Night Calls - Nyx Slaughter Book 1 (6 page)

“You are right. Sebastian is not an
informant that would be idiotic on his part. He is, however,
someone I have met and consider to be on friendly enough standings
that I am going to move into one of his available apartments until
I can think about things,” I tell him.

Standing in between a pissed off
werewolf and vampire is actually a little exciting for me. I guess
it just goes to prove that I am always going to be an adrenaline
junky.

“You are just going to up and
abandon your kind for a vampire?” Ryan asks harshly.

“Last time I checked, I was human
Ryan. I haven't been among my kind since the day I was dropped
off,” I say not wanting him to find out I am actually a vampire now
or the fact that I am aware there might be a little werewolf in
me.

“I wasn't being literal,” he says
back pedaling. For the first time, I realize that he actually knew
I wasn't a plain, ordinary human. I wonder if he has known all
along. Sebastian said that the wolves would have thought I was a
weaker version of them, so he must have. It hurts more knowing that
he kept that information away from me than me losing him as a
friend because he thinks I am having some crazy vampire
affair.

“No, of course not,” Sebastian
pipes in for the first time. “Needless to say it isn't that far
from dawn and I would like to get Nyx settled before I have to
retire for the day.”

“You don't have to go Nyxie,” Ryan
says. “We can work this out. It was just a little lovers’ quarrel.
You cannot just walk out on what we have.”

Part of me is a little bit happy
that if I had to go one way or the other, that vampire was the side
I landed on. I am starting to think werewolves are not all that
mentally sound.

“Ryan, to have a lovers’ quarrel I
am pretty sure you have to be sleeping together and everyone here
knows I have never slept with anyone. You have always been a great
friend, but lately there has been something wrong and until we can
both figure out what that is, I think it is best if I move away,” I
reach for his hand, but he jerks it away.

“As I told you earlier, this talk
isn't over. I don't really want to discuss this in front of your
'friend', so why don't you come back when he takes his nap for the
day. Then we can figure out where things have gone wrong and work
to fix them,” he says. Done with his speech he runs off shifting as
he goes and heads for the woods.

Sebastian spins me around real
quick and makes a zipper motion with his lips. I nod, understanding
that the werewolf hearing thing must be true because he doesn't
want us to talk about what just happened.

“So, do you know which apartment
you would prefer me to stay in?” I ask as we make our way to my
vehicle. “I don't want to be too much trouble. Oh and thanks again,
for letting me use it until I can find a place of my
own.”

“Not a problem Nyx, and yes, I have
an idea of which one to put you in. It is the one I use the least,
so there is no problem with you staying as long as you need,” he
replies. “When you exit the drive take a left.”

We get buckled in and I follow his
directions out of the Collective. As I leave, I wonder if I will
actually come back. Any assignments they have for me, I can pick up
on my phone, so there isn't really a reason to come around. After
finding out they have lied to me all my life, I am leaning towards
striking out on my own.

Although, I think if they still
offer me the assignment that had Sebby worried, I will take it. At
first, I was hesitant, but now I am really curious to find out what
this target could say to sever our bond.

“They are following. This will make
things interesting. Head towards Park Street. That is where I want
you to stay. You will have plenty of space to yourself and there is
even a gym, so you can train. If you ever need a partner to
practice with, just give me a call. I am usually not far,” he says
putting his hand on my thigh.

“Sounds good and thanks again for
allowing me to use the space. Hopefully it won't be for too long,
just let me know what kind of compensation you need for me using
the place,” I say knowing that if I wanted it, he would probably
just give me the apartment.

“I am sure we will come up with a
figure we can both live on, for now let’s just worry about getting
you settled,” he says as he directs me to the underground parking
garage of my temporary home.

We get out and he quickly grabs my
bag and my hand and drags me inside. He steers us through a couple
hallways before coming to an elevator. He swipes a card and then
hits the penthouse button.

“Really?” I ask. He just turns and
smiles. I am guessing we are still within hearing range of
Collective ears.

When the elevator opens it is right
into a foyer decorated with elegant black marble floors. The walls
are painted a rich gold color and there are two statues to greet
us. One is of David and the other is the Venus de Milo.

“Even if they are replicas, I
imagine those set you back a pretty penny,” I say as the elevator
closes behind us.

“Those are originals, I will have
you know. The replicas have always been on display for others to
see. You will find I have a very extensive art collection. I have
always had an eye for talent and I like to surround myself with the
finest art,” he says leading me into the penthouse
proper.

“Wow,” I say taking in the sleek,
modernly decorated place. From the co-Hab to this, one might just
have a heart attack.

The space is wide open. In the back
corner, I can see a king size bed with gold and purple ruffles and
pillows. It has stairs to actually climb up into it because of its
size. That area also hosts a couple gorgeous cherry wood colored
dressers and a matching armoire.

The living area has black
furniture, two sofas and a chair. They are black and sit low to the
ground. Not really comfortable looking to me, but when you have a
bed the size of Texas in the same room nothing looks all that
comfy.

The rest of the space is filled
with art to make you feel like you are in a gallery. Everything is
really pretty and expensive looking. The ceiling has recessed
lighting that highlights each piece perfectly.

I notice there is no kitchen or
dining room area and suspect, or hope, that somewhere there is a
hidden door revealing a bathroom. Aside from the art, the room’s
main feature is the floor to ceiling windows that offer an
incredible view of Night Owl City. It is still pretty dark outside,
but I can see the sun just starting to rise in the
horizon.

“Do you need to retreat to a hiding
place?” I ask still studying the view.

