Just a Vampire [tribal Bonds 1] (12 page)

Rowan sighed.
“Just don’t take too long, huh? This place is kinda creepy.”
“I’ll be quick, anamchara. I promise.”
Rowan sure the hell hoped so. He doubted he would be able to keep his mouth shut for long if Darius came back. The man was too much of an asshole, and Rowan just did not have that type of control.
Rowan’s head snapped up when he heard a small squeaking sound outside the door leading into his cell. He prayed it wasn’t more rats. Rowan really hated rats. The squeaking sound grew louder until Rowan knew it was right outside his door. He froze, holding his breath as he waited for the door to open. But the sound faded away.
Rowan frowned. Maybe it wasn’t rats. The more he listened, the more Rowan began to suspect that it was something else entirely. In fact, he was starting to hear other sounds.
“Luca, I think I’m near a kitchen or a restaurant or something. I can hear pots and pans banging around. It’s faint, but I can hear it.”
“Pots and pans?”
“Yeah, and voices, busy voices, like a bunch of people moving around a lot.”
“Like in a kitchen?”
Rowan thought about the noises he was hearing. Luca could be right.
“It’s possible. There seems to be a lot of activity, but it’s muted like I’m on the same floor but not too close. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, baby, it does.”
“Do you know where I am?”
“Not yet, Rowan, but we’re working on it.”
“Well, hurry.”
Rowan swallowed hard as he looked around the dark, dingy cell. He could think of a million different places he’d rather be right then.
“This place really sucks.”
“I am, baby, I promise. Just keep talking to me.”
Yeah, like he was going to stop that any time soon. Talking to Luca was the only thing holding Rowan together at the moment. Terror was dogging his heels like a rabid dog on speed.
“Rowan?”
“Yeah?”
“Listen to me very carefully.”
“Okay.”
“The garlic you smell, is it real garlic?”
“Of course it’s real garlic,”
Rowan snapped.
“Do you think I don’t know garlic when I smell it?”
“Baby, please, I’m not trying to say you don’t. But I really need you to smell it and find out if it’s real garlic. There’s this stuff called elephant garlic. It’s not really garlic, more of a leek or onion. It smells just like real garlic.”
Rowan’s anger faded away.
“Really?”
He had never heard of elephant garlic.
“Yes, and if it is elephant garlic, we might know where you are.”
“Where?”
Rowan almost shouted.
“Just use your nose, baby, and tell me if the garlic seems off, even a little.”

Rowan wanted to argue. He wanted to know where he was, or even where he might be. He wanted to go home. Rowan closed his eyes and started sniffing the air as Luca had directed.

“It really does smell like garlic, but it’s kind of milder, less garlicky, I guess.”
Rowan wrinkled his nose.
“And slightly sweet.”
“Okay, good.”
“Does that tell you anything?”
“It does, baby. It tells me you might be in the basement of my hotel.”
“What?”
Rowan shouted as he jumped to his feet and began pacing as much as the chains around his ankles would allow. There was no fucking way he was in the basement of Luca’s hotel.
Could Darius have been that stupid?
Rowan rolled his eyes before he had even finished that thought. Of course Darius was that stupid. The man had kidnapped the anamchara of his tribe leader, after all. It didn’t get much dumber than that.
“Get me the fuck out of here!”
Rowan shouted.
“We’re already on our way, Rowan,”
Luca replied through their bond.
“Just stay calm.”
“You stay calm, damn it. I’m locked in some cell by a fruitcake out for your job.”
“We’re in the elevator now, anamchara. We’ll be there in less than five minutes. I swear.
Rowan sure the hell hoped so. He also hoped Luca was right and he actually was in the basement of the hotel. If not, his ass was up a creek without a paddle. And he kind of had plans for his ass.
Rowan inhaled sharply and backed up against the wall when he heard a key scrape in the lock then the door started slowly swinging open and Darius stepped into the room.
“Time’s up, Luca. The fruitcake is here.”

Luca clenched his hands as anger and fear battled each other inside of him. The elevator seemed to be taking forever to get to the basement level of his hotel. Others were taking the stairs and would meet him and Everson in the basement, but the elevator was faster. Getting to Rowan as fast as possible took top priority.

Luca just hoped they were right and Darius had taken Rowan to the basement. If they were wrong, they might not have time to find Rowan before Darius did something to him. Knowing Darius was in the same room with Rowan was driving him nuts. The man could do anything before he got there, and there would be nothing Luca could do to stop him.

