The sun had just kissed the horizon when Nicholas exited the tunnels and headed for the subway. He was going tourist, al the way. Drawing any kind of attention to himself was not the intent of this meet and drop. Not yet anyway.
Besides, he had Whistler with him. The ugly-ass Eye was dressed as a female in a heavy coat, hat, scarf, gloves, and a towel hidden around his middle that carried the delectable Pureblood scent of Kate Everborne.
They headed down Broadway into the 24-7 hustle of the city's epicenter, the streets thick with human cattle and blaring bil boards. Nicholas kept his eyes peeled for Dare, who could be anyone from a scalper hocking theater tickets to one of the crazy fans crowding around that nearly naked cowboy and his guitar.
"Your Ethan Dare is clever," Whistler said, pushing a strol er that looked like a bundled-up child sat inside-
Ladd's scent al over it. "A very pointed spot, don't you think?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Nicholas said, his gaze sliding over to a group of males outside the Virgin store.
"Ah, yes, you and your brothers came to Manhattan after the Depression." Whistler glanced around. "This place, it's al neon and tourists now, but back in the nineteenth century it was packed with thieves and prostitutes. Longacre it was packed with thieves and prostitutes. Longacre Square it was cal ed then-a very profitable time for the Eyes."
Nicholas didn't give a shit what the Impure's reason was for choosing this spot. Al he wanted was to get Dare in his sights and Gray back home to his sister.
The gun hummed at his back, ready to be fisted and fired. It was going to take some fancy maneuvering to get Gray and bring Dare down within a crowd-al before the gifted Impure realized Nicholas hadn't brought along the boy and the veana.
"Got any change?"
Nicholas whirled on the voice, his hand reaching for the soft flesh of a neck before he even saw who it was.
The panhandler looked up at him with terrified eyes.
Nicholas patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry. Nothing today, brother." Then moved on.
They were nearing the barricades when a car slowed down beside them. Over the din, a male voice shouted out,
"The veana and the boy come with me."
Nicholas's hand was already fisted around the gun at his back. Under the bright neon lights, he stared into the interior of the town car as hundreds of tourists mil ed passed. There was a driver, who was probably a recruit, but no Dare.
Nicholas shook his head at the Impure. Not going to happen.
"Bring them now, whore," the male cal ed out.
"You're blocking traffic, dickhead," some human male said, tapping the car door as he walked by.
With a crack, Ethan Dare flashed into the backseat of the town car. The window slowly descended. Dare grinned out at Nicholas. "Is there a problem, Son of the Breeding Male? This was our agreement."
Nicholas felt Whistler stiffen at his side. The Eye better be head and eyes down. "Where's Gray?" Nicholas cal ed out.
Dare leaned back, just enough so Nicholas could see the blond male beside him. Gray was gagged and seemingly immobile, but his eyes were solid and strong and trained on Nicholas.
"You want them," Nicholas shouted, "you come get them."
He grabbed Whistler's arm and steered him into the very center of Times Square, the triangle. There he waited.
It took Dare a moment, but he final y got out of the car and walked through the masses of people, nice and slow until he was about ten feet away. There he stopped, his eyes even with Nicholas like they were two gunslingers about to go at it.
But both of them knew there could be no shoot-'em-ups there-not unless they were close enough to do it without being seen. And at ten feet the risk was too great.
"Time's wasting in Times Square," Dare cal ed, his eyes lit up like the bil boards around him.
"What about the male?" Nicholas said, his gaze shifting to Gray. "There's no trade without him."
"He wil be released the moment I have the balas and veana."
What a crock of shit, Nicholas thought. Dare wasn't going What a crock of shit, Nicholas thought. Dare wasn't going to release anything-least of al Gray.
Nicholas stil ed, stared, narrowed his eyes on the male inside the car. Gray had nodded his head-he was sure of it. The Impure had nodded his head. What the hel did that mean? Was he drugged, sick? Had Dare-
Gray shook his head. A smal movement, but Nicholas saw it.
Holy shit! Could the male hear inside Nicholas's head?
Gray's nod came quicker this time.
It was a rare Impure-
"It's now or never, Roman," Dare cal ed, snatching back Nicholas's attention.
"Come and get them," Nicholas returned with a grin, his brain running a mile a minute as he attempted to hatch an escape plan for Gray. "Don't worry, I won't bite."
"But I might."
Dare took two steps closer, al confidence and intrigue, then stopped. His gaze had caught on something to Nicholas's right. Suddenly, he growled, his eyes flashing.
"You stupid witte!"
Nicholas didn't even have to turn his head. He scented them, coming closer, completing the triangle within the triangle. Dare at one point, Nicholas at another, Alexander and Lucian at the third.
"If you can get out now, Gray, do it!" Nicholas silently urged the Impure.
As crowds moved around them, not hearing or caring what was going down between them, the four vampires stood only ten feet apart, each waiting for someone to make a move.
"Get out of here, go home," Nicholas cal ed over the madness as al around them the energy of the Square bubbled and brewed.
