Shon (The Seeker Series Book 2) Read online

  The cool, calm, and collective mask Gina normally wore, slipped. “Cruella?” She tilted her head to the side to better see around him. “I see your little pet cowering on the sofa behind you. Good to see you again, Miss. Donovan.”

  “Go to hell,” Laura shot back.

  “Do you really think you can stop me from killing her, Shon?”

  “Maybe not, but I can promise you this. If you touch her, even so much as breathe on her, I will spend the next century hunting you down. I’ll stake every last vampire on this planet until I find you. You will die a death that you could only imagine in your darkest of nightmares.”

  Gina was suddenly in his face. “You do not frighten me with your threats, Wells.”

  “It wasn’t a threat, you Marilyn Monroe wannabe. Try me and see.”

  Moving close enough so their noses nearly touched, Gina whispered, “Are you really willing to risk the bimbo’s life for the sake of your pride?”

  “Who are you calling a bimbo, you bloodsucking skank,” Laura snarled, sliding out from behind Shon.

  “Stay where you are,” Shon demanded, moving to block Laura from standing.

  He kept his gaze on Calimari. “If I go with you, no harm is to come to Laura. Ever.”

  “Ever?” Gina whined, her bottom lip forming the perfect pout.

  Laura grabbed on to the back of his shirt. “What are you doing?”

  “Protecting you,” he answered, without breaking eye contact with Gina.

  Laura began to scramble to her feet in earnest. “Have you lost your mind? She’ll kill you.”

  He finally glanced in Laura’s direction. “But she won’t kill you.”

  “No. I won’t let you—”

  “Shut up, Laura,” Shon hissed, taking Gina’s hand and blurring from the cabin before the evil elder changed her mind and killed Laura for sport.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Laura stumbled toward the door in a panic. Her mind whirled with images of Gina Calimari’s cruelty to her in that grove house over a year ago. The elder had tormented poor Ember and would have killed her before killing Laura, had Angel not shown up when he did.

  Now, the sadistic Calimari had Shon.

  Snatching up her cell phone, Laura dialed Ember.

  “Laura? Thank God, you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine, but Gina has Shon.” Laura’s stomach heaved with the knowledge that none of this would have happened if she had stayed at the condo last night. Shon would be safe right now instead of in the company of Calimari.

  “What? How? And where are you?”

  “I’m at my parents’ cabin on the lake.”

  There was a brief pause. “I didn’t know they had a cabin.”

  “It was a recent purchase. Look. I came here this morning to be alone. But then I texted Shon this evening to let him know where I was staying. I invited him to come talk. Gina showed up not long after he arrived. She demanded he go with her or…”

  “Or she would hurt you?”

  “Yes,” Laura choked out. “If I hadn’t come here, none of this would have happened.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, honey. You had no way of knowing Gina would find you.”

  Laura wiped at her damp cheeks. “We have to do something. She’ll kill him, Em.”

  “She won’t kill him. At least not yet. Grab your things and get back here. Do not stop for any reason. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  “Give me the address to the cabin, and stay on the phone with me until you are safely inside your car.”

  Laura rattled off the address before darting into the one bedroom to grab her bag. Thankfully, she hadn’t unpacked yet.

  Locking up the cabin, Laura darted across the yard to her car and slid behind the wheel. She started the engine and backed out of the drive with the efficiency of a professional driver. “I’m on the road.”

  Ember’s sigh of relief could be heard over tires squealing as Laura floored the gas pedal and shot down the street. “Save your phone battery, Laura. But remember what I said. Do not stop until you get here. Not even for the police.”

  “I remember. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.” Laura ended the call, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

  Gina had Shon, Laura’s mind repeated like a mantra. What would happen to him now?

  Jealousy warred with fear inside Laura’s chest until she found it impossible to breathe. Was he now feeding from the beautiful, evil vampire? Or worse, lying somewhere in the woods….dead?

  Laura couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen. And Shon’s life lay at the core of it all.

  The rest of Laura’s drive back to the condo was spent fighting traffic as well as nerves. Her dinner had threatened to come up more times than she could count.

  I’m sorry, Shon, she silently repeated. I’ll make things right with you, if it’s the last thing I do.

  Pulling into the condo parking lot, Laura jumped out, nearly running into a hooded Vlad. “Jesus, you scared me.”

  “I never had the pleasure of meeting Jesus. Although, I’m sure that I will, someday.”

  “W-what?” She couldn’t see his eyes beneath the hood he wore, but she didn’t need to. She could feel them boring into her.

  “You’re very fortunate to be alive, Miss. Donovan.” The eerily soft tone of his voice sent goose bumps racing along her arms.

  “I realize that.” For some reason, she couldn’t force her feet forward. As if she were in a dream, attempting to run, but somehow couldn’t.

  Vlad leaned in closer, taking her hand and bringing it to his nose. He inhaled deeply. “You have no vampire blood in your veins, yet Gina was able to sniff you out. I wonder how that is?”

  Laura stood frozen, confused, and more than a little afraid. Vlad the Impaler was the oldest and most powerful vampire in the world. He could drain her dry, snap her neck, and bury her in a matter of seconds. “I have no idea how she found me.”