The smell of garlic was the big clue. Despite it being deadly, many of his tribe still loved having the taste of garlic in their food. Their only choice was elephant garlic. Real garlic would kill them.

Add in the sounds of a kitchen and the red bricks and Luca was almost positive that Rowan was in the basement of his hotel. He didn’t even want to think of the possibility that he might be wrong. The possibility was too frightful.

Luca swallowed hard as he glanced up at the illuminated floor numbers above the door, watching them slowly count down. His muscles began to tense as they neared the basement level of the hotel. He extended his claws. His fangs dropped down.

The elevator reached the basement level. A small ding filled the air, and then the doors slid open. Luca stepped out, quickly glancing both ways. The hallway to the left led off to the kitchen. The hallway in the other direction led to the storage rooms.

Luca headed for the storage area. It was the only place he could think of that Rowan might be held. There were areas of the storage rooms that hadn’t been used in years, rooms that were simply that, storage.

Having owned the Electus Hotel for over a century, Luca had collected quite a bit of stuff. It had to go somewhere. But there were rooms in the large section of storage spaces that he hadn’t entered in years.

Luca hissed and curled his lip back, flashing his fangs, when he felt Everson grab his arm. Everson slowly removed his hand and stepped back.

“We need to be careful about this, Luca,” Everson said in a low voice.”If we make the wrong move, Rowan is dead.”
Luca felt his claws dig into the palms of his hands as he clenched his fists. He knew Everson was right. He needed to slow down and think with his head, not his heart. Rowan’s life was at stake.
Luca turned and started slowly making his way toward the storage rooms. Just as he reached the first one, he heard his guards catch up with him. Luca waved them on, pointing to several other doors down the hallway. He wanted them all opened at the same time. If Darius was hiding in one of them, he wanted the man caught before he could do any harm to Rowan.
“Rowan, we’re here. Do you hear us?”
Luca prayed with all of his being that Rowan would hear one of them. It might narrow down where he was.
“Rowan?”
Nothing.
“Rowan, damn it, answer me.”
Luca’s heart started to pound faster when he didn’t receive a response. He would never forgive himself if he was too late. There would be no stopping him from hunting Darius down and killing the man. Luca knew if he lost Rowan, he would become the monster humans wrote about in their horror stories.
He nodded down the hallway at the other soldiers then shoved the door open with all of his strength. A loud crack filled the air as the door crashed open. Luca stumbled into the room—and promptly sneezed. The room was dusty. It was also filled with stacks and stacks of boxes.
But no Rowan.
Luca looked around for a moment then walked out of the room and closed the door. He started to walk down the hallway to check out other rooms, but something made him slow his steps then stop.
Luca turned and looked back down the hallway he had come down. The kitchen was in that direction. Rowan had said he could hear pots and pans clanking together, people moving about. Luca didn’t know of any storage rooms in that direction, but he could be wrong.
Luca started to walk down the hallway toward the kitchen area. Something was calling him in that direction. The noises natural for a busy hotel kitchen grew louder the closer he walked.
When he reached the entrance to the kitchen, Luca stopped and glanced around. It looked like a normal industrial kitchen that catered to a place the size of the Electus Hotel—stoves, sinks, walk-in freezers and pantries, even preparation areas, and lots of people running around making food. Everything looked perfectly normal.
And it all made Luca want to scream in frustration.
“Electus.”
Luca frowned down at the woman who bowed to him. He searched his mind for her name and position. “Maggie, isn’t it?”
The woman beamed. “Yes, Electus.”
“Has anyone been down here that shouldn’t be?”
The woman looked momentarily confused. “No, Electus.”
Luca’s heart sank. He dropped his head down to his chest to hide the tears of frustration that sprang up in his eyes. This all seemed to fruitless. Darius was going to kill Rowan and Luca would be too late to rescue him.
“The only person who has been down here that doesn’t normally work in the kitchen is Darius,” Maggie said.
Luca’s head snapped up. His heart slammed in his chest. “Darius?”
Maggie stared down at her hands for a moment, twisting her fingers together. “Darius explained what was happening, Electus, and I know you know what is best for our tribe, but”—Maggie swallowed and raised her head to look up at Luca—“I don’t mean to question your dictates, Electus, I swear I don’t, but it just seems to me that this is wrong.”
