Illusions (Night Roamers) Book Four (6 page)

“
That’s good. Hey, when you find out where Sonny is, let me know. I get a lot of customers in here asking about him, and I don’t know exactly what to say. I’ve never known him to disappear like this without a word.” She sighed. “We miss seeing him.”

“
Yeah, we do, too,” said Nathan, looking away.

I knew Nathan had gotten close to Sonny during the summer. He’d taught him a lot about boats and had even given him advice about women, which he’d
pretty much ignored, but I knew still appreciated.

“We’ll let you know if we find out anything,” I said, glancing outside. The snow was coming down even harder, and Nathan’s sporty car wasn’t exactly the ideal winter ride. “We should really get going, Nathan.”

He
pulled his keys out of his black chinos. “Yep. Have a good night, Marilyn.”

“You both have a good night, too. And be careful out there,
the roads are pretty slippery.”

“We will. Thanks
,” I replied as we walked out of the diner.

“So, wha
t exactly is Duncan telling everyone about Sonny?” I asked. I hadn’t really talked to him about it. The fact was, we didn’t do very much talking when we were alone. Our mouths were usually busy doing other things.

“I’m not exactly sure. I think he
may have mentioned something about Sonny visiting his grandmother to someone over the phone.”

“
Well, eventually he’s going to have to do something about the marina,” I replied. “Maybe even sell it.”

“
Probably. Unless he can find someone to run it during the day.”

“
Honestly, he probably could
still keep it running. From what he’s told me, he knows almost as much as Sonny about fixing boats. He’d just have to try and avoid the sun as much as possible,” I replied, as we got into the car.

“Not easy when yo
u run a boat marina. But, if we decided to stick around Shore Lake, I think between the three of us and the other two mechanics, we could keep Sonny’s Marina afloat.”

“You’d
have to hire someone for the bookkeeping.”

“What about you?”

My eyes widened. “I don’t know anything about accounting or running a business. You’ll need to hire an office manager or something.”

“
Yeah, I guess you’re right. In any case, we should talk to Duncan about it.” He frowned. “If we can find him.”

My face darkened.
“Don’t say that. We will find him.”

He pulled out
of the parking lot, turning left, and we slid precariously toward another oncoming car. “Dammit,” he snapped, quickly straightening the car out. “This baby sucks in the snow.”

“Maybe you should trade it in for
a truck or something,” I replied, holding onto the dashboard. 

He turned on the windshield wipers. “Hell no. You know how I feel about my car. I might have to buy me some Blizzaks though.”

“What’s that?” I asked, gritting my teeth as he attempt to stop at a stop sign and failed miserably. Luckily, there was nobody going the opposite way, or we’d have been kissing someone’s bumper.

“They’re winter tires. I just don’t have the extra money for them right now.”

“Maybe Duncan will loan you some.”

“Or maybe I’ll
just see if he’ll let me use one of the work trucks now that the snow is here.”

“
I’m sure he would.”

Nathan turned on his
iPod and
Imagine Dragons
began singing about demons. I closed my eyes as I tried to quell the hunger of my own inner demon. My stomach was empty and I was beginning to feel agitated. I needed to feed. And soon.

“You okay?” asked Nathan, turning down the music.

“I’m fine,” I said, opening up the window. I suddenly felt boxed-in and restless.

“What are you doing?” he snapped
. “You’re going to let all the snow in!”

“I need some fresh air.” With the warm air blowing and our close proximity,
the scent of his humanness was making me uncomfortable. Scratch that, it was making me ravenous. But, there was no way I’d attack my own brother for blood. I’d rather hunt down an animal in the woods.

“Why?”

I rubbed my forehead, which was beginning to bead up with sweat. Even the cool air blowing in wasn’t helping. I needed to tell him. To warn him.

“Nikki? What’s wrong?”

I leaned back. “Look, I lied. I’m not doing fine.”

“Shit, I knew it,” he said, tightening his hands on the steering wheel. “You need blood.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve waited too long.”

“Why did you wait
in the first place?”

“We don’t have that many packs of blood left in refrigerator. And, I’m not a hunter. I suck at it.”

He sighed. “What do you want to do?”

“Pull over.”

His eyes widened. “Why? You’re not going to bite me, are you?”

I chuckled menacingly. “Only if you don’t pull over.”

He quickly pulled over to the side of the road.

“Chill out. I’d
never
bite you, Nathan.” I removed the seatbelt. “So, look, I’m heading back to Duncan’s. Stay right here and I’ll return right after I feed.”

“Why don’t I just turn around and drive you there?”

“You know very well that I can fly faster than you can drive. Plus, it’s slippery and you’re running low on gas. Just let me go.”

“
Okay, fine. You’re right,” he answered, staring outside at the large snowflakes landing on the windshield. His eyes returned to me. “Why don’t you just meet me at the cabin?”

“No,” I said, opening the door. “It’s too dangerous
for you to go there by yourself. Look, I’ll be back in less than five minutes. Why don’t you just put on a song and kick back?”

“Fine. Just hurry,” he said
, frowning. “I just hope that some snow-plow doesn’t come barreling into me, or I get towed.”

“Just turn your hazards on.”

“Right. With my luck, a cop will come by and I’ll be forced to tell him that I’m waiting for my blood-sucking sister to return after she chugs a liter or two of blood.”

“
Good luck with that,” I replied, slamming the door shut. I waited as a car moved slowly past us and then I shot up into the sky.

Nathan



Nathan
tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel with his eyes closed, as he belted out the words to
Hey Brother
by Avicii, when there was a loud rap on the window. Startled, he opened his eyes and found an attractive young woman standing outside without a jacket. She was rubbing her forearms and shivering.