  “Where did she find you?”

  “At my parents’ cabin on Lake Hatchineha.”

  “Who, besides you, has knowledge of this cabin?”

  “No one that I know of, besides my mom and dad.”

  Vlad let go of her hand. “I am sorry, sweet Laura.”

  “For?” The reality of his words set in. “No! No, God, please, no.”

  The spell Vlad surrounded her with seemed to lift. Her knees buckled, unable to hold her weight any longer. If not for Vlad’s arms coming around her, she would have dropped to the pavement.

  She gazed up into his shadowed face hidden beneath the hood he wore. “My parents.”

  “Let’s get you inside. You can call and check on them from there.”

  Vlad lifted her high against his chest and carried her to Ember’s condo, placing her on the couch before informing the room’s occupants of his suspicions.

  “Where is my phone?” Laura choked out. “I need my phone.”

  Ember took a seat beside her, draped an arm over Laura’s shoulder, and handed her a cell phone. “Here. Use mine.”

  Laura’s hands shook so bad it took her three attempts to dial her parents’ number. It rang for long moments before sending her to voicemail. “Mom? Dad? It’s Laura. Can one of you please call me back? If you can’t reach me on my cell, call Ember’s. I love you both.”

  Tears filled Laura’s eyes as she pressed the end button. “They didn’t answer. They always answer.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything, Laura. They might be out to dinner or something. We don’t know that—”

  “They’re dead?” Laura cried.

  Ember shook her head. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “If Gina Calimari was at their house, I doubt that she would have left them alive to sound the alarm,” Vlad injected, leaning against the opposite wall.

  All eyes in the room swung in his direction. “Have you ever heard of couth?” Nita snapped, shaking her head in disgust.

/>   Vlad shrugged a shoulder. “She does not need to be coddled. It is better to tell her the truth than to give her false hope.”

  Laura jumped to her feet. “I need to go see for myself.”

  “Do not be so quick to go running off into the night as if you are not in danger,” Vlad murmured, slowly getting to his feet. “I will go look in on them. Give me the address.”

  Laura shook her head. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Please, Laura. No,” Ember intervened. “If, and I said if Gina has been there, it is not something you need to see.”

  Tears streamed down Laura’s face as she faced her best friend. “I can’t just sit here and wait. I’ll go crazy. I have to see.”

  Ember shifted her gaze to Vlad, speaking in a quiet tone. “I would feel the same if it were my parents.”

  “Very well. But understand that I am against this.”

  “Thank you.” Laura gave Ember a quick hug before rushing across the room toward the door.

  Her heart ached with the knowledge of what she would probably find once she arrived at her parents’ home. But she could no more stop herself from going than she could stop a train. “Let’s go.”

  Vlad reached the exit before Laura could grab the knob. He opened the door and stepped back. “After you.”

  With a quick nod of thanks, Laura raced down the steps and slid behind the wheel of her car, only to find Vlad reclined in the passenger seat.

  “That’s really creepy, just so you know.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Creepy would be the wolf shifter with the strange-colored eyes, residing in Ember’s condo.”

  Laura started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. “I think she’s beautiful.”

  “I assure you, there is nothing beautiful about a shape shifter, besides death.”

  “Let’s not talk about death, okay?”

  Vlad turned to stare out the window. “Death is a place of rest. A paradise, if you will.”

  “Not in my opinion. Death is a cold grave. An ending.”

  He brought his head around to face her. “Ah, but that is where you are wrong, sweet Laura. It is only the beginning.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shon tested his bonds for the hundredth time. Weak as a kitten, he locked his knees to keep from collapsing and listened as Gina spoke on the phone.

  What had he ever found attractive about the sadistic elder? he wondered, rolling his head to get a better look at his wrist cuffs.

  Gina had somehow secured a building with metal beams and studs to which she’d secured him after draining him to the point of near death.

  His head dropped against his will, too weak to stay upright. The floor blurred in his vision, telling him he’d be unconscious before long.

  “My poor baby,” Gina purred, gripping a handful of his hair and jerking his head back. “Are you sleepy, my pet?”

  “I am not your pet,” Shon slurred, staring into her cruel, blue eyes.

  “Ah, you are angry with me for my show-stopping appearance at the cabin?” She reached down and cupped his cock through his jeans. “She would never be able to satisfy one such as you.”

  The feel of his zipper being lowered enraged him.

  Cool air touched his lower half as she slid his jeans down his thighs, dropping to her knees in front of him. She gripped his unresponsive shaft in her hand and took the mushroom-shaped head into her mouth.

  Disgust poured through Shon at the feel of her lips closing around him.

  Gritting his teeth, he called on what little strength he had left and gripped the chains connecting him to the wall. With a mighty heave, Shon brought both knees up, effectively dislodging her from his cock.

  She was back up before he could blink, her hand around his throat. “You ungrateful piece of cow dung. You are fortunate I do not remove your balls with my teeth.”

  “Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” Shon rasped, hissing as his knees buckled and the cuffs dug into his wrists with the tightening of the chains.