Alexander, whose expression exposed both his confusion and his ire, spotted the strol er and cal ed out,
"What the hel are you doing?"
"What I was enlisted to do," Nicholas said. "Now, get out of here."
"This would be the time to hand over the balas and veana," Dare cal ed over a group of four female tourists who were weighed down with shopping bags.
"Yes, give Whistler over to him, Nicky," Lucian said loudly. "Might as wel make him happy; it's the last night of his life."
"Whistler." The sound came out of Dare's throat like air rushing from a bal oon. He narrowed his gaze on the supposed female beside Nicholas. Rage glittered in his dark eyes as he realized he'd been duped. "Nice to see you, Whistler," he said. "Helping out an old friend tonight, are you? Or is this a barter for services rendered?"
"Shut your mouth, Impure!" Nicholas shouted.
"Or was it a freebie?" Dare continued. "He looks good on his knees, doesn't he?"
Lucian growled. "I'm starting to not care where we are."
Nicholas felt as though his entire existence was about to be extinguished. "Leave now," he nearly screamed at his brothers.
"No," Dare cal ed, his expression a mask of pleasured hate. "Please stay. Hear al about how your brother spends his time."
"Shut it, you fucking bastard," Nicholas yel ed.
Dare laughed. "The il ustrious Nicholas Roman is a whore. Did you know that?"
Alexander grinned. "Old news. Way old."
"No," Dare said harshly. "Not just in the past. Now. Nearly once a month for as long as you've been in New York."
"You are a sack of shit, Dare," Lucian cal ed out. "A lying sack of rotting shit."
"Ask him. Ask Whistler. He can tel you everything you need to know." He grinned as the Eye removed the hood that covered his head. "Hell, he might even be able to get you in touch with the couple who hired his talented cock last week."
Nicholas felt his brothers' eyes on him. They wanted the go-ahead to close in, take Dare down, flash him away and cut him into pieces behind the al ey of their house-and shit, under al this raging neon the tourists wouldn't notice a thing. But Nicholas had died inside, self-hate and pity keeping him unresponsive, his eyes stil trained on Dare.
He flashed from the triangle and landed directly beside the town car. Gun cocked and ready, he shot the driver in the head, yanked Gray from the car, and flashed out of his living nightmare and out of Times Square.
Nice, France
1909
Nicholas had no blood left in his body. It had run from his veins and from the cuts on his head, nose, shoulders, and knees into the sewer grates outside his flat. He lay against the hard ground and told himself that if he survived this he was done with the life of a blood seller, a cock seller. At twenty-five, he could start over, claim a new life-find a passion other than gravo .
Above him stood the angel in white, the one who had come to his aid, taken down the males who had cornered and beat him.
"Who are you?" Nicholas uttered hoarsely.
"My name is Lucian," said the angel. "I am your brother."
Nicholas could barely breathe, much less understand.
"My mother's balas -"
"No, no. A Son of the Breeding Male."
"No," Nicholas said, lifting his head. "My father was a putan , just as my mother was-just as I am."
"We need to go now. I'm going to lift you."
Nicholas felt arms underneath his knees and back, but he was so tired, so limp. "How did you find me?"
"My mother. She knew each of the veanas who laid with our father."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Away. There is another like us, in America."
As the paven walked the darkened streets of what was once Nicholas's home, he kept his eyes moving.
"I owe you my life, Brother," Nicholas rasped as he slowly dropped into unconsciousness, never hearing the paven 's final words.
"You owe me nothing, Duro. "
Stay in her room for the night?
Kate zipped the fly of her new jeans and threw on a sweater. He had to be kidding. While he was out with his brothers hunting Ethan Dare, she was just supposed to what? Hang out in her room and stare at the skyline?
Not going to happen.
She had things to do too, and the first was getting in contact with Cambridge.
She left her room and went down the hall. Despite her own choice with regards to remaining indoors, she was al for keeping Ladd inside and safe. She did a quick check on him, and after she found him sleeping, she went downstairs to look for Evans. She knew she took a risk in tel ing the servant that she was going out for a while, but he needed to listen for Ladd, and hell, the balas's welfare always seemed to come before her own these days. No point in changing that now.
She was on her way to the kitchen when the sound of a loud bang outside the back door of the building stopped her. She was about to turn around and head back to the stairs when two tall, fierce-looking paven crashed through the door. They were carrying something in their arms, cursing and arguing with each other al the way down the hall.
"How the hel did Dare get his hands on him?"
"Shit, Alex, al he had to do was walk into a bar and take him. Gray's a newly hatched Impure with minimal fighting skil s-and a stupid brain to boot."
"Shut up, Luca, I mean it."
"The truth's not pain-free, Brother. We saw that tonight."
They stopped talking when they noticed Kate, who was staring at the male passed out in Alexander's arms. "What happened to him?"
Alexander sneered. "He was dropped off at our back door."
"Dropped off? What? By who?"
"What do you care?" Lucian practical y barked at her.
