience was thin. I shuddered, clenching my hand at my side.

“Kalia.” Her name was an antagonizing song
rolling off
his lips. “We caught the little daisy crossing the border into Namibia with none other than our good friend Rashik. She didn’t even have back up with her. Can you believe that?”

“You’re a sorry son of a bitch. You’re going to get it buddy. You better hope I don’t break free because I’ll catch you, and you better believe I’m going to torture your ass,” she growled in the background.

“She’s got a mouth on her too. You think I’m foul.” He harrumphed.

“Is Rashik okay?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. She held up her end. Didn’t hurt him, just annoyed the hell out of him apparently.”

“Good. Bring them both back as soon as possible. Use the company card and book the first
flight out.”

“Damn. I was hoping to have a little fun with her first.”

“No! Just get home, Anthony.” I ended the call, slamming my phone down on the desk.

I rubbed my face
, warily
. Even though that was one major thing
to check
off the list, my heart was too heavy with the other items
still remaining.
My stomach roiled;
the
serum
was still active
in the back of my throat, bobbing up and down.

A wave of nausea hit me. I swallowed hard; my stomach muscles cramped, sending a sharp ache through my belly. “Ah!” I cried out as I slipped out of the chair, hunched over towards the floor. Pain stabbed my c
ore
as
a burning
fire
engulfed
my chest.

The door swung open with a vengeance
,
and Kai was down on the floor beside me, Drexel right behind him. Others piled in, but I couldn’t see or concentrate on them.

I shoved a hand outwards trying to hold them off as I
tried to
breathe through it. I turned my head away from them,
staring
over my shoulder towards the wall. The throbbing weakened
, but
the heat burning my chest increased.
The
serum
kept rising.
“No, no, no, no, no, please, God, no.” My words
came out in
a rushed whisper as I tried to swallow profusely. It didn’t work. The searing serum continued to rise until it overflowed in my mouth.

I sat back on my heels, closing my eyes
.
I leaned my head back
,
gasping between swallows.
Damn it!
Tears stung my eyes as I felt the fluid about to surge.

“Move!” Drexel roared. His voice bellowed through the confined room. I’d never been so grateful for him.

I pushed myself upwards. Kai immediately helped steady me before I jerked
away
from him and ran for the trashcan. My body trembled as the blood
y
liquid hit the basket. Tears poured from me as I sat back
, clutching
my belly.

I
faintly
heard them around me, the people who
were here
cared
.
That’s the part that hurt
the most
.
He
wasn’t
here
. And I couldn’t face
anyone
right now. I couldn’t look at them while I was like this. This
screamed
weakness. I’d been fight
ing
so hard to be strong, but my body refused to comply.
While my
power
could
help me withstand a high voltage electrical shock, it did
nothing to
help
with
m
y
pregnancy sickness.

Someone closed the door,
meaning to
block the curious stares I was sure.
It
surprised
me
when Mel squatted down in front of me.

“I’m your best friend. I said I’d be there through everything.” She grabbed my hand and placed a water bottle in it. “This is part of everything.”

I bit my bottom lip
,
hard, trying to fight back the
emergence
of
fresh
tears.

“Drink some water, pull yourself together and the
n we’ll go back to your place.”

Chapter 20

Kellan

My head was pounding, my hands shaking as I twisted the doorknob. The house was eerily quiet.
Though, it
didn’t
necessarily
mean there weren’t a lot of vamps inside
.

I lifted my gun, holding it arms-length out in front of me. Guns didn’t kill vamps, but
it would
slow them down, which was enough
for right now
. I used my foot to kick the door open a little more.

I crossed the threshold onto the wood floors. I sniffed the air, but didn’t smell
any
vamp
s
;
they must be able to
mask their scent somehow. Of course, I was finding that was much easier than I originally assumed. Many things were easier as a vamp than I originally thought.

I scanned the foyer,
boasting
a grand two-story entrance
with traditional
furniture decorat
ing
the space. I didn’t doubt
that
it was purchased at the time the house was built.

She caressed the banister at the top of the stairs. “You’re much cuter in person.” She smiled, but her eyes
filled
with mischief.

She had a long, lean figure she’d covered in a blue silk one
-
piece that cinched at the waist. A long strand of pearls w
as
her only acc
essory.
She trailed her fingers along the rail
ing
as she began to descend the steps. Her short black heels clacked against the hardwood.

