Niccolo (Blood Brothers) (10 page)

Chapter Ten

Dante pushed “End” on his cell phone, then raked his fingers through his hair. Having gone two nights without sleep, the vampire was feeling fatigued. “That was Nico. He’s waiting for us back at Wolf’s house. He thinks he has some useful information.”

“Was it wise to let that young vampire go off by himself?” Romeo asked as he leaned against the wall of the hotel room.

“Carter and Angel are on it. They’ll shadow the young one for a few days to make sure he’s safe and doesn’t try anything foolish.”

Wolf excused himself from the room. “I need to make a couple of phone calls. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Dante remained silent as he watched the other vampire leave.

“What did Nico say? There’s something you’re not telling us,” Romeo guessed shrewdly.

“I wanted to wait until we were back in Munich, but I suppose I can’t keep any secrets from you.” Dante smiled faintly. “That young vampire Angel brought to us fits into the overall puzzle that gets more complicated with each new piece. The massacre sites all had something in common. Stefan’s office building, the apartment building, and the nightclub—all of these establishments were owned by immortals. That doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me. This band of rogues is deliberately targeting these places—why? You can’t pick up a paper now without reading about these bloody scenes ... I believe they’ll only get worse.”

“Probably. I have a sinking feeling the Council has something to do with this. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that Devlin Locke has been elected as head of the Council? That pompous ass doesn’t know shit. He’s only a puppet—when we find out who’s been pulling his strings, we’ll likely find our answers.”

“Perhaps, but what bothers me most about this whole situation is Jagger’s involvement. Stefan swore there was a vampire in his office building who looked just like Nico.”

Romeo shook his head. “Damn, what has that boy gotten himself into?”

“Nico is concerned he hasn’t had first blood.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“I’d never jest about something so serious. Apparently when Sasha last saw him, she thought he seemed a little feverish.”

“
La morte dolci,
” Romeo muttered.

“Yes, and I fear that despite his mixed heritage, if he is in the later stages of his illness, he could be quite capable of the acts we have seen.”

“Poor Nico. He must be torn up over this. Sasha as well.”

“That’s another thing. Sasha’s friend Khrushchev is also involved in all this.”

“How?” Romeo clenched and unclenched his fist. “I hope Nico took care of him. I knew there was something I didn’t like about that bastard.”

Dante recognized that look. His younger brother was raring for a fight.

“He made certain threats toward us. Nico finds it odd that Khrushchev just happened to be at the airport when he and Sasha arrived.”

“It did seem rather convenient, didn’t it? But how did he know they would arrive there?”

“Maybe Sasha isn’t as innocent as she appears.” Dante wanted to be wrong about that more than anything because he knew how Nico felt about her. Anyone with eyes in their head could see it. Until now, he had respected his brother’s privacy and had not tried to analyze the situation between Nico and Sasha.

It was he who had sent Niccolo and Romeo to Russia thirty years ago. Although the mission had turned out to be fruitless and Romeo had returned, Nico had decided to stay. His younger brother had said he’d found someone to settle down with. Dante knew more than anyone that when vampires fall for someone, it is instantaneous, so he had wished his brother well.

Dante had met the entire Romanov family before, and Ivan, the head of the family, was beyond arrogant. Dante had liked the three sons but was conflicted about the daughters. No two sisters could have been more different in looks and personality. Although Petra embodied physical beauty, it appeared to be all surface, whereas Sasha’s beauty had been deeper. It had surprised him when Nico had confessed his love for the beautiful but self-centered Petra. Of all his brothers, he would never have expected Nico to fall for a woman like her.

Nico never spoke of the events surrounding neither her death nor the circumstances of Jagger’s conception, so Dante had left the topics alone. Through the years, however, he had kept tabs on his nephew and regretted that he didn’t know Jagger better. He had not understood his brother’s reasons for staying away from Jagger, but now, as more complications arose, Dante realized he would have made the same decision as Nico.

The danger had encompassed all the Grimaldis, and he admired Nico for having made such a difficult sacrifice. Dante also admired Sasha. It took a strong woman to raise a child on her own. When Dante had seen Sasha again, he’d known her main concern was for her son. No, she wasn’t involved in this conspiracy. He had been crazy to suggest it.

Romeo must have thought so, too. “No. She’s not involved in this. And by all accounts Jagger is a good guy. This doesn’t seem like something he would be involved in, even though all evidence points to his participation. The entire situation is beyond disturbing.”

“Believe me, Ro, I’ve gone over this a thousand times and my guess is as good as yours. We should head back to Wolf’s and put our heads together.”

“Do you think this has to do with
Il Diavolo?
”

“Without a doubt.”

