Kellen's Tempting Mate (10 page)

He guided her to where he wanted, imaging the red haired Laikyn. Flashing green eyes replaced blue. Nigel wanted to last, but the thought of having the female shifter on her knees, at his mercy brought him off quickly. He kept his roar to himself, enjoying the feel of the soft tongue laving him till he was clean.

“Up you go. Tell Arie I will be there shortly.”

She nodded, then was gone. If he had a heart, he’d feel bad for not giving her relief. Shrugging he stood, stretching. The fresh blood replenished him from the attempt at bringing Laikyn back to him.

“I’ll just have to come to you, my dear.” First, he’d have to deal with the Cordell twins, and find out exactly where she’d gone. He was looking forward to the coming confrontation. If luck were on his side, he’d kill one or both of them. Nigel hoped by taking their lives he’d also take on their power of daywalking. Or, if not, at least they would no longer be an obstacle in his life. When he bonds with Laikyn, he assumed he would then take on some of her abilities. Being a shifter or part shifter with his great powers would make him invincible. He’d then go back to the Council of Elders and take the head of the leader. “Nigel Watson, leader of all vampires sounds like a perfect title to me.”

Walking naked to his large closet he surveyed his choice of clothing. Since becoming a vampire, he’d worked hard at making his body the best it could be. He could do nothing for his short stature, but not an ounce of flab could be found on him. Unlike how he’d looked over a hundred years ago. A growl escaped his throat as he pictured the pale faced youth he’d been. The images of the abuse and mistreatment he’d taken as a short, young man had him seeing red. Nigel had gone back to the local area he’d grown up in, found the men who’d taken joy in beating up on the young, pimple faced kid Nigel had been. When he’d faced them at the local pub, they’d been shocked to see him standing before them dressed in his fine clothes, tailored to perfection. He’d had more muscles than all of them put together, but they’d still thought them better than him. A laugh bubbled out as he remembered the fear in their eyes. He’d challenged them to a fight. Four to one, and they were so smug. A crowd gathered to watch Nigel get his ass handed to him.

Jerking a red button down shirt and black slacks from the row in front of him, Nigel let his memory unfold to the end, where the four men where left lying in a puddle of their own blood. Their limbs in total abandon where he’d tossed their unconscious bodies on top of one another. The onlookers gave him a wide berth as he’d strolled through them. His knuckles were the only thing showing any damage. The murmurs from those who should have protected him, now raised in alarm from what he’d done to the clearly much larger men. Nigel shrugged into the clothing, his powers allowed him to clean himself without the need of modern technology. “Idiots, all of them. I should have killed the lot while I was there.”

Nigel pulled his pants on, the anger still burned him as he remembered the mob that had come for him the following night. His master had been angry at Nigel for being
petty
, almost allowing him to be staked. It was in that moment that he’d decided he’d take Miles’ head. It had taken him twenty years, but Nigel was patient, and learned from the best. Miles was a devious fucker who didn’t deserve loyalty. Not a day went by that Nigel regretted his choice to end Miles. Being a slave to a master was not a comfortable place to be. Especially when you were completely heterosexual, but forced to serve a man who didn’t care. He shuddered, blocking the years he was forced to do whatever Miles said in order to survive.

“I’m a much better master than you, Miles Jordan.” And he was. He didn’t take men. Only women.

Using the private elevator that only he and his feeders had access to, Nigel went up to the ground floor of the condo building. The condo he’d been using across the hall from Laikyn was now empty as was hers. He cursed the twins again for running her off. It all came back to them.

“Good evening, Master. What would you require of me this evening?” Arie stood in a black evening dress with a red belt cinching her tiny waist. A pair of red high heels, with her hands folded in front of her, she looked the part of a sexy woman, and perfect hostess. All the things he enjoyed in a personal assistant. Plus, she knew exactly what he was.

“I need to find out where Laikyn has gone, and I want the Cordell twins heads on a platter. The first you can do, the latter I’ll take care of myself.”

