Victoria understood. You dont like forcing people.
Yeah. He pulled her to the porch swing, and they sat down, the wood swaying and creaking underneath them.
Ive never met anyone who resisted using The Voice before. Its admirable.
Frustration gave way to pleasure, and he wanted to cuddle her close. Of course, that led to another thought: he wanted to be with her again.
Next thing he knew, thats all his mind could ponder. Sex. His first time, and he was so glad it had been with her. Someone who understood him, who knew what hed gone through, what he was still going through. Some one who didnt judge him and liked being with him.
I will not talk to you about him, a womans familiar voice suddenly said. I cant.
Fabulous. This crap again.
And yet, there she was. From the corner of his eye, he watched Victorias mother twirl in front of him, her black robe dancing at her ankles. For a moment, he wondered if she were a vision courtesy of Tucker, if she had been an illusion all along. If Vlad had told Demon Boy what Edina looked liked and Tucker had taken things from there, just to drive Aden insane.
But, no. The first time the flashes came, Tucker had been with Mary Ann. Not even the demon could be in two places at once, causing problems. At the hospital, Aden had wondered if Edina appeared at times Victoria would have beenwasthinking of her. Now, he discarded that idea, too. Shed made no mention of the woman, and she would have.
What suddenly seemed most likely was his ingestion of Victorias blood. Hed drank from hertwiceand he still hadnt mind-merged with her. What if this was the way their blood connection would manifest from now on?
No one else appeared in the vision, and he didnt hear the response to Edinas refusal to talk about him, but she said, No. No! I love him, and thats all you need to know. Im running away with him, but I cant take you with us, darling. Your father might let me go, but he would never let you go. Hes proven that, hasnt he?
She was going to leave her kid behind? Victoria behind?
Aden? Victoria said.
Need a minute.
Oh. Okay.
She probably assumed he was listening to the souls, and he didnt correct her.
Ill write you every day, my darling, Edina said. A ray of sunlight burst through the thick cloud cover and shone directly on her. Like the dust motes around her, she wavered. I promise.
Pause.
Be my brave little Vicki, and tell your father Im in my room if he asks where I am.
Vicki. Victoria. Yeah. Adens stomach rolled in tune with the motes as his understanding of his girlfriend deepened. No wonder shed used her Voice Voodoo so much. Chaos had always surrounded her. Telling humans what to do had been her way of taking charge, of finally eliciting the results she wanted.
Aden? Whats going on? Julian asked.
Nothing.
In a snap, the vision changed. This time, the rest of the world faded away, black walls closing in around him. No time to react. Above him was a mirrored ceiling, below him a shiny onyx floor.
He lost his connection to his own body, found himself looking through someone elses eyes. Victorias eyes. He knew this sensation very well.
Just in front of him, a man Aden could only assume was Vlad the Impaler sat on a gold embossed throne. Wow, the guy was impressive. Before, all Aden had seen of him were charred remains. Now, the vampire king was a hulking, towering figure of strength, even sitting down.
He had a thick crop of black hair and eyes so blue they were like sapphires burning in a ceaseless fire. Fine lines branched from the corners of those eyes, and rather than age him, they painted an expression of determination and cruelty. His lips were a thin slash, stained crimson and twisted ruthlessly. A scar ran from the arch of one dark brow all the way to a stubborn chin.
Girls would consider him handsome, Aden supposed, in a psycho-killer kind of way. Vlad had wide shoulders, his torso bared and roped with muscle. There was a ring on each of his fingers, making him a man assured of his own masculinity. He wore fawn-colored breeches that molded to his legs and boots that tied all the way up to his knees.
You dare to challenge me? Though Vlad spoke in a language Aden had never heard before, he had no trouble understanding because Victoria understood. Well, I accept. He stood. Talltallera giant of a man and solid muscle.
The vampire he spoke to was just as tall and just as muscled. I did not doubt you would.
You may choose the weapon.
Around them was a crowd of people, watching, tense, barely breathing. Except for one man. Sorin, Victorias brother. He stood just below the dais where the throne rested, and he was shaking his head in resignation.