<><><>

Sasha had never been more confused. Why would Yuri tell lies about the two of them? Something fishy was going on. He had been the one to initiate things, and he had been acting strangely from the moment they had met at the airport. Her mind was much clearer when he wasn’t around. And while Sasha thought he deserved his beating for his lies, she didn’t wish his death. Niccolo, on the other hand, was a whole other story altogether.

He was acting like a jealous lover. The way he had burst into the room with a proprietary air had incensed her, but on a baser level, it had also excited her. She was furious with both men and herself for losing focus of their goal, but even more disquieting was Yuri’s threat.

He’d said Nico and his brothers would die. A strange sense of déjà vu suddenly hit her.
You remain alive to send a message, little witch. Niccolo Grimaldi and everything and everyone he holds dear will die.
Sasha shook her head. Three decades ago, the head rogue had spoken those words before he’d given a quick blow to her head and knocked her out. When she’d awakened, there was blood everywhere, and Petra’s body had been ripped to shreds.

It sent a chill down her spine to think that Yuri could be involved in these killings, especially when she had allowed him so closely into her life. She’d thought that he was her friend, but after his actions she wondered. Sasha no longer believed their meeting at the airport was a coincidence.

She had been so grateful for his presence she hadn’t stopped to think about why he was there. Sasha didn’t want to believe someone she had called a friend would be involved in a plot to take out her son’s father, but what other explanation could there be?

She now realized that when Yuri had gone out with her to search for Jagger, he’d deliberately thrown roadblocks in her way. When she’d wanted to go one way, he’d convinced her to go another. He also had told her that he’d had a vision of Jagger being in a particular building, but when they went there, it was empty. It seemed like they went from one dead end to the next. Sasha was now positive that Yuri had taken advantage of her powerless state. Just as it was apparent to her, he’d used his powers of suggestion to get her into bed. It chilled her to the bone to realize the person she’d thought was her friend was only in her life to spy.

“Please let my baby be safe,” she spoke to no one in particular.

“We’ll find him.” Niccolo walked into the sitting room, and her foolish heart missed a beat at the handsome picture he made. He’d obviously showered, as he wore a change of clothes and his hair was still damp. His tight black jeans showed off the large bulge of his cock, and the white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone revealed tufts of dark hair on his chest. Her mouth watered as she thought about pressing her mouth to the smooth column of his throat.

Sasha shook her head to rid herself of the lustful thoughts invading her brain. “Thank you. Niccolo —”

“If you’re going to apologize for what you said earlier, don’t bother. I deserved it.”

“But I shouldn’t have said it the way I did. Look, as someone pointed out earlier, emotions are running high and sometimes our mouths get ahead of our brains.”

“That’s true, but I had no right to come down on you the way I did. I will, however, caution you on the friends and lovers you keep.”

“I knew nothing of his plans. I thought he was here to help, not antagonize you and your brothers. I ... apologize for his threats against you.”

“Why? You had nothing to do with it.”

“No, I didn’t, but had I not insisted he come with us, none of this would have happened. I wonder how involved he is in Jagger’s disappearance.” She pressed her hands to her mouth. “Oh, God, what a fool I’ve been! I trusted him.”

Niccolo’s compassionate look made her snap. It was as if the floodgates were let open as a sob escaped her lips and tears streamed down her face. In an instant, he was at her side, his arms going around her. She gave in to the warmth of his embrace, leaning her head against his broad chest. All the misery that had been stored within her flowed out: her missing son, her strained relationship with her father, her lost sister, and her unrequited feelings for Niccolo. It was all so overwhelming.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, gently stroking her hair. She thought she felt his warm lips at her temple. She looked up at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Only a couple hours ago they’d been yelling at each other and she would have sworn he hated her.

“I thought a lot about what you said. I don’t know why your father would put a spell on me, but if I am under a spell, he would be the only one old enough to do so without me realizing it. I asked myself why I was blaming you when I knew you couldn’t be responsible. Maybe I’ve wanted you all along. This hardly makes any sense to me either, but I know how I feel at this moment.” His amber eyes bore into her with an intensity that took her breath away.

Could this be a dream? Was he actually saying the words she had longed to hear for so many years? “But the spell ... I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I, but perhaps the time we’ve been spending together is cutting through it. When this is all over, I’m going to see your father to discover his reasons for doing this.”

“I’ve always wondered why he would do this to us, but he never said. My father plays his cards very close to his chest.” She sighed in frustration, and then realized she could feel the heat of his body. Niccolo’s thigh was pressed against hers. Sasha bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t do that. Your lips are too pretty to gnaw on like that.” He leaned over her.

Sasha pulled back just before his lips met hers. Standing up abruptly, she began to pace. “This is very sudden. Your complete about-face is confusing.”

“Like I said, I’ve done some thinking and I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no point in fighting this thing we have for each other.” He stood up and walked over to her with slow deliberate steps, his gaze never leaving her face.