“No, love, the sun will not bother
me. I should probably leave, so our watchers do not get suspicious.
I will return shortly. Make yourself at home. Let me show you where
the bathroom is, if you would like to wash up,” he says dragging me
away from the window.

He walks towards the bed and moves
to the wall about ten feet away from it. I notice then that he hits
a button that without knowing it is there, you would never see. The
wall slides back to reveal an oasis.

I thought his bathroom at Sins was
nice, but this takes the cake. The centerpiece of the room is a
huge Jacuzzi tub. I swear at least ten people would fit in that
thing. There is a large vanity area to the left of the tub and in
the back corner is a beautiful walk-in shower.

“Can I just sleep in here?” I ask
noting that it does have a toilet as well.

“That would be rather
uncomfortable, I am sure. I will also show you how to find the
kitchen. With your genetic makeup, I am not sure if you will still
need to eat normal food or not,” he says guiding me to the wall
close to where we entered the room. A hidden button later and we
are in a chef inspired kitchen.

“Do a lot of entertaining in here?”
I ask marveling at the shininess of it all.

“No, other than the workmen who
helped move things in, this apartment has been untouched by
outsiders. It is one of the reasons why I wanted to bring you here.
Now as I said love, I should leave to make this look like something
other than me moving my girlfriend into our love nest,” he says
taking my hands and kissing my cheek. “I won’t be gone more than a
half an hour, make yourself at home. The remote on the coffee table
runs everything, in case you get bored.”

With that, he releases me and
hurries out of the penthouse. Okay, not sure how he expects to get
back in if he is being followed, but it seems he knows what he is
doing. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what bounty there
may be. Since he doesn’t entertain here, I am guessing there won’t
be much. I am correct in that assumption, but upon checking out the
freezer, I notice that my options are looking up.

I grab a frozen steak and fling it
into the microwave to defrost. I haven’t eaten in a while and I am
actually feeling a little bit hungry. This will be a good test to
see my diet has dramatically changed in the past couple of
hours.

While it is getting all unfrozen, I
decide to change into something a little more comfortable. I switch
into a black workout outfit similar to the ones I always wear at
Sins. Now I need Sebastian to come back, so he can tell me where to
discard the rancid smelling clothes I was just wearing. Werewolf
guts really do smell bad.

When the steak is done defrosting,
I grab a skillet and get to work. I have always enjoyed my steaks
on the rare side. I wonder now if those werewolf genes had anything
to do with that. After giving it just enough heat to get a nice
sear on the outside, I find a plate, fork, and knife and dish it
up.

There isn’t really a place to sit
and eat, unless there is a hidden dining room I don’t know about,
so I take my food to the coffee table and make myself comfortable
on one of the sofas, or at least as comfortable as you can while
sitting on a rock. They really aren’t that nice to sit on. If I
stay here very long, we may need to make some furnishing
changes.

I cut into my steak and pretty much
start to drool. I take it as a good sign and put a big bite into my
mouth. As I chew, my mouth explodes with flavor. Yum, a steak has
never tasted so good. In fact, it is so good that before I know it,
I am left staring at an empty plate.

I glare at it pouting slightly that
there isn’t more. “I thought you saved those noises only for my
feeding times,” Sebby says his arms folded across his chest leaning
against the wall opposite me.

“Please tell me I wasn’t moaning,”
I say slightly embarrassed.

“Not really, but I could tell you
were enjoying it. So, food still is important to you, that is good
to see. I didn’t want my little mistake to totally change your
life,” he says crossing the room to sit next to me.

“I am pretty sure it was I who bit
you, so I would say it was my mistake. I am not really sure it
should be classified as a mistake, though. I mean, I found out I
can actually have a significant other that isn’t going to find a
mate and leave me someday. To me that is basically my dreams come
true. That is what everyone is taught to aspire to at the
Collective,” I tell him.

“Yes, I know what hogwash they
teach at the Collective. They want all the paranorms to pair off
and make new little paranorms they can corrupt for their own goals.
Me and them have never seen eye to eye and to find out that you
have been lied to all these years, doesn’t make me want to kill
them any less,” he says tensely.

“Hey, for now let’s not think about
them. I am thinking after one more mission I should probably cut
ties with them anyway. Eventually, they would see my baby fangs and
that wouldn’t be good in a place mostly run by werewolves. I am
sure the vampires there would get a kick out of it, but probably
only for a couple minutes. Then they would perceive me as a threat
and issue an execution order on me,” I say grabbing his hand and
curling my fingers around it.

“An execution order on their
perfect assassin that would be kind of funny. We have a lot to talk
about, but as the sun gets higher in the sky, I am getting a bit
sleepy. Come, let’s sleep our first day together in hopes that
there are many more to follow,” he says lifting me bridal style
from the couch in one quick motion.

“You sure you wouldn’t be more
comfortable sleeping on the couch?” I ask. “I haven’t ever actually
slept in the same bed as another person.”

“Those couches are like rocks, so
no I wouldn’t be more comfortable there. If you want space, the bed
is surely big enough for the two of us. I have had plenty of time
to think of us as a couple, but I know this is all new to you, so I
won’t push. Everything is your choice.”

“Sebby, I wouldn’t allow myself to
think of us as a couple because I was sure it would never happen.
Now that it has out of the blue, it is going to take me a little
time to wrap my mind around the fact that I am not actually
dreaming,” I tell him as he lays me in the bed.

“No worries, love. We have eternity
to figure everything out, in case you hadn’t noticed. It seems I
have a lot to teach you in the coming days because the Collective’s
curriculum doesn’t seem up to snuff from what I have heard,” he
says relaxing on the bed next to me, but keeping a respectable
distance.