Before Kate could say a word, Evans rushed in with one of the Impure guards. "Sir, shal I cal for the doctor?"
"He's not hurt," Alexander said without feeling. "Just put him in his room." His eyes went bloodred. "And don't say a thing to my mate, understand? I wil be the one to tel her of this."
Evans nodded sagely; then he and an Impure guard eased Gray from Alexander's grasp and took him away.
Kate stood there in her coat and gloves and tried not to draw too much attention to herself, but it wasn't easy. What did she do now? Move forward or back?
"It's not a good night for a walk, veana," Alexander said, his eyes on her winter gear.
Though her insides trembled with nervous energy, Kate kept her chin up and her eyes cool. "I'll see for myself."
"Don't think Nicholas wants you to go anywhere."
"What do we care what Nicholas wants?" Lucian bit out, his almond eyes flaring with hostility.
Alexander shot him a glare. "You need to chil the fuck out."
"Where is Nicholas?" Kate asked, knowing it wasn't the brightest idea to get in the middle of these two, but after the thing with Gray, she was getting concerned.
Eyes narrowed, Lucian sidled up to her, got right in her air space. "None of your fucking business."
"Back off, Luca," Alexander warned.
"Sounds like a plan," Kate uttered tightly.
Lucian didn't move. "Scared of me, are you, little credenti rat?"
"Shut it, Lucian-" Alexander began.
"Of the Pureblood Son of a Breeding Male who has Toy Story on DVD?" Kate returned hotly, unthinkingly. "I don't know. Should I be?"
For a moment, Kate wondered if she'd gone too far.
Lucian real y was a terrifying creature. He towered above her, truly aggressive in manner, his nostrils flaring, eyes narrowed into deathly little slits. But then a slow smile began to tug at his ful mouth, and he backed off, shrugged.
"Gotta love that Sid."
Kate released a breath. Jesus . . .
"Go run off your anger in the tunnels, Luca," Alexander said. "Meet me in the library in an hour."
Lucian slid his gaze back to Alexander and gave him a sardonic smile. "Sure, why not. Running my vampire ass off in the freezing fucking tunnels should wipe out everything that happened tonight, right?"
He strode from the room, and when he was out of earshot, Alexander turned his attention on Kate. "You real y don't want to get into it with him. He has a difficult time control ing his anger. You were very lucky."
She shrugged. "Or very funny."
For a moment, Alexander said nothing. Then he snorted.
"I see why my brother is taken with you."
"What's going on, Alexander? Where is he?"
"Don't know."
"Are you going to go look for him?"
He seemed to weigh his words. "It wil be discussed."
Kate watched the Pureblood's body language, his expression. Something had happened. Something bad enough that the eldest Roman brother couldn't even look her in the eye when he'd denied it. "Is he in trouble?"
Alexander laughed. But it wasn't a happy sound. It was bitter and disappointed. "He had a bul shit sting set up with Dare. Had a deal to give you and Ladd over to the Impure in exchange for Gray, and for keeping what he knew about Nicky from me and Lucian."
Kate's skin began to heat up, her mark-his mark-going from warm to red hot in under a second. "What does he know about Nicholas?"
Alexander's upper lip twitched, displaying an impressive set of fangs.
"Tel me," Kate urged. "Please."
"Tel her," Sara said, walking into the hall, her coat on over her lab scrubs. She must've come in the back door without them noticing.
Alexander reached for her at once, curling her into his side as though their bodies belonged together. He had something to tel her, something he knew would hurt her.
But not yet, not now. He gestured in Kate's direction. "She is nothing to this family, my love."
"She is everything to him," Sara said, her blue eyes resting on Kate's concerned brown ones. "She is the one."
It was as if the moment stole Kate's breath from her lungs. Nothing going in, nothing being released. How? The female knew. Had Kate been that transparent the other night?
"The one what?" Alexander said brusquely.
Sara looked up at her mate and smiled. "The veana who found a paven resting against the door to her apartment at dawn."
Alexander's expression changed instantly from rigid to calm, from worried to hopeful. "You're certain?"
Sara nodded.
"If you use this against him in any way but for care,"
Alexander said, turning back to Kate, "I wil kil you myself."
Kate swal owed, her breath returning, her lungs fil ing.
"Understood. Now, please, tel me."
As Alexander stood in the hal way, arm around the waist of his true mate, he told Kate the history of her own mate. It was difficult to hear, and yet oddly satisfying because now she understood why he was who he was.
She didn't say a word until Alexander was done; then she grabbed her scarf off the kitchen counter and said, "I'm going to look for him."
"This is a massive city," Alexander said tightly. "There's no way you'l ever find him."
"Yes, I will." She didn't know what made her do it, and no doubt she was going to regret it as soon as she left the house. But Alexander had told her when he didn't have to, and Sara had befriended her, believed in her when she'd needed it most. Kate figured she owed them something.
With her eyes on Alexander, she lifted up her sweater and inched down the right cup of her cotton bra.