Maggie’s face drained of color when Luca’s nostrils flared. He could smell the fear coming off of her in waves. She quickly bowed her head again. “My apologies, Electus. I should not be questioning you.”
“Where is Darius?” Luca tried to keep the rage out of his voice when he saw the woman start shaking.
Maggie pointed toward the other side of the kitchen. “He’s in the old storage room next to the boiler room. We don’t use it anymore but—”
“Does he have anyone with him?”
“No, just—” Maggie’s lips pressed together.
“Just who, Maggie?”
“Just the wolf you sent down here, Electus.”
Luca’s knees almost buckled. “Darius has a wolf down here?”
Maggie glanced up. Her eyebrows drew together in a confused look. “Yes, but”—Maggie’s eyes suddenly widened—”didn’t you send Darius down here to interrogate the wolf?”
Luca wanted to tell Maggie the truth, but his first priority had to be rescuing Rowan. “Listen carefully, Maggie. There are soldiers down near the storage rooms. I need you to go get them as fast as you can and tell them where Darius is holding Rowan.”
“Rowan?”
“Just tell them, Maggie, and hurry.”
Luca didn’t wait for Maggie to reply before taking off across the kitchen as fast as he could go. He wasn’t exactly sure which door led to the boiler room and which one led to the storage room. He’d kick in every door he found if he needed to.
He became more and more frustrated when he didn’t find Rowan. There was only one door left to kick in, and Luca prayed his mate was behind it. He lifted his foot, kicking with all his might as the door flew open, but no Rowan.
Luca cursed.
“Electus!”
Luca spun around when he heard Maggie shouting his name. The sound was frantic. He ran back toward the kitchen, Maggie pointing toward an access door. “Darius ran that way with the wolf.”
Luca growled as he took off after the traitor. He didn’t think the vampire would get far considering he was carrying Rowan. If his mate was unconscious again, and that better be the reason why Rowan wasn’t answering him, then Darius would be slowed down.
He spotted the vampire racing down the alley, Rowan slung over his shoulder. Luca put on a burst of speed as he gave chase. Darius had to know his plans were shot to hell. There was no use in his running, but desperate men did desperate things, and Luca needed to get Rowan back before Darius did something desperate to his anamchara.
Just as he closed the distance, Jackson appeared in front of Darius and Rowan, making Darius stumble. Luca looked on in horror as Darius pulled a gun from his waistband.
“No!”
Jackson slammed into Darius, grabbing Rowan from his shoulder as Luca leapt, taking Darius down before he could fire one single shot. He thrust his arm out, knocking the gun from Darius’s hand before he let into him, pounding the vampire repeatedly with his fists.
Tearing his throat out would be too swift, too noble. Luca wanted him to pay for what he had done to Rowan. His claws unsheathed as Luca swiped at the vampire over and over again.
“Luca!”
Luca could hear Everson shouting his name, but a red haze had fallen over him, clouding his mind to anything but teaching Darius what happened to anyone who messed with his mate.
“He’s dead,” Everson said as he pulled at Luca’s shoulder. “We have to get him inside before someone sees him.”
Luca swiped one last time, watching as Darius’s blood spilled from his throat. He wished the bastard hadn’t died so quickly. He wanted to continue his rampage on the vampire.
“Let’s go,” Everson said as he pulled Luca to his feet. “Your men will dispose of the body.”
Luca pushed Everson off of him as he grabbed Rowan from Jackson’s arms. He held his anamchara tight to his chest as he walked back down the alley, heading for the hotel and his penthouse suite.
He could see Rowan was once again out cold. If one more person shot his mate with a dart, Luca was going to shove the damn gun where it would hurt the most. He was tired of his mate being unconscious.
After taking the elevator to the top floor, Luca took Rowan to their bedroom and laid him down on their bed. He examined his mate from head to toe to make sure there was no more damage than the dart gun had caused.
Relief filled him when he found nothing but small bruises on Rowan’s ankles from wearing the shackles. Luca climbed into bed with his mate and pulled him close. Luca buried his face in Rowan’s soft hair and just held him, inhaling his anamchara’s sweet scent with every breath.
He was going to have to thank Jackson for his quick thinking and even quicker reflexes. He owed that man more than he could ever repay him. Jackson had given him back his world.
* * * *