Bound to midnight, p.16
Bound to Midnight, page 16
“Heed the stinky man’s warning,” said Car.
“Bite me, asshole.” Bill made kissing noises at Car.
Wheeler didn’t back down as he stared at Landros. Sure, Landros could and most likely would hand him his ass, but Wheeler didn’t care. Clara was in danger. “What the fuck do you know that you’re not saying?”
“Uncle Landros?” questioned Nicolette. “What attack in what bathroom?”
“It’s fine,” said Clara quickly. “I’m okay. Landros stopped the man in the mirror from hurting me.”
“Time out. What man in the mirror?” asked Nicolette, worry in her voice. “Someone hurt you, Clara? And they did it with a mirror? That’s it, Garth. We’re flying out this second.”
“Beauty, be calm. They’ve more than enough men there. Your friend is safe. Need I remind you that your uncle is with her?” Garth’s voice changed when he spoke to his mate. It softened.
Wheeler wasn’t about to point that out to the Viking. It was bad enough he already had an ancient Greek pissed at him. He didn’t need to start adding other immortals from other countries too. Especially not ones with a thing for collecting weapons like Garth.
“What do we need to know about this arsehole from the attack?” asked Car. “And how is it yer sure he’s nae workin’ with Grid?”
“Because I know the man who was behind it,” said Landros.
“Well, who the hell is he?” demanded Garth, his Scandinavian accent thickening.
Landros swallowed hard. “My maker.”
Clara looked to Wheeler, clearly wanting guidance on what that meant.
Wheeler motioned with his head to Landros. “The man who attacked you in the bathroom is the same man who turned Landros into a vampire.”
“Mirza?” asked Garth.
“Yes,” responded Landros.
Clara stared at her mate. “You let that man near you? I get immortality must have looked pretty damn great, but he’s a nut case. Why didn’t anyone tell me vampires could be mirror monsters? Can you do that too?”
Landros glanced at Wheeler and the twins.
“Lass,” said Mac softly. “I do nae think Landros was turned willingly and I do nae think the man is just a vampire. Like Landros, I think he’s somethin’ more.”
Clara sucked in a slow, long breath. She began to shake as she stared at her mate. “He forced being a vampire on you?”
Landros glanced away but nodded a tiny bit. “Yes.”
Pivoting on her heels, Clara was suddenly charging past Wheeler, nearly knocking Car over in the process. Wheeler caught her quickly. “Whoa. What are you doing?”
“Going to find the Mirza-mira-mirror-man-jackhole so I can rip off his head with my bare hands,” she said with all the certainty in the world.
“No. You’re not.” Wheeler tried to hold her but found she was suddenly very difficult to contain.
Car released his hold on Bill to help Wheeler get control of Clara. “Och, lass, if this man sired Landros that means he’s verra, verra old and powerful. Landros struggled against the man’s power and yer husband is feared by everyone I know. Me included.”
“Me too,” added Mac.
Wheeler groaned. “Same.”
“Pussies,” said Bill, jerking free from Mac before rushing past Gus and back in the direction of the topless bust.
Gus ran after him.
Wheeler just stood there, holding on to Clara, wishing his life was semi-normal.
“We saw what he did to yer mate tonight. And how he handled Wheeler,” said Mac.
Landros cleared his throat. “The Wheeler-getting-hit-with-magik thing was Clara’s doing. She didn’t mean it. But it was her power, not my maker’s.”
Clara stopped struggling against Wheeler and Car. “Sorry, but if you don’t let me go hunt that whack-a-doodle, I might have to figure out how to fling power at you again.”
Wheeler chuckled at her threat. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. While I’m living in fear of you, can you stop and think clearly a second here? The guy managed to breach wards Landros had on your place. Ones I’m guessing that were made especially for the man—to keep him out.”
Landros squared his shoulders. “Yes. They were specific to him.”
“You knew he’d go after Clara?” asked Car.
Shaking his head, Landros took a small step forward. “No. I didn’t realize who she was to me until tonight. I had no reason to think he’d single her out. I had the wards in place to protect Nicolette. Mirza has been hunting and killing members of my line for over two thousand years.”
Clara stopped struggling to get free and turned partially in Landros’s direction. “Really?”
“Yes,” said Landros with a sigh. “Mirza has hunted my line from the moment he and I first met on the battlefield. He’s obsessed with me and he hates that I turned my back on him and his ways. I’m not like him.”
“Yeah,” said Clara with a snort. “You’re not batshit cray-cray. He got sick joy out of the fact none of you could hear me yelling. And he wanted to kill me in front of you.”
Mac scoffed. “Mirza referred to Clara as yer mate. He said you’d have to watch yer mate die. How is it he knew who she was to you so quickly after you figured it out?”
“I don’t know,” said Landros. “But now that he’s aware, she will be target number one for him. He will stop at nothing to try to harm her. I reached out to Seth; because of his age he’ll be able to help lend a hand and magik to stop Mirza, but for now, the best thing I can think of is to keep Clara here, protected. And for me to hunt Mirza. If I can find where it is he’s hiding out during the day, I can catch him at his most vulnerable.”