He heard her heartrate kick up a notch. His assistant never failed him, but he wondered what caused her to react the way she had. He tried to look into her mind, but the block caused him to recoil. “Do you have a problem, Arie?”

****

A
rie shook her head. She’d been sent to keep watch over Nigel from the Vampire Council. As one of the only other hybrids, her job was to appear human. For over three years she’d been his perfect companion. Yet, not once had she seen him outright kill anyone. She hadn’t understood why the Council had sent her, a young hybrid in the world of their kind, but didn’t question them. Of course she’d heard of the Cordell twins.

Everyone who was anyone had. Pulling her mind back to Nigel, she pasted a serene smile on her face. “No, master. I will get on the first issue. I’m sure we have her information from when she applied for residency to live here. I’ll get on it now. Will there be anything else?”

Nigel’s head tilted, the slight balding on the top glinted in the overhead lights. If he wasn’t evil to the core, she was sure he’d be found attractive, especially with all his muscles. Although she preferred her men to be tall and blond. Why she had a thing for men who resembled Thor, she had no clue, but he just did it for her.

“That will be all for now,” Nigel said. “Oh, and Arie,” he paused. “Do make haste.” Nigel’s dark eyes bore into her.

Arie nodded. “Consider it done. Will you be in need of any more feeders this evening?” She glanced over at the young woman she’d sent down earlier. Carly was young and easily able to manipulate. However, Arie wouldn’t be sending the young female back to Nigel for at least a week.

“I will get my own substance this evening. I’ve already partook of the female you sent down, but I’ll be sure to take my fill before sunset. Have something for me before I return.”

Nigel stomped out of the large apartment, his usual smooth gait gone. Arie worried he was on to her, but shook off the doubt. She’d have to be more reserved, and hide her feelings on the Cordell brothers. No way could he harm either of them, no matter how powerful he was. Fear for them plagued her as she made her way to the manager’s office. The Council had given her strict instructions to inform them if Nigel did anything they needed to know about, and up until that moment she had nothing to truly report, except for the first time she’d been inducted into his world. That night still gave her nightmares. Before she could talk herself out of it, Arie opened the link to the head of the Council, sharing the conversation she’d had with her boss.

“
Thank you for your bravery, young Arie. My sons are very lucky to have you watching over them. Now, you must return to us. It is too dangerous for you to stay there.”
A woman’s voice Arie assumed was Mrs. Cordell entered her head, making her stop in her tracks.

Arie looked around, feeling as if she should curtsy or kneel. The royal woman was one who she’d never expected to speak with, let alone have a private conversation. “
Your highness, with all due respect, my job is not done here. I believe I would be more useful here watching within, than to leave now. Nigel trusts me, and as such, I can keep an eye on him.”

“Youth are so foolish. He will kill you if he discovers you are not on his side. You are too important to our people.”

“Miss Black, what my Hearts Love is saying is, we appreciate your information. I will of course keep a close eye on the situation at hand. Thank you for your service. Now, we need you to return home so we can be assured of your safety.”

Her knees shook at the authoritative voice of the head of the Vampire Council. The Cordell twin’s father was none other than the man who sent her to watch over them. She looked around the manager’s office, wondering what she was doing there. “
I’m supposed to help Nigel locate a woman named Laikyn. I’m afraid he’ll lose his shit...sorry, I’m afraid he will go a little crazy if I don’t give him the information he has requested.”

“I’ll handle it. You need to get out of there. I’ve got men coming to back you and my sons up. Mr. Watson is not stable.”

“Okay, I’ll make it look as though I’ve searched in case he checks. I’ll need to get the humans out of the apartment. His feeders as he calls them, or he may take it out on them.”
Arie wouldn’t take the chance a human would be injured, or killed because of her.

A feminine sigh whispered through her mind. The feeling of fingers stroking her cheek soothed her frayed nerves. “
You are more precious than you give yourself credit for.”

Arie swallowed a lump in her throat. Having lost both her parents in a fire years before, she’d been grateful the Council had taken her in and allowed her to live under their care. Being a hybrid had set her aside from both her heritages. “
Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Call me Willa.”

