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Nathaniel stopped at one of the doors halfway down the hall. He took out a key, unlocked the door, and swung it wide. Inside, it was pitch black. He turned to me, his smile shifting from friendly to something more sinister. Before I could react to his grin, Nathaniel pushed me through the doorway and into the darkness beyond.

42

VINCENT

The small wooden structure sat silent as I approached. I couldn’t hear anything but the soft shuffling of whoever was being held inside. I crept to one of the windows and peered inside. Several people were inside, but none of them was Julian. I studied the figures; none were vampires either. All appeared miserable, huddling in on themselves.

I considered going in to try to learn Julian’s location. However, even if they knew, there was only one other place he could be—if he was still alive. No, I couldn’t think like that. Julian had to be alive, or this had all been for nothing.

All my attention shifted to the house.

I was still downwind and hoped my presence hadn’t been detected. As I watched, deciding how to approach the building, movement behind the house caught my eye. It was Anna. My body reacted before my mind. I lowered myself like a cat, ready to pounce, my muscles coiling. All my focus was on Nathaniel’s former mate.

As I watched her, preparing to spring forward, I noticed she seemed to be scouting, too. That thought made me pause long enough to realize I needed a plan. She wasn’t alone, I reminded myself. There were other vampires to worry about. I needed to take her out without alerting them, if possible. Handling them one at a time would be preferable to fighting all three at once.

When her head was turned away, I left the cover of the small building and slipped into the trees along the clearing’s edge. From there, I circled the main house, staying within the trees. I moved unseen, drawing closer to Anna, who was patrolling the property and heading toward me. All I had to do was wait for her to come within reach.

The waiting was torture.

I longed to finish this and find Julian. It felt like it was taking forever, even though I knew only minutes had passed since I arrived.

After a few more interminable minutes, Anna finally reached my hiding spot. There was hardly any moonlight, and visibility was limited even for us. She didn’t see me crouched there as she drew near. She didn’t seem to notice much around her. Moving at near-human speed, she mostly stared at the ground, kicked at rocks, and muttered to herself as she walked.

I moved quickly, grateful for the release of tension in my body. I snaked an arm around her waist and clamped the other over her mouth as I hauled her back into the tree line.

While I’d waited for Anna to approach, I’d debated whether to spill her blood. I wanted nothing more than to tear her limb from limb for what she’d done. I hungered for vengeance and needed her to feel the pain I’d felt when I discovered Julian was gone. Yet my main goal remained Julian and getting him back safely. I didn’t want to alert anyone inside to the violence and needed to be as stealthy as possible.

Anna struggled fiercely in my arms. She writhed and scratched at me, but even after months of missed feedings, I was still much stronger than she.

“You shouldn’t have touched him,” I hissed in her ear. “You should have left us alone.”

I raised my other hand and swiftly snapped her neck. She wasn’t dead, but she was momentarily stunned. I let her fall to the ground. Her head was at an odd angle, and she couldn’t move her body, but her eyes bore into me, and her mouth moved as if she were trying to talk.

Leaning over her, I watched her lips and listened to the gentle sound as air escaped her paralyzed lungs.

“He was mine,” she mouthed. Then her air ran out, and she only stared at me with cold hatred.

I knew she meant Nathaniel, not Julian. I should have felt some remorse, some regret, for how things had turned out, but I couldn’t summon the emotions. All I wanted was to reach my mate, but I had one thing left to do.

Shrugging off my pack, I rummaged around and found a suitable gag and cloth to tie her limbs. She might be able to speak again soon, and I didn’t want her to alert the house. However, it would take hours before she was strong enough to fight against her bindings. I hoped to return long before then and take care of her more permanently.

Silently, I crept back to the house and peered in through a window. There was a single figure in the main room. It was Richard, standing with his head bent, gazing down into the flames in the fireplace.

I had minor scratches that were already healing, but not a trace of Anna’s blood that might alarm anyone inside. I climbed the steps and opened the front door. Projecting calm was my main goal as I stepped inside. A sudden burst of violence was not necessarily the best way to confront this particular foe, at least not right away.

Immediately, I caught Julian’s scent, along with the stench of fear and pain. I clenched my fists, my nails cutting into my palms.

Richard sighed without turning around. “Welcome, Vincent. Have you finally returned to join us?”

“No. I came to retrieve what’s mine,” I managed through gritted teeth.

Richard turned to face me, his body relaxed, yet his eyes remained as sharp and alert as ever.

“I see. I’m afraid your pet is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to take a seat?” He smiled, though it was hardly welcoming.

A deep growl rumbled up my throat, something I couldn’t control. My body trembled with the urge to move. “No. I must insist on getting him now,” I said, my voice rasping around my elongated fangs, like stone grinding against stone.

“Now, now,” Richard said, raising his hands. “Let’s not do anything rash. I’m sure you’ll get what you came for. Eventually.” Richard’s body stayed calm, but I could smell his anxiety in the air. The scent only made me more agitated. We locked eyes, gauging who would make the first move when a scream echoed from below. It was unmistakably Julian’s cry.