“Uh, slight issue there,” said Car. “Yer a vampire. Daylight is nae yer friend.”
Landros shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. The only thing that matters is that I hunt and kill him once and for all. I can’t let him hurt my wife or anyone else.”
“He comes near Beauty and I’ll tear him into tiny pieces,” said Garth with a snarl.
Landros nodded. “My gut says the moment you claimed my niece it took her off the table as a main target. He’s crazy but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t want to go head-to-head with you, Garth. The only reason he’s able to gain the upper hand with me is because he made me. That means his magik is able to control mine to a point.”
Clara shook. “Can he kill you?”
Landros glanced away and that was all the answer he gave, but it was enough.
Yes.
Mirza could kill Landros and that meant he was one hell of a threat.
“That settles it then,” said Car, puffing out his chest. “Mac and I will try to find where this arsehole is callin’ home base durin’ the day. We’ll track him and then reach out to you.”
“We will?” asked Mac, sounding shocked by his brother’s proclamation.
“Aye,” added Car. “If it were us, and we had mates who were at risk, Landros would do it for us.”
“True,” said Mac before inclining his head. “We’ll hunt for him since the sun will be up soon. You and Wheeler can remain here to keep Clara safe and to rest. Yer no guid to anyone if yer nae at full strength.”
“No. I’ll hunt for him,” protested Landros.
“Uncle Landros,” said Nicolette. “Please let them help.”
He stared at the phone. “Not with this. Mirza will cut through them like they aren’t even there. I won’t let anyone else die for this. I’ll handle it. He’s my problem. And I’m the only one who is going to be able to track him.”
Wheeler stiffened as he thought harder about everything that had transpired. “Hold up a second here. What is his end game with Clara?”
“To kill her,” snapped Landros.
“Then why didn’t he do it when he had the chance?” asked Wheeler. It wasn’t that he wanted Clara dead, but something wasn’t sitting right with him. The entire ordeal seemed fishy to him.
The twins shared a look that said they were coming around to Wheeler’s way of thinking.
“Could it be he wanted to announce himself to Landros?” asked Car. “Mayhap put the fear of god in him about his mate bein’ in danger?”
“Aye,” added Mac with a nod. “Nothin’ makes an alpha male go nutty faster than puttin’ their mate in harm’s way. The best way I can think to get the Greek off his game is to threaten the lass.”
Wheeler eased forward. “Get Landros and his demon riled to the point they run off half-cocked hunting him.”
The men all looked toward Clara, but it was Car who spoke. “All the while leavin’ the lass without Landros’s protection. Guid plan if you want to scare Landros, get him fired up, and then annihilate the woman he loves.”
“He doesn’t love me,” said Clara quickly.
“Really? That’s news to me,” said Landros.
She closed her mouth tight, her eyes widening.
Landros ran his hands through his hair, messing it up as he did. He then began to pace the length of his study before stopping and looking upward. “Fuck.”
“Greek just figured out we’re more than likely right,” said Mac out of the side of his mouth.
Landros sighed. “I’ll give you a list of things to look for when hunting for his day hiding place. But do not under any circumstances engage him without me there. Am I clear?”
“Aye,” said the twins, doing what Wheeler could only suspect was supposed to be something of a salute.
Landros didn’t appear to buy their pledge. “That is an order.”
The twins might have been masters of bending the rules, but at the root of their being they were soldiers. Warriors who respected the chain of command and the man issuing the order.
Their smirks left their faces and they gave curt nods.
“Understood,” they said at the same time, making Wheeler wonder if they did indeed share a brain.
Chapter Twenty
Landros lifted the oversize, antique mirror from the wall with one hand before double-checking where his mate was. He didn’t want to turn quickly and bump her with it. She was near the foot of the bed, her arms folded under her breasts, shaking her head. Just as she’d been doing since he’d ushered her into the room and insisted she rest.
Clara wanted to be in the thick of the activity, but he wanted her safe. That meant eliminating any potential points of mystical entrance that Mirza could use.
Landros’s Fae side wasn’t something he used on a daily basis, but that didn’t mean it was weak. It only meant the vampire portion him tended to get more attention because its needs were greater.
The Fae side didn’t require blood. And it craved sunlight, while the vampire side didn’t thrive in light.
They were polar opposites on the supernatural spectrum, but they were both part of him. While he trusted his abilities with magik, there was no telling what tricks Mirza had up his sleeve. Taking a chance when Clara’s life was at risk simply wasn’t an option.
Since the incident at her home had taken place in the bathroom, Landros had started with the mirrors in those, removing any that he could. Wheeler had assisted and they’d been putting them in a contained room in the carriage house, while covering any that weren’t as easy to take down with sheets in addition to shoring up their wardings.
He’d tasked Bill with helping to cover any other reflective surfaces in the house. At last check, Bill had opted out of lending a hand and instead was watching television in the entertainment room.
“Do you think you might be overdoing it?” asked Clara.
“I think I’m under-doing it. Mirza is old. He’s powerful. And he’s downright deadly,” replied Landros, walking the mirror to the door and stepping into the hallway to find Wheeler approaching.
