Bound by Night

  Riker did not want to be in his path.

  He steered the conversation away from his clan chief. “Did Grant bother you?”

  “Not really. You were right about him—moments of confusion punctuated by spurts of lucidity.” Her hair, full of soft waves, brushed her shredded turtleneck as she shook her head. The wild, windblown bob looked good on her. Much better than the severe, straight, hairsprayed-to-hell way she’d had it when he took her from her mansion. “It was your chief. Intense guy.”

  So much for his attempt to not discuss Hunter. “Talk about your moments of confusion and spurts of lucidity.”

  “Seriously?” She rubbed her arms, and he made a mental note to get her some warmer clothes. He also made a mental note to stop staring at her breasts when she did that. “He’s unbalanced, too?”

  He waited to speak until a trio of females passed them in the hallway. “Some might say so, but nah, he’s the sanest male I know. He just has a tendency not to take things as seriously as some think he should.”

  “Some. Like you?”

  She’d hit that stake on the head. For a human, she was pretty astute. He didn’t answer that, though; clan business was none of hers.

  “How are you feeling?” He didn’t like that she still hadn’t regained all the color she’d lost when she’d gotten ill in the cave. “Is there anything specific I can get you to eat or drink that’ll help your condition?”

  “Oh, um, yes.” She stepped toward him to avoid being flattened by two males tossing a football as they ran through the passage.

  “Hey, assholes!” Riker barked. “We have a common room for that. Not to mention a million acres of forest.” As the guys sheepishly offered apologies, Riker turned back to Nicole. “Go on. What can I get for you?”

  “Low-iron, low-carb foods. As the iron builds in my blood, my pancreas is going to get wacky with the insulin.” She chewed her lip a little. “There are other issues that the medication handles, but they’ll take a lot longer to kill me.”

  This was a complication they didn’t need. The sooner they got Neriya, the sooner . . . what? The sooner Nicole would be released so she could use the knowledge she’d gained to destroy them? Or the sooner they’d kill her to protect themselves?

  Fuck. This was a lose-lose situation. He thought back to his military days and all the no-win situations he’d been thrust into. Somehow he’d come out of them alive. But not everyone had. No-win scenarios always resulted in someone’s death.

  Like Jesse and Steve, both of whom he’d been close with since basic training. They’d all been together when they’d walked into the building at Fairchild Air Force Base for what he’d believed would be a briefing. Instead, they’d been sedated with drugged water and fed to vampires. Riker would never forget the next couple of weeks of torment as his body changed, his muscles, bones, and organs altering painfully fast. Gnawing hunger had nearly torn him apart as he threw up everything he’d been given to eat. The first bag of blood someone had thrown into his cell had been the best thing he’d ever tasted.

  Until he threw that up, too.

  But the worst . . . the worst had been finding Jesse dead on the floor, his body cold and contorted in agony. He hadn’t survived the turning, and Riker’s sorrow had been magnified by the fact that Steve had survived, but he wasn’t himself. Vicious and angry, Steve had been almost uncontrollable, ’roid rage times a million.

  A year later, he’d died, too.

  At Hunter’s hand.

  “Riker?” Nicole tapped on his shoulder. “You okay?”

  Right. They’d been talking about her diet. “I’ll get one of our cooks on it,” he said brusquely.

  “You have cooks?”

  “Everyone here has a job. Just like humans. And we eat normal food. Just like humans.” Shrugging off her startled glance at his abrupt reply, he guided her to his quarters and pushed open the heavy wood door. “Welcome to my den.”

  He wasn’t sure why he was welcoming her as if he was bringing home a date. Hell, he hadn’t brought a female here for anything but the full-moon feeding since his mate died. Even then, he sent the females on their way afterward, while he went through the misery of the lack-of-sex cramps by himself. His regular blood partner of late, Benet, had been open about her willingness to sleep with him, but every time he thought he could go through with it, his interest—and his cock—flagged the moment she touched him intimately.