The image of the petite blonde woman next to the large blond man flashed in her mind. Arie smiled. “
I need to get to work. When will your men be here?”

After she heard the timeframe, she figured she could get the information needed, or pretend she had, and get the females out safely. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Modern technology, one of the things she loved most about this century. The file with Laikyn O’Neil’s information popped up, but when she opened it nothing was inside. Arie google searched the woman, and found she was a doctor, and was a partner with the Cordells. Her stomach churned in jealousy. She pushed her own feelings aside and tried to find out more about the elusive woman.

An inner alarm had her looking up at the cameras to the outside of the building. Arie recognized the stretch limo as that of Nigel. She didn’t want to face him just yet. Wondering why he was back so soon, she made quick work of getting all the info of Laikyn on a file for him, showing she’d tried, then flashed to the apartment where three feeders were lounging. Their gasps were cut off as she swept them into her arms and flashed them from the building. Nigel would have felt the power surge, but since she’d never used any around him before, she hoped he would not recognize it as hers. Three more bounces, and she deposited each woman in their homes, making sure their minds were wiped.

By the time she was done, Arie needed to feed, but the thought of feeding from a human made her nauseous. In that moment she truly hated being part vampire. Her last flash was to her own home, one Nigel had no clue about. Bagged blood wasn’t nearly as good as that from the living, but Arie still refused to give in to the urge. It took three pints before she no longer wobbled on her three inch stilettos.

“The only person I will feed from will be my mate,” she swore.

Dawn was fast approaching, but she wasn’t limited to the rise and fall of the sun like Nigel. Her boss would most likely be searching for her, which made her nervous. No matter what the Council thought, he was a very dangerous vampire. She’d seen what he could and would do when crossed. A shiver stole up her spine. The first time Nigel had shown what he did to someone he felt betrayed him had been fast and brutal. Well, fast in the master had acted swiftly. However, the beings had suffered. Arie gagged as she thought of that night.

They’d gone out to eat with clients to celebrate, Nigel procuring more property, something he seemed obsessed with. A man, who she’d recognized as another one of their kind, came up to their table. He’d spoken in a foreign language that Arie and their client didn’t understand, but from the red flush that covered Nigel’s face, he wasn’t pleased with whatever was said. Soon after, Nigel excused them. Arie was sure the car would take her home, but Nigel instructed the driver to take them downtown to the old buildings that were used during Halloween for haunted houses.

“Come with me, Arie. You shall see what I do to those who challenge my rule
.”
Nigel held his hand out to her.

The gravel parking lot was deserted, save for their limo and one other car with blacked out windows. Arie took Nigel’s hand, feeling as if she’d just touched the devil himself.

Two doors on the other car opened. The man from the restaurant got out, followed by another. Each were smirking. “Nigel, maybe we should leave,” she whispered.

His grip on her tightened. “Trust me.”

They entered the abandoned building. Her heels echoing all around the space. Her impulse to reach out to the Council almost too great to ignore.

“Gentlemen. This is my assistant. She will make sure your families are made aware of your passing.” Nigel boasted in a condescending tone.

“It is you who she will be mourning, little man. After I fuck her senseless.”

Dear lord. What had she gotten herself into?

With precision, Nigel struck the first man who spoke, ripping his heart out without moving a muscle. One moment he was standing next to her, the next he had a still beating heart in his palm. “You were saying?” Nigel asked, then sank his fangs into the organ.

Arie covered her mouth with her hands.

“You will pay for that.” The other man lunged for Nigel, their bodies moved like lightening.

Arie jumped backward, making herself appear as small as possible against the old brick wall. She ignored the fact she was dressed in a pale pink Chanel dress suit. Or the fact it was one of her favorites and cost a mint. If she made it out of the old warehouse, she’d kiss the ground and thank the lord she was alive.

When she opened her eyes again, Nigel stood with the spine of the last man dangling from his hand. Blood coated him from head to toe, glee shimmered in his black eyes. She’d never feared the vamp until that very moment. Her heart lurched.