Landros lifted the mirror some and nodded to the other vampire.
Wheeler ran toward him and took the mirror from him. “Got it. I’ll put it with the others. How many are left then?”
“This is it,” answered Landros.
Wheeler glanced into the bedroom. When he saw Clara, who was still doing her version of an angry stance, he snorted before centering his attention on Landros. “Best of luck.”
“Thanks,” said Landros, giving the man a knowing look before stepping back into the room and closing the door.
He walked past Clara and checked the windows to be sure they were not only locked but that his warding on them was firm and holding. He then moved to the French doors that opened to the Juliet balcony.
Everything was secured.
Clara sighed. “Landros, you’ve checked them three times now.”
He knew as much but he didn’t care. “I need to know you’re safe.”
“I understand and I appreciate the concern, but wouldn’t I be safer by you instead of up here alone?”
He faced her. “I brought him into your life. He’s trying to hurt you because of me. I’m the last person you’re safe by.”
She came for him and reached up to cup his face in her hands. “You’re being dramatic but thank you for worrying about me. Now, what can I do to help? I know there are things I could be helping with. Just tell me and I’ll do it.”
He put his hands over hers and closed his eyes momentarily, loving the closeness to her. “Would you believe me if I said the biggest help you could give me is the peace of mind of knowing you are getting some rest? I know you’re sore from your run-in with Mirza. And I know I claimed you at the worst possible time. I should have seen to your needs first, not fucked you like an animal.”
Clara lifted a brow. “I thought fucking me like an animal was seeing to my needs.”
The edges of his lips drew upward.
She grinned in a tempting manner and then rubbed herself against him slightly, igniting his seemingly nonstop hunger for her. “You should do it again.”
“I plan to. But not until I know you’re safe,” he returned.
She gave him a stern look. “Don’t make me jump your bones. I’ll do it. You may have me by like eight inches and eighty pounds, but don’t think I can’t take you.”
“Uh-huh, you can totally take me,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Do me a favor and try to rest. I’ll be in and out to check on you.”
“What if I agree to get in the bed and wait for you?” she asked.
Landros eyed the bed and his new bride. The idea of joining her there held a lot of sway. He’d have given in to the temptation, but he wanted to check the wards on the house one more time.
Just to be sure.
Then he’d need to call his contacts about Mirza.
There was a lot to do and, if he knew Mirza, not a lot of time to do it in.
With a sigh, he gave his wife a chaste kiss and then swatted her backside lightly.
She laughed. “Naughty.”
He grinned. “Off to bed with you.”
Clara touched his chest, and for a brief moment her emotions washed over him as if they were his own. It was a by-product of the claiming, and with time that act would be something they did automatically. Raw pain and worry ate at her. None of it was for herself. It was all centered around him. She was also confused and doing her best to adjust to the reality of being his mate.
No surprise there; he too was struggling to wrap his mind around who she was to him. Oddly, after claiming her, he couldn’t fathom how he’d missed all the signs over the years. He’d have time to think on it all once Mirza was no longer a threat.
“I will be fine,” he said in a low tone, hoping to ease her fears.
Her brow knitted. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
He touched her chest, above her heart. “I felt it. For a quick second we synced emotionally.”
“Like in the bathroom?” she asked, shock flashing through her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Can you still feel what I’m feeling?”
He shook his head.
“About what you said downstairs.” She glanced away, suddenly appearing uncomfortable with the line of conversation.
“I said a lot of things downstairs,” he replied. “I’ll need you to be more specific.”
“When I said you don’t love me,” she said, still refusing to look at him.
He took a deep breath and thought best on how to respond. He didn’t want to blow it with her any more than he already had. “Clara, I know this is new to you. It’s new to me too. But how I feel for you isn’t new. I think I’ve been in love with you for years now, I just pulled my head out of my ass long enough to notice.”
She not only continued to look away, she also attempted to draw back from him.
He didn’t let her. “I’m sorry if this is all too much for you. But I can’t change the way I feel. I wouldn’t want to.”
“Earlier, you were upset that you didn’t get a choice about me being your mate,” she whispered.
He took her chin lightly in his hand and guided her gaze back to him. “I wish I could have given you the choice of a better mate. One who knows how to say and do all the right things. One who doesn’t have a mortal enemy trying to harm you. Someone better than me.”
“I wouldn’t want anyone else,” she said, her gaze locked firmly on his.
“And you are the only woman I want,” he said, keeping his hand on her chin. “And I love you. Hear me when I say the words because I mean them.”
She teared up. “Please be smart about Mirza. I’m really worried you’ll rethink running off after him and end up dead. In case you’re wondering, I’d be super pissed off if you got more dead.”
He struggled to keep from laughing, knowing it was a serious moment between them. “I will do my utmost best to avoid getting more dead.”
“Promise?”
“I do,” he responded. “Only if you promise to rest.”
“You suck,” she snapped.
He grinned. “I do.”
Clara smiled and then hugged him.
They held one another for a few minutes, neither seeming eager to let go.
Dawn’s light was fast approaching, and while he wanted to believe that would prevent Mirza from trying anything else, he couldn’t be sure.