He rolled down
his window. “Uh, hey, where’d you come from?”

She smiled sheepishly. “
I guess you didn’t see my car back there,” she answered, pointing behind his Mustang.

Nathan looked in
to his rearview mirror and noticed her vehicle about hundred yards back, sitting at a funny angle. “Oh, damn. Are you stuck?”

“Yes. I can’
t get any traction. I’ve tried everything, but I think I’m making it worse. Are you stuck, too?”

“
No, I’m just… taking a break from driving.”

She looked puzzled but then smiled in spite of herself. “Oh, well that’s great, I guess. Um, y
ou wouldn’t mind helping me?”

He grinned.
“Can’t you see I’m really busy here?”

Her smile fell. “Oh.
”

He laughed.
“No, I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry, we’ll get your car unstuck. Hold on, I’ll be right out,” he said, rolling up his window. When he got out of the car, he noticed she was just an inch shorter than his six foot frame. “I’m Nathan, by the way.”

“I’m Stacy
,” she replied, her teeth chattering.

“You must be freezing. Where’s your jacket?
” he asked as they started walking back toward her car in the snow.

“
What can I say? I’m and idiot. I forgot it at home,” she said, her breath frosty in the darkness.

“Here,” he said, unzipping his brown leather jacket. “Put this on.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” she replied, smiling gratefully. “But, thank you. You’re so sweet.”

“No, really. I insist,” he
replied, taking it off. He was wearing a wool sweater and all she had on was a lightweight knit top that, he had to admit, hugged her curves pretty sweetly.

“
If you insist. To be honest, I am freezing my ass off. So, thank you,” she said, putting it on. She pulled the zipper up and groaned in approval. “Oh, this is nice and toasty. I guess I didn’t realize how cold it was going to be today.”

“
I’m guessing it’s just going to get colder from here on out,” he said, sticking his hands into the pockets of his black pants. “So, you live around here?”

“No, actually, I’m just passing through,” she replied.

He glanced at her face again and couldn’t help but feel a
stab of disappointment. Not only was she pretty, but her legs went on for miles.

I’m an ass
, he thought, as Taylor’s face popped into his head. He’d just broken it off with her because of all the crazy shit in his life, and now he getting excited about a total stranger.

She grinned.
“I take it you’re from Shore Lake?”

“Well, we just moved here a few months ago,” he replied
, trying not to shiver. He didn’t want her to feel guilty for accepting his jacket.

“Oh yeah? Do you like living here?”

He smiled grimly. “Honestly, I wish I could say that I did, but…”

Her eyebrow arched.
“You don’t.”

“Not particularly
.”

“That’s too bad,” she said as they approached
the door to her white Mercedes. “I’m from Billings and have never lived in a small town before. I always thought it would be kind of nice, though.”

“
I’m sure it can be, depending on the town. So, how do you like living there?”

“It’s okay. Someday I’d like to live in California or Texas. Then I wouldn’t have to wor
ry about snow and getting stuck,” she replied, waving at her car.

“
I know what you mean. Wow,” he said, smiling at it. “Nice ride.”

She smiled back.
“Thanks.”

“Is it yours?”

“No, it’s my mom’s car.”

“She has good taste. Okay,” he said. “Can I have your keys?”

She held them out.

He
took them and opened the door. “Why don’t you step back over there, where it’s safe, and I’ll see what I can do?”

“Okay,” she answered
, moving away from the car.

Nathan
shut the door and started the engine. He put the car into low gear and tried moving forward, then again in reverse. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, he swore and got back out of the car. “I’m going to try and push you!” he hollered. “Get in and put it into reverse when I tell you to.”

“Okay,” she hollered back, running
toward the car.

Two minutes later, her tires were no longer spinning and
the Mercedes was no longer stuck.

“Oh, my God, thank you!” she cried, getting out of the car. “You saved my ass. I thought I’d have to call my mom and dad.
It would have taken hours for them to get out here.”

They would have called a tow truck,
he thought, but didn’t point that out. “Glad I could help,” he said, unable to stop from shivering this time. His hands were also cold from the snow, which didn’t help.

“Here,”
she said, reaching into her purse. She pulled out a ten-dollar bill. “Take this.”

“No. Keep your money,” he replied.

She tried again and he still refused.

“You are so sweet,” she said, stuffing the bill back down into her purse.

“Hey, you’d have done the same I’m sure.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I could have. Anyway,” she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Nathan smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh,” she unzipped his jacket. “Here, take this
back.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want a ride to your car?”

“No, it’s okay,” he replied, not wanting Stacy to catch a glimpse of Nikki if she to
ok that moment to return. He wasn’t sure how he’d explain that. “I don’t mind walking.”

She frowned.
“Are you sure? It’s so cold. It’s obviously on my way.”

“No, thanks though. My legs were starting to cramp up
, and I could use the walk back.”

“O
kay. Um, thanks again, Nathan. It was nice meeting you.”

“
You as well, and you’re welcome. Drive safely.”

“You too.”

He began walking back to his car and a few seconds later, she passed him, honking. He waved and watched as her taillights disappeared into the distance.

Should have at least got her number
, he thought, thinking about her long legs. He’d never dated anyone almost as tall as him and had to admit – it would be kind of sexy. As he continued walking and thinking about Stacy’s long legs, something on the other side of the road, near the trees, caught his attention – a large shadow advancing quickly. It moved quickly toward him and his breath caught in his throat.

A
lycan!

Nikki, where the fuck are you
?
!

Nathan’s eyes darted to his car, which was still
at least twenty feet away. 

He might make it.

He had to.

The creature’s
terrifying roar was deafening as it sprang toward him.