Page 5 of A Vampire Bewitched
They really should’ve burned her when they’d had the chance.
Aiden came over and stood in front of Nik. “Look at me, Nikulas.Lookat me.” Nik lifted his head. “If anything happened to your brother, we’d feel it. All of us. You know that. Luukas is still alive.”
“It’s been years, Aiden.” Nik’s voice was strained with the effort it took him to contain his emotions. “She’s had him for almost seven fuckingyears.”
Aiden squeezed his arm. “But heisstill alive, Nik.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”But will he be sane after all this time?
Aiden scratched his head. “What do you think her point was? Taking him? She hasn’t contacted us. Hasn’t started a war. Hasn’t asked for any kind of ransom, or a deal, nothing.”
Nik shrugged. “I don’t know.” He paused. “But she can’thavehim anymore.”
“Then stop with all the gloom and doom, and let’s go get him. I’ve been waiting for ages to see Leeha again.” He glanced around, looking for nonexistent eavesdroppers before confiding in a stage whisper, “I kind of fancy her, you know.” Aiden grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Nik’s shocked expression.
“You are one fucked up vampire, Aid.”
“We established that when we met, Nik, I don’t know why you still act so surprised.” Aiden headed toward the back. “Finish your juice bag and let me throw some clothes on. I’ll meet you outside in five.”
Nik really didn’t know if he could stomach anything afterthatparticular confession, and so sipped at his breakfast cautiously as he reminisced about the day he and Luukas had come across Aiden, bleeding in the middle of a battlefield. They’d hit it off right away, and have been inseparable ever since.
The bang of the bathroom door announced Aiden’s return. “All set?”
“Yup. One sec…” Nik tossed his empty bag’o blood in the recycle container and picked up his cell phone. He hit speed dial for the number he’d programed in earlier and waited…one ring…two rings…three rings…Had he missed her?
“Accounting, this is Emma, how may I help you?” Her soft-spoken voice finally came across the line.
“Meet me at The Vineyard. 9pm sharp. Don’t be late. I have information about Keira.” Nik disconnected the call, set his phone down on the counter, and followed Aiden out into the cool night, both of them barefoot and wearing nothing but sweats and T-shirts. Silently, without a word or look between them, they split up and walked the perimeter, checking for anything threatening or unusual.
All was clear, so Nik walked to the center of the clearing and waited calmly for Aiden, who was now busy doing his Muhammad Ali dance. Such a showboat, that guy. But Nik wouldn’t want anyone else with him when it came to a real fight. Aiden was a powerhouse. The fact that he was a complete lunatic only brought an extra element of surprise with them.
“All right princess, let’s go.” Nik raised his fists in front of his face, sinking down into a solid fighting stance. “Time’s a wastin’.”
“Princess?Princess??That would beQueento you, you Estonian bastard!” Aiden charged across the clearing, arms and legs pumping like pistons. Jumping high into the air at the last minute, he caught Nik in the head with a hook kick. With barely a stagger, Nik went with it and then ducked low and caught Aiden around the waist, tackling him to the ground with awhoop!
In less than a second, they were both on their feet again, circling each other. And then, it was Game. On.
Taunts and fists flying, they eagerly went after each other, only avoiding face shots. They saved those for their enemies. After all, why mess up their pretty mugs if it wasn’t necessary?
Thirty minutes later, Nik called a halt to the fun. “Much as I enjoy kicking your ass,“ he grunted, “I need to shower and get ready to go see Emma.” Holding Aiden’s head between his thighs in a scissor hold, Nik gave him a noogie, burning his knuckles across Aiden’s head and eliciting a string of curses from said head.
Releasing him, Nik jumped to his feet and ran into the RV, laughing aloud as Aiden rolled onto his stomach in the damp grass, yelling after him, “You’ll not be getting away with that, Nikulas!”
Chapter 4
Emma’s phone rang right as she stood up to leave work. Leaning her head back and tiredly closing her eyes, she seriously considered not answering for a few seconds. But then, with a heavy sigh, she picked up the receiver.
“Accounting, this is Emma, how may I help you?”
“Meet me at The Vineyard. 9pm sharp. Don’t be late.” A pause. “I have information about Keira,” a very deep, very masculine voice said.
Emma’s breath froze in her lungs as she stared unblinking at her cubical wall. Information about Keira? About her sister? Could it be? After all this time? Wait…
“Who is this?”
But the caller had already hung up. She glanced at the clock on the wall - 7:09pm. She’d get there in plenty of time.
She reached for her purse. Wait, what the hell was she thinking? She didn’t know who that was on the phone. She hadn’t recognized the voice, and they hadn’t identified themselves as an authority of any sort. It could just be someone playing a cruel joke. It had happened a few times when Keira first disappeared.