  “I cannot kill you just yet. But I can make you beg for death.”

  The sound of her footsteps moving toward the door brought his head up. He watched as she beckoned someone into the room.

  The sight of his brother, stumbling into the room like a zombie, enraged Shon enough to force his body upright. “John?”

  “Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way,” Gina announced, “Let us get down to business, shall we?”

  Shon watched helplessly as Gina led John to a table and ordered him to strip. “Now climb up, dear boy.”

  “Leave him alone,” Shon whispered around the lump in his throat.

  “I can’t do that, now can I? You have forced my hand, young fledgling.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want. Just leave him alone.”

  Gina smiled, showing perfect white teeth with two dainty fangs peeking out. “Anything?”

  Shon would have nodded if he’d had the strength. “Anything.”

  “I knew you would come around eventually.” She turned back to John. “Get dressed and tell Wilber to take you back to my quarters.”

  John rolled from the table, grabbed his clothes, and left the room without a backward glance.

  “What would you have me do?” Though Shon’s words were a whispered slur, the contempt behind them couldn’t be contained.

  “It’s really quite simple. What I’ve wanted from you all along.”

  Staring into her glittering eyes, Shon held what little breath he had, waiting on her twisted demand.

  What she actually said stunned him beyond words. “Kill Vlad the Impaler.”

  He would have laughed if he had the oxygen to do so. “Vlad cannot be killed, Gina. He is basically immortal.”

  “Wrong, my dear, sweet, innocent Shon. He cannot die by natural causes, but I assure you that he can be terminated.”

  “How?” Shon wheezed.

  “By removing his heart, which is what you are going to do. Once you bring it to me, I will seal it in the tomb with Lilith.”

  Shon opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn’t come. He tried again. “Lilith is dead.”

  “Yes. And the only way to resurrect her is with the heart of an immortal.”

  Shon recalled his earlier conversation with Vlad about Lilith’s death and the near extinction of the entire vampire race.

  “Why not kill him yourself?”

  “I can’t. He made certain of that a long time ago when he fed me his blood to keep me alive, therefore bonding me to him without bonding himself to me.”

  “Smart man,” Shon whispered. “Why bring Lilith back?”

  “That is not your concern. You remove Vlad’s heart, and you and your brother will be set free. I will release my hold on you both.”

  “And if I don’t succeed?”

  “Then your brother dies.”

  Shon allowed the darkness to beckon him closer. His last thought before his mind slipped into unconsciousness was the emptiness he’d seen in John’s eyes.

  Yeah. He would do anything to save his brother. Even if it meant sacrificing one of the last immortal vampires left standing…Vlad the Impaler.

  * * * *

  Shon awoke to the feel of warm blood sliding down his throat. He groaned aloud as the blessed liquid traveled through his veins, soothing the burning, the emptiness, the torment.

  “Not too much, now. We wouldn’t want you to overdo it.”

  Gina. The sound of her voice turned Shon’s stomach. With a sneer, he retracted his fangs from her wrist and jerked his head back.

  “How very unappreciative of you, fledgling. I offer you the blood of royalty, yet you turn your nose up at it.”

  “I’d rather drink toilet water,” Shon growled, snapping his bonds with a flex of his taut muscles.

  Gina lifted a dainty eyebrow. “That can be arranged.”

  “Where is my brother?”

  “No worries, my pet. Your hillbilly brot
her is quite safe. For now, at any rate. Whether he stays that way depends on you.”

  Shon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “How the hell do you expect me to remove Vlad’s heart? He’s the oldest living immortal left on this planet.”

  “That, my dear boy, is your problem. Not mine. You have exactly five days to get it done, or your country bumpkin of a brother will die a slow and painful death.”

  Shon’s hand shot out without conscious thought. He gripped Gina’s alabaster throat. “You fucking touch him, and it’ll be your heart I offer up to Lilith.”

  Gina barely flinched. “A moot point, don’t you think?”

  “Remember what I said, Morticia. No harm comes to John.” He shoved her away from him and turned to go.

  “Do not forget that I hold the upper hand here. If you screw this up, I will not honor our agreement.”

  Shon stopped at the door, but kept his back to her. “I won’t screw it up,” he rumbled, gripping the knob. “But go on knowing that once I am free of you, I will kill you without batting an eye.”

  “I simply love a challenge,” Gina retorted. “Makes for good sport.”

  “I’ll just bet you do.” Shon stepped out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him.

  Shon had never despised another being the way he did Gina Calimari. Being in the same room with her literally turned his stomach. And the sadistic bitch owned him. But owning his body wasn’t enough for her. No, she wanted his soul.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Laura attempted to insert her key into the lock on her parents’ front door for the third time. Her hands shook to the point where she’d dropped the key, not once, but twice. “Damn it.”

  Vlad’s hand quickly covered hers. “Allow me.”

  He gently extracted the key from her trembling fingers and slid it into the lock before pushing the door open. “Calimari has been here.”

  Laura’s heart jumped into her throat. She pushed past Vlad and rushed into the kitchen only to find it empty.

  “Mom? Dad?” Running from room to room, Laura frantically searched for her parents to no avail.