Victoria was a few feet away from him. Her gaze skidded over a mirror, and Aden saw that she was a little girl, perhaps two years older than shed been in the vision of the whipping. Her mother stood on her other side, tears streaking her cheeks, her features tight with fear.
Thered been no hint of Victorias emotions revealed in her reflection. She clutched her mothers hand, however, her knuckles leaching of color. She might have looked calm, but she was a mess of nerves inside and too afraid to let go.
I choose swords, the man said.
Excellent choice. Vlad glided down the stairs to the floor. When? Where?
Now. Here.
A nod of satisfaction. We are of one mind, then.
Only in this.
Someone from the crowd threw a sword at Vlad and a sword at his opponent. Both caught the weapons with ease. A second later, the man lunged forward, throwing himself into the fight.
Vlad stood completely still. Until, just before the man reached him, he turned, a blur of motion, and slashed.
Blood and guts spilled all over the floor.
The man dropped to his knees, gasping, gurgling, his eyes wide. He clutched at his middle, not yet grasping the depths of his swift defeat. Without breaking a sweat or moving a step, Vlad struck a second time, and off went the mans head.
A collective gasp sounded from the crowd.
Anyone else? Vlad asked, buffing his nails on the waist of his pants. It would be my pleasure to fight any of you.
Edina burst into sobs and rushed from the room, leaving her little girl behind. A little girl who was shaking as her father turned the force of his displeasure on her.
Why did you not stop her? Tis her lover in pieces on the floor. A man you would have called Father, I am sure. A man you wanted to call Father.
No! II
I will hear no excuses or false denials from you. He waved a hand through the air. Go. Take the head and place it on a pike. The task is yours, and you will complete it or find yourself resting beside him.
Her trembling increased as she rushed to obey, wading through things no child should ever encounter.
Adens first thought had nothing to do with Vlad, fighting Vlad or having no hope of winning against a man like that. His mind concentrated solely on Victoria. Knowing she had endured this undid him.
He wanted to run to the girl shed been, whisk her away, protect her from such horrors. The man whod just been gutted was the man Edina had attempted to run away with, leaving her daughter behind. The daughter who then had to clean up her mothers mess. Literally.
His poor Victoria. Once he would have placed good money on the fact that no one could have a childhood worse than his. Hers had been, though. In comparison, hed been raised in heaven by doting angels.
The scene disappeared, there one minute, a cloud of vapor the next.
Aden, Victoria whispered, shaking him into the present. Someones coming.
He rapid-fire blinked into focus as the front door of the house creaked open, Tonya peeking out. He hadnt summoned her, yet here she was. Checking to make sure he was gone most likely, but whatever. Hed take what he could get.
What do you want? she snapped when she spotted him. She didnt step out on the porch, but kept the screen between them. Why wont you leave?
Aden unfolded from the swing. My friends visited you, asked you about your husband
Yes, and I told the girl not to return.
And so she hasnt. Im here.
Sorry, but I have nothing to say to you, either.
She made to close the door, and thats when Aden caved. Sick of waiting, sick of questions without answers and no longer willing to view his new gift as a curse, he said, Leave the door open, putting all of his want into the words.
Victoria had loved her Voice Voodoo, but shed given it up. For him. Aden wouldnt make light of that anymore.
Tonyas eyes immediately glazed over, and she left the door alone.
Victoria stood beside him and twined their fingers, offering comfort.
Your brother-in-law died, and he left no family behind. Do you have any photographs of him? Any personal effects?
Silence.
Tell her to tell you, Victoria instructed.
Tell me what I wish to know, he added, wanting it, wanting it so badly.
I Though Tonyas eyes were still glazed, she found the strength to deny him. I cant tell you.
A frowning Victoria shook her head. Thats impossible. You have to tell him. He commanded you to. I dont know anything, but even I want to obey him.
II cant.
