Chapter Thirty-One
It was well over a century before I returned to my estate near London. I was a changed man. I had become cold and distant. Still, I nearly broke down when I found the painting of Claudia hanging in my study. I knew immediately who had painted it, but the note confirmed my suspicions.
“I am sorry for your loss. I will miss her as well.”
It wasn’t signed, but I recognized Viktor’s handwriting.
Excerpt from Roman Draksel’s blog
“Wake up, sweetheart,” a gentle voice beckoned her back to consciousness. She couldn’t get her mind to focus long enough to figure out who it was, and her eyes wouldn’t open. “Come on and open those beautiful eyes,” the voice crooned as fingers gently caressed her cheek.
“Aiden,” she murmured in a faint voice.
Her eyes shot open at the pain of having her hair nearly yanked out of her head. The pressure forced her head to turn at an awkward angle.
“Who the fuck is Aiden?” Brian snarled directly in her face.
“What difference does it make?” Tempest asked angrily. She tried to glare at him but her eyes wouldn’t focus.
“Answer me bitch!” he nearly shouted as he gave her hair another vicious tug. “Do I need to run a pregnancy test to make sure someone else hasn’t gotten you pregnant before our experiment?”
“It’s probably too early to show up on a test,” she told him.
“Fucking whore!” He released her hair and backhanded her.
If nothing else, the pain cleared her head some. She was now able to pull off the defiant glare she’d been trying for before.
The vein on the side of Brian’s forehead throbbed, and Tempest wondered if he would have a stroke. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm his temper. Tempest knew he wanted to hurt her, but he wanted to be in complete control. He didn’t want to hurt her in a rage. He wanted to enjoy her suffering and helplessness. She would die before she gave the son of a bitch that satisfaction.
“Must make you feel like a real man to beat up on a woman who’s drugged and tied up,” she taunted.
He leaned down until his nose was touching hers. She wanted to turn her head away, but she forced herself to look at him. “You won’t be so brave when I start working on you. Did you know I experimented with those other women? I was getting ready for you. Are you flattered?”
A shiver of revulsion ran through her body.
He smiled, mistaking her shiver for fear. Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear like a lover. “How does it feel knowing you were the reason they died? They begged for mercy. They would have done anything to make the pain stop. In the end, they begged me to end their lives. I can’t wait to hear you begging me.”
“You are a sick bastard,” she choked out.
“How does it feel to know I fantasized about you the entire time I was with them? I don’t think I can wait to find out if you’re already pregnant. What difference does the paternity make? It’s not like I plan to have you carry the baby to term.” He chuckled softly against her ear as he groped her breast roughly.
Tempest turned her head sharply and bit him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t fast enough, and he jerked away before she could fully sink her teeth into his cheek.
Brian slapped her. “I'm going to enjoy hurting you, bitch,” he growled.
He raised his hand to strike her again when a quiet voice spoke. “If you touch my granddaughter again, I will kill you.”
Tempest stared in the direction of the man who’d spoken, but her eyes moved past him to settle on Aiden. There he stood, dressed in faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt, a leather jacket and boots. He still hadn’t shaved, but his facial hair was trimmed into a neat goatee. He looked a little like a biker. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling at the sight of her biker vampire.
That’s Brian. The one I dated in med school. He knows I’m different. He’s crazy and very dangerous. He’s killed a lot of women. She pushed the thoughts out toward Aiden’s mind.
“Let her go, Brian,” Aiden warned. The only sign he was angry was his thick brogue.
Brian looked panicked. “How do you know my name?”
“Does it matter?” the man she assumed was Roman asked calmly. “If you want to survive, you will release my granddaughter immediately.”
“Your granddaughter?” Brian scoffed. “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tempest is older than you. Which of you is fucking her? Or, are you both fucking her?” He was either too stupid or too crazy to realize how much danger he was in.
Roman didn’t respond. Tempest took a moment to study him. He really didn’t look any older than Aiden. They were around the same height. Both were muscular with dark hair and icy blue eyes. Unlike Aiden, Roman’s hair was neatly trimmed, and he was clean shaven. He wore head to toe black with a trench coat wrapped around his shoulders. Both of his hands were at his sides and concealed by the trench coat. There was something about his very presence that was almost frightening, even knowing he was there to rescue her. She sensed Brian wasn’t leaving the room alive, regardless of how he responded.
