The Rise of Vlad (The Seeker Series Book 3) (10 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nita stepped outside by way of the back door. She held her mother’s cell phone in her hands and took several steadying breaths.

Having memorized Leighton’s number, Nita quickly dialed it and pressed the phone against her ear.

“Leighton,” he barked, answering on the third ring.

The sound of his voice made Nita’s skin crawl. “It’s Nita Franks.”

“Ah, the slick as owl shit Kiana leader.”

“Pardon?”

Wade’s soft laugh was unsettling. “Drop the innocent act. You killed one of my men.”

Nita couldn’t tell him that truth about the man’s death, so she improvised. “He shot me, leaving me no choice. Why was he following me to begin with?”

Leighton grew quiet for a moment. “What do you want?”

“I have information about the vampires.”

“What kind of information?” Wade demanded in a slight growl.

Nita could feel her heartbeat kick up a notch. “Not over the phone.”

“Fine, but if this is a trap, Miss Franks, you won’t live to tell about it.”

“It’s no trap. One of them killed some of my pack members, and I want retribution.”

A deep sigh came through the phone. “Meet me at Martha’s Café in thirty minutes.”

He hung up before she could answer.

Nita slipped the phone into her pocket and returned to the kitchen to find it empty except for Vlad. “I spoke with Leighton.”

“Tell me about your vision,” Vlad insisted, ignoring her statement about the Seeker.

Nita slowly trailed toward him. “My mother told you.” It wasn’t a question.

“She is concerned for you. As am I.”

“There is no need for either of you to be concerned.”

“Humor me,” Vlad persisted.

Nita stopped in front of him, her gaze devouring his handsome features. “I don’t know what to say. A lot of it didn’t make sense to me. Where would I even start?”

“Try the beginning.”

Nita recited her vision to Vlad in painstaking detail, ending with, “Blood. There was so much blood. Many lives were lost. Shifters and vampires. As well as humans.”

“And the robed figure?” Vlad prompted, nodding for her to continue.

“He rose up from the carnage like some kind of dark angel. I never saw his face. But the eyes…” Nita recalled the eyes appearing in the clouds.

“Tell me about his eyes.”

Nita stared up into Vlad’s own pale blue ones. “The eyes I saw didn’t belong to the robed figure. They appeared in the clouds, black as the night, watching him, helping him somehow.”

“Black eyes?” Vlad murmured, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes. I didn’t understand what it all meant, but something terrible is coming, and I must warn my people.”

Vlad reached out and cupped the side of her face, possessiveness swimming in his eyes. “I can’t allow you to go back.”

Nita’s anger flared to life. “You can’t stop me. I am their leader, Vlad. I can’t just abandon them. I won’t.”

“They tried to kill you,” he snapped, not backing down.

“You’re wrong. They were trying to save me, to rid me of your blood.”

Vlad slid his fingers around to the back of her head and tugged her forward until her body was flush with his. “And what do you think they will do to you now, if you go waltzing back into shifter territory with more of my blood than you had before?”

“I wasn’t going to waltz anywhere,” Nita bit out. “I only need to speak with our Shaman. Make him understand.”

“Your Shaman already knows.”

Nita’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you saying?”

Vlad’s fingertips coasted down her arm to gently clasp her hand. “We ran into each other on the mountain a few days back.”

“You never told me about that.” Nita ran her thumb over Vlad’s palm.

Vlad shrugged. “The conversation never came up.”

“What happened?” she pressed, curiosity burning in her gut.

“Let’s just say, he wasn’t happy about me being in Kiana territory. He spoke of a vision, similar to the one you had.”

Nita’s heart skipped a beat. “He never mentioned it to me.”

Vlad lifted her fingers to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “Perhaps he didn’t want to influence your subconscious in any way.”

“I guess.” Nita glanced up at the clock on the wall. “It’s time to go.”

Vlad let go of her hand. “I will be right behind you, with Angelo and Shon.”

Nita nodded and strolled toward the foyer. Everyone was in attendance, including Mordecai.

Vlad stopped next to Nita and addressed the anxious faces staring back at him. “Nita is to meet Wade Leighton at Martha’s Café in twenty minutes. She’ll take the Benz, and I will follow her on foot, along with Shon and Angelo.”

“I’m coming too,” Laura announced, stepping up next to Shon.

Vlad shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.” He held up a hand when she would have argued. “This could very well be a trap. Mordecai will take you, Ember, and Lucius someplace safe until we return.”

“Do you think it’s a trap?” Ember asked quietly. Nita could see the concern swimming in her eyes.

Shrugging a shoulder, Vlad ushered Nita toward the door. “It’s hard to say. Mordecai?” he murmured, glancing over his shoulder. “Take them to Wasilla and wait for my call.”

The elderly man nodded. “Be careful, my lord.”