I immediately lifted my gun towards her.

She laughed,
sending
her short
,
dark brown hair bouncing with the effort. “Oh, dear, you are cute. That little thing wouldn’t do anything to me.” She stopped walking; her dark eyes narrowed on me. “But my darling, Jewel would.”

Jewel, I assumed
it was her
, stepped out from behind the wall
that separated the foyer
from the sitting room
,
with a grenade launcher in hand. It didn’t take a genius to know that shooting it from this close
of an angle
would send it straight into me, where it would explode.

I mashed my lips together, lowering my weapon.

She
snickered.
“Good boy.”

My
eyes
danced between Cecilia and Jewel. While Cecilia was tall and thin, Jewel was curvy. Her
ample
hourglass figure added to her exotic features. I couldn’t quite make out what nationality she was. Dark brown hair
reached
down to the center of her back. Big grey eyes pierced me, but they didn’t
look
balance
d
with her thin lips. Her tan complexion was similar to Cecilia’s, but without the hint of olive. She
looked
like a
prim and
proper spitfire, consider
ing
she was dressed in her Sunday best
and
holding a military weapon
with authority.

With catlike reflexes, Cecilia reached around me and
pushed
the front door closed. “By the way, in case you haven’t figured it out, I’m Cecilia.” She leaned into my personal space, hovering centimeters in front of my face. “It’s a pleasure, my dear.”

I
fidgeted, balling
my hands
into fists
. I felt my brows crease as I glared at her.

She leaned back, a hand going to her chest as she
chuckled.
“Oh, how cute are you when you’re mad?”

“Can I go back to the fun stuff now?” Jewel asked, lowering the grenade launcher.

Cecilia’s eyes sparkled when she gazed at her counterpart. Her face softened as she smiled at the girl, who couldn’t be older than me. She ran her fingertips across Jewel’s
jaw line
as she leaned in
, kissing
her head. “I’ll see you later.”

I frowned at the
ir
intimate display. I couldn’t tell if Jewel was like a daughter to Cecilia or
if their relationship was
on the opposite end of the love spectrum, but it was
definitely
clear that she meant a lot to her. If things got ugly, I knew she would be the best
leverage to use
against
Cecilia.

“Come sit, Kellan Bancroft.”

“What did you do to my dad?” I demanded, not budging an inch.

“Silly Derek forgot about his beating heart. He was a dead giveaway for you guys. I shot him first, and then your father.”

I snarled.

“Oh, relax,” she huffed. “It was just a tranquilizer.” She turned back towards the sitting room. “Now, come along.”

Against my better judgment
,
I followed her into the room. Perhaps it was her charm. She had a certain flirtatiousness
about her
that caused my preconceived notions of
her being
an evil dictator to
crumble.

She sat in one of the high back chairs and immediately crossed her legs. A silver cart sat beside her with a glistening silver pitcher and two teacups on saucers. “Care for some warm blood?”

I was fighting my own common sense
, and it was screaming:
run like hell, get out of
dodge.
Yet, I
still
stood their
,
like an idiot
,
just staring at her
. I’m sure I looked dumbfounded.

She poured herself a cup, stopping to look at me. The question was in her gaze.

“Uh, no thanks.” I frowned.
Thanks? What the hell is wrong with me? This isn’t tea time; I’m not in
the House of
Parliament.

“Do you plan to stand the whole time?” she asked, holding her plate with one hand. She lifted her cup with the other towards her lips, taking a dainty sip. “Mm. I do love a cup of fresh blood.” Her lips curled up
, smiling like
a Cheshire cat
.

Why did I suddenly feel like I was in some sort of alternate reality?

“How long do you plan on staying?”

“Excuse me?” My features pulled down,
scowling.

“Yes, darling. I’m cooking a blood-stewed pot roast for supper. I need to know if I’m setting an extra plate at the table.”

“What is your fucking deal, lady?” I snapped. My pulse
became
erratic
,
as adrenaline coursed through me. I’d almost rather her burn me alive than drown me with niceties. I scrubbed my face, toss
ing
my gun on a chair nearby.

She set her plate back on the tray
, clasping
her hands in her lap. “You want answers. Sit and I’ll give them to you.”