  Inexplicable irritation made him grind his molars as he strode through the doorway and turned to Nicole, who remained in the hall, lower lip trapped between her teeth.

  “You waiting for a different kind of invitation? Because they’ll get less polite.”

  Nicole entered cautiously, as if she expected to step into a bear trap. “This is your place?” She glanced around, gaze landing on the rustic furniture, the handmade sofa and dining table, the small kitchen off to the right, and the doorway to the bedroom. “I didn’t expect . . . I don’t know . . . a home.”

  The irritation veered to anger. “No doubt you thought we’d live in dirt holes lined with leaves, like wild animals.”

  She inhaled sharply. “It’s not that. It’s just that I didn’t expect such modern conveniences.”

  “No? What do they teach you in your vampire courses? That we cook over fires made by rubbing two sticks together? That we use dishes made of human skulls?”

  A soft pink blush spread across her cheeks as she turned away, and yep, he was right on target. Although, truthfully, there were clans like that. With the help of human sympathizers, some clans had built permanent habitats, villages like this one, with all the trappings of modern human society, including electricity, phones, and even vehicles. Others clung to the old ways, living in the forests or city sewers with only loose ties to any particular territory. Still others were loners, scrounging out a life however and wherever they could.

  Nicole looked down at her feet as if ashamed, but when she looked up, there was fire in the green of her eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve had a mistaken view of how you live. I’m sorry I expect the worst from you. But you know, you’re doing the same thing to me.”

  As much as he liked the way her temper stirred his blood, he didn’t like what she’d said. She was dead wrong.

  “No, it’s not the same thing.” He shed his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. “Your family owns my kind. Your family literally built a business from our blood and created the vampire industry. You’re the CEO of a company that’s responsible for more vampire deaths than all the others combined. A company that killed my mate. So no, it’s not the same thing.”

  Instead of responding right away, she wandered around the room, touching his aircraft prints, running her hands over the guns mounted on the walls. He could no longer fire them, but being a sniper was in his blood, and he doubted that would ever change.

  Nicole’s hand skimmed along the barrel of his M-16, and abruptly, his body hardened and his skin grew clammy. His cock stirred as she caressed the cold steel he himself had handled with such care, and he nearly groaned when she took the trigger between her forefinger and thumb, testing the gentle curve. Christ, what a turn-on. Terese wouldn’t go near his collection of weapons.

  He drifted closer to her, drawn by Nicole’s curiosity, her strength, her beauty, and the glow of life that radiated from her. Whatever else he might think about her, she was a survivor, and that was a turn-on all by itself.

  “When I was little,” she murmured, “I overheard one of our servants talking about his home. At the time, it didn’t make an impact, but I guess now I can see what he was talking about. He lived like this, I think.” She started toward the bedroom, and that fast, his lust veered to panic.

  Leaping in front of her, he slammed the door to the bedroom closed. At her blink of surprise, he growled, “That room is off-limits.”

  She sniffed. “I’m happier about that than you can imagine.” Her expression shuttered, she crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off to
him. Why that irritated him, he had no idea. “Why are we here, anyway?”

  Cursing, he swiped his cell phone off the desk. “You’re going to call your company, and you’re going to arrange an exchange. Neriya for you.”

  “Gladly.” She snatched the phone, and he wondered if she suspected at all that he was lying.

  NICOLE DIALED CHUCK’S number with trembling fingers. Her brother would get her out of this mess, and if she could just explain to the board why she’d missed the meeting—

  “Charles Martin speaking.”

  “Chuck!” Nicole turned away from Riker, who was watching her like an eagle. Such an apt comparison, given that both were striking. Formidable. And deadly. “Oh, my God, it’s good to hear your voice.”

  “Nicole?” There was a crash and a curse on the other end of the line, probably Chuck jumping up from his desk chair and knocking crap over. “Shit, Nicole, is that really you? Where are you? Are you okay? Roland’s dead, but there was no sign of you. Where are you?” he repeated, clearly rattled.