“She belongs to me,” Aiden stated.
A week ago, his declaration would have made her want to kick his Irish ass. Now it almost made her smile because it meant he still wanted her.
“Not for long,” Brian taunted. “Now, unless you want to watch me snap her pretty neck, I suggest you both do as you’re told. Come closer so I can see you better.”
Roman smiled, and it was truly a chilling sight. They both moved forward, and Tempest felt energy swirl around her. Aiden had told her they could only manipulate energy to drain it from people, and they needed to touch the person. It wasn’t her imagination—someone was commanding the energy around them. She looked toward Brian. The energy was definitely coming from him. With each step, Roman appeared to gain strength as Brian seemed to weaken.
“Don’t come any closer,” Brian warned, shaking his head as if he could shake the sudden weakness. “Put your hands up where I can see them.”
Roman moved with unnatural speed—faster than Aiden. One moment, Roman’s hands were at his sides and the next he was firing a handheld crossbow at Brian’s throat. Brian clutched at the arrow in his throat, made a sickening gurgling sound and collapsed to the ground.
Aiden rushed to her side to undo the restraints. “Damn it woman!” he shouted. “If you’d stayed with me, none of this would have happened. I should have kept you drained and tied to my bed for the rest of your life.”
Roman removed the IV from her arm and grasped her hand. He looked around for something to stop the bleeding before grabbing a few gauze pads on a nearby shelf. As he pressed them against her arm, he stared at her in amazement. “You look so much like Claudia,” he murmured. The energy was being pushed into her body. It was similar to when Aiden had returned her energy much faster. In some ways, it was like electricity zapping through her nerves.
“I thought you had to touch a person to take their energy,” she said as she stared at his hand. “I felt you draining Brian’s energy. At first, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but you were the one manipulating the energy in the air, and it was Brian’s energy.”
“It’s a rare talent,” Roman explained, still staring at her in awe. “I don’t know of anyone, other than me, who can do it. As you can see, it’s a very useful skill.”
She turned to Aiden, who was still muttering. She’d missed most of it, but she caught the end of his tirade. “And so help me God I will turn you over my knee if you ever scare me like this again!”
“I knew you’d come,” she breathed out just before she burst into tears.
Aiden scooped her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. “Please don’t cry, luv,” he murmured against the top of her head. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m not really mad, I was just scared.”
She cried harder.
“Would it help if I said something really obnoxious?” he asked. “I can be nearly as obnoxious as Drew when I tr
y.”
She smiled and leaned her head against his chest with a sigh.
“We need to call the police,” Aiden told her. “You told me you have a contact.”
“No police,” Roman argued. “This is a family matter. We’ll clean up the mess and dispose of the body.”
“Aiden is right. We have to call the police,” Tempest insisted. “There were other victims. The police need to know what happened and what Brian said.”
Roman seemed annoyed, but he nodded and handed her his phone. “I’m not really sure how this thing works,” he admitted as she took the smart phone from his hand.
“What city are we in?” Tempest asked.
Roman thought for a moment. “Union City.”
Tempest frowned. “We don’t have any contacts in this department. I’ll let Ivy figure that out. I’m too confused right now.”
Tempest dialed Ivy’s number.
“Hello,” Ivy said tentatively, probably because she didn’t recognize the number.
“Ivy, I need you to get someone we know with the police and meet me here.” Her voice still sounded slurred.
“Tempest! We’ve been so worried about you. Willow thought Aiden had taken you. I was really hoping it was true, but Aiden wasn’t answering his phone. I was sure if he had you he’d call me, or at the very least answer his phone.”
“You ignored Ivy’s call?” Tempest asked Aiden.
He flushed. “I was going to buy a new phone today. I threw mine against a wall when I woke up and you weren’t there.”
She shook her head. “I promise I’ll explain everything when you get here. The police will need a crime scene unit, and make sure they know there’s a body.”
Ivy gasped. “Where are you?”
“Union City, but I’m not sure where,” Tempest admitted, looking around as if her surroundings might give her some clues.
“I’ll give her the information,” Roman offered as he reached for the phone.
Tempest nodded and handed the phone back.
“You can put me down now,” she told Aiden.
He shook his head. “Not gonna happen. You get into way too much trouble when I let go of you.”