Page 17 of Viktor's Temptation
Shrugging into his sports jacket, he adjusted the lapels and smirked at his reflection in the grimy window. “Time to find some stronger humans,” he declared to the silent room, his voice echoing eerily.
He laughed then, a sound that started as a chuckle but spiraled into something wild and unhinged, bouncing off the walls and ringing in his ears. Even to himself, it sounded insane.
But Dave didn’t mind.
Madness had its uses.
And as far as he was concerned, it made him better suited to the task at hand. After all, it wasn’t the sane who conquered clans, killed lords, or rewrote the rules.
No, it took a special kind of monster to do that.
And Dave Sanders was more than ready to prove himself.
Chapter 8
The security office hummed with quiet intensity. Rows of sleek monitors lined the walls, their screens alive with streams of digital data. A series of digital maps flickered on one of the largest displays, marking locations where the missing humans had last been seen. Bright red dots glowed ominously against the dim background of city grids, their number increasing at an alarming rate.
The gentle whir of cooling fans and the rhythmic beep of status updates from the clan’s secure network added an undercurrent of tension to the space. Mikail stood at the center of it all, his sharp eyes scanning the information scrolling across the monitors. His stance was controlled, his authority subtle but unmistakable. As head of security for Viktor’s clan, Mikail’s job was to see the threats before they struck—and eliminate them before they grew.
“What do you think?” Mikail asked, his voice calm but laced with urgency.
As second-in-command of the East Coast clan, Trent Kilkov didn’t like what he was seeing. He braced his arms wide against the counter, glaring at the largest screen. A series of grainy images taken from traffic cameras showed individuals who were now missing—their smiling faces frozen in time.
“It’s not good,” Trent said, his tone dry. It was one of the biggest understatements he’d made in a while.
Mikail rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “With the number of humans that have gone missing and all evidence nowpointing to attempted transitions, I think the problem is bigger than we realized.”
Trent nodded, his jaw tightening as his eyes roamed the screen. “Yeah. We all thought it was just Gracie who’d been transformed.” He rubbed a hand over his face, exhaling sharply. “But nine bodies dumped in city garbage or dumpsters, plus this massive uptick in missing person reports? There’s something bigger going on here, and it’s bad.”
“Viktor senses it too,” Mikail commented, his gaze flicking to one of the red dots on the map, a pin that marked the alley where Gracie had been found.
Trent shook his head with a faint chuckle, though there was no humor in his expression. “I’m not sure how much help we’ll get from him right now.”
Mikail raised an eyebrow, smirking. He leaned casually against the counter, but his sharp gaze stayed on the monitors, always scanning, analyzing. “Valid point. He’s… distracted. Can’t blame him, though.”
Trent grunted, the corners of his mouth twitching in reluctant agreement. “Distracted is an understatement. Smitten, caught, bitten by the love bug—pick your term.”
Mikail allowed himself a rare grin. “Fair enough. But he deserves it. Gracie’s going to slow him down a bit.”
“Good,” Trent said, his tone firm. “If anyone needs to slow down, it’s Viktor. He’s been running at full throttle for decades.”
Before Mikail could respond, a piercing scream shattered the quiet, cutting through the steady hum of the room like a knife. Both men froze for a split second, their instincts kicking in almost simultaneously.
Mikail was already moving, his body taut with purpose, his fangs coming down as he prepared for battle. Trent was right behind him, his longer strides quickly matching Mikail’s lightning vampire speed.
The hallway ahead was dimly lit, but the sound of the scream guided them like a beacon. Mikail’s mind raced as he prepared for whatever they might encounter, his focus razor-sharp. For him, protecting the clan was more than a duty—it was his purpose.
Whatever had caused that scream, Mikail would find it. And he would end it.
Chapter 9
Viktor heard the scream and sat up in bed. Looking around, it took him less than a full second to realize that he was alone. He leapt out of bed and sprinted down the hallway to the guest room where he’d put Gracie last night. She’d slept on his chest for two hours. He would have kept her there all night, except someone had needed to speak with him.
So who had broken into his penthouse? Who was hurting Gracie?
He burst into the room and, even in the darkness, he could see his Gracie on the bed, tangled up in the sheets. He rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, his voice husky in response to the terror in her scream.
“Pain!” she sighed, then snuggled into his arms.