  She took a deep, bracing breath. Hearing his voice was a soothing balm to her seriously frayed nerves. “I’m fine. I’m being held—”

  Riker snared her arm in a vicious hold and shook his head, a warning to not reveal anything that might hint of her location. She jerked away from him. She didn’t know where she was, anyway.

  “I’m being held by vampires.”

  “You’re what?” Chuck roared. “Where?”

  She slid a covert glance at Riker. “I can’t tell you that.” She was so lost in these woods that she’d never in a million years be able to find her way back to the clan stronghold. “I need you to arrange to have a female vampire named Neriya set free. She was taken from the forest outside Seattle two weeks ago by bounty hunters.”

  “You know it’s illegal for individuals or companies to capture wild vampires.” Chuck’s voice had gone flat. Lifeless. Guilty as hell.

  Chuck was well aware that Daedalus had gone outside the law to acquire vampires. Doing so would be faster and cheaper, and it would bypass regulations regarding the number of vampires allowed in specific spaces—not to mention directives regarding their treatment.

  “Yes,” she said sickly, disappointment in her brother putting a cold knot in her belly, “I do. But apparently, Daedalus doesn’t.”

  She could practically feel the anger steaming off Chuck. “How do you know we have her?”

  “Because one of the vampires who was with her heard a hunter say he had a buyer from Daedalus lined up. So she’s got to be at one of our facilities.”

  “Please,” he scoffed. “You believe a fucking scumbag vampire? You’re smarter than that.”

  She went taut at her brother’s nasty words and condescending tone. “I have my reasons for believing this, so please, just check on it for me.”

  He uttered a nasty curse under his breath. “Hold on.”

  She waited, listening to Chuck type furiously on his computer’s keyboard.

  “Got it,” he said. “Feral number eight-two-six was sent to the South Seattle B-lab.”

  She frowned. Besides the main corporate offices in downtown Seattle, there were nearly a dozen Daedalus holdings around the city, from laboratories and training centers to manufacturing plants and vampire-holding kennels, but she didn’t know about a lab on the south side. “B-lab? What is that?”

  There was a long pause, and the longer she waited, the more her stomach churned. And the more agitated Riker became. She heard the clink of ice in a glass and then the pour of liquid.

  “Nicole, you haven’t been back for long—”

  “What. Is. It?”

  Chuck’s voice went low. Almost to a whisper. “It’s a research facility. Top secret. Only a handful of people know about it.”

  “And why is that?” When he paused again, she repeated the question, sharper this time.

  “Come on, Nikki. You know how those vampire-rights freaks get. We don’t need them up our asses because we aren’t giving those poor, helpless vampires cable TV in their cages or some shit.”

  She couldn’t believe what Chuck was saying. “Bullshit. It’s because we’re running the facility outside the confines of the law, isn’t it?” She cursed at his lack of response. Which, really, was an answer. “Why wasn’t I told about it?”

  Chuck’s pauses were really starting to piss her off. Finally, he said, “Plausible deniability.”

  Jesus. What were they doing in that place? “I need you to get Neriya out of there.” She looked over at Riker, who was watching her like he expected her to drop clues to her whereabouts or maybe just shout for help outright. “Now.”

  “Nicole . . . that won’t be possible.”

  “Why not?”

  “The partners won’t allow it,” Chuck said, impatience leaking into his voice. Yes, it must be such a burden for her to ask for something as simple as releasing an illegally obtained vampire.

  “What do you mean, they won’t allow it?” she snapped. “They have no choice. I’m giving an order.”

  “That’s the thing. You don’t give orders anymore. You missed the meeting, Nicole.”

  Unbelievable. “I missed the meeting because I was kidnapped. I think, given the circumstances, my inability to attend a board meeting can be overlooked.”

  “It’s too late. They enacted code twelve-point-two-nine of the company bylaws.”