Something felt off to Nita as she stepped outside and headed toward the car. She opened the door and slid behind the wheel.

Vlad dropped to his haunches next to her seat. “Tell him whatever he needs to hear, and then get out of there. When he leaves, stay far enough back that you won’t be seen. I’ll be right behind you.”

He leaned in and brushed a kiss across her cheek.

His scent enveloped her, tempting her with its masculinity. She wanted to taste him on her lips and inhale his essence for hours.

Nita waited for Vlad to straighten before pulling the car door closed, starting the engine, and easing the Benz down the circle drive.

She didn’t need to look in her rearview mirror to know that Vlad followed. She could feel him as surely as if he was in the car with her.

It had to be his blood in her veins that triggered her awareness of his every move, and damned if she didn’t like it.

* * * *

Nita pulled into the parking lot of Martha’s Café. She could see Leighton sitting at a table near the window, and her breathing accelerated.

He’d tried to have her killed, she mused, climbing from the car and striding toward the entrance.

Nita could feel the wolf inside her stir to life as she opened the café door and inhaled Leighton’s scent.

Wade Leighton waved her over, the smile on his lips not quite reaching his eyes. “Have a seat.”

Nita sat, never taking her gaze from the bastard in front of her. “I wasn’t sure if you’d show.”

“I almost didn’t,” he responded, flagging down the nearest waiter.

“I’ll have a coffee,” Leighton told the young man carrying a tray of dirty dishes. “And the lady will have…?”

“Just a water,” Nita murmured, giving the waiter a small smile.

Leighton waited until the guy disappeared into the kitchen before leaning back in his chair and pinning Nita with an impatient look. “Start from the beginning.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Vlad stood in the shadows with Angelo and Shon, watching as Nita conversed with the enemy.

It irked him to see Leighton’s gaze drop to her breasts more than a dozen times during their conversation.

“I’m sending her to meet up with Mordecai when she’s done here.”

Shon crossed his arms over his chest. “And you think she’s simply going to smile and do as you say?”

Vlad narrowed his eyes. “We don’t need her to stay here. The three of us can follow him as easily as she can.”

“Then why is she here?” Angel rumbled, keeping his gaze on the café.

“Because the council requested her to be.”

Angel spun to face Vlad. “Since when have you ever listened to the council?”

“Since I suspected them of being involved with the Seekers.”

“What?” Shon and Angel whispered simultaneously.

Vlad glanced from one to the other as he spoke. “Don’t you find it strange that the council would be ignorant to Gina’s dealings with the Seekers? First Clay, then Ellis.”

Angel pinched the bridge of his nose. “But you made them aware of Gina’s dealings during the meeting at my condo with the council.”

“Exactly,” Vlad agreed. “Shortly before I took Gina’s life.”

Shon rested his hands on his hips. “I see what you’re getting at. If Calimari was no longer alive, how did the leader of the Seekers know about Nita’s involvement with the vampires?”

“What makes you think it was one of the council members and not some other vampire in the area?” Angel inquired in a low tone.

Vlad glanced at Nita’s profile through the café window before meeting Angel’s gaze once more. “Because, the council members are the only ones who would benefit from my death.”

Shon threw up his hands. “I thought you were pretty much immortal. How can a Seeker, a mere human, take your life?”

“By removing my heart,” Vlad explained. “Which is what I believe the council intends to do. I don’t think Gina was alone in her quest to resurrect Lilith.”

Angel held up a hand. “Then why not do it themselves? The council are a hundred times more powerful than the Seekers.”

Vlad had considered that. “If they failed, they risk exposure, and my wrath.”

“What are you going to do?” Shon asked, tying his hair back into a ponytail. “Run into the Seekers’ lair and pull a Steven Seagal? I’m betting they’ll have weapons equipped with silver.”

“I’ve set a trap of my own,” Vlad informed Shon, turning to face the trees.

At least three dozen vampires emerged, dressed in black, fangs gleaming in the dark.

Vlad gave them a slight nod, waiting until they disappeared from sight before settling his gaze onto Nita once again. “They will take care of the Seekers while I remove the council members’ heads.”

“You’re going to destroy our leaders?” Angel asked quietly.

Vlad kept his gaze locked on Nita. “Every last one of them.”

Nita suddenly stood, exiting the café without looking back to see if Leighton followed.

Vlad’s gums itched to release his fangs as Nita got into the Benz and backed out of the parking lot.

“Keep your eyes on Leighton,” Vlad informed Shon and Angel before darting through the woods toward the road Nita would appear on.

Headlights shone in the distance, becoming brighter as the car rounded the curve.

Vlad watched as Nita turned onto the dirt road and switched off the engine.

He jogged over and pulled open the door. “I want you to take the Benz and meet up with Mordecai and the others.”

Nita shook her head and climbed out. “Hell no. I’m going to finish what I came here to do.”