“No, Niccolo. We need to look for Jagger.”

“We have to wait for the others to return.” He paused. “Sasha, I’ve been a fool for the way I treated you before as well as the past few days. I badly wanted to touch you, taste you, hold you, but denied myself. I know I should be thinking about our son, but I want to fuck you,
strega,
fuck you desperately. I’ve almost driven myself insane with the need for you. I know I will go mad if I don’t have you now.”

Sasha was so astonished by his words that she didn’t resist when he took her into his arms and his mouth came down on hers.

<><><>

“Come, young one. You’re dragging your feet again.” The older vampire beckoned Jagger into the modest house. With its green shingles and large bay windows in front, it was big without being ostentatious. Jagger could imagine a family living in this house, except it seemed so out of place as it was in the middle of nowhere.

What was so important that the redhead insisted they come here? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Things were just not adding up. This vampire who claimed to be his father was nothing like he’d expected. He’d heard how fierce the Grimaldi brothers were, but they weren’t known to take out innocent people, only rogues. Then there was the cloudy feeling he got in his head whenever he questioned his father’s motives. It was like being under a spell, but that couldn’t have been possible because his father was a vampire. Magic was only something witches and warlocks were supposed to possess.

He cursed himself for turning back after witnessing the sickening atrocities of the previous nights.
As horrific as the massacres had been, what bothered Jagger the most was the nonchalance in which these acts were committed. This vampire was off. A psychopath by human standards. Yet Jagger felt a slight connection to this older vampire. There was no doubt in his mind they shared a bloodline but it wasn’t the deep connection of father and son.

“Why are we here?” Jagger demanded, angry at the thought of being duped.

The older vamp turned glowing amber eyes on him, revealing his annoyance. “You ask too many damn questions.”

“And you don’t answer enough of them.”

The redhead looked surprised. A slow smile spread across his face. “Your cockiness is very much like your…”

Jagger’s eyes narrowed. “My what?”

“Never mind. Come, the meeting is about to start.”

Again, his mind felt cloudy as he followed the older vampire into the house. He was a fool to follow this very dangerous vampire, but his need for answers outweighed his common sense. They walked down a narrow hall into what looked like a living room although it was spare of furniture. A steel coffee table sat in the middle of the room, and a few chairs were scattered around the hardwood floor -- occupied by the very men who’d participated in the earlier massacres.

“Welcome to my home, Grimaldi.” A tall, painfully thin vampire with short brown hair walked toward them. He was pale like a zombie. Jagger didn’t like him on sight.

He turned to the redhead ... no matter what connection there was between them, Jagger couldn’t bring himself to think of this man as his father. “What is going on?”

“We’re planning our next strike. Roger here was kind enough to open his home to us. The least you can do is show a little common courtesy.”

Jagger ignored the last bit. “Next strike? As I said before, I want no part of this. There is no reason at all for you to harm innocent people who are unable to defend themselves.”

One of the men sitting in the corner chuckled. Jagger recognized him as the sadistic shifter who’d killed the little girl. Bastard. “Perhaps you need to show your
son
who’s boss around here.”

The emphasis on “son” was not lost on Jagger. Now he definitely knew something wasn’t right. Father or not, he had to get out of here. He should have listened to his instinct and fled. The sense of impending doom jolted him into action. As he turned to go, he felt a pain in his head so intense it brought him to his knees.
What the hell?
He shook it off. It took him a moment to get back to his feet and when he did, he turned around to see a malevolent gleam in the redhead’s eyes.

“Stupid boy. You were fun to toy with for a while, but now I’ve grown bored with you. Roger, as our host, I will give you a crack at wiping out Grimaldi’s spawn.”

For the first time in several days, Jagger could see clearly— think clearly. This man was not his father; the rogue had performed some mind-altering spell on him.

Black magic.

Jagger didn’t know if he had any hope of getting out of here in one piece, but he wouldn’t give up without a fight. “Who are you?”

“Adonis.”

“Adonis who?”

“That’s all you need to know.”

“I suppose you won’t tell me why.”

Adonis laughed. “No, I won’t.” He turned to Roger, who eyed them with a gleam of eager anticipation. His incisors were bared as though he was ready for action. “He’s all yours.”

As Roger stalked towards him, Jagger threw his hand out in the direction of the steel coffee table. “Nostruis duemas sameud suutson!” The table shattered into long, slender shards, the metal pieces flying at Roger and piercing him through several points. The rest of the room’s occupants ducked as the steel bits scattered all over the room.

Jagger felt his incisors descend; his fingers shifted to sharp claws, then he flew at the weakened rogue. Instinctively, he clawed into the screaming rogue’s chest and ripped out his heart.