  She swallowed. Hard. Her father had made sure his offspring retained full control in the event of his death . . . unless said offspring was incompetent or unable to fulfill his or her role as CEO. In which case, after a board hearing, the CEO could be stripped of that position, and his or her company shares would go to the next in line to inherit.

  Which, in this case, was Chuck.

  “So . . . you’re in charge now?”

  His answer was a long time coming. “Yes.”

  Anger lit her like a fuse, but right now, she was more concerned about her survival than her company. “Then you can get the vampire out of the facility yourself, in order to make the trade for me.”

  “I’m sorry, Nicole. I can’t.”

  Her mind spun at his incomprehensible answer. “You’re in control of the company. You can do whatever you want!”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. This is a legal matter now. If I help you, I’ll risk the company and jail time.”

  Her legs turned to rubber beneath her, and she sagged onto Riker’s couch. “I don’t understand. Why is this a legal issue?”

  Again, there was a long, tense pause. Finally, Chuck said firmly, “Because the VHS somehow got hold of the video documenting the vampire deaths you signed off on, and it’s now on every news channel on the planet. Public outrage has grown. It’s a small minority, but they’re loud. They’re calling for your arrest on charges of cruelty and inappropriate execution.” She heard more clinking of ice in a glass and the gurgle of another liquor pour. “I’m sure it’ll blow over. The majority of the population doesn’t care about a couple dozen dead bloodsuckers. The board thinks that as long as you aren’t in charge of the company anymore, the VHS will be satisfied. But that means you need to stay out of sight. At least, until we announce your kidnapping.”

  They hadn’t done that yet? “You can’t be serious. Chuck, you have to get me out of here!”

  “Nikki, I’m sorry. This is killing me, but I don’t know what I can do. Most of the board doesn’t know about the lab, let alone how we’ve been procuring vampires. If they find out—”

  “The entire company will be at risk, and everyone involved, including you, will go to jail.”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  Her heart sank. Dear God, she was screwed. He was going to let the vampires keep her. “Dammit, you’ve got to do something. You have to—”

  Riker swiped the phone from her. “Listen to me, you human scum. You have twelve hours to get Neriya back to us, or your sister dies.”

  Nicole sucked in a shocked breath, her heart squeezing p
ainfully. She’d known she wasn’t exactly a guest here, but she thought she and Riker had an understanding that would at least make him a little hesitant to kill her.

  He didn’t even have the courtesy to look her in the eye as he waited for her brother to reply. After a long moment, he quietly closed the phone.

  “Well? What did he say?”

  “He said he loves you.” Riker swore, and her heart stopped completely. “And he’s sorry.”

  CHARLES MARTIN WAS a piece of shit. Oh, he’d said he loved Nicole. He’d said he was sorry.

  But it was all a load of crap. If Riker were in Chuck’s position, he’d stop at nothing to save someone he cared about. He’d spent months searching for Terese after she’d been captured. After he’d located her at the Martin estate, he’d spent months planning to free her. Then he’d spent another eight months searching for her again when she disappeared, only to return pregnant.

  Chuck’s words were hollow, and Nicole knew it, too.

  The devastation in her expression, her mottled cheeks, her liquid eyes, spun Riker off balance as she sat there, staring at the phone in his hand.

  “He was stalling,” she said. “He had to be. He’ll come up with a plan.” She looked up at Riker as if trying to convince him that her brother wasn’t an asshole. “He will. I would. I’d do everything in my power to save him, even if it meant jail. I wouldn’t let him die. He won’t let me die—”

  “Hey.” He cut off her rambling before she went into a full-blown panic attack. “You’re not going to die. I was bluffing about killing you, Nicole. Your brother might be bluffing, too,” he said, although he suspected that wasn’t the case.

  She rubbed her arms again, and he felt like a heel for letting her get chilled. “But if he doesn’t come through, I’m screwed. We’re screwed.”

  He didn’t like the way she’d said that, both because it meant that Neriya was in jeopardy and because it also implied that they were in this together. Which he supposed they were. He just didn’t like it.