Ejecting the magazine, he reached for another in his vest, only to be plowed over by the charging vampire. The crossbow dug into his back through the vest and his gun slipped from his hand and skidded across the marble floor. The vamp tore the new mag from his grip and hurled it through the window, into the mounting flames. Fangs landed in his shoulder. Nick kneed the vampire in the groin, hard enough to loosen its grip on him. It was enough to free his right hand. He reached down the side of his leg, his fingertips fumbling to grip a wooden stake.Got it!Rolling the vampire, he thrust the stake through its heart. Blood sprayed across Nick’s chest and then the light faded from its eyes.
Nick scrambled to his feet and drew the crossbow, loading it with a wooden arrow from the quiver. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabriel eviscerate another vamp outside the door before rushing in behind him.
“Watch out!” Gabriel yelled.
Nick saw nothing but a set of blurred shapes. Six more vampires charged at them from the left. His feet left the floor as Gabriel spun him around and lifted him into the air. He easily assessed the situation, pulled the trigger and reloaded, again and again. The arrows pierced eye, head, and heart. All six fell.Thank you, Harriet.Nick was good, but he wasn’t this good, especially not with a crossbow.
“Drop me,” he said to Gabriel, and the dragon obeyed. Landing on his feet, he loaded his last arrow and looked right, then left. Another stream of dragon fire blazed beyond the open door. No more were coming in from that direction.
“Do you have any ammo left?” Nick asked.
“No. A few stakes and a dagger,” Gabriel said.
“Me either. Last arrow. One stake.”
“Which way is Rowan?” Gabriel asked him. They were back to back in the foyer, scanning every open doorway.
“How should I know?” Nick said. “She could be anywhere.”
Gabriel scoffed. “Why do you think we brought you here, Nick? I thought you shared a connection with my sister?”
“I do. I… feel for Rowan… Strongly. I care for her.”
Gabriel growled and turned to him, folding his wings away. He pressed a finger into Nick’s chest. “Then reach out with your instincts. These vampires stole yourmate. Are you going to let them have her? Where is she, Nick?Findher.”
There was that word again.Mate. What did it mean? Then again, what did it matter? Rowan was his.His. He should have told her so that night they’d made love. He should have thrown her over his shoulder when she’d tried to leave the Dakota, carried her back into her bedroom, and shown her why she couldn’t go anywhere with Verinetti that night or ever again. The thought of anyone else touching Rowan made him furious. Heat flooded his face, his chest. Every cell in his body clenched for action. He had to find her. He had to find her now.
Nick’s adrenaline soared and something clicked. Whether it was Harriet’s tonic or his connection to Rowan, he thought he heard the faintest sound, a buzz or a hum, coming from upstairs. A deep grunt worked its way out of his throat, and he took the stairs two at a time. He glanced back.
“I’ll cover you,” Gabriel said, backing up the stairs behind him.
Nick raised the crossbow and crept down the hall in the direction of the sound. The floor creaked under his weight, and he tried his best to roll his steps and listen for Rowan. His breath came too quickly. He pursed his lips to try to slow it down. He had to keep his head. Focus. His eyes landed on the last door. She was in there. Somehow he knew.
“No,” he heard her whimper, and it was all the confirmation he needed.
He tried to open the door. Locked. Backing up, he threw a kick. Then another. Then put all his weight behind it. The door splintered from its lock and swung open on its hinges. Nick charged in, then came up short at what he saw. Rowan was tied to the bed, her skin pale as snow, her eyes rolled back in her head. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing. God, he hoped she was breathing. Her dress had been pushed up her hips, and a pair of fang marks bled from her thigh.
“Oh God, Rowan!” Tears filled his eyes as he rushed to her.
He never reached her. A brutal force swept him off his feet and slammed him to the floor. Nick’s head cracked against wood. The crossbow flew across the room and a big, Russian-looking vampire held him down and stared at him through small beady eyes.
The creature laughed wickedly. “It’s you! I remember you.”
For a moment Nick thought he’d descended into his worst nightmare. The hair was different, but the face hadn’t changed. He knew this man. Well, he’d thought he was a man the day he’d thrown him from the parking garage. Clearly he’d been wrong. For twenty years, he’d lived with the guilt of believing he’d killed someone. Now all the events of his past rearranged themselves. No wonder the man had seemed so invincible, so larger than life.
You couldn’t kill what was already dead.
“Trojan…,” Nick rasped.
“Malvern. You should know my true name before I end you.” He dug his nails into Nick’s biceps and ran his tongue along his fangs. “I bet you taste sweet, just like your mother.”
“My mother?” Nick struggled in Malvern’s grip, but he was overpowered.
“She was my whore for years. I lost control one night and drained her dry. Poor little orphan. Did you think she’d abandoned you?”
“You fucking bastard.”
“Seems like that label belongs to you. None of us believed Stan was your father. Though who it was is anyone’s guess.”