“It’s a trap, Nita.” Vlad filled her in on everything he’d recently revealed to Angel and Shon.

Nita paled. “Your own people want you dead?”

“Only the most powerful ones. As long as I live, Lilith cannot be resurrected.”

“Jesus,” Nita breathed, staring up at him with horror-filled eyes. “What if she’s the robed figure I saw in my vision? All the bodies, the blood…the death…”

Vlad reached down and cupped Nita’s face. He softly dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. “The only way for Lilith to live is for me to die. And I don’t plan on dying tonight.”

“But—”

“Call your mother, find out where they are headed, and go to them. I will contact you when it’s over.”

Something shifted in her beautiful amber eyes. “If that’s truly what you want.”

“It’s exactly what I want,” Vlad assured her, relieved she no longer argued with him.

Nita stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. “Stay alive, Vlad. No matter what.”

Without another word, she pulled back, returned to her seat behind the wheel, and backed out onto the highway.

Vlad watched her go with a mixture of relief and something else he couldn’t name. His heart ached when her taillights disappeared from view.

At least he had one consolation if he didn’t survive the night…Nita would be safe.

Blurring his way back to the café, Vlad arrived in time to see Leighton backing out of the parking lot.

“He’s on the move,” Shon announced, turning to follow.

Vlad gave the signal to the others waiting in the shadows before taking off in the direction of Leighton’s taillights.

Twenty minutes later, Vlad came to a stop outside a large block building situated deep in the forest. Several cars were parked along the front, including Leighton’s.

The windows were boarded up, and a dim light shone through the cracks.

Vlad glanced around at the glowing red eyes of the vampires who’d come to his aid. “Keep your wits about you. They’ll have more than handguns in there.

“Atticus is here,” Vlad whispered, his nostrils picking up the council member’s scent. “Leave him to me.”

Shon stepped in close. “Do the Seekers honestly think the council members don’t plan to kill them once they’ve gotten what they want?”

Vlad carefully scanned the perimeter. “I would venture to guess that the Seekers have the same idea. And I doubt they know of the council’s plan to resurrect Lilith.”

Satisfied that no one lurked in the surrounding trees, Vlad met the gazes of the impatient vampires pacing around him. “Move in.”

Vlad’s cloak swirled around him as he blurred his way to the block building and kicked in the door.

Colors and shapes drifted in and out of his peripheral with the rush of vampires entering alongside him.

An explosion of sound erupted around Vlad. Bullets whizzed past his head to embed in the walls behind him.

Vlad spun through the structure, ripping out throats as he went. “Atticus?” he yelled, blocking out the terrified screams echoing around him.

The short blond leader stood at the other end of the building, holding an automatic weapon in Vlad’s direction. “It would seem that you’re not as smart as you’d like to think.”

Vlad kept his gaze trained on Atticus, drifting closer while he expanded his senses. “I knew you would be here.”

Surprise flashed in the blond vampire’s eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. “It matters not. For you will not make it out of here alive.”

The scent of wolf suddenly drifted up Vlad’s nose, and the sounds of howls could be heard over the fighting taking place inside the massive structure.

A confident smile split Atticus’s lips as he pulled the trigger, peppering the area with bullets.

Silver bullets, Vlad mentally corrected as he spun in a circle, barely avoiding a direct hit.

Atticus laughed, opening another round of gunfire, taking out everything in its path, Seekers included.

A bullet grazed Vlad’s arm, burning through his skin like fire.

Vlad’s fangs throbbed in anticipation of ripping out the elder’s throat. He blasted toward Atticus with the speed of a six-hundred-year-old vampire.

Atticus screamed and fired off another round, sending two bullets into Vlad’s chest, knocking the Impaler back several feet.

Vlad fought against the pain screaming through his insides, only to find himself thrown to the floor by Atticus.

The basement door abruptly opened, and several dozen vampires rose up from its bowels like rabid animals.

The sounds of fighting became deafening as blood sprayed across Vlad’s face. He peeled back his lips and gripped Atticus by the throat.

It took enormous effort for Vlad to push past the silver cooking inside his chest and overpower the blond vampire straddling him.

Atticus fought to stay on top, but was no match for the pissed-off Impaler.

Vlad flipped him over, sank his teeth into the elder’s neck, and ripped out his throat.

Pain unlike anything Vlad could have imagined suddenly drove into his back.

A roar of agony wrenched from deep within, holding Vlad in its grip as realization instantly sank in.

“I’m sorry, old friend, but it has to be done.”

“Declan,” Vlad rasped, his voice barely a whisper. “I was wondering when you would show.”

Declan dropped to his haunches next to Vlad’s head. “You always were a smart one. If it makes any difference, I would rather it had been someone else. I honestly don’t relish killing one so dear to me.”

“I’m going to destroy you slowly,” Vlad slurred, darkness overtaking him.