I plopped into the chair across from her. I pursed my lips, gr
i
nding my teeth as my right leg bounced in place. Hell yeah I was worked up. She put
Lexi and
me through hell only to turn around and
act like
the queen be
e
of politeness.

“Very well. What would you like to know?”

“
Really
?” I scoffed, unable to hold back my anger.

She leaned forward, her smile faltering. “Listen,
honey
, you can either be a good boy and act like your mother taught you some manners or I can chain your ass in the cellar downstairs and let Jewel have a little fun with you.
That’s
where she
’s at
now, in case you were wondering.” She made it a point to take a sip from her cup again before turning her focus back to me.

I tried to swallow down my rage. It wasn’t easy considering what this…
Uh.
I couldn’t even think straight I was so
enraged by
her.

“Now, dear, what is your first question?”

I wracked my brain, trying to think of the most important
thing to ask
. “Why do you have your men on our tails twenty-four
-
seven?”

“Our?” She raised a single brow and laced her fingers together.

“Yes. Your people have been following us for a while now, but they’ve made themselves very well known lately. Well, at least one has.”

She smiled. “It’s good to know Javier is doing his job.”

I glared at her. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Because your question is wrong.”

One big fucking riddle. That’s all she was. I should have known better. “How was my question wrong?
It’s not a matter of
right or wrong. It’s a question,” I growled, my muscles flexing
and bulging
beneath my clothes. She was rubbing me the wrong way, just as every
one of her
note
s
had.

“Perhaps I should clarify for you then. I’m not having
you and
her followed. She’s the only one I care about.”

I felt the color drain from my face. “Why?” The word was like glue on my tongue.

“She’s the epitome of all I hate. She’s trying to bring democracy into a world that arose from the legislature of ancient Europe. Not to mention, she’s an abomination. Humans were never meant to procreate with our kind. We were to choose who we spawned, not leave
it
up to chance. All vampeens are a risk. They enter with world with expectation rather than humility.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant. You really think vampires are humble creatures, then why the hell do we drain bodies?”

“Hmph. You are twisting my words. You are acting entitled rather than grateful for my mercy.” Her eyes
narrowed,
as a frown turned her features hard as stone.

“Fine. Enlighten me. Why don’t you communicate with your team when they’re away?”

“Because I created them all. I am their maker. Because of that, they will forever be loyal to me. The ones who prove rebellious are killed, the same way it ought to be for those
‘
oops
’
babies vampeens create.”

“You’re hitting a little to
o
close to home,
honey
,” I
snarled
between
tight lips.

“I see you have questions, but
can’t actually
comprehen
d
my answers. Allow me to explain it to you, Kellan. I’m not out to abolish every vampeen, only the ones who disrespect us vampires. Had it not been for us, they wouldn’t have a smidgen of the power they have. With power comes responsibilities, and a sense of duty is required.

“None of the vampires I create are made in vein. They all serve a purpose.”

“You turned Kalia before her time?”

Her eyes grew distant. “No. Unfortunately, that was her father. He needed a punching bag that would survive his abuse and heal quickly. Kalia is the exception because of her spirit and tenacity. She has all the wonderful qualities of an admirable vampire.” She
began to lick
her lips. “You, on the other hand, do not. I’d be willing to train you though. I’ve sensed your promise since I first bumped into years ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, yes. You were drunk in a bar with a rowdy group of thugs and prostitutes. You were in such a haze
;
you would never recall the beautiful woman who paid for all those rounds that evening. It took several bottles of liquor before you were buzzed enough to forget that you were a vamp for an hour.”

I averted my gaze. I didn’t recall much from those days. I
think
I’d blocked them out on purpose, and rightly so.

“Listen, Kellan. I’m giving you a choice. You can stay here with me and Jewel and have me personally train you, or you can walk out that door. I’ll graciously give you a five minute head start before I send a team after you.”

“So that’s the politics of ancient Europe?” My brows lifted towards my hairline.

Her lips tightened. “No. The rulers of ancient Europe didn’t offer choices. They merely decapitated you.”

“I have a baby on the way.”

“With a vampeen!” She yelled, unleashing her fury. Her eyes blazed, a ring of red nearly appearing in their depths.

I needed leverage.
Damn it.
I was so stupid and impulsive for coming here like this. Fuck!
Jewel.
It was a shot in the dark. “You love her.”