Slowly Aden disengaged from Victoria and approached Tonya, doing his best not to spook her. Tonya remained in place. Though he was younger than she was, he was taller, a lot taller, and he had to look downdownto meet that still-glazed stare. Thats when he saw something besides a glassy sheen swimming in those gray depths. Something dark, like a shadow.
Julian saw it, too, and gasped in dismay. What is that?
Dont know. Aden drew on every ounce of his need for answers. He let that need churn in his voice box, until his throat nearly steamed from the burn of it, before speaking again. You will tell me what I want to know, Tonya Smart. Now.
The shadows coagulated, then broke apart and scattered, and Tonya relaxed a little. Yes. I do have photographs and personal effects.
Answers, that easily. It was as powerful and addictive as hed suspected. As powerful and addictive as a vampires bite. That wasnt going to stop him. Bring them to me. Give them to me.
Bring. Give. Yes. She disappeared inside the house.
Half an hour ticked by, and Aden began to worry that hed lost her, that shed shaken out of his mental hold and taken off out the back door, never to return. But then, as suddenly as shed left, she was back in the doorway, holding a box out to him.
It. Had. Worked.
He claimed the thing with a relieved, Thank you.
Julian was dancing through his head. I cant believe this! There could be a picture of me in there.
Aden balanced the box with one hand, used the other to grab Victoria and headed back to the motel to study what was inside. Hopefully, Riley and Mary Ann were just as lucky.
Or not.
TWENTY-SIX
RILEY KICKED IN THE front door, wooden shards raining in every direction. No alarm sounded. That didnt mean one hadnt been tripped, but screw it. Last time hed been in this neighborhood, playing it safe had almost killed him. Had killed his animal. So, no more playing it safe.
His hands balled into fists as he stomped into the house. He couldnt think about the past right now. Hed rage and destroy everything in sight. Weve got five minutes. After that, the authorities could arrive. Lets make the most of it.
Mary Ann rushed in behind him. So, just grab what I can?
Joe and Paula Stone supposedly lived there. So, yeah, grabbing what they could was the plan. A plan theyd gone over several times already. He stalked down the hallway without bothering to reply. She knew the answer, she was just nervous. He wished he could comfort her, but just then, he was having trouble comforting himself.
There were only two doorways along this route. He entered the first. Master bedroom? Maybe. Small, sparse, with only a bed, a nightstand and a dresser. On the bed, the covers were in disarray, as if theyd been shoved away in a hurry. A cup on the nightstand was tipped to its side, the contentswater, from the looks of ithad dripped to the floor, where clothes were piled. The dressers drawers were partly open. The only window was covered by thick black paint.
Clearly no one had been here for a while. Probably since the morning he and Mary Ann had nearly had sex in the house across the street, and both their lives had changed forever.
If so, well, Joe and Paula Stone had run. For good. And if theyd run, that meant theyd known Riley and Mary Ann were coming. But how could they have known? And why run? What had they feared?
Riley, Mary Ann called.
He followed the sound of her voice and was soon standing beside her in the second bedroom. Toys littered the floor, a fact that momentarily rendered him speechless. They have a kid?
Either that, or they have a home day care.
A day care that caters strictly to girls? No. There was nothing masculine in the room. No blue, no race cars, no action figures. Just pink, stuffed animals and dolls.
Do you think
That Aden has a sister? Maybe. Probably. And what a way to find out. He thought back to the couple, to the truck, but didnt recall seeing a car seat. That didnt mean the girl hadnt been with them. Just What? He looked for a clock, couldnt find one. How were they on time? Go to the kitchen, go through all the drawers. Grab any kind of bill you find. Anything with a name.
Okay. She didnt run off, but stood there. Riley, I
I cant talk about it. Just go, he said and returned to the master bedroom before she could say anything else. Trying to force his mind to a Happy Place, he dug through the closet, every drawer in the nightstand, then searched under the mattress and bed. Nothing personal had been left behind.
Figured.
Uh, Riley, Mary Ann called, her voice cracking.
His back was to her, but he could sense her fear. He jackknifed to a stand and turned toward her, only to freeze, his breath icing over in his lungs.